Chiapparelli's Restaurant

Rehearsal Dinner

The Cloisters

Ketubah Signing

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception

Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel

After Party

Our Wedding

Hannah Ruth and Steph both attended American University but moved in very different circles. However, a friend of Steph's was also in the Theatre Department with Hannah Ruth. This meant that in supporting her friend in his shows, Steph saw Hannah Ruth in her natural habitat on stage. She was starstruck!

Two American University Students who know of each other

Like many a modern couple, we both swiped right on each other. Steph swooped in with the very clever pickup line "Haha hey," and for some unknown reason, that was enough for Hannah Ruth to reply. Steph and Hannah Ruth's first date was on September 15, 2019 at Kramer Books &amp; Afterword Cafe and they have spent every anniversary there, where they pick out books for each other and share a slice of key lime pie.

First Sparks in a Bookstore

In the early months of 2020, Steph packed a suitcase and her cat, Goose, and moved into Hannah Ruth and her cat Prims's studio apartment for a fun, two-week sleepover. The rest is history. They braved the lines at Trader Joes, celebrated a virtual Passover seder, and worked from home, finding that they love living together. Soon, living in an apartment with no chairs started to become just a little confining and the four moved into Steph's apartment and tried to settle in during the first Covid-19 summer.

M-m-m-my Corona (virus)

After the lease was up at Steph's apartment, it became clear the new family needed a more comfortable spot to call home. Setting out to the beautiful neighborhoods of Northwest D.C., the two found paradise in the form of a balcony, walk-in closet, and outdoor pool. Hannah Ruth and Steph have loved making their first apartment as a couple their home.

Van Ness, a co-created happy place

Soon, Hannah Ruth became an adult and aged out of her parent's insurance. Steph, tempted by the promise of finally being in-network, left the nest early to stop being covered by her own parent's insurance and get onto Hannah Ruth's plan. But to do so, the two had to enter into a Domestic Partnership. The two were partnered domestically after going to four different UPS stores to find a notary on December 17, 2021. After two-and-a-half years of dating and building the foundations of life together, Steph popped the question to Hannah Ruth at the Mill Mountain Star, overlooking the Roanoke Valley on April 3, 2021. Not long after, Steph realized it wasn't fair that Hannah Ruth got a shiny pretty ring, and began to pester Hannah Ruth for one of her own. Hannah Ruth asked Steph to marry her (twice!) later that summer. Unfortunately, after the landmark fall of Roe v. Wade, it became clear there was a potential threat to marriage equality. Roe fell on a Friday and the two were civilly married in front of the National Gallery of Art that Monday morning. The two self-officiated the ceremony on June 27, 2022. After a domestic partnership, engagement, and civil marriage, only one frontier was left to conquer.

Soft-launching marriage

Despite near-yearly commitments to each other (officially becoming girlfriends in September of 2019, a domestic partnership in December of 2021, an engagement in April of 2022, and a civil marriage in June of 2022) the two simply didn't have enough. After consulting the secular and Jewish calendar, Steph and Hannah Ruth settled on a Jewish wedding ceremony on October 27, 2024. They are thrilled to stand together with their loved ones in front of their community and partake in the ancient wedding traditions of their faith.

Last but not least, a Jewish wedding

Our Story

Photos

Jaye Harvey Wellons

Hugh Wellons

Heidi Black

David Black 

Rebekah Wellons

Dan Black

Katelyn Black

Summer Boucher-Robinson

Ben Cantor-Adams

Rafael Cestero

Lauren Farnell

Walter Johnson Francis

Peter Mikhail

Jesy Werner

Kate Zepka

The Bridal Party

Q + A

Hotel Blocks

SpringHill Suites by Marriott Baltimore Downtown/Inner Harbor

Hampton Inn & Suites Baltimore Inner Harbor

Travel to Baltimore

BWI is about 30 minutes away from The Cloisters.

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport

DCA is about an hour from The Cloisters

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

Amtrak at Baltimore Penn Station

Explore the City

Explore Baltimore

Hotels & Travel

Things to Do

Registry

Hannah Ruth and Steph are honored and thrilled to have a Jewish wedding ceremony. When seated, you'll see a chuppah, or a wedding canopy. The chuppah, handmade by Steph, is held aloft by four poles, which are in turn held by four members of their bridal party. The whole of the wedding ceremony will take place under the chuppah, representing the new home and new life the brides will enter after the ceremony. The chuppah is considered an object of Jewish ceremonial art, and is part of the Jewish concept of hiddur mitzvah. Beauty enhances and deepens the sacredness of the ritual object and therefore of the ritual itself. All in all, the ceremony should be around 40 minutes long with no intermission.

