DIY Jewish Wedding Invitations by Lucy Foley Exclusively at ModernTribe.com

Moderntribe Jewish Gifts is proud to bring modern design to Jewish weddings with invitations with our DIY Jewish Wedding Invitations by graphic designer Lucy Foley exclusively on Moderntribe.com.

Each of the three design templates: star, tree and dove - are unique interpretations of Jewish motifs that can be downloaded by the DIY bride to make everything from invitations to place cards to menus. The editable templates include matching invitations, RSVP cards, place cards, favor tags, table numbers, program/menu, accommodations, and directions cards.

All that is required to make your Jewish wedding stationary is a computer, printer, and your chosen paper. Download the templates, edit the text, including the font type & color, and print.Instructions are included and we are here to help if you need us!

Yes, You Can Register for Judaica for Your Jewish Wedding

You know your parents' friends are going to buy you Judaica anyway... you might as well get what you want!

You're engaged, you're planning your wedding, and at least one of you is Jewish. So when you have some downtime from choosing the caterer or finding an officiant, you can do something fun for yourselves - register! And the best part is that registering for gifts for a Jewish wedding can take on a new dimension. Sure, you'll request the basics: crystal, china, towels, a bread machine. But also can take this opportunity to suggest that friends and family help you start out your new life as a Jewish couple with some beautiful Judaica that you may even want to pass down to your children someday...or at least some items that you'll be proud to display in your home during the holidays.

First, take inventory of what you already have.

Did you already get a kiddush cup for Shabbat dinner at your bar or bat mitzvah? Do you have a set of candlesticks from your great-grandmother that you already prefer to use to light holiday candles? Or are you starting out fresh and need everything and anything that is available?

Next, make a list of the holidays that are most important to you.

Which ones will you really want to celebrate in style, year after year? Then research places offer the Judaica that fits your style and that allow you to create a registry that can be sent to family and friends.

For what items would you register?

A sample registry for a Jewish couple just starting out will likely include:
• A seder and matzah plate for Passover
• A menorah for Hanukkah
• Some decorative dreidels and other items for Hanukkah
• A kiddush cup for use on Shabbat
• Candlesticks for use on Shabbat and other major holidays
• One or more mezuzahs
• Decorative items such as groggers for Purim
• An apple and honey plate for Rosh Hashanah

Tip: Include a variety of prices.

The important thing with any registry is to give your guests items for any price range. Feel free to add some extravagant items just in case one person is feeling generous or a group of your friends want to chip in for one big gift, but make sure to also select some smaller, simpler items. This is your opportunity to ask for Judaica that matches your personal style, so choose carefully. Have fun - and mazal tov!

More In Search of a Jewish Wedding Brand That Doesn't Suck

Copyright Allebach Photography

Continuing from yesterday's post, here are some other resources I found in my search for independent bride imagery. Bust Magazine, the magazine of record for the indi-woman, in which we advertise ModernTribe, sponsored an event called Unbridaled in Philadelphia on January 10th. Now, this is the kind of wedding expo I wish was around when I was planning my wedding. If you live in Philly, they have a list of Unbridaled vendors for you to check out: everything from independent bakeries, florists, photographers, dress designers, stationary designers -- all, I assume -- who will cater to your off-beat style and won't try to sell you bows and roses (unless, that's what you want, of course).

I clicked through some of the photographers and was most impressed with Allebach Photographers (a photo of theirs above) whose style is definitely edgy even when they aren't shooting tattooed brides (although, this seems to be a favorite of theirs and they have a blog for photographs of their tattooed brides.)

Also, somehow I found myself here at Offbeat Bride whose tagline is "Alter your thinking." Ariel Meadow Stallings, the founder of the site, has a book too: Offbeat Bride: Tafetta free alternatives for Independent Brides and an alternative community to The Knot: Offbeat Bride Tribe.

Quirky Dishes For Your Sabbath Table

Friday mornings I like to tie things up from the week in preparation for Shabbat. However, I tripped across some unusual dinnerware that is interesting enough for me to pause and tell you about it. All designers below are part of the Areaware design collective.

New York Delft Plate Set by Lovegrove & Repucci
$ 100.00 a set.

The classic tradition of Dutch Delft hits the streets of New York City.

Seconds Dinner Plates (set of 4)
$ 132.00

Jason Miller's “Seconds” series challenges the rules that surround modern day consumer items. Do decorations always need to be centered? Is a whole bird better than a half? Here, Jason’s elegant “mistakes” are artfully and carefully applied to porcelain dinner plates. Each set contains 4 unique patterns.

Alma Fortune Cup - Gold Short Simple
$ 75.00

Materials:
Porcelain, 22k gold

In this collaboration, redstr/collective and Tobias Wong have taken the Alma Fortune cup and created a new level of esoteric luxury. Inspired by the age old tradition of Tasseography (Turkish coffee fortune telling), this cup with saucer has a one-of-a-kind, 22k gold fortune.

What do you think? Would you set you Sabbath table (or any night) with these dishes?