Our Story
Debbie & Steven
February 15, 2026
February 15, 2026
Friday, February 13, 2026 • TBD
📍 TBD
Please let us know if you're coming, but you can still come even if you don't! This will be a catered, vegetarian-friendly but not kosher meal.
Saturday, February 14, 2026 • 9:30 AM
📍 Adas Israel, 2850 Quebec St NW
Everyone is welcome, no need to RSVP. Also no need to be Jewish - the service will be a mix of Hebrew and English.
Please see the note on shabbat friendly considerations on the Ceremony tab.
Kiddush will be pescatarian lunch with vegetarian and vegan options. Kiddush generously sponsored by Stevens parents, Donna and Andy Rich, as well as the families two community members celebrating their bnei mitzvahs.
Saturday, February 14, 2026 • TBD
📍 TBD
No RSVP necessary. Join us for a bite and/or a drink before the big day! Not an open bar.
Sunday, February 15, 2026 • 2 PM
📍 Adas Israel, 2850 Quebec St NW
Steven's tisch is by invite only; Debbie's is open to all.
Sunday, February 15, 2026 • 4 PM
📍 Adas Israel, 2850 Quebec St NW
Must RSVP! The reception will follow the ceremony.
Monday, February 16, 2026 • TBD
📍 1329 North Carolina Ave NE
Drop by for some bagels and coffee before you leave town. The spread will be kosher style from Call Your Mother Bagels (not kosher). Please RSVP - but no worries if your plans change. Hosted by Steven and Debbie's dear friends, Jason and Matt.
Unfortunately, there is no hotel that is particularly well suited (or well located) for our wedding venue and additional locations. We recommend that you find a hotel or short term rental that fits your budget and needs within the District of Columbia. As a reminder, DC is a very metro accessible, walkable, and taxi-friendly city. We do not recommend accommodations in Virginia or Maryland as those commutes will be longer and can get a little complicated, especially on the weekends.
We've made some recommendations below or, in a pinch, you can reach out to us for additional pointers or recommendations.
Adas Israel Synagogue is in the Cleveland Park neighborhood and sits across the street from the Cleveland Park metro stop on the red line. It is also within one city block of a few bus lines and they have a large parking lot if you choose to drive.
Accommodations on the red line metro will likely be most convenient. We recommend looking for options in the Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle neighborhoods to stay close to event venues as well as non-wedding food and entertainment options.
This hotel features apartment style accommodations for in a historic building right on Dupont Circle.
Book NowThis 4-star hotel is another cool, historic building a few blocks north of Dupont Circle near Embassy Row and the Spanish Steps.
Book NowThis hotel is a little further downtown, but has very affordable options (and is closer to downtown DC and the mall if you're trying to make the most of the DC tourist experience).
Book Now
This historic 4-star hotel is right on Rock Creek Park and a few blocks from the National zoo (as well as one metro stop from the synagogue).
Book Now
This is a boutique hostel so it's got a number of room options with private bathrooms and plenty of communal spaces, a restaurant and cafe, and female only dorm options.
Book NowEven if this is not your first Jewish ceremony a refresher might be helpful. In general, the wedding will consist of a few events:
The bride and groom's receptions, or tisches, are a chance for friends and family to toast the groom and bride with snacks and drinks along with stories and songs.
This is the ceremony where the groom, accompanied by his friends and male members of the wedding party, approaches the bride and covers the brides face with a veil. This sounds like a lot of logistics, but it's very boisterous and emotional.
The ceremony will consist of a few parts including the bride circling the groom, a betrothal blessing, giving of rings, a reading of the couples bridal contract (ketubah), a recitation of seven blessings by the couple's family, and friends, and finally a breaking of the glass.
Following the ceremony the couple will be hidden away for a short while (yichud) before joining everyone at the reception.
Some of you may be asked to perform specific duties during these ceremonies, such as participating in toasts or doing readings (you'll be contacted in advance with more detail). More generally, you can participate by joining in the revelry like humming or clapping along to music or just generally getting into the fun.
Yes - come on down!
In general, we want you there to celebrate - so whether it's Friday dinner, the shabbat service and lunch, or the wedding day events - yes, you can participate. If it's unfamiliar, you can sing and clap along, you can join the dancing, or do a toast, or just generally join the celebration in a way that feels comfortable for you.
We will be asking specific friends and family to take on some duties that require someone of Jewish faith (like saying certain blessings in Hebrew or signing our marriage contract), but whether or not that's you, you're invited to this event because you're really special and we want you there to celebrate with us.
Aufruf translates to “call up” in Hebrew. It refers to a couple being “called up” to the Torah for blessings by their community.
This ceremony will happen during Shabbat (or sabbath) services at Adas Israel on Saturday, February 14th. During the Torah reading portion of the service, Steven and Debbie will be called up for blessings by their community.
