Client Spotlight: Kate and George’s Jewish Wedding featuring a Historic Synagogue

Several months ago, I had the very great pleasure of working with Kate and George on a particularly unusual custom ketubah. While a lot of my commissions feature trees, parks, and natural landscapes, Kate and George were looking for a clean, minimalist rendering of the Historic Synagogue 6th & I in Washington D.C.

As we began to look at photos of Sixth & I, I was blown away with the building’s beauty as well as it’s inclusive mission. Built in 1908, 6th & I is one of the oldest synagogues in the city. And the care and creativity with which it was designed is easily apparent. I asked Kate and George what had led them to choose 6th & I as the subject of their ketubah design. They told me:

“Sixth and I was the first place George and I found a Jewish home. We moved to Washington, D.C. together in 2014, coming back from Haiti, and knew one person in the city. That person of course knew of Sixth and I. We went to services there a few times, a few events, and then in 2016, just days after we got engaged, Kate got an email notifying her she had been accepted into 6th and I’s Jewish Welcome Workshop — a nine-month-long conversion class. The same year, George joined another nine-month-long course to improve his Jewish literacy. Through those classes and regular attendance, we found the most incredible, supportive community we can imagine. The people with whom we studied and prayed have become our family, people who attended our wedding, to whom we go for support, and with whom we celebrate all of life’s turns and mysteries. Sixth and I brought us closer together as a couple and helped teach us what community means. Having now left DC, we carry Sixth and I with us in our hearts, in how we approach others and community building, and, of course, in our ketubah.”

It was such a joy to work with Kate and George on this special illustration. Luckily, the feeling seemed to be mutual. Kate and George shared these kind words with us after their wedding:

“We loved working with Adriana. Your flexibility and excitement was exactly what we would hope for in a ketubah artist. We felt known and heard throughout the process and felt absolute trust that we would love the final artwork, which we did!”

I’m so excited to share these photos of their intimate wedding ceremony. All photos are taken by the talented Valeria Heine and shared here with her permission.