Weddings

Ani l’dodi v’dodi li -- I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine. (Song of Songs 6:3)

Mazal tov and congratulations on finding your beshert, the person meant for you, to spend the rest of your life with! Now it’s time to plan the wedding, or kiddushin (from the word for holiness and sanctification). Jewish weddings are about creating the spiritual bond that links two people in holiness in front of their community.

My ceremonies combine each couple's sensibilities with Jewish tradition, making that moment of holiness relevant to your lives, from chuppah (the wedding canopy) to circling to create the sacred and energetic boundaries of your relationship, to vows and the Sheva Berakhot (Seven Blessings) to stepping on the glass. I dedicate myself to creating a ritual that is Jewish, spiritual, meaningful to you, the couple, and accessible to Jewish and non-Jewish guests alike.

One wedding attendee noted that the wedding ceremony is the introduction to the marriage that will follow, and my intent is to make that introduction beautiful, meaningful and both solemn and joyful. For this reason, my ceremonies are not brief: 30-45 minutes, depending on the choices you make for elements and participation. No one is ever bored.

I joyfully officiate at interfaith weddings and same sex weddings.

I live in Sonoma County and officiate weddings in the San Francisco Bay Area. I travel to other locations as well, including Lake Tahoe, where I served as rabbi for two years.

Couples and I generally meet two to four times before the wedding, adapted for people’s needs. Of course, face-to-face is preferred, but if distance is an issue, then modern technology comes to the rescue. We also communicate by telephone, Zoom, Facetime, Skype, email, text, etc. before the day.

In The News

Wedding During the Fires

First New York Times Weddings mention!

What People Have Said

Rabbi Meredith was the best! She was kind, helpful, and listened to us and our needs. She has lots of experience with interfaith coupes like us. She is very reasonably priced. She allow you to customize the ceremony. She explained what things meant during our ceremony, so our guests knew what was happening at all times. She added personal touches and a little humor as well. She gets to know each of you ahead of time, having you answer questions and write an essay for her. She also gives counseling advice. Our ketubah (marriage contract) came from Israel, and the punctuation was all wrong. She took the time to fix the whole thing for us! She went above and beyond. She will also meet with you a few times before the wedding as well. Guests came up to us after the ceremony singing her praises! She will also send your vows to you yearly, so you remember the promises you have made to each other. In addition, she keeps in touch with the couples she has officiated for. We definitely recommend Rabbi Meredith!

Rabbi Cahn was amazing. Family and friends came up to us after the ceremony and thought we had known her for years, her remarks were that personal. She made us feel comfortable, opened her home to us, and really went above and beyond to get to know us before the wedding. We also really appreciated her guidance, both in the reading materials/resources she gave us as reference as we prepared to make this commitment to each other, and through the questions she asked us when we met with her.

As relatively lapsed Jews, with a mix of both Jewish and non-Jewish family and friends attending our ceremony, we appreciated the time Rabbi Cahn took both to help us craft an appropriately Jewish ceremony, and to explain the religious elements to our guests throughout the ceremony. Too often we have attended weddings where the ceremony either is too short or too long, but we felt that Rabbi Meredith helped us find that perfect middle ground length – about a half hour – where we placed enough gravitas on the ceremony (not just the reception) on our big day – but didn’t lose anyone in the process.

I look forward to seeing Rabbi Cahn in the years to come.

We can’t thank you enough for the wonderful ceremony that you helped us construct. Our guests had nothing but wonderful things to say about you and the ceremony. One said it was the best Jewish ceremony he’d ever seen (and he’s attended many). Several others praised your stage presence (which means a lot coming from this crowd).

And even later, they wrote: Thank you so much for being a part of our wedding. We really appreciate all the thought and effort you put in to designing our ceremony. We got so many compliments on how well the wedding fit us, and we just wanted to thank you for going the extra miles to help us implement all of our unusual ideas.

