30-Day Bride-Things Change Quickly

[ June 17, 2010 ] admin

The 30-Day Bride is Karina Lemke, a Toronto-based florist, wedding planner and TV host who decided on May 13 to tie the knot on July 1. For 30 consecutive days we’re tracking Karina and her fiancé, Mark Breslin (of Yuk Yuk’s fame), as they reveal their trials and tribulations. We’ll have all the juicy details leading up to, and including, their big day.

Things sure can change in a day. Yesterday we told you about Rabbi Barry, who’d be officiating Karina and Mark’s wedding. It was a feel-good story and, in many ways, it seemed like fate that they had all connected. Today, it’s a whole other story.

Surf and Sand Resort

Karina received a general “template” from the rabbi that outlined how the service would progress and, as a distressed Karina puts it, “it’s just not what we had in mind.” Karina is okay with the opening prayers, a definition of the chuppah, and so on, but she has a problem with a few other elements. For example, it’s standard in a Jewish wedding ceremony to mention the loved ones who can’t be there to celebrate (either because of health reasons or because they’ve passed away), but Karina, who’s just dealt with the loss of her aunt, doesn’t want them mentioned. (“It’s not because I don’t love them but because mentioning them would set off the waterworks I knew I’d be fighting off regardless,” she explains.) She’s also not interested in, among other suggestions, having a unity candle to symbolically unite the two families since they’ve already been together for 14 years. “It seems a bit out of place at our age and stage,” Karina says.

So she sent Rabbi Barry her own template, only to have it returned with a note saying that she deserves what she wants and that he’d recommend someone else to officiate the service. Karina was certainly taken aback, yet she’s confident that a face-to-face meeting would have better explained her and Mark’s needs (email can be tricky at times). She sent him another apologizing for sending out her own outline — she hadn’t meant to step on any toes — and asking for another chance.

And so Karina, Mark and Rabbi Barry will meet in person this Sunday, as originally planned, when they’ll finally arrive in L.A.

Photo courtesy of: Jim Kennedy Photographers

Day 30 - 30 -Day Bride Day 29 -The Date Is Set Day 28 -The Location Day 27 - Brace Yourself For The Unexpected Day 24 – The Photographer Day 23- The InvitationsDay 22 – Dance Lessons Day 21 – Dance Lesson #1 Day 20 – Décor Part 1 Day 17 – The Dress Day 16 – Needs Your Help Day 15 – Sort Of Jewish WeddingDay 14 -Things Change Quickly Day 13 – Off to California Day 8- Their Back Day 6- The Cake Is Ordered

30-Day Bride-The Sort Of Jewish Wedding

[ June 16, 2010 ] admin

Karina was raised Catholic. Mark is Jewish (with a secular, humanist bent, according to Karina). Bride and groom agreed from day one: no religious wedding! But how things change…

The truth is, Karina and Mark needed someone to marry them, plain and simple. While it would have been easy to fly a Toronto-based officiant out to California — Karina has worked with some of the best — it just wasn’t practical (they’re afraid the number of vendors being flown down as is might soon outnumber actual wedding guests). And so began the hunt for a local officiant.

“I was quickly turned off by out-of-date websites featuring images of doves or hearts or intertwining rings,” says Karina. “Perhaps you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover — or a vendor by their website — but we did.” Her search ultimately let her to Rabbi Barry Tuchman a lovely man with kindly eyes whose specialty is interfaith weddings. (Even his website is clean and simple — not a dove in sight!) They formed a quick bond via email and Karina felt confident that he was the man for the job (despite Mark’s concern, ironically, that the wedding might take on too religious a tone with a rabbi at the helm).

Traditional Papercut Ketubah by Diane Palley

Sure, there have been a few hiccups in communications since the initial — pardon the pun — honeymoon period, but Karina and Mark will be meeting face-to-face with Rabbi Barry when they fly to California on Sunday. Karina says one of the major challenges with planning a destination wedding is that so much needs to happen in absentia, which not surprisingly can lead to miscommunications. “Although it’s frustrating, it’s to be expected,” she reasons. “I hope I have chosen well.”

Note: A ketubah is a special type of Jewish prenuptial agreement. It is considered an integral part of a traditional Jewish marriage, and outlines the rights and responsibilities of the groom, in relation to the bride. (Definition from Wikipedia)

30-Day Bride- Needs Your Help!

[ June 15, 2010 ] admin

Karina and Mark need your help. They have sourced two different chuppahs (Jewish wedding canopy) for their wedding and need your help deciding which one to choose.

Chuppah No. 1 is a clear and modern structure that almost disappears into the skyline.

Chuppah No. 1

Chuppah No.2 is a bamboo structure with lightweight fabric that, when outdoors, creates a dramatic sense of movement.

Chuppah No.2

Which one should they get married under? Comment here to cast your vote! Voting open until Friday June 18th.

P.S. Stay tuned for more on the religious elements of this grand affair. “It’s a sort of Jewish wedding,” jokes Karina. (She’s Catholic while Mark is Jewish — they should write a script on this alone!)