The ketubah, or the Jewish wedding contract, is signed at a wedding ceremony. There are laws and customs that dictate what the document should say, but when it comes to the actual design, there are no rules. Many couples opt for a visually attractive ketubah so that it can be hung on the wall of their shared home and on display for years to come.
As these beautiful ketubahs demonstrate, there is plenty of room for creativity and personalization when choosing a ketubah. Some motifs are more common than others: Birds (especially peacocks), flowers, pomegranates, trees and images of Jerusalem are all widely popular in contemporary times.
Traditional Jewish artforms are also often incorporated into the design. ketubahs to be decorated with papercuts, an artistic technique that dates back to a 14th century Spanish community.
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We love these soft watercolor flowers!
This pomegranate floral motif is so cozy.
This modern design uses the traditional medium of papercut and the traditional motif of greenery.
We’ve never seen a ketubah text written quite like this one!
Those stars!
Olive branches make a beautiful border.
So do lemons.
This ketubah is modern and mystical.
This looks like a gorgeous metaphor for the couple’s journey down the road of life…
This one proves that black-and-white is not boring.
Love the hamsa design!
Cherry blossoms!
Cannot go wrong with gold leaf.
Love the fish!
This one looks like lace.
How whimsical!
Making the roots of the tree the star of the show.
Love the oranges!
Peacocks are traditional and gorgeous!
Why have only one or two trees when you can have a whole forest?
This one feels delightfully playful.
Another hamsa, this time combined with the Jerusalem motif.
Ketubahs need not be written on paper. This one is carved in wood.
That view!
This one is all about the frame.
Dragon ketubah!
So sweet!
A ketubah for city-slickers.
This is just lovely!
This one has papercut in both white and black.
This tree design contains the four letters of the Hebrew word ahavah — love.
Here’s a 3D take on the same word.
Love the Middle Eastern tile inspiration for this design.
This rainbow-colored Jewish star with Jerusalem skyline is gorgeous.
And an amazing, abstract geometric take on the Jewish star.
Love in all seasons.