My chuppah with their florist

This is what they posted on Weddingwire: Rabbi Meredith had been recommended by three individuals I knew – so I knew she would be perfect for us! Rabbi Meredith was kind, open-minded, and flexible when it came to just about everything! She really was able to understand our unique ideas of what we wanted in a very liberal, Jewish wedding. The three sessions she did before the wedding were extremely helpful, and we learned a lot about each other and about the Jewish traditions in the process. I really appreciated Rabbi Meredith’s perspective on Judaism and how beautifully she integrated the traditions with our modern-day mindset. We ultimately loved the ceremony, and her words captured who we are very nicely! She was even kind enough to let us borrow her chuppah, which if you don’t own one, are very hard to find!

This is what they sent to me: Thank you, Meredith! We are unbelievably thrilled with how everything came together so beautifully. We loved everything about the ceremony – it was so special and so unique to our relationship.

Nirav Patel Photography

Rabbi Meredith made our wedding personal, thoughtful, joyous and Jewish! Working with her was exactly what we were looking for. She explained all of the wedding traditions, their history, meaning, and contemporary understanding, and laid out options for how to incorporate each one that she had seen work in previous ceremonies which was very helpful in designing our own. Our family and friends were blown away by the ceremony, and really appreciated Rabbi Meredith’s explanations of each element which allowed them to understand, appreciate, and participate actively. Rabbi Meredith helped us find the balance between tradition and personalization, and brought warmth, kindness, knowledge and humor to the entire wedding planning process. She was generous with her time and guided us towards decisions that were meaningful, personal, and practical. We hope to maintain our relationship for years to come!!

My wife and I started meeting with with Rabbi Cahn months before our wedding, and she helped us think through our practical AND spiritual needs as we were planning a wedding and a life together. We really enjoyed preparing for our day with her; she is understanding, experienced, and challenged us to think about our future. Rabbi Cahn was very flexible and took the effort to our understand our traditions and values so that she could lead a ceremony that worked for us. By the time of the wedding, it felt as though we had a very close relationship with Rabbi Cahn, and it made her speech about us during the ceremony feel completely genuine. The week of our wedding was very chaotic due to wildfires in wine country, but we were incredibly lucky to have Rabbi Cahn by our side. She kindly offered her home as a potential venue for the ceremony if we found ourselves in need of a replacement–talk about above and beyond! We would recommend that couples of all traditions and denominations work with Rabbi Cahn for the special day!

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/North-Bay-Fires-Sonoma-Winery-Wedding-Moved-450842363.html

Meredith was wonderful to work with during the wedding planning process. I am of Jewish heritage but not particularly religious, and my husband is not Jewish but interested in learning more and having this a part of our family culture and background. We both liked the idea of having a Jewish ceremony. Meredith helped us create a ceremony that was personal and thoughtful. I really liked that we were able to meet multiple times and get comfortable with all of the elements of the ceremony that were somewhat new to us. We felt guided and supported but not pushed into any decisions. My favorite part of the ceremony were the personal addresses that she created after having read our essays about each other. They really made the ceremony feel like our own, yet still joined together with the long history and traditions of my ancestors. Overall it was a thoughtful and personal ceremony and Meredith was a pleasure to work with.

Rabbi Cahn was incredible! Planning a destination wedding is a daunting task, but she made the ceremony planning a breeze. We met via Facetime and she thoroughly reviewed all of the traditional aspects of a Jewish Ceremony, explaining the meaning behind it all. She graciously offered up her Chuppah and other essentials knowing we were travelling and could not bring items for the ceremony. Through a series of questions that she had us write, Rabbi Cahn was able to get to know us and use that information during the wedding ceremony, making it personal, intimate and tailored just for us! Even my photographer was wowed – she said it was one of the best ceremonies she has ever witnessed – and she does a lot of weddings. I am so thankful and blessed to have found Rabbi Cahn as she truly created a day that I will cherish forever.

