What is a Ketubah?
A ketubah is a Jewish marriage contract with a history some scholars believe go back as far as biblical times. Over the centuries, Jewish people have created ketubot in various forms and styles as a means toward sanctifying a marriage by consenting to certain vows and obligations in writing. The ketubah presents us with an opportunity to bring color, vibrancy and art together with our most hallowed promises to one another, our families and the world-at-large.
While many couples prefer to adhere to the traditional framework of the ketubah's written contents, many others are looking for ways to express their commitments to one another using language that aligns with their present-day lives. The good news for these couples is that the Talmud does not explicitly require that the ketubah follow its particular guidelines to be "valid and binding." As long as the rabbi you are working with is in agreement, any text can be used in the creation of a kosher and meaningful ketubah.
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What is a Giclee Print?
Reproductions from Light Source Studio are exclusively made in-house using a digital printing process called giclee (a French word for nozzle or sprayed ink). To demystify the process a little, a simple way of understanding giclee printing is to say that it is a sophisticated form of inkjet printing. The resolution and ink quality that a giclee printer employs far surpass any desktop printer, however the process is basically the same. There are several advantages to using the giclee process over other popular methods such as lithography. To begin with, the colors and detail of a giclee print are much closer to those of the original paintings than any lithograph can produce. This is due to several factors. One of which is that giclee printers use six colors while standard lithography presses use only four. Another is related to the fact that a giclee printer uses an ink distribution system that has a vastly smaller drop size. The drop size of a typical giclee print is around 3 picoliters. 3 picoliters can fit in one red blood cell. Suffice it to say that the level of detail available in a giclee print is startling. The last great advantage of giclee printing I will mention here is that unlike lithographic prints, giclees are created one at a time, allowing for any number of personalized enhancements such as text and color.
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Can I order a ketubah sample?
Yes. I am happy to send you a 4" by 9" sample of any ketubah for a charge of $15 each. If you decide to purchase a ketubah from Light Source Studio $15 will be credited toward the final amount.
How do I order a ketubah from Light Source Studio?
Please fill out the order form and either e-mail or fax it back to me. I will send you a confirmation note shortly thereafter.
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How long does it take to receive the finished work?
For an original piece I recommend beginning at least three months in advance of your wedding. For a customized print I suggest at least 4-6 weeks.
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Our wedding is just a few weeks away, can we make a rush order?
Yes. Rush orders on ketubah reproductions are almost always possible. For orders made within two weeks of the need-by date a $25 expedition charge will be renedered and shipping costs may increase as well.
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What if we are not both Jewish, how should our names be written?
As a general rule it is best to consult with your rabbi first and foremost. S/he can assist you with an appropriate and meaningful way of including your names as well as aid you in their spelling. This said, there are at least a couple of options for a couple to choose from.
Option #1: Include your spouses English name as well as his or her parent's English names and transliterate them into Hebrew.
Option #2: Find the Hebrew equivalents to the names being used or the closest variations thereof (i.e. Johnathan/Yonatan, Gabriel/Gavriel).
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Are Ketubot for Jews alone?
Not at all. Marriage is a hugely significant rite of passage for Jew and non-Jew alike. I would be glad to discuss how to make your ketubah meaningful for you and your particular spiritual, religous or secular tradition.
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What texts do you have available?
Light Source Studio offers pre-written ketubah texts for weddings (traditional, conservative, egalitarian and interfaith), commitments ceremonies (both male and female) and anniversaries. To see the full content of each of our ketubah texts, please click here.
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Which text should I use?
Modern ketubah texts are an interesting animal and may warrant a little explanation here. As the practice of creating ketubot for Jewish wedding ceremonies increased over the past 20 years or so it has become clear to the Jewish community that many people cannot locate themselves or their experience within the traditional wording of the ketubah.
As a remedy to the situation, rabbis, artists and couples themselves have been accepting the task of authoring their own vows. While this has increased the accessibility of ketubot to a far wider audience, a funny thing happened on the way to the chuppah...
Since the days of our traditional Aramaic text copyright laws and required permissions have become a necessary reality for our times and as a result you will notice that ketubah texts, while very similar from artist to artist and company to company, have their own particular flavor and composition.
Therefore, the texts you see on this site are authored by the artist. Please feel free, in fact I encourage you to use what feels good and leave the rest. There is plenty of room for personalization here. I will be happy to work with you on creating a text that describes the essence of your particular union.
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We'd like to write our own vows, how do we get started?
Please see the page The Elements of a Ketubah for a general outline of how ketubot tend to be organized. It is meant to be nothing more than something to bounce off of. Please feel free to use it as you see fit.
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We'd like to have our English vows translated into Hebrew, can you help?
Yes. If you send me a MS Word or RTF file with your English text I can have it translated for you. Please see the Text Personalization page for more details.
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Will I need to pay a sales tax?
If you are a Virginia resident you will need to pay an additional 4.5% sales tax.
How will the ketubah be shipped to us?
Your ketubah will be carefully wrapped in acid-free paper and rolled into a 4" mailing tube for safety and ease of shipment.
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How should we care for and display the ketubah before and after the wedding ceremony?
Before the arrival of your ketubah it is best to make a trip to your local art supply store to pick up the following items:
2 sheets of acid-free mat board or foamcore that are at least 1" larger than your ketubah on all sides (i.e. an 18"x24" ketubah would require a 20"x26" piece of board).
White artist's tape (it is acid-free and is easier on a paper's surface than masking tape).
2 acid-free pens to sign your ketubah with.
When your ketubah arrives it will need to be flattened out after its journey in the roll tube. To do this, simply take your two boards and sandwich the ketubah between them being careful to make sure that the ketubah is not peeking out the sides of the boards making it liable to crease. Next place some weight such as heavy books on the boards for a few days. This should flatten the piece out nicely.
Your next step is preparing the ketubah for the ceremony. You will need to have the ketubah accessible to sign and at the same time protecting it from accidents in the midst of your wedding will be an important consideration as well.
One way of working with these variables is to bring your ketubah to your framer before the ceremony and have them cut a mat for it in advance. Ask them to mat your piece with a backing and to cover the exposed areas with mylar or some other acid-free surface. This way your ketubah is held within a sturdy container and is better protected from potential mishaps, it is accessible to sign and you are one step ahead on the final framing process.
When the time comes to put it all together and frame your ketubah I reccomend the following:
Use archival/ acid-free materials for every step of the process.
Cut your window and back mat about 1/8" smaller than your frame to allow for expansion and contraction of the materials.
Use Ultraviolet protected glass.
Do not use spring clips in metal frames as they tend to allow unwanted moisture into the frame and do not adequately protect the artwork.
When deciding on a place to hang your ketubah try to find a place that has a constant rate of humidity (bathrooms are a dangerous place for artwork) and limited exposure to direct sunlight. Your ketubah will enjoy a longer happier life the more protection you offer it from the elements.
Further questions? Please contact me to discuss them directly.
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