When should I order Ketubah?

girliegirlral

FINALLY less then 6 months to go!  When should I order my Ketubah?  We already have the one picked out, just not sure on the text. 

TIA!

LBRM_NJ

I ordered mine about 4 months before, which was good because, when it came, there was a mistake on it.  They put my FIL's name where my husband's name should have gone.  So, it's important to look at the text when you get it, or have someone who can read the hebrew do it for you!

Rachiemoo

I believe we ordered about 4 months out.

slbriz34

I think it depends on the general turn around the company quotes you, how much personalization you made need, and then allowing time to review and edit proofs.

The company I will purchase from says, as of right now, the turnaround is two weeks.  I'm going to put my order in next week, and it'll take a few days to get me a proof, which I'll have to give to my rabbi, which will take some time as well, so I expect this song and dance to take awhile before the final order and printing happens.  My wedding is in late May, so I guess I, too, am at four months out.

Better to have it early and everything is done, than to be scattered and trying to get it accomplished and finding yourself dealing with errors or getting folks to proof faster. 

silversparks

I agree with 4 months out. Before you order anything though, check with your rabbi to see if he or she requires a certain text. Many rabbis will also want to proof it before the final order goes through, and some ketubah companies will automatically wait until they get the ok from the rabbi (or other clergy) before sending the order on to the artist. You also want to give yourself a bit of time if you want to get it mounted for display at the reception.

Knottie_22383144

Glad you mentioned to check with your rabbi about a specific text. I'm a ketubah artist and I always make sure the rabbi has pre-approved the text before I do the fill-ins, especially if the wedding is Orthodox or Conservative. Sometimes it's also important to get the rabbi's way of spelling your wedding city and state in Hebrew. There can be multiple ways of spelling and your rabbi might have one that he/she thinks is right. And always ask to see a proof of the fill-in text before it goes to print!!!

Knottie_22389681

As a ketubah artist, I WISH all of my clients placed their orders 4 months in advance! Not everyone is so organized!

My turnaround time depends on how many other orders I'm processing at the time, but it generally runs 2-8 weeks. I prioritize according to wedding (or travel) date, so someone who orders a ketubah for this Sunday will get a faster turnaround than someone who orders a ketubah for next year (but they may have to pay a rush fee if they need it that fast!)

Whatever you do, ALWAYS make sure you'll get a proof of the ketubah, and proofread VERY carefully before you sign your approval. Nothing can completely eliminate the possibility of mistakes (which is one reason that ordering well in advance is a really good idea!), but having a proof can really minimize them. If the ketubah is filled in by hand, the proof is my guide when I do the calligraphy. If the ketubah is personalized digitally then the original file of the proof is what gets sent to the printer.

I hope this helps!

Melissa Dinwiddie
aka The KetubahDiva
http://www.ketubahworks.com
http://www.ketubahdiva.com

parker624

To the ketubah artists out there:  Have you ever had a different artist do the artwork and you do the caligraphy for the actual ketubah contract?  If so, how did you make it work?

2dBride

We ordered ours well in advance, but it only took a couple of weeks to arrive after we ordered it.  And that included sending us a proof by e-mail and having our rabbi look it over to make sure it was ok.

Typically, the store or site from which you order your ketubah will indicate how much time you should allow.