Ketubah!

Today I learned about the ketubah and I decided I want one when I get married. It's an ancient Jewish tradition that's like a pre-nup, but that promises to maintain all the good things instead of (or in addition to) promising recompense should the marriage end. It's not as weirdly fatalistic as the pre-nup. It's more that one's great marriage is a continual reward for staying married. Ketubot can be artistically rendered to reflect the aesthetics of the couple, and are hung in the house as a decoration AND reminder of the wedding vows. It sounds like a pretty great time.

This is the internet-official story.

I am compelled by the idea of the "secular humanist" ketubah, such as one using this text, but then decorating it like the one in the wikipedia article. Other cool designs I found were:

• This "tongues of flame" kind of design covered in interlocking leaves, books, and people.
  
• This fancy colorful one which reminds me of a coat-of-arms or a medieval illustrated manuscript.
  
• This attractive circular one which is notable for its unusual shape, its use of Hebrew as a language and as an element of design, and pretty watercolors.
  
• This striking one that looks packed full of symbols, notably books and birds.
  
• And perhaps coolest of all, this one that represents the bride and groom as lions presided over by an intense eagle. I also like how this one shows both the Hebrew and English translations, and has space for an appropriate wedding photo.
  

I was raised and consider myself both culturally and spiritually Christian, but I'm more into the Beatitudes kind of Christianity. Since my wedding ceremony will likely be very humanist and individual to my bride and me, I'm all for adopting any traditions from any cultures that we find symbolic or meaningful.