If you look at social media at weddings you think that every single bride that gets married wears a beautiful wedding dress. Sure, some are more ornate and fancy than others. And some look and are more expensive than others but social media is deceiving because what it doesn’t tell you is that there are thousands upon thousands of brides that cannot afford to buy a wedding dress for their wedding let alone have a wedding with guests, catering, music and a bar that is flowing with adult beverages. Does every girl grow up picturing her wedding day? I don’t know the answer to that definitively- but I do know that many little girls become teenagers who imagine themselves one day finding the perfect partner for them and wearing a beautiful wedding dress. Some get to fulfill that dream while many do not because of lack of finances. This post is not about people who don’t find love, it's about people who find love and just cannot afford to have a wedding dress. That is why I was so moved by a bride recently that I had the honor of getting to know and officiating her wedding to her husband.
As a Cantor who officiates Jewish wedding ceremony I feel lucky to meet so many incredible people along the way and this bride was exceptional. She feels so badly for brides who cannot afford to have a beautiful white wedding dress on their special day that she kindly donated it to a charity that gives wedding dresses to brides with financial need. And make no mistake about it, this charity is not for couples who are looking to cut corners and save money here and there. It is truly for brides that cannot afford to have a lot of the things that we take for granted at a wedding. It is for brides who get married on a very small scale but want to fulfill their dream of wearing a white dress and feel beautiful in her own eyes, and in the eyes of her future partner. Judaism is about sharing your resources with the less fortunate. It’s about looking for opportunities to be kind every single day. If we each do our part on a daily basis to be kind and to be good we will be making this world a better place.
If there are things that you have in your possession that would bring such joy and fulfillment to others, consider giving them away. You don’t have to sell everything on Facebook marketplace or at a garage sale. Maybe it’s baby clothes, maybe it’s some furniture or maybe it’s a beautiful white wedding dress.