Services will be mostly in Hebrew, although the blessings and associated sermon will happen in English, and the prayer book will feature English translations.
Everyone is welcome to join for services (please join the smaller Traditional Egalitarian Minyan Services in the Gewirz Beit Am, and not the main services in the main chapel). Following services there will be a kiddush (a lunch) where there will be more celebrating, including some toasts to the couple.
Tisches were traditionally a chance for a groom to prove his Jewish knowledge and communal acclaim while his friends poked fun. These days it's a chance for friends and family to share anecdotes and toasts, to sing and dance, and to get in the celebratory mood.
Tisches will include masters of ceremonies, so don't be shy if you're not familiar. Just be ready to celebrate.
Debbie's tisch is open to all who would like to join. Steven's tisch will be invite only.
When the couple enters the reception they are welcomed with hora. The newly married couple are treated like king and queen for the day so the dance is meant to entertain and celebrate them. In general, it's a dance that circles the couple. This is also the dance where the couple may be lifted on chairs (like in the movies!).
The hora is also a time to entertain the bride and groom during their celebration. This performance is called schtick, and it's a chance for Steven and Debbie to take a breather from simcha dancing. And EVERYONE is welcome to participate.
Schtick contributions are generally brief and follow one after the other. You can do something solo or as a group (college friends, siblings or cousins, DC friends, etc). It can be helpful to brainstorm and coordinate in advance and collect any props or supplies necessary.
Some solo ideas might include juggling, unicycle riding, and doing the Worm or the Robot.
Group ideas can range from simple and silly to something more coordinated. You could:
Shtick happens really fast, so if you don't have something planned, you're likely to miss the moment.
Adas Israel is a very welcoming Conservative Jewish community, so first and foremost, bring yourself and don't stress too much about what to wear: we love you in a t-shirt and jeans or dressed to the nines. Also, since this is a winter wedding, please note the building has a coat room where attendees of either event can store coats, strollers, a change of shoes, etc.
A good rule of thumb is to wear fun, “business casual” clothing such as slacks, button downs or sweaters, and dresses. There is no need to wear suits (unless you want to). Women do wear pants in this community, but many attendees will likely wear skirts or dresses.
This likely goes without saying, but plan to dress “modestly,” particularly during services (i.e. keep the shirts buttoned up dudes, pack a cardigan to cover shoulders if your dress is sleeveless, etc.).
The wedding dress code is spooky semi-formal.
Take that where you want. You can keep it classy semi formal or get in the vibe - dark colors, gothy style, funky shapes… heck, wear a costume if you're excited about it.
As with the note above, the wedding is happening in a synagogue so please plan to keep the outfits modest, particularly during tisches and the services.
The groom as well as some wedding guests have disabilities that impact their hearing. With that in mind, we'd like to offer some tips and some relevant American Sign Language (ASL) signs.
Tips:
If you're feeling ambitious we love LifePrint.com or the Lingvano app to learn more and practice.
In addition to hearing disabilities, a number of our guests also get over stimulated due to loud sounds.
With that in mind, in addition to the dance floor, our reception will have separate spaces for chatting and hanging out, as well as quiet rooms.
In the hang out rooms, guests are welcome to chat and enjoy coffee and desserts without having to yell over the sound of music.
The quiet rooms are exactly what the names imply - these will be rooms for maintaining some silence. Whether this is just a chance to take a breath or checking your phone because you've made too much small talk, anyone is welcome to use the rooms, so long as they keep quiet.
First, let's be clear: we want kids at this party. Your families are a part of our family.
But, we know this is a long day and we want parents to have a good time too. While we cannot do much about your children's bedtimes, we will have child oriented activities as well as childcare on premises.
If childcare is of interest to you, please let us know in your RSVPs who in your party will need childcare and what their ages are. We'll be in touch about more details.
We want everyone to feel welcome at this event so please keep us in the loop if we can try and make an accommodation. This might include booking a room for breastfeeding, letting us know about an allergy severe enough to keep it off premises, or other details that can make your attendance a little more comfortable.
First and foremost, if you're invited to our wedding we just want to celebrate with you - feel no pressure to give a gift. Your presence for this moment and your smiles on our dancefloor are all the gifts we need.
Should you feel inspired to give a gift, we have a few options for you:
Support causes that are important to us
If you know Steven or Debbie, you know they are passionate about things like public health, creating a just world, and journalism. To that end we would be honored if you donated to causes that matter to us (or that matter to you). We would be humbled and grateful if you donate in our honor (let us know if you do). Some potential organizations we care about include:
Honeymoon Fund and Registry
Should you still be feeling generous, you can chip in for our honeymoon or buy us a gift from our registry linked below:
Please respond by January 1, 2026. We can't wait to celebrate with you!