26 | APRIL 30 • 2020
Renea and the boys.
After 30 years of friendship, the
couple wed on Sept. 1 in a small
ceremony at Temple Shir Shalom
in West Bloomfield, officiated by
Rabbis Michael Moskowitz and
Daniel Schwartz and Cantor Penny
Steyer.
“Every person who was there were
people who are very important to
us,
” Michael says. “Every single guest
was seated on the bimah — we didn’
t
utilize the pews at all. One friend
did the cake; another friend took the
photos.
”
Adds Renea, “When we started
talking about the people who meant
the most to us, it was really hard to
cut down the guest list, but we want-
ed it to be intimate.
”
Most importantly, the wedding
was a marriage of families — and
the couple wanted each family mem-
ber to know that. “Even the ring I
selected is silver braided with gold,
”
Michael says. “We are intertwining
two families together and I wanted
that symbolized in my ring.
“My daughter, Abigail, and her
son, Caiden, walked down the aisle
with me,
” he says. “Renea’
s boys
walked her down the aisle. Caiden
carried the temple’
s Kolin Ring — a
ring from the former Czechoslovakia
that survived the Holocaust — which
he handed to Max, who handed it
to Ari, and so on. We had all under
the bimah with us, with each of our
mother’
s seated there as well. It was
about being inclusive.
”
The ceremony
was followed by a small reception in
the synagogue foyer.
When it came to Renea’
s name,
the couple discussed it with the boys.
“They wanted me to have Michael’
s
last name, Pearl, and they were OK
with having a different last name
than me, their given last name,
”
Renea says. “Michael even spoke to
the boys before he proposed, asking
for their permission and blessing.
”
Which they gave wholeheartedly.
“It was not just our wedding,
”
Michael says. “It was a blending of
the whole family.
” ✽
CLOCKWISE TOP: “My dad always liked Michael,” Renea says. “When my
dad was in rehab, right before he passed — he was in and out of it all
day. Michael said to him, ‘I want you to know that you don’t have to worry
about Renea and the boys.’ And my dad said, clear as a bell, ‘I know you
will.’ It’s so special that it ended up this way.” The couple were wrapped
in Renea’s father’s tallis during the ceremony. “When we were wrapped
in his tallis, we had him with us,” Michael says. The ceremony took place
under Michael’s tallis, which covered the chuppah. “I found my dress on
the clearance section at David’s Bridal!” Renea says. “It cost more to alter
it. It’s actually a skirt and top — it says ‘I’m the bride’ without screaming
it.” The whole fam. From left: Ari, Max, Renea, Michael, Caiden and Abigail.
The couple circle each other during the Seven Brachot.
RIGHT: The couple’s rings — including Michael’s silver and
gold braided design, symbolizing their blended family.
Celebrate!
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