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About

Tacklingtorah is a wedding officiant service in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Rabbi Elyssa Cherney is ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. She runs Tacklingtorah as a way to connect with others and help people think about the role Judaism can play in their everyday lives. Elyssa works with unaffiliated couples and families and is a rabbi at Temple Judea in Doylestown.

Services Offered
Rabbi Elyssa writes personalized ceremonies that are heartfelt and reflective of your love and personalities. She wants to help you think through the big picture of marriage and offers premarital counseling. She works closely with you to highlight all the celebratory moments in your relationship that have led your special day. Tacklingtorah is a very personal and individual service to make your ceremony unforgettable.

  • Woman-owned
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Frequently asked questions

Which of the following are included in the price of your wedding officiant services?

Premarital Counseling

Does starting price include the ceremony rehearsal?

No

What is the starting price for ceremony rehearsals?

$150

What is the starting price for pre-marital counseling (per session)?

$100

What types of weddings and events do you provide services for?

Non-religious
Interfaith
Ceremony Rehearsal
Vow Renewal

What services do you provide?

Premarital Counseling

What religious affiliations do you serve?

Agnostic
Jewish
No Denomination

On average, how long are wedding ceremonies you officiate?

Less than 30 mins.
30-60 mins.

In which states are you licensed?

CT
DE
DC
MD
MA
NJ
NY
PA
RI
VA

What languages do you speak?

English
Hebrew

Reviews of Rabbi Elyssa Cherney at Tacklingtorah

This AI-generated summary gives you a snapshot of the overall ratings and feedback from the reviews this vendor has received.

Review summary

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Rabbi Elyssa Cherney is praised as a thoughtful, organized, and deeply personal officiant who crafts meaningful, tailored ceremonies. She’s calm, inclusive of interfaith couples, offers premarital guidance and grounding moments, and leads memorable ketubah and chuppah rituals. Guests consistently described the ceremonies as beautiful, intimate, and impactful.

Review summary

Powered by AI
This AI-generated summary gives you a snapshot of the overall ratings and feedback from the reviews this vendor has received.

Rabbi Elyssa Cherney is praised as a thoughtful, organized, and deeply personal officiant who crafts meaningful, tailored ceremonies. She’s calm, inclusive of interfaith couples, offers premarital guidance and grounding moments, and leads memorable ketubah and chuppah rituals. Guests consistently described the ceremonies as beautiful, intimate, and impactful.

H
Hannah Sent on 12/03/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing experience with Rabbi Elyssa

There are not enough words to describe how wonderful Rabbi Elyssa was. The whole process was thoughtful, and she provided such a grounding experience on our wedding day. She handled the chaos with grace and humor, and helped both my husband and I feel more in touch with Judaism. I truly can’t imagine the day without her. She is an excellent person who is excellent at her work. 1000000/10
Dylan
Dylan Sent on 06/23/2026
5 out of 5 rating

Rabbi Elyssa is a must hire!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

We cannot recommend Rabbi Elyssa Cherney highly enough. We were introduced to her through a mutual friend whose siblings had used her as their wedding officiant, and from our very first conversation, it was clear that she was thoughtful, organized, and genuinely committed to creating a ceremony that reflected who we are as a couple.

One of the things we appreciated most was how well she listened. Rather than fitting us into a pre-written template, she worked with us to build a ceremony that aligned perfectly with our beliefs, values, and vision for the day. She shared different versions of blessings and readings, ranging from traditional to more modern interpretations, which gave us the flexibility to thoughtfully tailor every aspect of the ceremony.

In the months leading up to the wedding, we met with Rabbi Elyssa several times and went through what felt like meaningful pre-marital counseling. We talked about our past, present, and future together, and participated in communication and grounding exercises that helped us better understand each other as partners. These conversations also allowed Rabbi Elyssa to truly get to know us, which made her words during the ceremony feel deeply personal and authentic.

On the wedding day, she beautifully led both our Ketubah signing ceremony for more than 60 guests and our wedding ceremony for 236 guests. Despite the size of the crowd, she made the experience feel intimate, personal, and meaningful. The ceremony was exactly what we hoped for. 

Rabbi Elyssa was incredibly easy to work with throughout the entire process. She has a wonderful ability to make everyone feel included, which was especially important given the diversity of our guest list. We had guests from a wide range of religious backgrounds and levels of familiarity with Jewish traditions, and so many people commented afterward on how much they loved the ceremony and how welcomed they felt.

What started as finding an officiant for our wedding quickly became a much more meaningful relationship. Rabbi Elyssa took the time to truly know us as individuals and as a couple, and we hope to continue building that relationship as we celebrate future Jewish life events and milestones. 

If you’re looking for an officiant who will create a personalized ceremony, make all of your guests feel engaged and included, and become a trusted guide through important life moments, we wholeheartedly recommend Rabbi Elyssa Cherney. She played a huge role in making our wedding day so special, and we are incredibly grateful for her.
K
Kira Sent on 05/19/2026
5 out of 5 rating

Great rabbi!!

