Rabbi Rena Blumenthal

Wedding Testimonials

“Rabbi Rena is incredibly kind, welcoming, and patient. She made the entire wedding process and our special day both seamless and unforgettable. Each meeting with her was a pleasure; she ensured we felt at ease and fully prepared for the big day. Rabbi Rena took the time to get to know us personally, helping us clarify our vision for the ceremony. On our wedding day, she crafted a beautiful and memorable ceremony that we will cherish forever. We are profoundly grateful for her thoughtful guidance and support!”

- Brooke & Jake

“We're so happy that Rabbi Blumenthal officiated our ceremony! Rabbi Blumenthal listened intently to our vision and delivered a beautiful ceremony that we will never forget. We are very grateful for all that she did and highly recommend her to future couples.”

- Melissa & Jeremy

“Rabbi Rena was a fabulous officiant and an integral part of our wedding. She spent several sessions beforehand getting to know us, walking us through the steps of a Jewish wedding, and leaving lots of important details up to us. We didn't want a traditional wedding, and Rena was ready at every turn to make our ceremony reflective of us, our beliefs, and our traditions - particularly as liberals, humanists, and feminists. On the day itself, she was warm, welcoming, and wonderful. We are so glad we chose her to officiate our wedding.”

– Juliana & Josh

“Rena was such a joy and a pleasure to work with.  Our meetings consisted of finding the perfect balance between honoring Jewish rituals and traditions and customizing the wedding to make it feel unique and ours.  We spent most of our time laughing and soon Rena felt more like family then a Rabbi.  On our magical day, Rena stressed the importance of us being present in the moment and being present under the chuppah, which both my wife and I did and couldn’t be more appreciative of.  Not only was Rena the perfect Rabbi for us, she surprised us with her absolutely beautiful and angelic singing voice.  The ceremony was so powerful and emotional that many of our guests thanked us for the incredible wedding even before dinner was served or the dancing began.  There wasn’t a dry eye in the house!  We hope this is the beginning of a long relationship with Rena and couldn’t recommend her more!”

– Matt & Lucy

Rabbi Rena Blumenthal was fantastic throughout our whole wedding process, from our meetings in the months leading up to the wedding to the day of. She put us at ease, had us feeling prepared and helped us curate our wedding ceremony just as we wanted it. Her guiding process was exactly what anyone getting married would want from their Rabbi. We really appreciate how much care and thought she put into our wedding experience! We highly recommend Rena for your wedding.

– Rachel & Ben

“We are SO lucky Rabbi Rena came into our lives! We are speechless as to how beautiful, emotional and wonderful our ceremony was. Rena's energy was incredible, her words were beautiful and the space she created for our marriage was simply amazing…many even said it was the best ceremony they've been to. She made our ceremony feel so personal and we knew our energies were going to match from the start. We appreciate her coming out on a cold Saturday in December and we all brought our warm hearts and the room felt that!”

– Lea & Jason

“We feel so lucky to have had Rabbi Rena officiate our wedding! From our first meeting together, Rena spent time helping guide us through the different ways to approach our ceremony, the many Jewish traditions available to us, and her thoughtful ideas on how to bring our vision to life. With Rena’s help and insight, we were able to incorporate the Jewish elements that felt most special to us (including some we were not familiar with previously!) and were able to have a ceremony that felt authentic and personal to us as Jewish couple. Throughout the entire time, Rena was responsive and organized, and made us always feel ready for our big day. Thank you, Rena, for playing such an important part of our wedding!”

– Danielle & Adam

“Choosing to partner with Rena for our wedding ceremony was one of the best decisions we made during our wedding planning process. Rena provided the right amount of guidance and resources to ensure we felt grounded in Jewish traditions, but she also then allowed us the flexibility and creativity to make sure the ceremony felt like our own. From ordering the Ketubah to helping us involve family, Rena made us feel confident that our wedding day would be a success. And it was—the day was a dream! Rena was a calming presence on a busy wedding day. We got numerous compliments from guests on the ceremony and had several non-Jewish guests comment on how much they appreciated Rena’s explanation of the traditions at every step of the service. Thank you, Rena!”