Rebecca Gosselin Photography

Britt&Ben drinking in the love from their community. Photo by Brittrenephotos

We loved working with Rabbi Meredith. She helped us make our wedding exactly how we wanted it. Our friends and family said she was the best officiant they had ever seen and my husband and I were so thrilled with the ceremony. Rabbi Meredith is extremely warm and accessible. My family is not Jewish so she explained many of the traditions in a brief and accessible manner. She is flexible with traditions– she makes recommendations but ultimately wants you to be happy so the final decision is up to you. She married us before sundown on a Saturday, which is not customary but we were married at an outdoor venue so we wanted to have an earlier wedding. Ahead of our wedding, Rabbi Meredith got to know us. She met with us three times– once by phone and twice in person. She was accommodating with our work schedules. We met with several rabbis before meeting Meredith and we were so happy when we finally made the connection. We spoke with two of her references before committing, which made us feel more comfortable as they had amazing experiences. Our ceremony was truly unforgettable and I couldn’t be happier with our choice. I give my highest recommendation to Rabbi Meredith– thank you!! : )

Rabbi Meredith did a phenomenal job with our wedding. She was easy to work with throughout the entire process, and we felt very comfortable meeting with her. My wife is Catholic and I am Jewish (Reform/Conservative), but Rabbi Meredith made sure that both of our views were taken into account, and was flexible when accommodating each of our respective traditions. I also found her modern take on Judaism to be refreshing. As for the ceremony itself, it was absolutely fantastic. Rabbi Meredith did a great job explaining every aspect of the ceremony (so both Jews / non-Jews understood the traditions), and made sure that every part was meaningful. She also personalized the ceremony so that it our full “story” was told to our guests. We had so many people comment on how beautiful the ceremony was, and it was a special moment that we’ll never forget.

Joel and Monica under the tallit. Photo by millayandyoung.com

Rabbi Meredith,

Patrick and I wanted to thank you for a truly special wedding ceremony. Your writing assignments ahead of time and suggested alone time on the day of the wedding were all touches that helped make our wedding incredibly memorable.

Patrick and I are very grateful that my dad connected you with us when we needed an officiant, and that you were able to work with us so last-minute to make a ceremony that beautifully reflected our commitment to each other.

And thank you again for crafting such a wonderful ceremony!

Photo by: Trung Hoang Photography (www.trunghoangphotography.com)

Dear Rabbi Cahn,

Well the dust has settled so to speak, and I’m getting to a more normal (for me) state.

I wanted to write and tell you about some of the comments and reactions that we heard at the wedding and afterward, even if you’ve already heard some of this. Nancy and I certainly enjoyed it immensely, and we could tell especially by Sara’s demeanor during the ceremony that you really did connect with them. We had several members of our family tell us that this was definitely the nicest marriage ceremony they had ever been to. Several people also were surprised to learn that you are not the rabbi of our congregation. They explained to us that they had assumed so, because to them you seemed to be already so well acquainted with Sara & Patrick.

Sara has admitted to us (as I expected) that she was still reluctant when I first asked her to meet with you, but has also said to me (several times) how grateful she is for having you officiate.

So I hope this little note serves to convey the heartfelt gratitude of all of us to you for our daughter’s marriage ceremony. It was definitely something to celebrate!

It was truly such a pleasure to work with Rabbi Cahn! We greatly appreciate that Rabbi Cahn was so flexible in officiating our interfaith ceremony and working with us to create a unique Jewish ceremony that considered my husband’s Mexican heritage. Our guests and families loved the combination of Jewish traditions with Spanish language woven throughout the ceremony. She was very understanding and helpful in discussing aspects of the ceremony so we could create a ceremony that matched our backgrounds and sensibilities. We also loved meeting with Rabbi Cahn in advance of the wedding and getting to know her. These meetings enabled Rabbi Cahn to craft and deliver a beautiful personal address during our ceremony. Many friends asked how long we knew Rabbi Cahn as they felt that the ceremony was so personal and she knew us so well! We received so many compliments on the ceremony. Rabbi Cahn is such a delightful, kind and warm individual, and I cannot recommend her enough!

When looking for a wedding officiant I talked to three rabbis and ultimately chose Rabbi Meredith because she was not only extremely knowledgeable about Jewish wedding traditions and all their potential variations but also genuinely interested in learning about my husband and me. In the meetings leading up to the wedding she helped us articulate what marriage (and in particular a Jewish marriage) meant to us and worked with us to build a ceremony that reflected that. And the ceremony was totally perfect: structured without feeling too rehearsed; rooted in Judaism but inclusive of our family and friends from all backgrounds; and it portrayed us as a couple in a way that celebrated our relationship but also felt honest and real. The first thing all our guests talked about was how much they loved the ceremony. There’s really no better officiant than Rabbi Meredith–we’re so grateful we found her!

