Behind The Scenes of a Custom Ketubah

From-The-Expert
By Anna Abramzon of Anna Abramzon Studio

Eric and Jessica found my art when they were searching for a ketubah and came across my Etsy shop. They liked my style, but were looking for something totally original for their upcoming wedding. They were developing a movement/dance theme for the big day (and their life in general) and liked the idea of having a completely unique hand painted ketubah that no other couple in the world would have.

This is Eric and Jessica, how cute are they?

Anna Abramzon Studio

And so began our journey together. My favorite thing about painting custom ketubot is the opportunity to get to know the couple. Although I have never met Eric or Jessica face to face (they are in San Francisco while I am in Houston) I really loved getting to know them and their creative vision through phone calls, and countless emails.

We started out by brainstorming ideas. I asked them to send me imagery that was appealing and meaningful to them so I could get a feel for their aesthetic. Since they knew for sure that they wanted a dancing figure on the ketubah, I started out by sketching a whole bunch of dancing figures for them, to see what they would like so we could go from there.

Anna Abramzon Studio

But these were a little too “Dancing with the Stars” for them. They sent me some images of the kind of dancing they were into, including this amazing sculpture called Bliss Dance from Treasure Island in San Francisco. Their wedding ceremony would be right next to it.

Treasure Island

So back to the drawing board I went! I presented them with a new series of sketches, focusing on a more organic, flowing and energetic dance style:

Anna Abramzon Studio

And we had a winner! They liked sketch C. They also sent me an image they really loved from a meditation retreat they had just attended, for inspiration. Yes, this wonder couple has time to plan a wedding, study for bar exams, and attend meditation retreats, too!

meditation

Next I presented them with a few layout ideas, one with the text split and one with the text all together:

Anna Abramzon Studio

They chose the split-text layout and decided against a “chai” on the top. They also told me they liked the rendering style from the Love Tree 2 Ketubah.

Anna Abramzon Studio

It was time for my favorite part, painting!!

Anna Abramzon Studio

Drumroll please…..

Anna Abramzon Studio

Just a few sentimental sniffles at the FEDEX office, and off the ketubah went on its journey to California and to its permanent home with Eric and Jessica!! Mazel tov you guys!!!!

Thank you so much, Eric and Jessica, for letting my art be a part of your special day. It was truly an honor! May your ketubah stay with you for a long, fulfilling and inspiring marriage, full of miracles! L’Chaim!

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Anna Abramzon StudioToday, Anna Abramzon of Anna Abramzon Studio chimes in as a ketubah expert on The Wedding Yentas! They say she started drawing before she started walking, but that may be an exaggeration. As soon as she did start walking though, Anna started traveling, sketchbook in hand. She has lived all over the place and her travels have infused her artwork with color and life. Anna specialize in mixed media, combining collage with gouache, watercolor, pencil and ink. Anna met and married her husband in Jerusalem, Israel, and thought their wedding was a wonderful opportunity to create some love-inspired art, so she painted their ketubah, their invites, their thank you notes, and pretty much everything else that she possibly could for their wedding. Next thing she knew, other people started asking her to create artwork for their weddings. And that’s how Anna became a ketubah artist. She lives in Houston, Texas with her husband and daughter. Shop for your ketubah and keepsake art at Anna Abramzon Studio.