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Home > Ketubah

Ketubah 101: Everything You Need to Know about the Ketubah

30/04/2025 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

Alana and TJ‘s Jewish Wedding | Photo by EFEGE

Your ketubah is more than just a piece of paper—it’s a beautiful, meaningful document that represents your love, commitment, and the unique story of your marriage. But if you’re just diving into the world of Jewish wedding planning, you might be wondering: What exactly is the significance of a ketubah? Do we really need one? How do we pick the right one for us?

To answer all these questions (and many, many more!), we sat down with Adam Paskow, founder of Judaica brand Tchotchke, to get the lowdown on all things ketubah. 

Evilish Eye Ketubah

Tchotchke, best known for their playful menorahs, mezuzahs, and kiddush cups, has just launched their brand new ketubah line. Featuring whimsical designs with a nod to tradition, each piece is designed for couples who feel that Judaism is an expression of ourselves and the spaces we inhabit. Based in New York City and shipping internationally, Tchotchke’s ketubah designs are some of the coolest we’ve seen—and we see a lot!

Papercut Ketubah

Whether you’re looking for guidance on selecting a design, navigating different text options, or even choosing the best pen for signing, we’ve got you covered. Keep reading for your ultimate ketubah crash course.

Ketubah 101

Alana and TJ‘s Jewish Wedding | Photo by EFEGE

What is a ketubah?

Simply put, a ketubah is a Jewish wedding contract. It was originally created to financially protect women in case of divorce or widowhood, and ensure that the wife was properly cared for throughout the marriage. For most of us these days, it’s more of a symbolic representation of a couple’s union.

Why should we get a ketubah?

The reason to get a ketubah has evolved for most of us—what was once a legal document, for many people, is now a personal artifact from the most magical and transformative day of your life. We believe that couples should have a ketubah they want to hang proudly in their home not only for sentimental reasons, but also to celebrate their Judaism, regardless of what Judaism means to them. It’s our responsibility to fill our homes with Jewish art to preserve our history, customs and culture.

Full Cup Ketubah

What does a ketubah say?

We have many options of ketubah text to choose from, as well as an option to write your own. While these days, different denominations have different requirements and allowances for ketubah text, it is essentially a contract between partners on their wedding day, stating their obligations to each other. Some denominations use text that is relatively standardized, for example, an Orthodox ketubah does not generally differ from couple to couple, whereas a secular couple may choose to write their own ketubah, treating it more like an extension of their vows.

Petals Ketubah

Can we have a ketubah for our interfaith wedding?

Absolutely. We have an interfaith text option that celebrates mutual respect, understanding and compassion for each other’s beliefs while recognizing that shared religion isn’t a necessary ingredient for a healthy, happy, fulfilling union.  

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How to Choose Your Ketubah {with Danny Azoulay}

12/01/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

The absolutely enormous variety of ketubahs out there can overwhelm even the most know-what they-want, self-assured kind of couple—let alone the rest of us. But choosing your ketubah doesn’t have to stressful – and with a few helpful tips, it can be one of the most meaningful and enjoyable parts of your planning process.

We asked internationally acclaimed Israel-based ketubah artist Danny Azoulay, who has been designing ketubahs for years, for some guidance on how to choose the right ketubah, one that reflects your shared vision and aesthetics as a couple and speaks to all the hopes and dreams you bring to your married life. Danny shared some truly great advice, so if you’ve yet to select your ketubah, do read on!

Get Started

As a first step, Danny suggests narrowing the field. Limiting your search from the beginning by asking yourself these basic questions can help you avoid getting overwhelmed. You’ll probably find you have a good idea what you like and what you don’t care for as much, so a try to not get waylaid with choices that will utterly throw you off course.

First off, think about the style you prefer. Are you looking for:

  1. Something classic
  2. A traditional design
  3. Contemporary
  4. Eclectic

Then, figure out your color scheme:

  1. Soft palette: pastels
  2. Whites and off-whites
  3. Bold colors
  4. Metallic embellishments; gold or silver

Stay on Budget

First, the good news: there are beautiful ketubahs available to suit all budgets, so no matter how much or little you have to spend, you can find something beautiful and meaningful.

But, if ketubahs are your thing and you have a little wiggle room in your budget, Danny suggests that this might be an area where you’ll want to splurge a little. After all, your ketubah is one of the few things from your wedding that you’ll get to take home with you after the celebrations are over—and so many STG couples proudly display their ketubah as a piece of art in a prominent place in their home.

Narrow It Down

Another suggestion of Danny’s is, after you have narrowed your search, to place your 3-4 semi-finalists side by side—either as printouts or on the screen. Seeing one next to the other really can prove helpful in being able to reach a decision, or at least at narrowing it down to the finalists.

Now, you need to ask yourself, which one do you want to live with and look at for the rest of your life (Sounds familiar, right?).  After a day or two, return to that question with fresh eyes one more time to be sure of your decision.