Rabbi Cahn:

We just wanted to extend a sincere thank you for your lovely ceremony last weekend. It turned out perfectly! Our guests loved the blend of Jewish traditions with Spanish, the lessons within the ceremony, and your personal address. Many friends asked how long we have known you, because they felt that you knew us so well! We received so many compliments on your ceremony! The ceremony was truly very personal and meaningful.

It was such a pleasure working with you. We greatly appreciate your flexibility in creating a ceremony that matched our backgrounds and sensibilities. We will miss meeting with you!

Rabbi Meredith was an absolutely amazing officiant. We had a ‘destination wedding’ in Napa so were planning from the East coast. Rabbi Meredith was wonderfully helpful in planning, holding multiple extended FaceTime sessions with us, and being very flexible on the times due to the time difference. I feel that she really got to know us, sought to understand what we were hoping for, and structured the ceremony around that. Beyond that, she helped us to focus on each other and what the wedding was truly about, which helped us to put things in perspective and not worry as much about some of the annoying little planning details that come with every wedding. The ceremony itself was amazing – warm, welcoming, and inclusive. There was not a dry eye, and almost every single guest commented to us about how wonderful Rabbi Meredith was. We recommend her as highly was we possibly can.

Judd & Tim listening to my address to them. Photo by Julie Kay Kelly.

Working with Rabbi Meredith was a wonderful experience. As a non-observant jew marrying a Japanese man, I was initially unsure whether having a rabbi officiate our wedding was right for me. But once my husband and I met Rabbi Meredith, we were certain that she was the right fit to officiate our wedding. Her explanation of the jewish marriage customs made us both excited to learn more about jewish rituals and adapt them for our ceremony. Meredith’s passion for officiating at weddings came through from our first meeting. She was also enthusiastic to learn about my husband’s Japanese cultural background and incorporate Japanese rituals into our ceremony to best reflect both of our cultures. Thereafter, creating our ceremony truly felt like a beautiful collaboration between the three of us. Throughout the process, Rabbi Meredith was extremely responsive and communicative. The materials and exercises she provided for us also helped us, not only to create our ceremony, but also to truly meditate on our relationship and prepare ourselves for our marriage. On the actual wedding day, Rabbi Meredith did an excellent job of making the Jewish rituals incorporated into our ceremony accessible for our multifaith and multicultural audience, and making the experience very personalized and intimate. My husband and I felt very connected during our ceremony as a result of the energy created by Rabbi Meredith. Afterward, numerous guests shared with us that our wedding ceremony was the best one they ever witnessed, and that it was incredibly moving. We are grateful to Rabbi Meredith for creating an unforgettable ceremony and would recommend her to other couples without hesitation.

Mindy & Taka and their parents sharing blessings. Photo by Anne-Claire Brun

Thank you so much for everything you did for us not just on Saturday, but in the whole lead up to the event. Everything was all we had hoped it would be—so many people told us how moved they were by the ceremony and how much they appreciated you and your ability to keep the ceremony open, relaxed and joyous while still maintaining a deep sense of ritual and tradition. Exactly what we wanted! Thank you again for all of your collaboration, guidance and flexibility in working with us to craft a ceremony that was so balanced and meaningful not just to the two of us, but for our whole community.

Sarah & Ryan’s wedding on the Lake. Photo by TwinLens

Jeremy & Kira at Soda Rock Winery

I can’t believe it’s been almost 2 months since our big day. I can’t even put into words how grateful we were to have had you as our officiant. Throughout the planning process, and more importantly, what could have been a VERY stressful day, you provided a sense of calm, support and kindness that was more than I ever would have expected. We felt that you truly knew and understood us despite just a few meetings. And I can’t tell you how many people told us afterwards how amazing you were – they felt that you made the ceremony educational without being overbearing, and that they felt you explained things in a way that was relevant to anyone regardless of religion.

