72 | MARCH 31 • 2022 

A 

chuppah, or marriage 
canopy, is the focal 
point of a Jewish 
wedding ceremony. It sym-
bolizes the first home the 
couple will share. Biblically 
speaking, the chuppah, with 
its draped fabric open on all 
sides signaling hospitality to 
guests, also represents the tent 
that was the first Jewish home 
of Abraham and Sarah. 
To further adorn the chup-
pah, a pair of artists, one 
from Michigan and one from 
Tennessee, collaborated to 
add a new twist to the chup-
pah tradition by creating a 
wooden overhang to adorn 
the entrance of the canopy. A 
unique keepsake gift bearing 
the Hebrew words Ani L
’dodi, 
v’dodi Li (I am my beloved’s 
and my beloved is mine), it 
can then be installed over the 
entrance of a doorway or a 
fireplace mantel to serve as a 
reminder of the couple’s wed-
ding day long after the wed-
ding day is over. 
The designers of the chup-
pah topper — along with a 
line of colorful, whimsical 
wooden Judaica pieces — 

are Amy Sternberg of West 
Bloomfield and Shannon 
Brown of Chattanooga, Tenn. 
The artists found each other 
on Etsy, a creative artisan 
online marketplace platform, 
and have put their creative 
energies into Judaica artwork 
for about two years. 
With her eye for color and 
design, Sternberg customizes 
and hand paints gifts such as 
children’s furniture to desk 
accessories and sells them on 
her website, Artworks by Amy. 
A few years back, she also 
began to create Judaica when 
her daughters, now grown 
and one a rabbi in New Jersey, 
asked her to design pieces like 
a Shabbat board with tealight 
candle cutouts. 
“I am always doodling; that’s 
how I relax,
” Sternberg said. 

Wood-cut chuppah topper becomes a 
keepsake for the couple’s home.

Chuppah 
Adornments

STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER 
PHOTOS COURTESY OF AMY STERNBERG

Shabbat plate with tea light can-
dle cutout

Ron Lieberman Photography

Andrea Solomon

Wedding and Event Planner Perfection made simple

(248) 535-0402 
andrea@andreasolomon.com

Day Of - On Site Management

Invitations • Candy Tables

Place Cards • Calligraphy

Napkins • Guest Towels

Favors • Gifts • Kippas

Hotel and Amenities Baskets 

Ron Lieberman Photography

www.andreasolomon.com

andreasolomon2554@gmail.com

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