Entries by Rabbi David

Planning Ceremonies in Ontario 2021—Weddings 101

OUTDOOR WEDDING CEREMONIES As the pace of reopening heats up across Ontario and Canada, couples with marriage on their minds are perking up. Check your local regulations for any specific restrictions in your area. You may prefer to wait until you can accommodate the large gathering and reception of your dreams. But if you’d like […]

Apply Online for Wedding Licenses in Toronto

State of Emergency/Stay at Home Orders and Wedding Licenses—2021 The City of Toronto has announced that while the state of emergency and stay at home orders are in effect: “As part of Toronto’s COVID-19 response, Registry Services counters at the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall and the North York, Etobicoke and Scarborough Civic Centres […]

Our Backyard Wedding—

Celebrating with Love and Laughter— Fun and lots of laughs were what they hoped for, asked for, and how they celebrated at their fall wedding, says Karianne Marten-Spagnuolo, who married  her husband Adam on September 29,, 2020, in Etobicoke, a suburb of Toronto. The fact that the ceremony took place at home had not been […]

Wedding Planning During Covid-19

Even in normal times, it’s a good idea to be able to call on experts to handle the details and ensure your wedding ceremony goes smoothly and lives up to expectations. “Today, with Covid-19, it’s even more valuable,” says Melissa Baum of The Baum Event Company, a Toronto event-planning and design firm specializing in luxury […]

Wedding Licences Extended in Ontario

To assist the many couples who have had to postpone their plans and wedding ceremonies due to the Covid- 19 outbreak, the Ontario government has issued an extension for marriage licenses and made amendments to Ontario’s Marriage Act. If you obtained your licence any time after December 1, 2019, or while the State of Emergency […]

The Perfect California Wedding

Brett and Arthur— Brett and Arthur enjoyed a wonderful wedding ceremony in October when they were married in the lovely surroundings of Healdsburg, in California’s Sonoma region, by Rabbi David Gellman. “It was an interfaith wedding—Arthur is from England and it was important to have a ceremony that paid homage to both Christian and Jewish […]

Wedding Venues-GTA

Weddings 101! CHOOSING THE PERFECT WEDDING VENUE—HOTELS Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto It’s no secret that picking the perfect date for your wedding is only the start of what may turn out to be a very long list of To Do’s. You may be planning a cozy gathering and simple ceremony or a more lavish wedding. But choosing […]

A Wonderful Wedding on the Shore of Lake Ontario

Hollie and Rodney— Remembering the day of his daughter’s wedding, the father of the bride said that, even though it was September 6th, it was baking out and sunny—and so hot you could have walked into the lake. Niagara’s only lakefront winery (Konzelmann Estate Winery) was the spectacular setting for the wedding of Hollie and […]