Once upon a time, almost for-real married by fourth graders | Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle

Once upon a time, almost for-real married by fourth graders

Once upon a time, a bride named Lani Denny really loved children. And the groom Noah Rotter really loved her.

Lani is a Milwaukee Jewish Day School teacher who loves kids so much, she almost got married by fourth graders.

To give the kids an experience they’ll learn from and never forget, Lani and Noah planned to get pretend-married by Lani’s fourth grade class. It was to be before the real wedding, with a chuppah, ketubah, prayers, circling the bride and more.

Lani Denny dances at the mock wedding.

Then Rabbi Shari Shamah – who was to actually marry them – chimed in. She told Lani and Noah that she wanted the first time that they stood under the chuppah to be on their wedding day. She didn’t want them breaking the glass, using the chuppah or doing the sheva brachot before it was really their wedding.    

If the fourth graders said the traditional vows and the bride and groom exchanged rings, she said, the couple would wind up married!

So that called for a new plan. Lani and Noah moved their pretend wedding to Jan. 10, 2020, which was after their real wedding on Dec. 31, 2019 – New Year’s Eve!

But Lani and Jewish educator Jodie Honigman still made everything as real as could be for the MJDS kids. It was so real, Lani’s mother Marsha Denny turned emotional as her daughter walked down the aisle. So sweet!

Noah Rotter dances at the mock wedding.

Noah jokes that Lani might have appreciated being for-real married by her students. 

But Lani and Noah lived happily ever after, even though they were married by the wonderful Rabbi Shari Shamah instead. The end!