Ellis and her friend do a medley from Fiddler on the Roof as they
danced with felt bottles velcroed to their heads, in reference to the
now-married couple’s love of sitting on the roof.

Back when she was a student at Torah Academy, Ellis oft en
performed comic roles in the musical productions, which has
prepared her for the spectacle she makes of herself as part of the
shtick. But it’s all worth it for the newlyweds’ enjoyment, she said. And
if performing the shtick on your own sounds daunting, have no fear.

“Th e best kind of shtick,” Ellis said, “is the kind where you can
invite other people to create it also.”
Melissa Meyers fi rst heard about wedding shtick aft er she
became more religious in college. She’s come to love the tailor-
made fun of it, the joy it brings to a wedding party.

She’s seen friends who do more or less the same performance
at every wedding, and as fun as that is — who doesn’t want to see
someone eat fi re in a hotel ballroom? — she tries to personalize
her own performances.

When a medical school friend was married, she and other
classmates dressed up like other friends and co-workers, and acted
out the frenzy of a hospital when a patient has a heart attack.

Wedding shtick was always a part of Rena Asher’s Jewish
world. But now that she’s reached the age when friends are getting
married, her connection to the practice has deepened. Rowdy
dancing and costumes are typical of her experience of the shtick,
but she recently had the opportunity to do something new.

Asher had seen former Akiba Hebrew Academy classmates don
the school’s cougar mascot costume, but only recently got to put
on the costume herself. Th ough she only put on the head, there
are more weddings, and perhaps more of the costume, to come. ❤
Rena Asher’s recent
wedding shtick
Courtesy of Rena Asher
Melissa Meyers
(center) taking part
in a wedding shtick
Courtesy of
Melissa Meyers
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