Before the Wedding

What is a ketubah? A ketubah is a wedding contract that traditionally protects the bride should the couple divorce. In modern, egalitarian communities, like the one Hannah Ruth and Steph are a part of, the couple write a contract reflecting their goals for marriage. Who is present? What happens? This is an intimate ceremony for the brides' immediate family and friends. Two Jewish/ non-family witnesses are present. In this case, Kate Zepka and Summer Boucher-Robinson are the brides' witnesses. Steph and Hannah Ruth each raise a significant object of their choosing in the air for the witnesses to see. Both Hannah Ruth and Steph sign the ketubah. This is called the "kinyan" or acquiring of the responsibilities of being married. The two witnesses sign in acknowledgment of the raised objects. Finally, Rabbi Aaron Potek signs the ketubah. Afterward, the parents and grandparents of the brides share blessings, poems, hopes, and wishes for the couple.

Bedekin

What is the bedekin ceremony? This is an intimate moment in which the brides veil one another. Traditionally, a bride is veiled by the groom to symbolize Jacob accidentally marrying Leah instead of Rachel in the Torah. Hannah Ruth and Steph are reimagining this ritual as a way to separate themselves from one another, symbolically representing their individuality in their marriage.

During the Wedding

Circling

After the processional and welcome from Rabbi Aaron Potek, the brides begin their wedding ceremony by circling one another seven times. The number seven is sacred in Judaism, representing the number of days of creation, the number of steps into the mikvah (ritual bath), the seven branches on the menorah (not to be confused with the hanukkiah which has nine), and the Sheva Brachot, or seven blessings recited during weddings (see below).

Blessings over Wine and Consecration of the Betrothal 

Hannah Ruth and Steph will raise a glass of wine and recite the blessing over it. Rabbi Aaron will recite the blessing over the betrothal in Hebrew and Steph and Hannah Ruth will recite it in English.

Exchanging of the Rings

Jewish couples exchange plain, unadorned rings representing the simple acts of love needed to make a marriage last. Steph and Hannah Ruth will recite a blessing one after another while putting the rings on their respective fingers. During this moment, the brides also show the rings to the Ketubah witnesses, Summer and Kate.

Reading of the Ketubah

Hannah Ruth and Steph spend many hours co-creating the text of their Ketubah and will read it aloud in English.

Sheva Brachot

The Seven Blessings are the heart of a Jewish wedding ceremony. Hannah Ruth and Steph have written their own blessings that incorporate traditional and modern themes that reflect who they are as a couple. The blessings will be read in Hebrew by Rabbi Aaron and in English by members of the wedding party.

Smashing the Glass

Perhaps the most iconic symbol of a Jewish wedding, the smashing of a glass is the moment the couple is "actually" married. And, like most of Judaism, there are dozens of interpretations and origin stories for this ritual. For Hannah Ruth and Steph, it is 1) An ancient tradition they are honored to carry on, 2) A representation of the hardships that women (especially queer women) have had to struggle with in Judaism and society at large, and 3) A commitment to doing what they can to fix the world's brokenness together. Both Hannah Ruth and Steph will be smashing glasses.

Mazal Tov!!

As Hannah Ruth and Steph smash the glasses, guests are encouraged to yell "Mazal Tov," which means congratulations. After this, the brides and wedding party will process out.

After the Ceremony

Yichud

After the brides recess, they'll be whisked into a private room to share a moment of quiet together. During their 10 minutes alone, they will share vows and blessings, change shoes, and have a bite to eat. Need the brides during this time? You'll have to go through Rabbi Aaron, who will be our "shomer," watching the door to make sure no one enters.

The Hora

The hora is a traditional dance in which guests are supposed to participate with vigor! Guests hold hands in big circles and move their feet in a grapevine pattern around and around. The hora starts off to Hava Negila, a traditional klezmer song. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FygCMSRDgcE&amp;ab_channel=RewindBand" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">This video</a> is a great example of what to expect! <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxP2cSa5aXE&amp;ab_channel=DoweonKim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The lyrics: </a> Hava nagila, hava nagilaHava nagila ve-nis'mechaRepeat Hava neranena, hava neranenaHava neranena venis'mecha Uru, uru achimUru achim belev same'achLet us rejoice, let us rejoice Translation:Let us rejoice and be gladRepeat Let us sing, let us singLet us sing and be glad Awaken, awaken brethrenAwaken brethren with a cheerful heart. We are so honored to have you join us for our wedding. We look forward to celebrating with everyone on October 27th!

Steph & Hannah Ruth

Steph & Hannah Ruth

S&H

Wedding Day

4:00 PM–4:45 PM

Ceremony

4:45 PM–9:00 PM

Reception

After Party