Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot
Getting married? Congratulations! As a long-time wedding officiant, I know what an exciting time this is in your lives.
Think about this: with billions of people in the world, the odds of any two specific people finding each other and falling in love are so small that whenever it happens, it’s special and it is a cause for celebration! That’s you, right now, and your wedding day is a reflection of your unique love story. Especially the ceremony. There is so much that goes into planning a wedding – it’s a lot of checklists and decisions and details and people and vendors and on and on. With all of those details – and the stress that can come with them! – my ultimate goal when I work with couples is that during the ceremony itself, I provide moments where you can stop, breathe, remember what the day is all about, and enjoy celebrating your love together!
I care about the couples I work with, I take the time to get to know them and hear their story and listen to what would be most meaningful to them in their ceremony. As an experienced life cycle officiant, I help create rituals that are personal, memorable, filled with a calm, warm, steady presence, lots of laughter, and that are all about you! I am available for secular ceremonies that are crafted to fit who you are as a couple. Have special readings? Music? Family customs or rituals? Great, I say “yes!” As an ordained rabbi, I officiate Jewish weddings, interfaith, co-officiation, as well as civil ceremonies, commitment ceremonies, and vow renewals. And I believe love is love – LGBTQ+ absolutely welcome! I would love to work with you to help make the ceremony the foundation of your amazing day.
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Details
Ceremony Types
Civil Union
Commitment Ceremony
Elopement
Interfaith Ceremony
Non-Religious Ceremony
Religious Ceremony
Second Wedding
Vow Renewal Ceremony
Religious Affiliations
Jewish
Conservative
Reform
Secular
Spiritual
Wedding Activities
After The Wedding
Newlywed Life
Getting Engaged
Premarital Counseling
Wedding
Ceremony
Awards and Affiliations
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Meet the team
Ethan Franzel
Life Cycle Officiant and Rabbi
I love love! That might be the most important biographical detail about me: I love to help others celebrate their love. But other details: I grew up in northern New Jersey, studied psychology at the University of Michigan (Go Blue!), moved to California, then to Jerusalem, then New York where I became a rabbi. I’ve lived in the Philly area for over 20 years. Officiating at weddings was always the best part of the job of being a rabbi. Now I get to do it for all types of ceremonies, secular and religious alike! Over the years I’ve helped many couples from all walks of life and backgrounds craft beautiful and personal ceremonies. I’d love to be a part of your special day!
Reviews
5.0
out of 5.0
23 reviews
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Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
Rabbi Ethan receives consistent praise from interfaith couples for creating unique and personalized ceremonies that reflect their backgrounds and preferences. Couples appreciate his professionalism, humor, and ability to make the planning process enjoyable and stress-free. His attention to detail, responsiveness, and efforts to understand each couple's story contribute to meaningful and memorable wedding experiences. Reviewers commend Rabbi Ethan for capturing the essence of their relationships, making ceremonies special and unforgettable, and recommend him highly for officiating weddings and other special occasions.
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Claire P
5.0
2/19/2025
Rabbi Ethan performed the most beautiful wedding ceremony I have ever had the privilege of attending (disclaimer: I may be biased because it was my own wedding). We are an interfaith couple and decided on a Jew-ish ceremony. Rabbi Ethan worked with us to tailor the ceremony and make it exactly what we wanted. He went into deep explanations of each tradition to accommodate my family who is not Jewish and made sure to translate every Hebrew phrase into English so that no one was left out. We had one of if not the most tearful room of guests I had ever seen. The venue we were married at was so impressed with his ceremony that they are adding him to their recommended vendors list. 15/10
response02/19/2025
I don't think you are biased at all!! :) Thank you so much for your kind and wonderful wo...
rds. I think you know how much I loved meeting you and working with you both!!!
Ashley S
5.0
2/04/2025
We are so thankful that we had Rabbi Ethan to officiate our wedding day! We are an interfaith couple (both non-practicing) and we wanted a non-religious ceremony. We knew that we wanted to incorporate some Jewish wedding traditions (ketubah, breaking the glass), but didn't know where to begin! From our very first meeting with Rabbi Ethan we instantly felt at ease with him! He has the best personality and is hilarious yet professional at the same time. We met with him several times throughout the planning process and he got to know us as individuals and as a couple. It was great to be able to have that connection with him leading up to our wedding day. He was very easy going and made the process fun and enjoyable.
