questions & answers
what is the difference between a custom design and a print?a custom ketubah is an original watercolor painting designed with the couple: I start with a blank piece of paper, do all the calligraphy, draw the design and paint the piece with watercolors, add gold leaf if the design has it, and therefore it costs between $1500 and $3500.
a print is part of a limited edition of 90 or so that has been previously painted and written in calligraphy by me, scanned and printed on special watercolor paper. the design and text are set and preprinted. the couples personal information is hand lettered into the text, and therefore it costs much less, about $400.
how long does it take to get a ketubah?custom designs need to be scheduled 4 to 8 months in advance of the wedding depending on the time of year. there is a note as to when I am accepting orders for at the top of the custom section. that being said, it takes me about a week to complete the ketubah.
a print can be ordered up to 1 week before the wedding, but there are rush fees involved when you get closer than 4 weeks to the wedding date. I like to have 6 to 8 weeks and then it takes about a day to actually fill it in.
what about the texts, do they all say the same thing?no. what text you use for your ketubah will depend on how religious your ceremony is and if you want to write your own and here's the general breakdown:
orthodox: traditional aramaic
conservative: traditional aramaic with leiberman clause, you can add english here if you want
reform: egalitarian hebrew and english, just hebrew or just english, from a range of texts that I have or you bring.
all texts have to be confirmed for use by the rabbi or officiant performing the ceremony, whatever you choose. on a custom design, we can write whatever you want, since we're starting from scratch. on a print, there are preprinted choices for each category or the option to do a hand lettered custom text on a preprinted border. a custom text here runs from $350 to $500.
what information do you need from the couple?when working on a custom design there is a lot more input from the couple, so we would be discussing colors, structure, design and text. after that I will need the same information as for a print:
full english names, including middle names if you used them on the invitation.
full hebrew names, which include those of both your parents. if someone
doesn't have a hebrew name then I will transliterate, write in hebrew
letters, their english first name.
if all the parents are living.
the date and time of the ceremony.
the city and state where the ceremony is taking place.
how many people will be signing the ketubah as witnesses.
if you want a rabbi, cantor or officiant to sign.
address and phone number of where you want to ship the ketubah.
if you're ordering a print, please go to the print page, download the order form, fill it out and fax it over. if you're going custom, please send me the above information to start and then we can discuss the details further.
what about hebrew names? why do you need my parents' names and what if i don't have one?
your full hebrew name is you son/daughter of dad & mom. in the old days the jews in the shtetl didn't have last names, so the only way for everyone in the village to tell the difference between this shlomo and that shlomo was that one was the son of pinchas and the other the son of tevya, and so they became shlomo ben, or son of, pinchas and shlomo ben tevya. these days we also add the mothers' names to identify you, so when i ask for your parents' hebrew names, it is only to complete your name in hebrew and their names will only appear in your hebrew name. if you or a parent don't have a hebrew name i will transliterate the english name (see below for more on this).
here are a few more details about hebrew names: i only need the first part of each parents' name, before "ben" or "bat", since the part after would be your grandparents. please don't worry about how to spell these names in english as they will only appear in hebrew. if someone doesn't have a hebrew name, either because they don't remember it or because they are not jewish, i will transliterate, or write in hebrew letters, their english name, without the last name. if someone has a hebrew name but can't remember it a good place to look for it is on their ketubah or on your naming or bris certificate, which you can fax me a copy of if you can't read hebrew. if there is no relationship with a parent they do not need to be included. for other complicated family issues, please contact me as there is usually an easy way to sort it out.
what about the signature lines? do you need the names of the witnesses?no, I don't need the names of the witnesses or the officiant, rabbi or cantor. traditionally there are 2 witnesses that sign the ketubah, but often the bride, groom and officiant sign as well, sometimes with additional witnesses.
on the prints there are signature lines already printed as part of the text as follows: orthodox has 2 kosher witnesses, conservative has 2 kosher witnesses, then bride, groom & rabbi after the english section, and the 2 reform texts have 2 witnesses, bride and groom. for addition lines for the rabbi, etc., or for extra witnesses please indicate that on the order form.
how is the ketubah shipped?I send the ketubah wrapped in archival, acid free paper, rolled in a tube, in a plastic sleeve, and sent via UPS. the delivery will require a signature, as I don't like leaving something this important on your doorstep, and costs $25.
how do we pay you?i take cash or checks, no credit cards. for a custom design, once we decide on what we're going to do, i will ask for half of the final price as a deposit to start work. for a print, i will send you an invoice once i have your order and payment is due when you get the invoice, when you place the order.
what is a giclée print vs. an offset print?a giclée print is a newer technology than an offset print that allows us to print in smaller batches or even one at a time so that we have the option of even further personalizing each print. the prints are done on a giant and much more sophisticated ink jet printer, using archival inks and papers. all of my prints, other than the 2 mentioned below, are done using this method on a textured watercolor paper.
an offset print is a 4 color process done in larger batches with plates on a smoother paper, also all archival. my pomegranate and garden prints are done as offset prints and include a plate pressed edge around the design, though they can also be done as giclée prints.