– Sarah & Sandor

“Working with Rena was truly a joy. With each session, as we ironed out every detail of our wedding ceremony, we also got to know each other more closely. Rena's care, easygoing attitude, and excitement — along with her attention to detail and professionalism — relieved our stress and made planning something to look forward to. On our wedding day, Rena's chanting and blessings were beautiful, and something we'll always remember. Rena led the ceremony with the weight that the occasion needed, and the grace to put us and our families in the spotlight. In the end, we couldn't have asked for a better ceremony or a better partner to make it happen. Thank you, Rena!!”

– Jonathan & Rachel

“We thoroughly enjoyed working with Rabbi Rena to craft a wedding ceremony that represented our style and intentions. We come from a blended family and wanted traditional elements to come through, without having to follow the letter of the law, and Rena helped us walk that line with comfort and ease. She is very knowledgeable about the origin of Jewish wedding traditions, and shares that while also elaborating on the many variations of how couples deviate from the original tradition to make it meaningful for them and their families. We felt like the ceremony and words said truly represented our Jewish values and intentions for marriage. Rena is down to earth and flexible, we were in very good hands on our wedding day and knew we’d make it through smoothly no matter what came up last minute!”

– Ruthie & Aaron

“We are so thankful to have found Rena. We are not an observant couple, but saw our marriage ceremony as an important and unique opportunity to commit to each other under the strong traditions of our Jewish ancestry. That said, we were always nervous that our ceremony would be a series of gestures that we are not connected to or don’t understand. Rena understood this wholeheartedly, and made sure to strike the perfect balance of faith to the ceremony and openness to our own ideas. We worked through each detail over a well-managed schedule leading up to our wedding day. Rena provided support, guidance, and advice in all the right ways. We will never forget being under the chuppah with her.”

– Laura & Josh

“There is no better Rabbi for your wedding ceremony than Rabbi Rena! We thought that we were connected to her by chance, but it quickly became obvious that she was meant to be the officiant of our very special wedding. She was organized, intentional, respectful, a great listener, easy to work with, and creative. She helped us to plan and execute our shared vision, creating a spiritual space that all our guests could belong to (not a dry eye in the house!). We could not recommend Rabbi Rena enough, thank you.”

– Chelsea & Peter

“Rena was the perfect rabbi for our marriage in the Catskills this summer. She was so generous with her time in helping us plan the ceremony, and always direct and clear in what she expected from us. On the big day, she was a warm and calming presence, like a close member of the family. We couldn't have asked for a better fit!”

– Liz & Gabe

“It was a pleasure to work with Rena... As a queer, feminist couple, it was so important for us to find a rabbi who would not only be able to provide us with an inclusive version of a Jewish wedding ceremony, but also fully embrace us adapting the traditions to our beliefs and vision for our commitment. She accomplished this and then some with a warm demeanor and deep knowledge of historical and contemporary strains of Jewish tradition; everyone at our wedding remarked on what a personal, meaningful ceremony we had. Thank you, Rena!”

– Hillela & Shana

“We could not have had a better Rabbi officiate our wedding. Rena’s modern take on traditions inspired us to include more in our ceremony then we ever thought we would. Her kind words about us really embodied our spirits, it is as if she had known us for years. We received so many compliments from guests on the personal touches she included in our ceremony. We would highly recommend Rena to future couples.”

– Jillian & Jason

"We feel so fortunate to have met Rena and to have had her officiate our wedding... Rena was open to our ideas and provided interesting and valuable feedback in helping us build our wedding ceremony.  On our actual wedding day, Rena exceeded our high expectations -- she led a beautiful, funny, memorable ceremony.  We felt that she truly "got" us both as individuals and as a couple, and she perfectly captured the blend of traditional and whimsical we were hoping for.  So many of our family and friends commented on how special and warm our ceremony was because of Rena.  Working with Rena as our rabbi was the best choice we made for our wedding.  We cannot recommend her highly enough!"

– Amy & Jason“

"It was an absolute pleasure working with Rena and getting to know each other throughout the wedding planning process…Through all of our meetings with Rena, she was extremely helpful, educational, and calming while guiding us through the process. When it came time for the big day, Rena was a huge part in delivering a beautiful ketubah signing and ceremony that helped make everything that much more special. Thank you so much for everything!"

— Shaun & Traci

"Rena was a pleasure to meet and work with. She did such a beautiful job officiating our wedding. It felt light, natural, genuine, and most importantly captured who we are as a couple. We received so many great bits of feedback from our friends and family telling us how great it was. Thank you for your guidance along the way in helping us create a perfect ceremony." 

