Officially Officiating

Although I have mentioned that I will be officiating at my friend's wedding in September, this post is not about that. This is about the rabbi(s) that will be partaking in The Hermit Crabs' wedding!

I would have to say that I have always known who I hoped would marry Mr. Hermit Crab and I when we reached that point. I've known it for years, and I knew it before Mr. Hermit Crab and I were even talking about marriage. I've mentioned before that Mr. Hermit Crab and I met at NYU in Hebrew class. Shortly after we started hanging out, I became very involved with Hillel on campus, thanks in large part to Mr. Hermit Crab. Over the years, we became close with one of the rabbinic interns, and though we went our separate ways after my graduation and his ordination, we kept in touch. I knew he would be perfect since he knew us together and apart, and has been there since the beginning of "us." I felt that it was important to have someone marry us who knows up both equally, and we are lucky to have this option. Not too mention he's young and awesome, and will do a great job!

Our good friend B with Rabbi KB (though I searched and searched, I could not find a picture of the Hermit Crabs with KB, this one will have to do!)

However, there were several more rabbis that we wanted to include in our wedding. I have mentioned before that I work at a synagogue, and the rabbi that I work with has become a close friend of mine here in Syracuse. She has agreed to meet with Mr. Hermit Crab and I before the wedding in preparation, and she helps us understand different parts of the ceremony. Not to mention she's been great to talk to about all things wedding - planning and otherwise, since we got engaged. Rabbi R will be reading the Ketubah (Jewish wedding contract) during our ceremony.

Mr. Hermit Crab and I both had rabbis from our youth that we wanted to honor as well. Mr. Hermit Crab has a rabbi-turned-family-friend who has been in Mr. Hermit Crab's life since his bris, and he will be doing the Tisch (groom's pre-wedding gathering) and Ketubah signing before the ceremony.

I was very close with my rabbi growing up, and he will be doing the Bedeken before the ceremony. More on all these traditions to come soon.

Myself and Rabbi B at my Bat Mitzvah in 1998 - be gentle, I was 13!

(all pictures are personal photos)

We will even have some rabbis at our wedding who are just in attendance! We know of so many people who are not connected to even one officiant, and we had the lucky - though daunting - task of choosing just one of many!

How as your process of finding an officiant? Did you have too many options, or not enough?

Will you be my Officimaidend?

This past year, several of my close friends have gotten engaged - some of my closest, in fact. Right now, we will have our wedding in June, and then one each in July, August, September and October! I will have several different roles in each of these weddings.

In addition to being the bride in June (but you knew that one already), I will be a bridesmaid at the wedding in July (in Israel!), and officiating the wedding in September. I am also helping my friend with his October wedding as much as I can from afar. How did this all come to be?

Friend Y, who will be getting married in Israel in July. This is a personal picture from my 22nd birthday in Tel Aviv.

I will be a bridesmaid in Friend Y's July wedding in Israel. She and I met the same place that Mr. Heb and I met - Hebrew class at NYU first day of Freshman year. She and I have been through so much together over the years, and it is so much getting to plan our weddings together, too. She's been there since the beginning of Mr. Heb and my's relationship, and I'm so grateful for that!

Ah, my Friend A! This is a personal photo from one of her visits to me in Syracuse recently.

Friend A and I go way back, to early elementary school (I even remember wanting to be her friend long before we actually were!) A and I have been close for so long, she's more like family to me. I spent some time going to look at venues with her and her fiance for their September wedding. Shortly after that, they asked if I would officiate their wedding! I should preface this by saying that I am simply a youth director, not a trained officiant. But I was so touched and happy that I figured out to make this work!

I had recently started following the blog here at Weddingbee and I stumbled upon Mrs. Star's post about her stepfather being their officiant. I followed the link to the Universal Life Church website, and within minutes, I became Rev Heb! We are in the process of making sure that everything will be legal and acceptable in the State of New York, but we are well on the way. As I go, I will share with you any stumbling blocks that I come across as I register in New York State.

Finally, one of my oldest and closest friends will be getting married in October. I have often described Friend D as my male counterpart - we've always been there for each other, and his family was like a second family to me growing up. His wedding is going to be very different than mine, so it's great getting to learn about navigating the wedding waters through many different eyes. Though I'm not officially part of his wedding, I have been sharing many of my resources with him and his fiance, and we are helping each other through this process!

Friend D and I, a couple years ago

Each of these weddings will be so different from size to location and everything in between. It's amazing to have the experience of being the bride, bridesmaid, officiant and supportive friend all at the same time and I look forward to sharing more about my journey with you as I go.

Coming up next: Resources that we have used for different parts of the wedding planning process.

Are you taking on several different wedding roles at the same time?