(C)holy smokes, the ketubah is (c)here!

UPS delivery is always a race against time 'round these parts. We've had the delivery person walk away in the amount of time it took me to run from my living room couch to the front door (a distance of a whopping four feet). Since I got the notice from Ketubah Ketubah that my order was on its way, when I heard the knock on the door I was on my feet and running like a bat out of hell (in my bathrobe and sweatpants, no less) hoping that would be it.


I hadn't ordered anything else poster-shaped, so I knew what I was looking at, and I patiently waited for Mr. Spaniel to get home from work to rabidly tear into it to see the goods. Just kidding; I did wait for him to get home, but I opened it without him when he left for the gym. ;) I did open it slowly and carefully, though—I couldn't let anything happen to this paper, which cost WAY MORE than its weight in gold!

I love it I love it I love it!
A closer shot of the custom, hand calligraphy
I am SO. EXCITED. We ended up ordering the Ardyn Halter papercut ketubah in ivory with custom text.

On [DATE], in the presence of family and friends in Malibu, California, [Miss Spaniel], daughter of [Mama and Papa Spaniel], and [Mr. Spaniel], son of [FIL Spaniels], affirmed their union of marriage and made these vows to each other:

As beloveds and friends, we choose to walk life’s path together. We will appreciate our differences as a source of richness and build a life together as equal partners and supportive companions. We will be slow to anger and quick to forgive. We will celebrate life’s splendors together; we will brace each other through its storms. May our love provide us with the freedom to be ourselves and the courage to follow both our mutual and our individual directions.

We promise to honor our ancestors, families, and all living beings; treasure, enjoy, and continue the traditions we have inherited; create a home filled with love and peace, freedom and compassion. We will shelter each other; our home will be a place of openness and generosity. With our community of friends and family as witnesses, we now combine our separate fates into one.

Signature spaces were included for two witnesses (my MOH and Mr. Spaniel's Best Man), the bride and groom, and the officiant.

Our mission now is to not touch the ketubah all the time so that it doesn't get discolored (it's been re-wrapped in acid-free tissue and put back into the mailer tube), then to mount it to a piece of acid-free foam core or mat board with hinging tape to get it ready to sign before our wedding ceremony. We also have to find a good acid-free pen—Ketubah Ketubah recommends the Sakura Pigma Micron Pen, so I will probably pick some up from Amazon during my next shopping spree. ;)

Working with Ketubah Ketubah was a bit of a mixed bag. They have some amazing and beautiful options, but the customization process was a little confusing—they have a whole wizard for personalization (adding your name to pre-written text), but no clear process for customization (I just added it to the notes/comment section at the end of the wizard), and I got some really unexpected snark from the person responding to my email about a correction on the proof. BUT in the end I got what I ordered, and relatively quickly for a custom job. I'm so happy with the finished product that I'm willing to forgive some blips in the ordering process—normally I wouldn't forgive a rude response from customer service so easily, but I guess my ketubah is so beautiful that I'm feeling generous!