I had the pleasure of attending the Association of Bridal Consultants' Central Florida East luncheon yesterday. The guest speaker was Yehudit Steinberg, the founder of the Jewish Interfaith Wedding Network. She specializes in creating ceremonies blending religions and cultures, incorporating both families' traditions and beliefs. Yehudit shared some tips that you may want to consider when planning an interfaith wedding.

1. Don't rush. Long engagements aren't a bad thing, especially when it comes to blending two cultures or religions. You'll want to explore your families' traditions, and decide as a couple which traditions to incorporate into your wedding, and your marriage.

2. Open communication. Encourage your families to be a part of your wedding preparations, especially in terms of the ceremony.

3. Address ceremony options first. Especially when you are considering marrying in a house of worship, you will want to secure the date with your officiants before planning any other aspects of the wedding.  In other words, don't book your reception venue and then find out it's Yom Kippur and no rabbi will marry you!

Be sure to visit the Jewish Interfaith Wedding Network website for more great information!