Thank you so much for everything!! You did an amazing job. Everyone loved the ceremony!! One of the biggest compliments we received from the whole weekend was how during the wedding people felt like they really learned so much new information about us. They said it was the most personal ceremony they had ever been to. It was truly special and thank you for making it that way. It was perfect. It’s funny, as soon as the ceremony I was fine. I was no longer crying and felt so relaxed. I think I just so nervous to be up there and to do my vows. But everyone seemed to love it all.

We are so happy we met you and you were a part of our day. We both are really happy we did the 8 page essay. That is a great thing to have a couple do.

Jill & Mark’s vows. Photo by Chrisman Studios

Thank you so much for your help and guidance throughout our wedding! The ketubah signing and the ceremony were absolutely beautiful and we will be forever grateful for your role in making it such a lasting memory. Indeed, the care and consideration that you invested in all of our discussions really helped us crystallize what we wanted to feature in the ceremony and how we wanted to do it. More generally, our discussions always helped us focus on what we valued in the ceremony, and more importantly, in our relationship.

Simply put, this was a once-in-a-lifetime celebration that we will always cherish and we could not have done it without you. We hope we can remain in touch!

Leslie & Asim at Ramekins in Sonoma

Jenny & Adam’s wedding in Monte Rio.
Tia&Claire Studio. http://www.tiaandclairestudio.com

We are just starting to be able to process our wedding day – it was such a wonderful, amazing, beautiful, whirlwind that we will remember for the rest of our lives. I can’t tell you how much the ceremony meant to me – it was just perfect. Thank you thank you thank you! Everyone universally loved the ceremony – one of my mom’s friends, a couple who has been married for years, said they wanted to get married again and have a Jewish ceremony (even though they aren’t Jewish) because our ceremony was so awesome! Our friends, whom you met during the reception (she converted after marrying), so loved the ceremony they’ve decided to renew their vows and so they can have a full Jewish ceremony. Everyone specifically mentioned you as one of the highlights of the day.

We wanted to write and say thank you for performing the most amazing ceremony for us. Our friends and family loved it. More importantly, we loved it. Everything you said was so heartfelt, we feel so lucky to have had you with us on our big day. Thank you for all of your advice, your hugs, for inviting us into your home, and for being so kind and loving. You are a wonderful person and we would love to stay in touch with you. We will definitely be referring you to our friends and family. Thank you so much again!

Masha & Kellen’s whole party. Photo by Dawn Heumann

Samara & Alan’s wedding in South Lake Tahoe

Thank you for doing such a fabulous ceremony for us. I LOVED our ceremony…it was so fitting for us. I loved all of the personal things you said about us … I also loved how you engaged our friends and family with your explanations and involved them in the ceremony in different ways. Thank you so much for working with us, for your words of insight and wisdom, and for making our wedding such an incredibly special experience for us. Your congregation is very fortunate to have you.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!! —-for an absolutely beautiful, wonderful, and perfect ceremony. My whole family, his whole family, and he and I both, were all so joyfully teary, impressed, and grateful to have such wonderful moments and memories made, and it really was organized and delivered perfectly by you, so thank you so much!!! It was an absolutely perfect day and divine ceremony for us —and with all of the commotion and wedding chaos of two large families! Thank you so much!!!! I appreciate so much how much it came together with such limited crunch time and stress of major festivities. We really could not have pulled that off with out a really amazing Rabbi!!!!

Jill & Doug’s betrothal/erusin blessings overlooking Lake Tahoe. Photo by Rachel Lomeli Photography

Thank you so much for coming to Lake Tahoe and officiating our wedding ceremony. The day was everything we wanted. We appreciate how personalized and special you made our intimate ceremony–we loved everything about it. We are so happy with our decision to get married in Lake Tahoe and are so grateful for the time we shared with our closest loved ones. We are so glad you were a part of our special day!

Here’s what the mother of one bride wrote:

Dear Rabbi Meredith, What a lovely ceremony! It was heartfelt and touching. You conducted the service with such graciousness and warmth that all of us felt included in the event…Not just the bride and groom. You personalized all parts of the rituals with explanations and relevance to (bride) and (groom) and their lives as they become one. I really can’t remember a more profound and touching service. You have started them well… Now it is theirs to finish well for another 50? years! Thank you so very much!

