Astoria, New York – May 17, 2012—Couples hoping to find a unique and meaningful way to celebrate their marriage now have an updated alternative founded in an old tradition – the ketubah, a wedding document symbolizing their life together as a couple and an artistic heirloom to pass down to generations to come. A traditional ketubah is a work of art that uses images and words to express the love and commitment of marriage vows. It is signed by the marrying couple, witnesses and clergy, in a special ceremony that typically takes place before the actual wedding rite. After the wedding, the ketubah is usually hung in a place of honor in the home, and serves as a daily reminder of the vows they have made to each other on their wedding day.
While the ketubah has its roots in Jewish wedding tradition, it has become embraced by couples from different religions and cultures. The ketubah has been going through a creative resurgence, fueled in part by artists like Johnny Spiteri. Mr. Spiteri utilizes his talents in graphic design to create one-of-a-kind, personalized ketubahs that appeals to the tastes and needs of modern, non-traditional wedding couples.
The Spiteris got their start while planning their own wedding. The first thing Johnny noticed about Leigh was her blue eyes. Johnny and Leigh, owners of “Her Blue Eyes,” fell in love and married after a fast five-month engagement. Johnny comes from a Maltese Roman Catholic family, while Leigh comes from an American Jewish family. To respect both sides, traditions from both faiths were incorporated into the wedding.
Like all couples, Johnny and Leigh were looking for the “perfect” ketubah, one that reflected their taste and their ideas of marriage. “All of the ketubahs that we came across during our research were understandably of traditional Jewish fine art, which clearly would not work for our interfaith marriage,” Leigh explained. “We were just unable to find any design that we really loved,” Johnny added.
The couple decided to create their own ketubah. Immediately, one of their favorite pictures from a winter getaway came to Johnny’s mind as the perfect backdrop for their ketubah. Since the couple was asked by clergy to write their own vows it was decided that the formal vows they were to read the day of their wedding would be included, in full, on their ketubah. The response to the ketubah on their wedding day was overwhelming.
A few weeks after their wedding, the cantor who married them called asking if Johnny would create the ketubah for her upcoming nuptials. She urged them to provide this service to the general public, since the idea was so unique to each couple and she so admired theirs…and then hers. The Spiteris always wanted to own their own business and now they had an invaluable solution to offer all of those couples looking for something out of the ordinary.
Since Johnny’s ketubah designs do not rely on traditional religious images, Her Blue Eyes brings awareness, accessibility and an updated take on this beautiful Jewish tradition so it is now relevant to all religions, cultures and lifestyle orientations in our generation. Each ketubah is treated as a unique piece of art, and Leigh & Johnny work closely with their clients to ensure the ketubah reflects the personalities of the couple, their lifestyle and their creative touches so that it is a treasure that will live within their homes and lives for many, many years.
“We create fully customized graphically designed ketubahs. They are truly one-of-a-kind and we are proud that we never sell reprints. Her Blue Eyes’ mission is to create each client’s own unique heirloom ketubah which any couple, from any background or tradition can include in their own wedding,” explained Leigh.
For more information, visit http://www.herblueyes.com, email info@herblueyes.com or call 347.242.2003
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