On our wedding day itself, he created a perfect wedding ceremony for us. He captured the essence of our relationship and made the ceremony unique and special to us! Everyone said the wedding was very "us" which is what we were going for! There aren't enough words to describe how thankful we are to Rabbi Ethan, he is the best!
response02/04/2025
Thank you so much!!!! I think you know how fun our planning sessions were - we laughed. A ...
lot! My only goal is to make the wedding feel like "you." I really enjoyed spending time with you both. What a great wedding!
Any questions?
Bradford S
5.0
1/25/2025
Having Rabbi Ethan officiate our wedding was truly a remarkable experience. He took the time to get to know us as a couple, assisted in helping us structure our ceremony in a way to make it the most impactful for us and our guests, and did a phenomenal job on the day of. Many of our friends and family remarked how great of a job he did and we couldn't agree more. Ethan is a true professional who we would also consider a newfound friend and mentor. We could not recommend more highly!
response01/25/2025
Thank you so much Brad!! Your wonderful was an incredibly unique and wonderful experience....
I'm so glad I was a part of it. Thank you again for connecting with me and for your kind words!!
Joseph B
5.0
12/31/2024
When my wife and I began searching for a officiant, it was important that we found someone who took both our faiths into consideration. I grew up Catholic and my wife grew up Jewish. What we thought was going to be a simple task, finding a Priest and Rabbi to officiate our wedding, quickly turned into a nightmare. While searching on The Knot, we stumbled across Rabbi Ethan Franzel, which we decided to reach out to request a meeting. Shortly after speaking with Rabbi Franzel, both my wife and I already knew he was the best person to officiate our wedding. After our first meeting, my wife and Rabbi Franzel realized that his brother bat mitzvah my wife! Small world. Rabbi Franzel made us feel extremely comfortable during all our meetings and worked with us to customize the ceremony to what we both wanted. Rabbi Franzel took my faith into consideration and adjusted the standard ceremony offerings to make me, and my predominantly Catholic family feel comfortable. The weeks leading up to the ceremony, Rabbi Franzel always made himself available and made time to get to know my wife and I prior to the ceremony. He was easy to get in contact with and always responded quickly. On our wedding day, Rabbi Franzel was nothing short of outstanding. He was able to keep everything organized and made sure everyone knew their place and how the ceremony would be conducted. The ceremony was filled with laughter, happiness and tears of joy which made the day much more special. Without Rabbi Franzel, our wedding day would not have been as special as it was, and I would recommend him for any special occasion you might have!
response12/31/2024
Thank you so much! It was such a pleasure to get to know you both and to be a part of your...
wedding. I loved the connection that Rachel (and her family) and I shared through my brother, and getting to spend time with you was so wonderful.
Rachel M
5.0
10/23/2024
Rabbi Ethan was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding day. We truly could not have been happier and we are recommending him to all of our friends! Rabbi Ethan was easy to communicate with and so kind. He is an amazing listener and customized every aspect to fit my husband and I's needs perfectly. He has a beautiful voice and performed a wonderful ceremony. We are already talking about ways that we can incorporate Rabbi Ethan into our lives for future events!
response10/23/2024
Hi Rachel and Dan!! I think you already know how much I enjoyed getting to know you, worki...
ng with you, seeing you in person for our planning sessions. And the wedding itself is one I'll always remember. I feel incredibly fortunate that our paths crossed, and thank you so much for your kind words!!! I look forward to more events in the future as well.
Rebecca B
5.0
9/19/2024
The truth is I have known Ethan my whole life. But even if I hadn’t, he was the perfect person to officiate our wedding. He takes the time to get to know you and your partner individually, and who you are as a couple. He took so much stress off of our shoulders that day by running through everything ahead of time and making sure we were happy with all the plans. Your wedding ceremony is a beautiful and sentimental event and Ethan always finds a way to give it that extra special touch. You will not regret using him to officiate your own special day.
response09/19/2024
What is there to say? Rebecca is incredibly special to me and my family, and I was honored...
to be able to officiate at what felt like a family wedding. The fact that I was able to make the day just a little better for both Rebecca and Jason means the world to me!! Thank you for having me be a part of your day, and for the review!!
