The experience of a Jewish wedding is one of transformation.

When two people begin the ceremony they enter the wedding canopy Huppah they do so as partners in love and emerge as transformed beings: sacred to one another as Hatan and Kallah—bridegroom and bride.

The medium of this transformation is the magic of the ceremony.

The wedding ceremony is holistic: while at the centre are two souls intertwined, there is no audience—everyone present is a participant-witness to this sacred bonding between two human beings.

The celebration that follows is a tribute to a new unity for all who attend and a joyous blessing for the new couple who have transformed before our eyes.

And while we are most often called upon to officiate inter-faith marriages, we also administer and celebrate traditional Jewish weddings.  We are happy to officiate for any couple who would like to be married or renew vows, including inter-faith weddings, from diverse cultures, and the LGBT+ community.

Our experiences are many and varied and we are delighted to provide references for your own expectations and comfort.

The couples and celebrations featured throughout are real—we have officiated for each of these wonderful people and their families.

“Thank you from all of us for a magnificent wedding ceremony. You were epic and we loved every minute. Much love.”

“From the bottom of our hearts…Thank you so much for making our wedding so memorable. You wrote a beautiful ceremony for us and every moment of it was from your heart. All of our guests are talking about how moving our ceremony was and how informative, clear and wonderful our Rabbi is!”

“Thank you for the anniversary wishes !!!  And thank you for marrying us. We are forever connected !!”

“Our 25th wedding anniversary was coming up, and Scott asked Rabbi Gellman if he would help us renew our vows.  Both Alex and Rabbi Gellman not only went above and beyond what we could have expected, but made an incredible ceremony involving all of our children, and many fellow cruisers. It was a magical evening that we will never forget, and talk about to everyone to this day.”

“The feedback from Mark and Lindsay’s wedding has been over the top. Your service was inclusive, spiritual, meaningful, and yet light and fun. I am very appreciative of the way you connected with the bride and groom and made all of the bridal party and guests feel we were part of something extraordinary. Thank you, thank you!”

“It was truly the nicest ceremony I have ever seen, I couldn’t have dreamed of anything better! The details put into each and every aspect were so beautiful, and our wedding day would not have been as special as it was if it weren’t for Rabbi David.”

“My new step Mother-In-Law cannot get over how much she has learned about Judaism! Thank you for your patience and humour.”

“It was the most beautiful and moving service I have experienced in many years. I was deeply moved.”

“It was wonderful…a simple yet very personal and joyous moment…the two of you made it feel so special…thank you so very much.”

“How you connected with both of our families was so special. The time you took to consult with everyone was …”

The Ceremony and After-in Ontario

The Rabbi is a licensed officiant. We sign your marriage license during the ceremony and forward it to the Registrar to ensure your marriage is legally registered. (Couples may provide their marriage license to us in advance so you have less to think about on the day—in Ontario, you apply for your license up to 90 days before the date of your ceremony at your local municipal offices).

If you would like an official Marriage Certificate from Ontario, it is necessary to apply for this yourself from the Registrar—you are required to wait at least 90 days after your ceremony to meet provincial requirements.
If you arrange with the Rabbi for a destination wedding or a ceremony in a location other than Ontario—he is also licensed/or able to conduct ceremonies for certain other locales (in Canada and the US) and will discuss this and any arrangements that need to be made with you.

How to change your name after the wedding—

This is the question most asked by couples! In Ontario (and generally in other provinces besides Quebec) you may assume your spouse’s last name on marriage. You may need to show your marriage certificate (which you apply for after the wedding from Vital Statistics) to the relevant government departments or companies to change your name on certain documents (bank accounts, Revenue Canada, credit cards, driver’s license, social insurance number, etc.). You may also apply for a legal name change, but this is a different process.
© Copyright - Rabbi David Gellman | Canadian Website Development by IdeaZone.ca