A wedding is a joyous occasion in which family and friends come together to celebrate a couple’s love and devotion for one another.  This day of union is meant to be remembered and cherished for years to come.   Wedding albums and video diaries of the marriage ceremony are viewed over and over again, and wedding dresses are often preserved in the pristine beauty of that special day.  This day is should create lasting memories, and I strive to put the greatest care into the chuppahs I create to make sure they are perfect for the couple.  I build custom-built chuppahs that can be constructed out of any material, designed to your specifications, and then remade into furniture or other keepsakes that you can cherish for years to come.   The chuppah, a traditional canopy under which the couple is married in Jewish ceremonies, represents the home that the two people joined in marriage will build together.  It is a special part of the wedding filled with meaning and tradition and I strive to construct every chuppah with the greatest attention to the smallest detail.

My vision for Our Custom Chuppah is for a couple to have a beautiful piece in which to be married in, as the chuppah symbolizes the couple’s future home and family.  Best of all, with a custom-made chuppah, after the ceremony it can be used as a canopy for the garden or easily converted into any piece of wonderful furniture that you desire.  The chuppah can be reworked into two bookcases, full length mirrors, or even a bed for the couple to enjoy and pass on to further generations.  Each chuppah, like the furniture I make, will be designed with the couples design elements and style preferences in mind. The chuppah can be made from vintage architectural details from a house or materials from nature such as twisted vines and colorful flowers.  Simply put, whatever type and style of chuppah you desire, I can build it for your wedding.

My best friend Sherri had asked me if I would build her a chuppah for her wedding.  I was honored to do so, and I wanted to create something special for her wedding day.  She told me it had to be amazing, and I of course was up for the challenge.  I told her it would be a surprise but I was sure she would love it.  She trusted me and my creativity.

I had previously traveled up to Buffalo, New York to remove some items from my grandmother’s house, which had been sold and was scheduled to be torn down.  I flew up to Buffalo with my father, rented a moving truck, and set out to strip the entire house of the beautiful exterior architectural details, as well as the traditional fireplaces, doors, and claw-foot bathtubs.  The house was built in the late 1800s Victorian Italionate style, and many of the structures in the home were simply breathtaking.

I thought it would be an absolute shame to let such exquisite furniture and architecture go to waste, so I decided to utilize these pieces when building the chuppah.  Aside from providing a beautiful chuppah for the couple to say their vows under, it was the something old and something new for the ceremony.

The main side posts and the tops of the chuppah were the windows from the second floor of
the house.  I used various elaborate ornamental brackets and corbels from the soffit area and from the back porch in constructing the decorative design.  The heart front top center was created using two brackets from the underside of the back porch.  The front columns were comprised of two brackets upside down, each with a candle.  The entire chuppah was draped with lace in order to soften it a bit and set a romantic mood for the wedding.  After I was finished, I was very proud to have turned the beautiful elements from my grandmother’s house into something new, and –most importantly- Sherri and her husband loved it.

Nationally acclaimed furniture designer and master carpenter, Mike Ballacchino has been providing customers with high-end custom furniture for over 17 years. Using meticulous methods along with a rich design sensibility, Ballacchino’s furniture transcends time and trends.

Each one-of-a-kind chuppah is designed for the client and their specific needs and desires. This insures that every piece fits perfectly into the lives of its owner. After the wedding, the chuppah can be transformed into a custom piece of furniture that will make the wedding day truly unforgettable.

Ballacchino’s stunning furniture also has a highly functional aspect. By utilizing the furniture’s full potential, Ballacchino’s designs not only look amazing; they work.