Melanie L
5.0
9/07/2024
We loved working with Rabbi Ethan for our wedding this past August! From our first call with him, we got the friendly, casual vibe we were looking for in a Rabbi. When planning an interfaith wedding, it was really important to us that both of our families and all of our friends felt welcome and understood what was going on, and Rabbi Ethan made it clear that was his goal as well. He really took the time to get to know as a couple, and that really showed during his ceremony, which was personal, funny and meaningful; exactly the vibe we wanted. It had just the right amount of Jewish tradition, which we got to add our own touch to, like modern seven blessing and both of us breaking glasses. Several people came up to me to tell me how beautiful our ceremony was. He also did an amazing job with the Ketubah ceremony, which was one of the most important elements to me, and both sets of parents said it was their favorite part of the wedding. We are so happy we got to work with Rabbi Ethan for this special milestone and won't hesitate to contact him again!
response09/07/2024
Thank you so much! I really enjoyed getting to know you both, and was so honored to be a p...
art of the wedding. We definitely “vibed”! A great day, and I really appreciate your kind words. It means a lot.
Kacie F
5.0
8/26/2024
Very responsive, professional, and wonderful experience overall. He was the best officiant I could’ve hoped for and everyone who attended the ceremony was raving about how great of a job he did. Highly recommend.
response08/26/2024
Thank you so much!!!!! I’m so glad we were able to work together to create your ceremony! ...
It really means a lot to hear from you in this way.
Allison G
5.0
4/19/2024
We cannot say enough about our Rabbi. He was FANTASTIC and our wedding guests all agreed. He really went above and beyond to make it personal and heartfelt. It was really special and memorable. He is the best!!
response04/19/2024
Thank you so much!
Lindsey S
5.0
12/13/2023
The rabbi's attention to detail and genuine effort to understand your personal story added a meaningful touch to our wedding ceremony, creating a truly memorable and personalized experience.
response12/13/2023
Thank you so much! It was a wonderful day.
Krista O
5.0
12/12/2023
We loved working with Ethan! His ceremony was funny, heartfelt and very personalized. He was great in terms of meeting with us and accommodating our busy schedule. We would recommend him to anyone, Jewish or not!
response12/12/2023
Thank you Krista!! You both made it so easy to plan a moving and personal ceremony - I'm h...
onored to have been a part of it!
Julia R
5.0
9/18/2023
My husband and I are so grateful we found Ethan! He was amazing as our wedding rabbi every step of the way. Ethan made our experience so personal and special. Ethan made the ceremony a perfect mix of humor and heart. We cannot recommend him enough!
response09/18/2023
Thank you so much! It was my honor to get to know you both, and the ceremony was so wonder...
ful!
Arielle W
5.0
3/27/2023
Rabbi Ethan is warm, compassionate, insightful, and will bring your vision of a meaningful ceremony to life!
My partner and I knew that out of all of the pieces of this most momentous occasion—our wedding—the piece that we wanted to dedicate the most thought and intention towards was our ceremony. We are spiritual and connect with our Judaism through several forms of spiritual practice, some traditional and some outside of traditional Judaism. Rabbi Ethan worked with us, meeting with us several times leading up to our wedding day to plan the ceremony that was directly in line with our values and the intentions we want to set for our marriage and lives together. He is easy to work with, responsive, and an amazing listener and guide. He is an excellent teacher—reminding us of the significance of marriage, supporting one another to be the best version of ourselves.
He is clearly experienced — he set our expectations for what a ceremony can look like, and answered questions so that on the day of our wedding, we could be totally focused and present. Loved ones still recall many of Rabbi Ethan’s insights from our ceremony. During our ceremony, Rabbi Ethan highlighted the Jewish values that we connect the most with. We highly recommend Rabbi Ethan. He is such a joy to work with. To this day, we remain connected with him and we are forever grateful to him for the impact that he had on our special day.
response03/28/2023
Arielle: thank you, I am so grateful to both of you. Your amazing families really embraced...
me on the day of the ceremony and made me feel so at home and at ease. I am so moved by your words and feel so fortunate to have been able to share that special time with you both!!!
Jenny S
5.0
3/24/2023
Rabbi Franzel officiated our wedding some years ago, he has performed house blessings, baby naming ceremonies, shiva services, you name it. Rabbi Franzel got to know us as individuals and as a couple and now as parents. He was invested in learning about us and our growth and personalized every ceremony. He is genuine, thoughtful, funny, caring and his singing and guitar skills don’t hurt either! You won’t find a better life cycle officiant and Rabbi who cares about you and will approach all of your life events with the necessary preparation, demeanor and cadence to ensure everything goes well for you and your family.