– Hanna & TJ

"Rena created a beautiful and meaningful ceremony that was perfect for us…Throughout the entire process leading up to our wedding, Rena was incredibly helpful and responsive when we had questions or thoughts. We met in person three times, and she made us both feel comfortable and calm leading up to our big day. We would highly recommend Rena to officiate your wedding."

– Jessica & Jennifer

“We were looking for a combination of traditional Jewish rituals as well as personalized moments for our wedding. Rena gave us very helpful insights as to all our options and helped us navigate through our choices, customizing a Jewish ceremony that was very meaningful to us. She was very open to our ideas and supportive every step of the way. We were able to provide our own English translations for the Seven Blessings, and personalize our vows. It was a joy from start to finish.”

– Kate & Gary

“Rabbi Blumenthal took a leadership role in helping us think deeply about and formulate -- over a period of time -- a personal and meaningful experience. We were initially quite anxious -- but Rena was just stupendous in helping us work through a number of issues related to our wedding. She's smart, funny, learned, sensitive, flexible and emotionally connected. The ultimate ceremony was joyful and moving. We are both so grateful to Rena.”

– Dina & Ellen

“Rena was a pleasure to work with. She was very accommodating to our preferences, and delivered a terrific ceremony on the big day. Her speech during our ceremony was beautiful, and was very personalized. As not-very-religious-Jews who didn't come in with a ton of knowledge beforehand, Rena led us along and helped us achieve the perfect ceremony.  Rena really spent her time getting to know us well before the ceremony, so by the time of the big day, her comments really reflected who we were.”

– Cary & Sophie

“Rena was incredibly supportive, wonderful to work with, and a calm and warm presence on our special day. We were interested in a more modern approach and met with Rena a few times prior to the ceremony in person or via skype to get to know each other, discuss our Jewish practices, how we envisioned our wedding, and our approach to marriage. Rena guided us through all the details from the ketubah, to various ceremony possibilities, to our personal vows. She was instrumental in making the day organized, special and joyful. Thank you for being a part of our amazing wedding!”

– Ellie & Zach

"We were so lucky to meet Rena and she was wonderful to work with. She took time to learn about us, and helped us conceptualize and plan the perfect wedding ceremony. Her calm energy and enthusiastic presence were a blessing on our busy wedding day. Thank you so much!"

– Maya & Josh

"We consider ourselves very lucky that Rabbi Rena Blumenthal was ready and willing to officiate at our wedding ceremony.  We were determined to hold the event on our 35th anniversary, and that meant some very quick planning after the New York law changed.  What a perfect partner we found in Rena — warm, compassionate, so willing to work with us, and with a great sense of humor.  She helped make a special day for us even more so, and for that we will always be grateful."

– Lance & Chuck

"Rabbi Blumenthal was the best officiant we could have asked for on our wedding day. She spent months getting to know us, and working with us to tailor the elements of a Jewish wedding to reflect our values and our family histories. Every element of our ceremony was personalized, and she even added a few words about our relationship. Everyone who attended our wedding remarked on how warm and genuine our marriage ceremony was. We would absolutely recommend Rabbi Blumenthal to future couples."

– Nick & Maia

"Rabbi Rena Blumenthal is professional, accommodating, responsive and most importantly, fun to work with.  Each time we spoke with Rena, she helped guide us and we came away feeling more comfortable with our plans for the ceremony.  She gracefully officiated our wedding with a tender tone and sang with a soft voice that provided our ceremony with a special kind of elegance.  We are so grateful and would highly recommend Rena to our friends and family in the future."

– David & Monica

"Rabbi Blumenthal was a wonderful officiant to our wedding. Throughout the planning process she took the time to really get to know us as a couple, making our wedding day that much more special. Rabbi Blumenthal was very warm and professional and gave us the flexibility and modern feel to our ceremony that we were looking for. We are very grateful for all that she did."

– Cory & Becky

"The first thing that struck us about Rena is her warm, passionate and charismatic spirit. We got to know each other through a series of Skype interviews and in-person meetings leading up to the wedding. Our conversations were fun, humorous and confidence inspiring…People were coming up to us after the ceremony telling us how incredible our Rabbi was, and we couldn't have found someone more incredible to share our celebration!"

– Sam & Zoe