Jewish ketubot, Quaker wedding certificates, or secular prints of your vows have a special place in wedding planning. Because, like pictures, they last for the rest of your life. But unlike pictures, they offer you a chance to lay out your philosophy and intent in marriage (which can be amazing to look at in the middle of a fight years later… trust me on that one). But for years, it was tough to find beautiful modern ketubot that didn’t cost a fortune. And it was nearly impossible to personalize the text of your ketubah without paying all the dollars. Enter Ink with Intent. Because if you’re going to have a visual reminder of your marriage hanging on the wall for presumably ever, you’re gonna want something that actually looks stunning.
When we first introduced Ink with Intent’s ketubahs and wedding certificates last year, y’all flocked there in droves, and with good reason—Ink with Intent was founded by artist and fellow APW reader Adriana Saipe in 2013 after a disappointing search for a modern ketubah led her to design one for her own interfaith Quaker-Jewish wedding. It turns out Adriana and her partner weren’t the only couple having trouble finding a contemporary and customizable ketubah or wedding certificate that reflected their values and aesthetics—thus, Ink with Intent was launched, with designs that are contemporary, colorful, and customizable, and prices that start at just $155.
DO I need/want a wedding certificate?
Here’s a little more information on where this tradition came from and what kind of wedding certificate might be right for you:
- The ketubah is a Jewish tradition used only in Jewish or Jewish-interfaith weddings. The signing of the ketubah is one of the major parts of wedding ceremony. It also gives you another way to honor people, by choosing them as witnesses (you’ll look at their signatures on your wall for the rest of your life). Ink with Intent offers a range of text options suitable for a ketubah, including interfaith, secular, egalitarian, or even the original two-thousand-year-old Aramaic text. But most amazingly, you can supply your own text that Adriana can have translated into Hebrew. (Back when I got married in 2009, this was nearly impossible. We wrote our own text, but then couldn’t use it, so Ink with Intent is making magic.) No matter which you choose, Adriana will work with you and your rabbi or officiant to make sure your final ketubah design perfectly fits you and your wedding.
- In the Quaker wedding certificate tradition, each person who attends your wedding is asked to sign a wedding certificate as a formal witness. It’s a beautiful and meaningful way to include each guest at your wedding in the ceremony, and at the end of the day, you’ll have a unique piece of artwork covered in the signatures of your loved ones to hang in your home. Many couples now use the Quaker wedding certificate as an alternative to the guestbook.
- Ink with Intent also offers fully customizable designs that couples can have made to include their vows, a reading from their ceremony, or any image and text that has meaning to them to commemorate the beginning of their marriage. (Adding your vows to a custom certificate or one of Ink with Intent’s existing designs also makes for a great anniversary gift!)
why we love Ink With Intent:
- Highly customizable standard designs: No two finished pieces from Ink with Intent are ever a hundred percent alike. The vast majority of customizations—personalizing the names, date, texts, fonts, colors, and many aspects of the base design itself—are included in the cost. If you’d like further customization—such as adding elements to the design or changing it more significantly—there is a small fee (between $25–$100, depending on what you’d like).
- Full custom designs: Adriana can also do full custom designs for both ketubahs and wedding certificates that capture a place or idea that has deep personal significance to a couple. She’s done everything from a typographic design featuring English, Hebrew, and Marathi (three languages that had meaning to the couple), to a design featuring Bryce Canyon, to one featuring the modern wing of the Chicago Art Institute.
- Beautiful, modern, and inclusive designs and texts: Adriana works with all sorts of clients from all different spiritual traditions; her designs and texts are inclusive of all types of couples and religious arrangements, with an aesthetic that’s a blend of ancient tradition and contemporary simplicity. Furthermore, she promises to use whatever pronouns, relationship terms, and religious or nonreligious wording accurately reflects the identities of you and your partner.
- Top-notch translation: Adriana works with an incredible network of rabbis, Aramaic scholars, and native Hebrew-speaking translators who will make sure your Hebrew/Aramaic text is accurate, and they are always available to walk you through anything that’s confusing.
- Stellar customer service: No matter what you order, Adriana and her team are always available by phone and email, and they take pride in ensuring your document arrives on time and in perfect condition. Adriana knows from experience that when you’re planning a wedding there are a billion things on your plate, and worrying about the arrival of your ketubah or wedding certificate shouldn’t be one of them.
Pricing
- Standard designs for ketubahs and Quaker wedding certificates range from $155–$270, depending on what text options you choose. This includes many customizations, such as names, date, texts, fonts, and colors.
- Additional customization of the design (adding elements or significantly altering the design) ranges from $25–$100.
- Fully custom designs for ketubahs and wedding certificates range from $400–$800 depending on the complexity of the design. This process typically begins with a Skype session with Adriana to flesh out your idea; then she’ll send you a free (zero obligation) sketch and give you an official quote. After that, it’s up to you to decide if you’d like to move forward.
When you incorporate a ketubah or wedding certificate into your celebration, there’s a reason to spend your time, energy, and hard-earned cash on just the right one. It’s something that’s going to hang in your home for a loooong time, as Ink with Intent client Lucy realized:
I had always known that I wanted a version of a Quaker marriage certificate because my parents have had theirs hanging in my childhood home for the last thirty-eight years. I went looking online and was having a hard time finding anything modern and beautiful. Enter Ink with Intent! I was so happy to find Adriana and she made everything so easy. Adriana worked with me to create a custom certificate based on photos I sent her of our favorite places in Maine. The finished product arrived this week and it is beautiful. I teared up just thinking about having our family and friends sign it on our wedding day! I highly recommend working with Adriana. I am looking forward to having her work hanging in our home for years to come!
So if you’re looking for a modern ketubah or wedding certificate that reflects your aesthetics, your values, and your relationship itself, head over to Ink with Intent to check out Adriana’s beautiful designs today.
GET 10% OFF YOUR INK WITH INTENT KETUBAH OR MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE WHEN YOU USE THE COUPON CODE “APW2016.” (CODE VALID UNTIL AUGUST 4, 2016.)