What People Have Written about My Weddings

Working with Rabbi Meredith was a wonderful experience. As a non-observant jew marrying a Japanese man, I was initially unsure whether having a rabbi officiate our wedding was right for me. But once my husband and I met Rabbi Meredith, we were certain that she was the right fit to officiate our wedding. Her explanation of the jewish marriage customs made us both excited to learn more about jewish rituals and adapt them for our ceremony. Meredith’s passion for officiating at weddings came through from our first meeting. She was also enthusiastic to learn about my husband’s Japanese cultural background and incorporate Japanese rituals into our ceremony to best reflect both of our cultures. Thereafter, creating our ceremony truly felt like a beautiful collaboration between the three of us. Throughout the process, Rabbi Meredith was extremely responsive and communicative. The materials and exercises she provided for us also helped us, not only to create our ceremony, but also to truly meditate on our relationship and prepare ourselves for our marriage. On the actual wedding day, Rabbi Meredith did an excellent job of making the Jewish rituals incorporated into our ceremony accessible for our multifaith and multicultural audience, and making the experience very personalized and intimate. My husband and I felt very connected during our ceremony as a result of the energy created by Rabbi Meredith. Afterward, numerous guests shared with us that our wedding ceremony was the best one they ever witnessed, and that it was incredibly moving. We are grateful to Rabbi Meredith for creating an unforgettable ceremony and would recommend her to other couples without hesitation.*

* from wedding wire

It’s hard to know where to begin with regard to Rabbi Meredith. Our experience with her transcends words. As an interfaith couple, we wanted an officiant who could guide us and help us create a ceremony that would be meaningful and inclusive for our families. We got all of that and more in working with Meredith. Ahead of the wedding, she provided us tools and guidance that prompted important conversations. Although we are separated by several states, she really got to know us and was able to capture the true feel of our relationship. At the wedding itself, it didn’t feel like we were meeting her in person for the first time, but rather, reuniting with an old friend. Her enthusiasm set the tone for the entire ceremony. She explained the rituals so that everyone on both sides of our family understood what was happening and why. The day was more special and more fun simply as a result of her presence. My husband and I both consider it our privilege to have met Rabbi Meredith and for her to have been the one to officiate our special day. We feel like we have made a friend for life and hope we get the opportunity to celebrate additional mitzvahs with her in the future.*

* from wedding wire

Mazal Tov to Steve and Sarah. Photo by Karen Gordon at karenscape.com

http://www.megperotti.com

We were introduced to Rabbi Meredith Cahn through our wedding planner, but upon our first meeting, we felt like we knew Meredith for years. She is warm, open, inviting, so knowledgeable, and was willing to be flexible and creative with our dual-denominational wedding service.

We really enjoyed our few counseling meetings with Meredith leading up to the wedding, and the service itself could not have been more perfect. Meredith really listened and got to know us as a couple over our year engagement, and she portrayed that in her services. The service was beautiful, and even though it was long at 45 minutes, our guests told us it was the best they had been to; they loved all the traditions and Meredith’s explanations that went along with them.

We can’t recommend Rabbi Meredith Cahn enough!*

* from wedding wire

If there were six stars to give, she would deserve each and every one of them.  From the very first email exchange, we loved working with Rabbi Meredith and any couple would be lucky to share a celebration with her.

We are a Jewish same sex couple, and chose a destination wedding in Sonoma County for our celebration.  As soon as we contacted Rabbi Meredith to inquire about officiating our wedding, she was warm, compassionate, and wanted to get to know us.   Our first phone conversation was an opportunity for her to better learn about us and our vision for our wedding.  In addition she wanted to make sure that she fit as our Rabbi who would share a very special moment in our lives.

What we loved is that we were not simply hiring a Rabbi for a ceremony, but for the entire marital process including Skype calls to get to know each other, meeting in person to plan the ceremony, and additional calls leading up to the wedding to discuss the meaning of our marriage.  We still correspond sending emails and good wishes and know she will be a friend for life.

