Rabbi Fee

shortee426

J and I have decided to have the father of one of my BMs officiate our wedding (he is a Rabbi).  I asked him what his fee was and he told me it was $1000.  This seems awfully high to me.  Am I just unaware of how much Rabbis charge these days?  How much did you pay your Rabbi?

vlevitt

$700  my sister paid $600.  

JamieElaineQuilts

I paid 800, and we had to pay the Rabbi at our venue even if we were bringing in a different one. 

~Personalized Chuppahs-JamieElaineQuilts.com

Musicheals71

Mine was $500.  If we had wanted a cantor along with the rabbi, we would've had to pay an additional $400, so we went without a cantor.

viewfromheaven05

We paid $400, but apparently that was low, even though that was the original figure he quoted me when we booked him.  Our rabbi was a little on the old side and because of that, everything changed each time we met with him, including his price.  But I only paid what I budgeted for.  We looked into others and they were $600 or more. 

MrsMLRB

We are using my childhood rabbi who is rabbi emeritus at my parents congregation. He doesn't have a set fee and just asks that people make donations to the temple. We are planning on donating $500.

Jess111679

Ours is a suggested donation of $1200 for non-members, in the Boston area. I agree it seems SO high. We are going to ask the rabbi directly the next time we meet with him. (His secretary is who told us $1200.)

LBRM_NJ

I paid $400, but it was 5.5 years ago and my childhood rabbi.

I'm surprised that the father of someone in your bridal party would charge you that much!

shortee426

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_jewish-weddings_rabbi-fee?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:399Discussion:c3ab2096-e8ba-4989-bcdb-e69147e48065Post:f0a76186-1525-4845-8bbb-245e5f13a22b">Re: Rabbi Fee</a>:
[QUOTE]I paid $400, but it was 5.5 years ago and my childhood rabbi.<strong> I'm surprised that the father of someone in your bridal party would charge you that much!</strong>
Posted by LBRM_NJ[/QUOTE]

<div>I know!  He doesn't really do weddings anymore, he retired a few years ago due to health issues.  When I asked him initially what his fee is, he said he would need to ask around to find out what others charge since he hadn't done it in so long.</div><div>
</div><div>He sent me the price via email and I haven't responded yet, because I am not sure how to reply.  I kinda want to attempt to negotiate a bit, but because he's my BM's father I don't want to upset anyone.</div>

october010bride

Our rabbi and cantor were free because MIL is a member of the temple. Of course she pays thousands of dollars for her membership so it wasn't really "free" but we only had to make a donation after the fact.

Frozenpenguin

We are paying $800.  If we used our congregation rabbi it would be "free" and  included in our $1200 yearly dues, but we are getting married on Saturday night and our rabbi doesn't do ceremonies on Saturday even after sundown. We looked around and were quoted anywhere from $750-$1500.

pissedbride

"I'm sorry but that's more than we budgeted"...???

dsgnyc

Rabbis in the the NY/NJ area charge anywhere from $500 - $2500 for weddings.  Some will require pre-marital counseling, others don't.

Expect to pay more if you are having an interfaith wedding, if you are getting married before the end of Shabbat on a Saturday night, or on a day when weddings are traditionally prohibited.

If you want a second officiant, such as a cantor, expect to pay their fee as well (unless you are a member of the congregation).

 If you are a member of a congregation, there should be no additional fee because it is generally included in the membership dues.  In this circumstance, a donation to the congregation is customary. Also, some rabbis will not perform a wedding unless you are a member of their congregation. 

It can be a little complicated, but synagogue's have rules and rabbis/cantors know the going rates in their community.

Good luck!