First off, mazal tov again. Second, brava for not leaving your ketuba for the last minute! (Yes, some people do that.)
A long answer to your question: There are pretty much 3 types of ketubot: pre-printed art and text; pre-printed art and custom text; and custom text and art. Those are in ascending order of price.
If you're looking for either a standard traditional text or a standard Lieberman Clause text, then you can take your pick of pre-printed artwork, and it will not break the bank. Many of them are really beautiful lithographs, and the only text that is not pre-printed is your personal information. The vast majority of artists will fill in your personal information in matching calligraphy for a fairly modest fee.
crewgrrl can give you more recommendations in this vein than can I, but I would give a particular plug to my former employers, the Caspis. You can check out their designs online, or walk right into just about any Judaica store to see them in person. They've got awesome turnaround time and are extremely reliable and
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My first recommendation is to go here and take a look around the site. They've got just about every artist that does pre-printed lithograph work.
Next is to figure out if the artist/artists you like have their own website and there you can see every piece they do. Also I find working directly with the artists rather than through a large consortium is better for everyone involved.
If you need someone to be the go-between (which is what buying a ketubah in a store is useful for), please call me as I know many of the artists by name and can recommend based on reputation. I can't recommend based on style, as I'm not fully aware of your taste in artwork.
However, Stephanie Caplan has some amazing Asian inspired pieces at her website. I'm thinking specifically of "Momoyama," but her art is very simple and minimalist in general.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.
One thing that cynara_linnaea didn't mention is that she is one of those artists who does custom art and text, etc. She is doing ours (which will include fairly simple art, because a. we like to have some concern for the finances, and b. I really like geometrics). Other folks I know who do custom ketubot: Michal Richardson (I can give you contact information, or forward you some samples), and Barbara Goldstone (the mother of Matthew of the same last name) (I can also give you contact information, but not any samples, off hand). I also imagine that, besides the usual options, you might be able to print out a text, and then have someone do custom artwork around that...
Hm, interesting. I knew about cynara_linnaea, but figured she was a bit busy in the ketuba area just now. Michal, I did not think of. Thanks! If you could indeed forward me some samples, that would be fabulous!
Definitely check in with Michal. Her website, last I checked was here.
hatam_soferet also does ketubot. She's also probably the most knowledgeable on the halachic concerns.
Depending on when you are getting married, I might be able to help you out. My website is here. Michal, hatam_soferet and I have vastly different styles, so none of us will be offended at your choice.
On the topic of Japanese art, I have to confess that I am much more familiar with Ming Chinese art of all types than I am with historic Japanese styles. My kanji are passable, but I have no Japanese calligraphy training.
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A long answer to your question:
There are pretty much 3 types of ketubot: pre-printed art and text; pre-printed art and custom text; and custom text and art. Those are in ascending order of price.
If you're looking for either a standard traditional text or a standard Lieberman Clause text, then you can take your pick of pre-printed artwork, and it will not break the bank. Many of them are really beautiful lithographs, and the only text that is not pre-printed is your personal information. The vast majority of artists will fill in your personal information in matching calligraphy for a fairly modest fee.
crewgrrl can give you more recommendations in this vein than can I, but I would give a particular plug to my former employers, the Caspis. You can check out their designs online, or walk right into just about any Judaica store to see them in person. They've got awesome turnaround time and are extremely reliable and ( ... )
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The ketubah is my parents' wedding gift to us. So we are not asking how much this costs.
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Next is to figure out if the artist/artists you like have their own website and there you can see every piece they do. Also I find working directly with the artists rather than through a large consortium is better for everyone involved.
If you need someone to be the go-between (which is what buying a ketubah in a store is useful for), please call me as I know many of the artists by name and can recommend based on reputation. I can't recommend based on style, as I'm not fully aware of your taste in artwork.
However, Stephanie Caplan has some amazing Asian inspired pieces at her website. I'm thinking specifically of "Momoyama," but her art is very simple and minimalist in general.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.
Reply
Reply
Other folks I know who do custom ketubot: Michal Richardson (I can give you contact information, or forward you some samples), and Barbara Goldstone (the mother of Matthew of the same last name) (I can also give you contact information, but not any samples, off hand).
I also imagine that, besides the usual options, you might be able to print out a text, and then have someone do custom artwork around that...
Reply
Reply
hatam_soferet also does ketubot. She's also probably the most knowledgeable on the halachic concerns.
Depending on when you are getting married, I might be able to help you out. My website is here. Michal, hatam_soferet and I have vastly different styles, so none of us will be offended at your choice.
On the topic of Japanese art, I have to confess that I am much more familiar with Ming Chinese art of all types than I am with historic Japanese styles. My kanji are passable, but I have no Japanese calligraphy training.
Reply
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