Whether you are a same sex couple, interfaith couple, having a “traditional” wedding, or any other celebration, Rabbi Meredith helps you create a ceremony that is about your beliefs, family traditions, and wishes.  She gave options for various parts of the ceremony and also helped steer us in the right direction when we asked for advice particularly dealing with family.  And when it came time for the wedding, she spoke as if she knew us, our family and our friends for an entire lifetime and made the ceremony so personal and heartfelt.  Several guests after the ceremony commented how perfect the marriage ceremony was and many stated that it was the most beautiful wedding ceremony they had ever attended.

As others have said in their reviews, we feel like we have made a friend for life and hope we get the opportunity to celebrate additional mitzvahs with Rabbi Meredith in the future.*

* from weddingwire

Photo by Suzanne Karp

We had an absolutely wonderful experience with Rabbi Meredith! I was raised Catholic, and my husband was raised Jewish. We wanted a ceremony that combined elements of both of our backgrounds but also didn’t feel overly religious, as both of us identify more with the cultural aspects of our faiths, and less so the religious ones. We came to Rabbi Meredith with a few unique ideas for pieces of the ceremony, and she was not only willing but excited and touched to include them. We both felt truly respected and considered during the entire process. She was also extremely invested in getting to know us individually and as a couple, so she could help guide the process in a way that worked for us and so she could speak to us honestly in the ceremony. I’m so glad we chose Rabbi Meredith, and we received so many compliments from guests and families alike!*

* from wedding wire

Kelly & Dave’s ketubah signing

We were connected with Rabbi Meredith through the Interfaith Family Network. We appreciated her warmth and guidance throughout the process of preparing for our wedding day, and she took the time to get well acquainted with us and our story, meeting with us several times in person. She also encouraged us to reflect on our experience as a couple and to share the history of our relationship through a thoughtful written questionnaire. This exercise was a connective experience for us, prompting us to share our stories. We really enjoyed this part of the process.

Rabbi Meredith was welcoming to everyone in our ceremony, and was helpful in explaining our Jewish ceremony to our guests, many of whom were not Jewish. She also made space in our service for our dearest friends and family to participate, and we were thankful for how she held the structure of this part of our wedding day.*

* from wedding wire

Photo by Dylan John Western
http://www.dylanjohnwestern.com

Dan and Danielle sealing it with a kiss. Sarah Peele photography

Rabbi Cahn worked hard to customize our ceremony to meet our needs and represent us as a couple. She was beyond flexible and encouraged us to incorporate aspects of our selves and our cultures in a way that felt authentic and meaningful. She got to know us and delivered a personal address that brought tears to our eyes. She was an amazing presence on our special day, calm, positive, and radiating love. Our ceremony was one of the most emotionally laden, poetic, and thoughtful of any I or many of our guests have seen. We laughed, we cried, shared inside jokes, and had the history of our relationship narrated beautifully by Rabbi Cahn. We got so many compliments on the depth of our ceremony and on the choice of rabbi : ) *

* from wedding wire

Rabbi Meredith officiated at my ceremony in July 2011. She was amazing to work with and guided me and my husband through creating a ceremony that was perfect for us. I’m Jewish and my husband isn’t and we wanted a Jewish ceremony that would be accessible for everyone. We couldn’t have been happier with the outcome; our ceremony incorporated both Hebrew and English, it had all the Jewish traditions I wanted but was understandable and beautiful to watch for everyone no matter their religion. Rabbi Meredith also did a great job incorporating personal touches into the ceremony that spoke to our history and story together. There are so many little details to worry about at a wedding, it’s really important to find an officiant who you can trust and rely on for guidance. Rabbi Meredith did that for us and I’d recommend her to anyone looking for an officiant.*

* from wedding wire

Radha & Lance at Vine Hill House 2011

Jen and Greg at the Hyatt Incline Village

Rabbi Meredith Cahn officiated a very personalized, meaningful, joyous, BEAUTIFUL ceremony for our destination wedding in Lake Tahoe. We had some unique challenges for a rabbi officiating a wedding ceremony-I am Jewish and my husband is not, and my husband has a teenage son (now my stepson :)).