Work Together

When you make your choice, it’s not just the final result that matters; you’ll also want to think about what the process of creating your dream ketubah will be like. Remember to pick a company or artist that is professional; one you’ll be able to work with easily and who has good lines of communication. Danny Azoulay says this is a major consideration:  “The process of text and personalization requires that your ketubah maker be aware of all the possible pitfalls involved with different text requirements, and especially about timeline.” He also encourages couples to contact the artist they’re considering and feel them out before committing.

Choose Your Text

Now to the most important part: the text. When figuring out your ketubah text, the first thing you’ll need to do is check with your rabbi or officiant. They may have a set text they require to use.

If that’s not the case for you, you’ll have some choices to make. You can search for a text that is representative of their beliefs, values and view of the life you will create together as a couple. You could also consider writing your own text.

Regardless, if you’ve found an artist you like, be sure to check out the texts that artist can provide, and how flexible they are when it comes to using custom text. No matter how gorgeous their art, if they can’t work with the text you need it’s not a fit.

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Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained – The Ketubah

11/01/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

Ketubah
All imagery by Blake Ezra Photography. 

Welcome to the first post in our 8-part series of Jewish Wedding Traditions explained.

This week it’s all about the Ketubah. The Ketubah is the name of the traditional Jewish marriage certificate; in Hebrew the word Ketubah literally means ‘something written’.

The content of a Ketubah has always traditionally been a one-way document detailing what the groom must provide to the bride in their married lives together, which includes three main things — clothing, food and physical relations.

This ancient document used to deal with concepts such as payments for marriage, which in today’s modern world simply aren’t applicable to most of us. One passage says, “All my property, real and personal, even the shirt from my back, shall be mortgaged to secure the payment of this marriage contract.” We can understand it not as a way to “secure the payment” of the marriage, but as the groom saying to his bride, ‘everything I have is also yours, down to the shirt on my back’.

The Ketubah - Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained
If you’re planning a wedding the Ketubah can be a great thing to personalise to make it more relevant to you. A Ketubah can be decorated in many different ways, with illustrations around the text or colours that represent something about you, indeed there are many artists who custom-make Ketubot, all with a presence on the internet.

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Top 12 Ketubah Designs

20/06/2022 by Karen Cinnamon

One thing I love about modern Jewish weddings is the way the ketubah – the ancient Jewish marriage contract – has become a way for every couple to put their personal aesthetic stamp on their day. There are so many mega-talented artists creating gorgeous ketubot in all different styles (and with options for all different texts – traditional, interfaith, same sex, egalitarian, or even your own custom version).

And of course the other bonus of a beautiful ketubah is that it’s one of the few wedding elements that comes home with you once the day is over. These days so many couples proudly display their ketubah in their home as a work of art – and with options this stunning, is it any wonder?

With everything out there, it’s so hard to narrow my picks down – but that said, here are 12 of my favorites for 2022…

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Top Ketubah Trends for 2021 {with Ketubah.com}

04/02/2021 by Karen Cinnamon

Stunning Henna Princess Papercut by Enya Keshet  | Photo by Julia Pollak of Luria Visuals

As you may have noticed, we are huge fans of Ketubah.com – and so are our couples! There’s no question that this online ketubah emporium – featuring designs to suit all styles, budgets, and types of wedding. Whether your big day is Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, interfaith, secular, and/or same-sex, Ketubah.com‘s got you. They even offer a 10% discount to members of our Brides Club!

Moonstone Hora Square by Hadass Gerson  | Photo by Alex Jardine at Ikonica

Between their incredible range and impeccable customer service, it’s no wonder they are by far the #1 ketubah source among STG readers. And today we’re so excited to be teaming up with our friends at Ketubah.com to fill you in on the top trends they’re seeing in 2020, from sustainability to 3-D to crystals and beyond. 


Sustainability

Renaissance Echoes by Jonathan Kremer

It’s no secret that sustainability is one of the keywords of 2020 – it’s  been trending in bridal fashion, and it’s no surprise that concern for the environment is hitting the ketubah world hard. And Ketubah.com’s ahead of the curve: their ketubahs are made with clean electricity, and even their Toronto office is powered by Bullfrog power, which lowers their carbon footprint and brings renewable energy – and naturally they recycle, seeing as they work with a ton of paper!

Couples who are environmentally conscious may want to consider a washi paper ketubah. Japanese washi paper is not only beautiful, it’s also especially eco-friendly because it is biodegradable and tree-friendly alternative (the fibers are taken from the bark of living trees – most commonly mulberry – no chopping required). Ketubah.com has an awesome selection of designs on washi paper.


Crystals

Adventure of a Lifetime II by Shel Rummel

Crystals are all the rage these days. There is a belief that crystals can affect energy in your life – and, therefore, your wedding day too. Who among us can’t use some positive vibes for the big day (not to mention in your home forever after)?

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