Deaf Couples and Sign Language Wedding Ceremonies

Deaf Couples and Sign Language Wedding Ceremonies

I love working with deaf couples and collaborating with interpreters on sign language wedding ceremonies. I used to be an ASL interpreter in NY, before a wrist injury changed the direction of my life. As an interpreter I always wanted to translate wedding ceremonies and other important/ceremonial milestones. Sadly, that never got to happen. Recently however I’ve had the opportunity to officiate several wedding ceremonies for deaf couples (as well as for a bride whose parents are deaf,) and collaborate interpreters who sign what I speak, and vocalize what the deaf couples sign. There is a lot of ignorance about Deaf culture and sign language in the mainstream, but it is a fun, fascinating and functional langue.

Some things most hearing people don’t know about sign language, deaf people and deaf culture:

There is not a single universal sign language. There are actually 300+ sign languages worldwide. There are also sign language “accents.” New Yorkers tend to sign really fast, Californians, significantly slower and more “chill,” and southerners sign with a distinct twang. American sign language is closer to French sign language than British sign language, even though American English and Queen’s English are much more similar than French and American English... Many, many deaf people are proud to be deaf and don’t view their deafness as a handicap or disability. It’s hearing people who look down on and “other” deaf people and sign language as “less than.” Think about how ingenious and resourceful you’d have to be as a deaf person to navigate a predominantly hearing world!

White-skinned interpreters generally wear all black to their interpreting gigs because white hands show up clearer and more sharply on an all black background. Long, colorful nails on an interpreter cause “visual noise.” I used to work at a bar in Queens and once asked the bar owner if we could have a “deaf night.” He obliged. He kept the lights in the bar really low, presumably for ambiance. I had to explain to him that low light meant having to work that much harder to communicate… like shouting over loud music in a bar when you’re a hearing person. Wanna learn more? Check out this phenomenal TED Talk by artist and TED Fellow Christine Sun Kim.

I definitely miss aspects of being an ASL interpreter, but also feel really happy and fulfilled to be doing what I’m doing now. I’m very grateful that slowly but surely these two worlds have found a way to merge, and I can now officiate wedding ceremonies for deaf couples with the assistance of amazing sign language interpreters.