Wedding Testimonials

Thank you much for being a part of our special day! Even though we've only known you guys for less than a year, you have both become very special people in our lives. You accepted us and helped us build a ceremony that not only recognized both of our faiths, but was...

Rabbi Alpern, We just wanted to thank you for a wonderful ceremony. It was exactly what we had envisioned and desired. We received nothing but praise about the ceremony. Thank you for guiding us through such a lovely day. All the Best, Lynnie and Andy

Thank you so very much for everything you did to help make our wedding day so special! Thank you for guiding us through the ceremony preparation, and thank you for your words of wisdom and advice. The trip from Porter Corners is a long one...thank you for coming to be...

We're so sorry  for taking so long to write. We have no legitimate excuses other than owning a house and starting a new job is a lot of work. We promise we'll be better in the future. We just wanted to thank you once again for performing our service last May. It was...

Thank you so much for officiating our wedding and helping us create a personal and beautiful ceremony. You were both there for us every step of thew way and we can't thank you enough. We are so fortunate to have me and you both and be a part of Temple Shabbat Shalom....

Dear Rabbi Aryeh, I cannot believe it is one month since Emily and Eric's wedding. So much effort went into the planning and then it goes so quickly. But, we do have wonderful memories and I look at the pictures almost daily. Bob and I want to thank you for being such...

Dear Rabbi Alpern and Karen, Thank you so much for being such an important part of our wedding. We received so many compliments on our unique, romantic, personal ceremony. Everyone was so impressed with how thoughtfully and respectfully you honored both of our...

Dear Rabbi and Karen A heartfelt thank you. Your guidance led us towards a transcendent wedding experience. People are still talking about the great job you did. Dealing with your dear wife Karen was also a delight. She helped as much as the wedding co-ordinator on...

Dear Rabbi Wow. It has been four months since our wedding and people are still saying that your ceremony was the best they ever experienced. I must confess we almost went with a rent a rabbi to save a little. We are so glad we made the right choice going with you!...

Dear Rabbi Alpern We are so happy we found you. Everything you promised happened:,  The best ceremony, unique and one of a kind, and a presence of caring that was felt by all. Anyone who finds you is most fortunate! Andrew and Val

Rabbi and Karen,   We want to thank you so much for all of your assistance in planning our ceremony. We can honestly say it was so true to who we are and where we are going. Blending two families of Jewish and Catholic backgrounds is never "an easy" task, but it can...

Thank you both so much for being such a special part of our wedding. The ceremony was beautiful with a nice touch of humor. We received numerous comments on how nice it was! We hope that everything is going great for you two. With much thanks.

Rabbi and Karen, At first we were not sure where to turn.  Who knows what you get fishing on the Internet.  Prices varied wildly.  One Rabbi wanted to meet us at a Diner!  Another Rabbi had a hidden cost of one dollar per mile for travel!  A third wanted an extra...

Dear Aryeh and Karen, Thank you both so much for your enthusiastic participation in our wedding weekend, and for working with us to help us navigate the issues of an interfaith wedding and to begin thinking about how we intend to carry out our religious lives. The...

Laura and I wanted to take one last opportunity to thank you for your guidance & support over the past couple years. We are truly grateful to have you involved in our wedding and more grateful to have you in our lives. In honor of our marriage, Laura and I would...

Thank you two so much for all of your help in making our wedding day special. We really appreciate your traveling all the way to P.A. and being very willing to work with us on our unique ceremony.

We want to wish you the best at your High Holy days! This comes with our thanks for your prayers and support!

Thank you so much for being a part of our special day! Even though we've only known you guys for less than a year, you have both become very special people in our lives. You accepted us and helped us build a ceremony that not only recognized both of our faiths, but...

Thank you both so much for all of your help and hospitality leading up to the wedding, and especially the day of. You are both such wonderful, warm, and caring individuals. We look forward to seeing you both very soon.

We're so sorry  for taking so long to write. We have no legitimate excuses other than owning a house and starting a new job is a lot of work. We promise we'll be better in the future. We just wanted to thank you once again for performing our Hindu/ Jewish service last...

We enjoyed our visit with you so much. We are looking forward to an even more meaningful day now! Sharing our wedding with you will be very special but it's an even greater feeling knowing we've found our Rabbi for life.

