Guild Inn Estate
The Guild Inn Estate is one of the most popular wedding venues in Scarborough. It also happens to be only ten minutes from where I live and once of my favorites to shoot at. Not just for weddings, but family and maternity shoots as well. The venue itself hosts multiple events on any given day. It’s able to accommodate indoor ceremonies within the venue, outdoor ceremonies in the gardens. The garden grounds are huge. Even during the fall season, the historical outdoor museum works as a beautiful backdrop. The permits are a bit steep, but honestly are worth every penny.
Jewish Wedding
Ceremony
Like a cake, the basic ingredients of a Jewish wedding stay the same. But everyone has their own personal take on the recipe. The foundations include the Ketubah, ring exchange and the seven blessings. The Ketubah is a signed and witnessed marriage contract. The ring represents an exchange of something of value. And the seven blessings each thank God in a different way.
There are so many variations to this structure. For example, when I work more conservative Jewish Orthodox weddings, they have a Tisches. This is a separate pre-party before the ceremony where the men and women celebrate separately. This couple had a bedecken. It’s a veiling ceremony where the groom veils his bride before the ceremony begins. The ceremony itself happens in a chuppah. Traditionally family members hold up the Chuppah, however in this case the family was too big. And an equally big chuppah would be too heavy to hold up.
While the first kiss would normally be the highlight of most western ceremonies, with Jewish weddings it is the breaking of the glass. The breaking of the glass serves as a reminder of all the struggles Jewish people have faced in the past. It’s loud noise also serves to scare away any demons who may be lingering over the wedding day. This is very similar to Greeks breaking plates, or Muslims making their war cry.
Reception
The reception is often kicked up with a group dance. The couple dances with their families in large circles periodically working their way through the crowd. The highlight of this event is the famous chair lift. The bride and groom each sit in a chair lifted by their family members. This particular couple wasn’t planning on having this experience however it seems they didn’t really have a choice when the family is involved.
Couple’s History
Alison & Jonathan have been together for a decade. They already have two kids. They have a house. But when the couple decides to relocate to the US for a lucrative job opportunity, the only way to keep their family together was by getting married. And what better way to propose to your future bride than via text message. This is my type of love story. And what better location to have it than at the Guild Inn Estate. The entire wedding and get together was planned in a month. As far as the family was concerned, it was about time.
