Today’s real Jewish wedding is just SO much fun! First off, we love that Rachel, the Community Associate at WeWork, and Cody, a data scientist at Rice University, went for a book theme for their big day – and they really went all in!
From invitations that looked like a book to a seating chart made of calligraphied book pages to a cake made to look like a stack of books (complete with titles of volumes the duo have read together), all of the little touches came together so nicely. Rachel and Cody’s kiddush cup, gifted by the groom’s parents, was even Harry Potter-themed! Don’t miss it in the wonderful photos by Sophia from Sophia Margaret Photography and video by Caleb from Reverent Films.
Then there’s the ketubah, which the couple created with Elena Berlo from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Once Upon a Paper. Finding most ready-made ketubah text options either too cheesy or too dryly focused on Jewish law, Rachel opted to write the text herself, all about the couple’s intentions for their life together as a married couple – Rachel shares the whole thing below, and it’s really very special.
And finally, we come to the plastic ducks. A few months after Cody and Rachel started dating, Rachel began hiding little plastic ducks all around Cody’s apartment, and she kept it up when they moved in together. Come the big day, Rachel secretly slipped a little plastic duck into Cody’s breast pocket during the first look. During her vows, she said, “I vow to keep hiding ducks all over our house. Actually… you should look in your front pocket.” Cody fished out a duck, absolutely astounded. At the reception, Cody and Rachel filled their pockets with 100 little plastic ducks and hid them in people’s pockets and purses while greeting guests. People kept finding ducks in their belongings weeks after the wedding, keeping the joy alive. How fun is that?!
Read on for all the wonderful details of this very special day in Rachel’s own words…
How We Met
Rachel, the bride: We met on a dating app, but had drastically different experiences. I found Cody’s profile after three weeks, and Cody, ever the data scientist, spent an entire year going on a date every week, with standardized first and second dates. He had just finished his 52nd date and was going on to delete the app when he saw my message and thought, “Okay, one more, then I’m done.” The rest is history!