And he also is great co-officiating and thinking creatively and with urgency if things change last minute. We’ve needed all of that over the years!
response03/24/2023
Who could forget a 4th of July wedding - seemed like the whole country was celebrating you...
! Thank you so much for this beautiful review. It's been a huge honor to be so much a part of your family's special moments. I'm so glad we've had opportunities to make memories together!
Erika W
5.0
3/22/2023
Ethan Franzel is an absolutely amazing officiant! He is warm, funny, intelligent, and spiritual. He has the ability to make you feel like he's known you forever and that is reflected in the wedding service he prepares. Everything feels custom-tailored to the specific couple. The level of religious content is also geared toward the couple. I have been to multiple weddings at which Ethan has officiated and every one was different! His warmth envelops not just the happy couple, but everyone who is present as well. Highly, highly recommend!!!
response03/22/2023
Thank you so much Erika!! I really appreciate your kindness. Your wedding was absolutely a...
reflection of your personalities, and it had that wonderful family feel. So glad I was able to be a part of it!!
Liz K
5.0
3/20/2023
Finding an officiant for a wedding between partners of two different faiths is not always straightforward. Luckily, Ethan proved to be the ideal choice. He got to know us and our desires for the ceremony, and also provided humor and wisdom that made us feel comfortable during a process that might otherwise feel overwhelming. Ethan really understood what would make our day as special as possible, and then exceeded our expectations with the perfect blend of tradition, heart, and personality. We’re so happy we had Ethan by our side and we can’t recommend him enough!
response03/21/2023
Thank you so much Liz! What you described is exactly my goal: to be able to put together a...
nd officiate a ceremony with heart that is a reflection of both of you. I'm so glad you reached out to me, it was such a beautiful night!
Jay P
5.0
3/20/2023
Ethan was a wonderful officiant for my wedding! He was helpful and responsive, and also took the time to guide us through the finer details of the wedding day itself. Thanks Ethan!
response03/20/2023
Thank you Jay! It was really wonderful working with you both on your wedding. I loved the ...
ceremony we put together - it was creative and fun and a reflection of you both!
Jayne L
5.0
3/20/2023
As soon as my husband and I started planning our wedding, I knew I needed to track down Rabbi Franzel. It had been about a decade since I last spoke to Rabbi Franzel, but I have admired him since childhood for his ability to bring enthusiasm and love to religion. I knew he would be the perfect person to hold our hands as we prepared for marriage, and planned a ceremony that we’d find meaningful. We treasured the time we spent with Rabbi Franzel, preparing for our special day and learning about Jewish traditions. Although my husband had not met Rabbi Franzel until we started wedding planning, it quickly felt like we had both known him throughout our lives. Rabbi Franzel truly got to know us as a couple. The kindness and support we received from him made it feel like we were working with family, and this was very evident to all that attended our wedding. Rabbi Franzel was integral for making our wedding day feel like the warm, intimate, love-filled day that we had always hoped for.
response03/20/2023
Thank you so much! Jayne, truly it's because of couples like you that I love doing what I ...
do. I hope you know how much it meant to me that you reached out, and how honored I was to be with you on your day. There was so much joy and love, and seeing your family and getting to know your wonderful groom and his family was such a blessing to me. Thank you again for your wonderful words, it means the world!
Steve W
5.0
3/20/2023
We contacted Rabbi Ethan about a year before our wedding which took place in December, 2019, and we are so glad we did! The ceremony was beautiful and exceptional. In the months leading up to the wedding date, Rabbi Ethan took the time to really get to know me and my fiancée which helped him construct the perfect ceremony.
He also took the time to suggest and teach us about some special traditional elements of a Jewish wedding ceremony, and ways to modernize it, if we wanted, like Circling and Wrapping in the Tallit, which made the ceremony all the more special.
Rabbi Ethan scheduled several sessions to go over, in detail, all of the elements of the ceremony and to answer our many, many…many questions. He also helped proofread and approve our ketubah and even found a mistake made in the Hebrew writing section.