Our first meeting with Rabbi Meredith was through Facetime where she asked many questions to begin to get to know us. We had the chance to meet her in person only once where we talked more about what traditions we wanted to incorporate into our Jewish wedding. She followed up with a written questionnaire for each of us to answer separately. The questions about us and our relationship were fun to answer and gave Rabbi Meredith a great picture of our relationship, our values, our story, etc. She used this information to create a ceremony that was so personalized and meaningful for us and for our guests. Rabbi Meredith also did a wonderful job helping us to incorporate my stepson into part of the ceremony, as well.

Rabbi Meredith has a positive energy and demeanor that came through as she was officiating our joyous ceremony. Overall, Rabbi Meredith did a fantastic job of customizing the ceremony for us and explaining the meaning of each ritual/tradition to our guests. She was very easy to work with and created a fabulous ceremony for us that we still enjoy watching on our video. We are grateful that we found such an amazing person and rabbi to help make our wedding so special. I HIGHLY recommend Rabbi Meredith as an officiant.*

* from wedding wire

Rabbi Meredith was the best officiant ever! She was personal, entertaining, engaged the audience, and let us create our perfect ceremony. She told us what the traditional wedding entailed and then let us pick what we wanted for our ceremony. She spoke loud and clear and with passion. The guests all commented that other Jewish weddings were boring, but not ours! Everyone was involved and the ceremony was primarily in English. Rabbi Meredith is very professional and organized. We never had any concerns throughout the whole process. Also, she was very affordable which was a plus as we were on a very tight budget.*

* from wedding wire

Masha & Kellen in the redwoods. Photo by Dawn Heumann

Meredith is fantastic! She was exactly what we were hoping for when we began our journey to find a rabbi who would marry an interfaith couple. I am Jewish and my husband is Catholic, and our original vision was to have a co-officiated ceremony. From the first meeting, Meredith was sensitive and open to our situation and walked us and our moms through the elements of a Jewish ceremony, explaining everything to make sense to my husband and mother in law and answering all questions. She put us at ease, and we wanted to work with her immediately. Over the next several months, she allowed us to select the elements of the ceremony that we were comfortable with and add and change elements. We were not able to find a Catholic priest with the same flexibility, so Meredith did the ceremony alone. She kept the ceremony light and fun and explained what was going on to the mixed group of about 175 guests. The highlight was her speech – she had asked my husband and I to complete a long list of questions and wrote a beautiful, funny, genuine speech that really characterised us as a couple and helped our guests get to know us better. If you are an interfaith couple or a Jewish couple looking for some flexibility, Meredith is the perfect officiant!*

* from wedding wire

Marisa & Nathan at the Hyatt Incline Village

I can’t say enough about the amazing ceremony Meredith officiated for us. It was perfect in every way. And though my husband and I weren’t normally spiritual people, that day there was a spiritual energy in the air that made us both believers. We feel very fortunate to have been able to use Meredith’s services for our wedding. She bestowed upon us a sacred foundation for our marriage, and we are indebted to her for it.*

* from wedding wire

Mandy & Jake’s wedding at the Berkeley City Club 2012

Rabbi Cahn is an exceptional Rabbi who develops personal relationships with her congregation and community. Her expertise extends beyond just Judaism; she is all-inclusive in capturing the true meaning of marriage between two people. My husband and I were just married by Rabbi Cahn, and we received so many compliments on her delivery of our ceremony. Our guests were genuinely moved emotionally by her words. And my husband and I value and cherish the words delivered by Rabbi Cahn which serve as a reminder of what our marriage truly means. I highly recommend Rabbi Cahn, not only for weddings (including interfaith), but for her spiritual wisdom.*

* from weddingwire

Rabbi Cahn was a wonderful officiant – she made the spiritual side of our wedding meaningful and left us all with a message that was personal and heart-felt. She did an especially impressive job since our wedding was mixed-faith and managed to explain each part of the ceremony to the non-Jewish attendees so they could be included in the ceremony. Rabbi Cahn was also thorough in helping us prepare for our marriage and gave us useful items to discuss and think about. Rabbi Cahn was great for our wedding and I would highly recommend her as an officiant!

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