Thank you so much for finding the time to chat with me recently about my sister Wilma. Howie and I are confident that Elana and Mike's wedding will be a huge success. Elana and Mike have personally invested much attention into this splendid celebration and I know you...

Thank you so much for having us this weekend. We truly enjoyed our time together. It was so nice to relax (and escape the FL[orida] heat!) We look forward to seeing you again in February.

Thank you so much for playing such a special and important role in our wedding. We are still actively practicing the advice you gave us about not reacting- it really works! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect or meaningful ceremony. It was definitely better than...

Wow! Thank you so much for helping us to create such a special and magical wedding day. It means so much to us that you were there for us spiritually and as treasured members of our family. We can't wait to see you and rehash the whole, wonderful weekend! All of our...

Thank you so very much for officiating at our wedding in June. Our ceremony was so meaningful, memorable, and spcial to us, and you played a huge part in ensuring that we felt that way after the ceremony. We truly appreciated your guidance on how to combine both of...

We wanted to thank you again for all your help and preparation for our wedding. Your guidance and support helped ease our concerns about interfaith marriages. You truly joined our two families, and we are forever grateful! All our love.

We would like to thank you for everything you did to prepare us for the most important day of our lives. Words can't express how perfect our ceremony was. Our families are still telling us how wonderful the ceremony was and how funny you were. We thank you for not...

Thank you both so much for everything you did for our wedding. Your help and advice were invaluable. The ceremony was beautiful- we got many compliments. You both helped make our wedding very special. We are very sorry you couldn't stay for the reception. You would...

Thank you so much for including me in your Rosh Hashanah celebration. I really appreciated how you connected the different religions. The part that touched me the most was during the study. You mentioned fasting begins in the head and then goes to your heart. From...

Rabbi & Karen We cannot thank you enough for making the ceremony of our dreams a reality. We sincerely appreciate all of your guidance, support, and work. It was also a blast to celebrate with you at the reception. All our best! Love, Dani & Mark

Dear Rabbi Alpern & Karen Just a quick note to say thank you for all your help, support, and encouragement since we have met. We are looking forward to more of your guidance for the wedding and beyond! We are so glad to have you in our lives! Love, Michelle &...

Rabbi Alpern & Karen Thank you both so much for all your help and guidance with our wedding. Rabbi, everyone keeps telling us how much they enjoyed the ceremony and how unique it was. Thank you for helping to make our day so special. Looking forward to keeping in...

Rabbi Alpern: * Was sensitive to our backgrounds and our individual needs * Flexible in the planning process and open to our suggestions – it was a real collaborative effort * Helped us to construct “our unique” wonderful & magical Traditional Jewish Wedding *...

From a guest at a wedding: It was really nice meeting you and the rebbitzin and spending time with you on Friday night and, of course, at the wedding. I enjoyed hearing about your outlook and philosophies on Judaism...a truly humanist approach indeed. Your caring and...

It was very difficult to find a way for me to convert to Judaism. We had almost given up, when we by chance happened upon Rabbi Alpern’s website. After I spoke to Rabbi Alpern, I immediately knew that I wanted to go through the study and guidance under him. Rabbi...

Understanding, Accepting. Inspiring. These are just a few of the words that help describe Rabbi Alpern and his wife,Karen. Together they have made our family and even stronger and more caring unit. The compassion and understanding they have continued to exhibit have...

We were married for 15 years before we happened to meet the Alperns through another couple. For the first time we discovered a community that raised us up in love and support and encouragement, one where being a non-Jew is not considered second-best. What we...

Our wedding ceremony in Puerto Rico was an experience beyond our expectations. Half of the people didn't speak English and the other half didn't speak Spanish. Rabbi Alpern was able to orchestrate a nicely flowing ceremony with the priest that everybody understood and...

Rabbi Alpern and Temple Shabbat Shalom have become an integral part of our lives. We feel so blessed to not only have him as our Rabbi, but also to be able to call Rabbi and Karen friends. Our wedding ceremony couldn’t have been more perfect and the naming of our sons...

We have had the pleasure of having Rabbi Alpern officiate at not only our daughter’s wedding in June 2006 here in Altoona but also our son’s wedding in Philadelphia in August 2009. While the locations and ceremonies were totally different, Rabbi Alpern was able to...