We could not have asked for a more perfect ceremony. It was both touching and funny, and we would have not wanted it any other way. Many of our guests told us it was one of the best ceremonies they attended. We highly recommend Rabbi Ethan!
-Steve W
response03/20/2023
Steve: thank you so much for this. You know how meaningful your wedding was to me, and I w...
as so honored to be a part of it. You are both so special, and "touching and funny" seems to fit so well with your lives. I will always remember that night!
Ira N
5.0
3/19/2023
Rabbi Franzel officiated at our wedding over 20 years ago and I still remember the ceremony. He projected a warmth of spirit that seemed to flow over the entire room.
His words, and choice of music, which was well-coordinated with the Cantor, left me with a lasting impression. Rabbi Franzel made an happy occasion more joyous while the seriousness of the occasion became more meaningful.
response03/20/2023
Thank you so much Ira! I love what you said - the wedding ceremony is absolutely both very...
serious and filled with joy. I'm touched and so glad to have been a part of it. And even after 20 years we can still remember how wonderful that day was, the first of many!!
Josh A
5.0
3/19/2023
Ethan was the rabbi and officiant at our wedding back in 2010. Ethan is caring, spiritual, and funny, all of which are key qualities for a rabbi and wedding officiant. I have known Ethan since the early 2000s when I was in high school and he was a rabbinic intern at my temple. I always knew that I wanted him to officiate my wedding due to our deep personal connection. As soon as my wife met Ethan, she also felt a great connection to him. Ethan’s warmth makes him easy to feel an immediate bond to, even if you do not have a long history with him. He was an integral part of our wedding, weaving together storytelling, the more religious aspects of the ceremony, and even some humor. He also did a great job of explaining the various Jewish wedding rituals for those at the wedding who were not as familiar. Ethan is an amazing person and I could not recommend him more as a rabbi, wedding officiant, and spiritual leader.
response03/19/2023
Thank you so much Josh! It's amazing how many years of history we have going waaay back! A...
nd it's hard to believe your wedding was 12/13 years ago! I was so honored to be a part of your incredible day. And the two of you are so good together, the ceremony really wrote itself. A great memory for me as well. Thank you again!
Aidan J
5.0
3/18/2023
I recently had the pleasure of working with Ethan as the wedding officiant for my secular wedding ceremony, and I cannot recommend him highly enough. Despite not being a traditional wedding officiant, Ethan took great care to ensure that our ceremony reflected our secular beliefs and preferences. Throughout the planning process, Ethan was always available to answer our questions and offer guidance.
On the day of the ceremony, Ethan was an absolute pro. He conducted the ceremony with grace, dignity, and a deep respect for our wishes and beliefs. His sense of humor and speaking ability truly set him apart as a wedding officiant. Not only was he able to convey the depth of our love for each other with eloquence and grace, but he also kept the ceremony light-hearted and enjoyable with his witty remarks and charming personality.
Even my lifelong Catholic Aunt was moved to tears by Ethan's lovely words, and she jokingly said that she would convert just to hear his remarks every week! Ethan's ability to connect with people of different backgrounds and beliefs truly speaks to his talent and compassion as a wedding officiant. His ability to strike the perfect balance between heartfelt and humorous is truly remarkable.
We are so grateful to have had him as our wedding officiant and would highly recommend him to anyone in need of someone who can make their special day both memorable and enjoyable. Five stars all around!
response03/18/2023
Thank you Aidan! I loved hearing about your aunt - high praise indeed! It was such a joy p...
utting together your ceremony, and the day itself was so joyful!
Marjorie N
5.0
3/17/2023
Rabbi Franzel officiated at our wedding several years ago and we are still happily married! His personalized approach customized our service and had our guests laughing and crying, and was very meaningful to us. He worked well with the Cantor, coordinating appropriate music and song. ( He sings and plays guitar as well).
In the ceremony Rabbi Franzel included both biblical and contemporary references which made a connection to all in attendance. Our guests were all very complimentary about our unique service.
We loved working with Rabbi Franzel and know that he will go out of his way to make your ceremony very special. Be ready to give out his number as your guests will want him to officiate at their life cycle events.
response03/17/2023
What a wonderful wedding this was! Thank you so much for the review. A good time was had b...
y all, and I was so glad to have been in a position to officiate!
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Ethan Franzel
LIFE CYCLE OFFICIANT AND RABBI
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