Temple Emanu-El in San Francisco Wedding~Emma & Adam!

He’s a rabbi and she’s a cantor…sounds like the beginning of a fairy tale right? Perhaps it is.

Emma and Adam first met each other on a trip to Israel and they have not taken their eyes off each other since!

Their wedding day started off with the typical northern California gray sky and it was even a little rainy but then it turned into a beautiful sunny day for Emma & Adam and the rest of San Francisco! It was pride weekend across the US and there was even more celebrate with the Supremes Court’s ruling of marriage equality- something Emma and Adam feel very passionately about! In fact, later on you will see that even at the tisch, traditionally just for men, was opened up to men and woman. Emma and Adam even put a little twist on the bridal party- all guys for Adam? All ladies for Emma? Not at their wedding! Although the traditions of the Jewish faith are deeply meaningful to them, I admired how Emma & Adam are molding these traditions into what feels right for their beliefs. And perhaps in doing so, creating new traditions!Temple Emau-el, what a sight to see! Such a gorgeous structure on both the outside and inside. The rainbow running in the middle of the large stain glass window was a great nod to Pride weekend!Tucked away on one side of the temple, Adam and his friends got ready, sharing laughs and some toasts too!Adam carried with him an embroidered handkerchief from his grandmother. Meanwhile wayyyy on the other side of the temple Emma shows up beaming and so excited to get married!!!Emma’s Badgley Mischka gown was stunning and honestly this picture can not do it justice- wait til you see her in it!Emma’s male bridesmaids, what I like to call “brideguys” getting ready too! So much fun to have the guys with the girls!The veil for the final touch, which Adam will then lift when he see’s Emma during the Badeken.A bride and a groom seeing each other for the first time is always so exciting, so much energy in the air! Here Emma passes her Dad on the way to see her soon to be husband. Oh I love the emotion on Dad’s face!
Adam was waiting patiently…The whole day was like out of a movie!
Adam is a Rabbi, as was his grandfather and his father. What a lineage they are creating! It was very special to have Adam’s father be the rabbi for their wedding.
Adam then lifts the veil which has many meanings in the Jewish religion.So beautiful, so much love and emotion!With emotions running high and some time before the wedding ceremony, we ran outside to what was now a sunny day and took some photographs! Ha!!!!!! LOVE it!!! Someone was excited to marry her handsome man!!! The old glass doors to the temple made for an interesting reflection of these love bugs!Gah, loved the details of Emma’s Badgley Mischka gown, which of course also fit her perfectly!!!There they are! How cool is it that they both have men and ladies on their side?! Cheers to mixing it up!!!Beautiful lavender touches throughout the florals. While everyone was getting seated for the Ketubah signing, I stole Emma and Adam away to this cool little window that I had found. I knew they would make the perfect shiloutte. It was now time for the Ketubah, the signing of the Jewish marriage contract.

Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik designed the Ketubah with a nod to Emma & Adam’s love for comic books and all the places they have traveled to. It is an incredible work of art!Once it is signed on the wedding day it will be framed and then hung in their home. What a incredible reminder of the vows they made and their wedding day!A very special part of the Ketubah ceremony was when all four parents read together. The witnesses signed, as well as Adam’s father, Emma and Adam. And now by Jewish law, they are officially husband and wife! Or wife and husband 😉With wet eyes and lumps in everyones throat from the Ketubah ceremony, it was now time to change gears! Emma and Adam lead together a tische for everyone- woman and men! In a traditional tische there would only be men in the room. But this was Emma and Adam’s day and they were making some new traditions! Shots were poured out and the singing and banging on the table began!!!
As the custom says, the crowd was to interrupt Emma and Adam as they spoke and sang! Everyone was breaking out in songs and singing their hearts out!
Cheers!!!Guests had arrived and everything was ready for the wedding ceremony. The huppah was created from their ______ prayer shawls. Adam was escorted down the aisle by his parents. Everyone then waited for Emma to appear….Look at that stunning train!Emma is escorted by her parents. This might be one of my favorite moments in my 10 years of photographing weddings. When Emma met Adam at the bottom of the aisle Adam held her hand and they just stared at each other. For awhile. It was amazing. They then each circled each other, which of course was harder for Emma and she needed a little help from her maid of honor!! Adam’s father then began to lead a beautiful, heart felt wedding ceremony!I love when the person conducting the ceremony asks for the couple to look out and see all those that came to celebrate them!Emma and Adam then exchange rings. Jewish custom is to place the ring on the index finger,the finger believed to have a direct connection to the heart.Emma and Adam said their personalized vows to each other and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house!Lots laughter too!

Cantor Vladimir Lapin performed magnificently, he is their classmate and friend.

Emma’s father recited a reading, I love that glance to his baby girl!And then both sets of parents wrapped Emma and Adam in the prayer shawls for a final blessing. 2nd to last thing to do but also one of the most anticipated… Adam smashed the glass…..Then kissed his bride!!!!MARRIED!!!!!!!! Mazel Tov!!!!The family gathered and it was a full on hug fest!Emma and Adam’s beautiful rings. Downstairs the tables were set to welcome the guests for a grand celebration!Each guest received a sweet treat, yummy caramel!It was time, Emma and Adam tore into the reception to kick off a magical evening!First dance….for a moment til….…the couple was lifted up into the air surrounded by everyone in attendance!
Then on to the Hora!The bread was broken by Adam’s uncle Dr. Robert Cohen.Adam’s brother kicked off the toasts!Followed by Emma’s cousin. Next up to bring on even more laughter and stories from the past, Adam’s little sister.
And to bring it all home, Emma’s brother gave a toast that he somehow did a spin on the Star Wars saga! It was clever and every Star Wars fan in attendance was like…O.M.G how did he come up with that? In the end he was Hans Solo, every male Star War fan’s goal. Genius.
Cheers!!!!Next up Emma & Adam thanked everyone for coming from near and far!!!!Parent dances!And then the dance floors erupted, everyone was shaking their thing- even this little one!Adam shows off his new hardware!Photobooth shenanigans!Half time break for cake and cupcakes? Yes please!
Yep, they went there! Ha ha!
Emma then tossed her bouquet into a crowd of single ladies and men!!! Beyonce hasn’t created the perfect song for this as she did with “single ladies” but perhaps next year? See the woman on the lower right in the floral patterned dress, the one not trying? It’s called strategy…she knew it was coming for her! She cooly snagged it.
So much fun dancing…
…and lifting!!!Adam too!!!It was sad for the dancing to come to an end, everyone was having such an incredible time! At the end everyone circled around Emma and Adam and as they danced their last dance for the night. (Well maybe, who knows what fun was to be had at the after party!)Congratulations Emma and Adam! Thank you for the amazing honor to document your wedding day filled with new and old traditions, tons of laughter and an abundance of LOVE!!!!!!!!!