We had a great experience with Rabbi Elyssa Cherney. She worked with our timeline and schedules. The ceremony was personal and touching.
Zachary
Zachary Sent on 05/18/2026
5 out of 5 rating

Special Wedding Ceremony Experience with Rabbi Elyssa Cherney

We could not have asked for a more meaningful and personal experience working with Elyssa Cherney. From the moment we met her for coffee in Philadelphia, we knew she was someone special. She took the time to genuinely get to know us as a couple, our families, and what we wanted our ceremony to feel like.
Rabbi Elyssa has such a warm, calming, and thoughtful personality. She made the entire process feel personal and effortless, and she struck the perfect balance of heartfelt, spiritual, and joyful during our ceremony. So many guests came up to us afterward, saying how beautiful, authentic, and the ceremony felt, and that is completely because of her.
She brought incredible energy, kindness, professionalism, and care to every interaction. We are so grateful she was part of our wedding day and would recommend her wholeheartedly to any couple looking for someone who truly cares and makes the ceremony unforgettable.
Simon
Simon Sent on 05/17/2026
5 out of 5 rating

Thank you Rabbi Elyssa!

Rabbi Elyssa Cherney officiated our wedding and did an amazing job. Leading up to the day she spent quality time with us learning about us as a couple, giving helpful advice (both wedding and non-wedding related), and helping us incorporate the Jewish traditions we wanted in our day while making it our own given our different heritages. She was knowledgeable and approachable (fun to be around, too!). In our ceremony service she thoughtfully wove everything she had learned about us into a meaningful personalized ceremony. Many of our guests commented on how great the service was and how much it reflected us as a couple. Thank you Rabbi Elyssa!
Carly
Carly Sent on 05/06/2026
5 out of 5 rating

Highly Recommend!!

Rabbi Elyssa was an incredible officiant. She led a beautiful ceremony that incorporated Jewish traditions and personal anecdotes. She also led a very special Ketubah signing before the ceremony. My favorite part, though, was when she guided my husband and me in a private grounding meditation and prayer. This truly helped calm my anxiety and feel ready for the festivities. We also had multiple meetings before the wedding, and she was always available for any questions that came up. I highly recommend Rabbi Elyssa for any life event!
E
Emilie Sent on 05/20/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Simply the best!

Rabbi Elyssa was truly amazing! She took the time to get to know my husband and I both as a couple and as individuals. Our ceremony was unique and tailored to us. Rabbi Elyssa was also wonderful at guiding us through the components of a Jewish wedding so that we could incorporate the traditions that spoke to us. We could not recommend Rabbi Elyssa enough!!
Evan
Evan Sent on 01/06/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Gave Us Meaning

We knew Rabbi Elyssa was the best choice from our first meeting. She was eager to get to know us; attentive to our needs as an interfaith, interracial couple; and always responsive when we had a question. During the chaos of wedding planning, she was always reassuring and kept us centered. Just before the ceremony, within the marathon of the wedding day, Rabbi Elyssa pulled us aside and gave us a much needed moment of silent meditation. After the ceremony, all of our guests - and we mean all of them - came up to us and told us how it was possibly the best ceremony they'd ever been a part of. It was intimate, spiritual, and had a gravity that struck everyone in the room. We could not recommend Rabbi Elyssa more.
Vinny
Vinny Sent on 10/20/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Rabbi Cherney was excellent

Rabbi Cherney was kind, thorough and patient with us as we prepared for our wedding. Because we are an interfaith couple, Rabbi Cherney took her time explaining the rituals and their meaning, underscoring the importance of our wedding beyond the big party. During the ceremony, she was a calming presence that helped guide us through the process without any stress. Her words during our ceremony were beautiful, and brought laughter and happy tears to everyone in attendance. Our loved ones have repeatedly told us that the ceremony was one of the best they have attended.
V
V K Sent on 10/07/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Victoria & Julian 10/5/24

Thank you Rabbi Elyssa for the most beautiful meaningful wedding day. I should start by mentioning I am not Jewish. My partner is, but I am by no means an expert on any traditions least of all wedding ceremonies. Rabbi Elyssa made what I perceived to be very nerve wracking experience previously, fun and interesting. She patiently answered my questions, took the time to get to know us, and worked with us on our ceremony structure. We LOVED our wedding day with her. Before our Ketubah signing she took us for a meditative grounding moment which was one of our favorite parts of the whole day. It set the tone for the absolute beautiful ceremony that followed. She worked wonderful with my pastor to create a special interfaith ceremony from both our religions. We got so much feedback on how much people enjoyed it from both sides! I love Jewish ceremonies and am thrilled we could incorporate some tradition in. We will remember it forever. We also loved getting to meet with Rabbi Elyssa so much! She is funny, serious when need be, and calm. We really enjoyed getting to know her and working with her. Thank you so much for everything!
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Awards

42
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2024 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2023 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2020 Winner

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