Photography by Arina Lanis
Deep in the heart of Creve Coeur a beautiful Seder dinner is in preparation for a Passover celebration. For Ken, Marci, and their two daughters, this is one of the most meaningful Jewish holidays filled with history, tradition, symbolism, and unity. This year, Passover begins on the 8th of April and is an eight day long observance commemorating the freedom and exodus of the Israelites from Egypt during the reign of the Pharaoh Ramses II.
The Seder is the most important event in the Passover celebration. For Ken and Marci, it is also an opportunity to create an elegant table and prepare a very special meal for their family and friends.
For this year's Seder, Marci, an interior designer, chose a dramatic color palette of hot pink, black, and teal. This color scheme worked beautifully with their home's contemporary flair. The tablescape was layered with items that were necessary for the Seder and also served as accents for a beautiful table. In lieu of place card settings, Marci customized the Haggadah covers for each guest on the computer. She simply printed them out and attached them to the Haggadahs she had used in years past. The covers worked beautifully with the coordinating menu cards a friend designed for her.
The Seder plate is the centerpiece of the Passover dinner. It contains five foods that each symbolize a different part of the Israelites struggle in their quest for and journey to freedom. Marci's modern glass Seder plate fuses contemporary design with a traditional object, demonstrating how the two can work perfectly together. The Matzah cover, a gift from her cousin, is made from hand-dyed silk fabric.
This year, as a special gift, Marci created monogrammed pillows for each guest's chair using store-bought pillows and fabric paint. Pillows are used during the Seder to signify the comforts of freedom, as guests recline or lean on them while eating.
Each year for the children's table, Marci tries to create special elements that arouse curiosity and interest in the meaning of the holiday. The origami frogs, created by her girls, represent one of the ten plagues visited upon Egypt. This is one of many things that encourage children to ask questions about why this evening is different from others.
