Help with Jewish wedding

Kate91580

I am planning my sister's wedding and we wanted to some info on officiants.  What is the process of "hiring" a rabbi?  Do they charge a lot?  Did you have a minister co-officiate?

Shoshie

Hi Kate,
Is your sister having an interfaith wedding?
Does she or the grooms family already have a rabbi from their synagogue?

2dBride

I'm assuming that it is an interfaith wedding, if you are asking about having a minister co-officiate.  Whether to have a minister co-officiate depends on what the couple wants.  Our wedding was officiated only by a rabbi, as NotFroofy is not a member of any religion.  However, some couples choose to have co-officiants.  You should be warned, though, that many rabbis will not perform an interfaith wedding at all, and that even those who will often will not perform an interfaith wedding with a co-officiant.

In terms of finding a rabbi, you may want to start with the synagogue of which they are a member, if any.  The synagogue of the Jewish parents may be another alternative.  If neither of those works, InterfaithFamily.com has a service that will match interfaith couples with a rabbi willing to work with them.  You may also want to consider using a cantor rather than a rabbi.  The ceremony is just as legal with a cantor as with a rabbi, and cantors may be a bit more flexible on average than rabbis.

Good luck!

Frozenpenguin

You may also try interfaithfamily.com to find a local rabbi that is willing to do an interfaith ceremony, though as the PP said they might not  co-officiate though.

As for cost, it can be pricey if your sister or fiance isn't using their own rabbi from their shul.

We are having our ceremony on a Saturday (after sundown) and it was difficult to find a Rabbi that would do the ceremony at any time on a Saturday. Another thing to consider.