What is a ketubah?

A ketubah created from a photograph of an african lily flower by Daniel Sroka
The ketubah is a beautiful part of a wedding ceremony, filled with tradition and meaning. It is an illustrated document that is signed by the bride and groom, which publicly announcing their commitment to each other. It originated as part of the Jewish wedding tradition, thousands of years ago. Although these days, the ketubah is now used by couples from all different backgrounds and religions. The ketubah is a work of art hung in the home that serves as a daily reminder of the vows they have made to each other on their wedding day.

Learn more about ketubahs, and how to create your own ketubah, at Modern Ketubah.

Why I make ketubahs

My name is Daniel Sroka, and I am a fine art photographer and designer of fine art ketubahs. I made my first ketubah for my own wedding. Like every couple, my fiancée and I spent a long time searching for the perfect ketubah. We must have looked through hundreds of designs, but none of them was right for us. The ketubahs we found were either too old fashioned, or overly religious, or relied on the same tired old imagery. These symbols get used so often for so many purposes, that they did not hold any special meaning for us.

My wife and I signing the ketubah I made for our wedding.
My wife and I signing the ketubah I made for our wedding.

We had recently planted a new garden, and I was working on a new art project photographing the flowers as they came into bloom. I was showing Cara some photographs I had made of one old rose bush in particular, and suddenly we realized that we had found our ketubah. The symbolism of this ancient rose bush, older than us yet still creating flowers of beauty, elegance, and strength said more to us about marriage than any of the traditional images we had previously seen. We therefore created our own ketubah, using my own artwork. After our wedding, so many people asked me to make a similar ketubah that I was inspired to start my own business creating ketubot from my photography of flowers and nature.


Daniel Sroka is an award-winning graphic designer and fine art photographer. His distinctive photography has appeared in a number of shows, and can be seen on his website Daniel Sroka Photography. You can find his observations on art and photography at blog.danielsroka.com.