Rabbi Jesssica K. Marshall, Sacred Lifecycle Rituals

time gave us the chance to really get to know Rabbi Marshall which made her standing up there with us on our wedding day even more special. It became very clear to us very early on that she was really invested in developing an actual relationship with us and wasn't just going to be someone who showed up on the day of and conducted the ceremony. She was always flexible and responsive for scheduling get togethers and made the planning of the actual ceremony as easy as possible! She was also flexible with the actual ceremony and gave us plenty of leeway in terms of the length of the ceremony and what aspects were the most important to us. Rabbi Marshall was also incredibly accommodating. One of the big draws for my wife and I was the high number of inter-faith weddings Rabbi Marshall had officiated in the past. I am not Jewish, and from the get go one of the most important aspects of the wedding to me was making sure all of my southern Christian guests knew what was going on, understood the importance of every Jewish tradition and that everything in Hebrew was also recited in English. For many of my guests this was their first experience with any Jewish traditions, and we continue to hear from guests telling us how much they loved the ceremony and Rabbi Marshall specifically! Rabbi Marshall, you were so amazing, and Melinda and I couldn't think of anyone better to help us start this chapter of our lives together. You rock!

now from working with Jessica over the course of a half year leading up to the wedding why the ceremony was so perfect. Jessica has deep knowledge of how weddings can go and was able to be flexible and responsive to our needs. She listened closely, made suggestions, and then ultimately crafted a creative and personalized ceremony just for us. She took the time to understand what was important to us and who we are as a couple, sharing options and advice, but ultimately listening to what we wanted. She was fully willing to go with us on our journey, even when that meant changing our minds along the way a dozen times or so. Wedding planning can be stressful! We always looked forward to talking with Jessica across the months because she had a way of grounding us again. She suggested we create a list of “wedding values” and revisit them when things felt overwhelming. We found this very helpful. She also always got us laughing and reflecting on what really matters. On one occasion, she asked us to shut our eyes, hold hands, and just talk about the feeling we wanted to have the day of the wedding. Jessica was always patient, positive, and empathic along the journey of planning and developing our big day. So, it is no surprise that our guests remember the wedding ceremony as vividly as we do. Jessica was a calming presence the day of the wedding and throughout the ceremony. She brings her whole self to her work – her art really – and her authenticity during the ceremony helped us feel relaxed and authentic, too. She was able to manage some last-minute logistics (too hot to have the ceremony in the original location! no mic stand! line up at the bathroom!) with grace and humor – and then transition easily into leading a heart-felt ceremony. We remember the joy of standing there and celebrating our love with her – and the delight we felt in hearing her kind, wise, and witty words of wisdom throughout.