Choosing a Ketubah

My eldest son recently got married, and the ketubah that they signed, along with the rabbi and two witnesses, was very beautiful. It got me thinking about the everyday beauty that can be brought into a household through their religious and traditional beliefs. The ketubah is the historical marriage contract that Jewish law requires a groom to provide for his bride on their wedding day. It is intended to protect the woman, primarily by establishing the man's financial obligations to her in case of divorce or widowhood. She may be seen to be circling him during the ceremony (a tradition that is often seen as sexist, but one of the non-Jewish wedding guests very aptly characterized as the woman proving that she can run circles around her spouse), but the groom has obligations too. These are on display at the wedding, which is why the artistry of the ketubah has evolved. The exact date when the ketubah became a central part of the Jewish marriage ceremony remains unknown. It is a rabbinic institution, not a biblical one, and goes back to Talmudic times (70-500 C.E.). So not 3500 years old, but old non-the less. Old enough to be written in Aramaic. The test of the ketubah is similar, if not the same the world over, but the decoration of it is up to the individuals. This is the ketubah they chose, and I think it is a particularly beautiful one.