Rabbi Lori Shaller

Rabbi Lori officiated our wedding on Martha's Vineyard. We are so grateful to her for her role in the beautiful day we shared with our friends and family. We did not know Rabbi Lori when we first met with her about our wedding, but we walked away from our first meeting knowing she was the perfect person to officiate! She created a ceremony that reflected our personalities and what was important to us, and she invested herself in getting to know us as individuals and as a couple. She was flexible throughout the planning stages, but always had helpful suggestions when we needed guidance. During the ceremony, she created a warm atmosphere and was interactive and engaging with our guests. She has continued to be a part of our lives, and we have enjoyed sharing life's ups and downs with her since our wedding.

Where to begin with writing a glowing review of the incredible Rabbi Lori! My husband Craig and I come from different religious backgrounds (I am mixed but identify as Jewish and am American, and Craig is from Ireland and is technically Protestant but not religious whatsoever). We found Rabbi Lori via Unorthodox Celebrations – a great website that helps couples find wedding officiants to suit their needs. We interviewed with six or seven Rabbis, and both Craig and I felt that while everyone was really nice, we felt the deepest connection with Rabbi Lori. Though we were in NYC and she was on Martha's Vineyard, we continued connecting through multiple video conference calls and light assignments where she learned more about Craig's and my relationship. We got married in Newport, RI, which is what led us to search for New England Rabbis. Despite unexpectedly and potentially majorly problematic weather right before out wedding, Rabbi Lori guaranteed she would make it to sign our ketubah and officiate our ceremony. Craig and I wrote each other letters rather than readings our vows aloud during the ceremony, and Rabbi Lori essentially spoke on our behalves. She made the ceremony incredibly special and specific to our love and our families, she added humor and audience participation, was incredibly eager to make Craig feel like his religious and cultural sides were represented, and because our guests were very diverse, she was extremely explanatory about all Jewish symbols, Hebrew texts, etc. So often things happen at a wedding without being explained, and even Jews don't understand the actual reason why they are breaking the glass, under a chuppah, etc. Everything was so customized. So many people complimented our ceremony. Even the guards at Rosecliff, which has multiple weddings a weekend, said they have heard a ton of ceremonies, and ours was one of the most special and enjoyable! To top it all off, when we returned to NYC after our wedding, we received a special printed copy of our ceremony, complete with elegant paper and ribbons the colors of our wedding. Rabbi Lori is so warm and lovely, and I hope to take up her offer of being our Rabbi for life.

Rabbi Lori really took the time to get to know me and my fiancé before our wedding. She took time out of her schedule to plan video calls when we were preparing for our wedding from out of state, and she was always patient, thoughtful, kind, and professional. She was a pleasure to work with.

Rabbi Lori was truly a gift from above. After a fairly difficult time finding a rabbi to perform an interfaith ceremony inside a church with other clergy members, we found Rabbi Lori and our prayers were answered. Throughout the whole wedding planning process, Rabbi Lori was a source of inspiration and support. She took the time to get to know each of us and then put together a phenomenal service in partnership with the other clergy members. She was commanding at the service and made it so personable. Our guests have said it was the best interfaith ceremony they have ever been to. We highly recommend working with her.