Recently, I had the honour of officiating one of the most beautiful and moving ceremonies I’ve ever been part of – and it wasn’t your typical wedding.
This couple had already been married for 20 years. Their original wedding took place in Israel, but they shared something with me that stuck: “It never really felt like ours. We felt like guests at our own wedding”
They didn’t have their closest friends there and they didn’t share a connection with the officiating Rabbi. It was also organised quite quickly. It didn’t reflect who they were – or who they’ve become. Two decades, two children, and a whole lot of life later, they were ready. Ready to stand in front of their people and say: We still choose each other.
So, we created something together. A ceremony from the heart.
It had echoes of tradition, a chuppah-like canopy, blessings over wine, sacred words spoken under the open sky – but it was also deeply personal.
We crafted modern vows. Not the kind you read off a script, but honest promises shaped by real experience:
To listen better. To laugh more. To keep choosing love even when life gets messy.
Their teenage kids stood beside them – not as flower girl or ring bearer, but as living, beautiful testaments to their journey.
And then came a moment no one expected.
He pulled out a guitar.
With a slight smile and a deep breath, he sang to his wife, his bride, a song they both loved, full of emotion, memories, and quiet gratitude. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room.
Then came the dancing.
It wasn’t just celebration – it was release. It was joy. It was twenty years of love, commitment, growth, challenge, and triumph finally getting the celebration it deserved.
As I stood there watching it all unfold, I couldn’t help but think: Why don’t we do this more? Why don’t we mark love as it grows?
Not just when it begins, but as it matures. Deepens. Survives.
You don’t have to wait for a “milestone” or do it the traditional way. Your love story is sacred because it’s yours.
So if you ever feel like you missed your moment – or want to create a new one – know this: it’s never too late to stand under your own chuppah. To say “I do” again, but this time, even more fully.
Let’s make meaning together. Wherever you are on your journey.
