Planning a Jewish Wedding :ForBrideAndBaby.com

Planning a Jewish Wedding

Jewish Wedding Law and Tradition

Planning a Jewish wedding can be an exciting time for the bride and groom. However, because couples have additional important factors to consider when planning a Jewish wedding, it can also be a stressful experience.

Here’s a list of important things to think about while planning your Jewish wedding:

Setting a Wedding Date

Typically, wedding couples like to plan for a spring or summer wedding. However, Jewish tradition prohibits weddings on certain holy days or during festivals or fasts such as Shabbat, Yom Kippur, Passover, Shavuot, and the Fast of Esther to name a few. Jewish weddings are also prohibited during the Counting of the Omer, which are the days between Passover and Shavuot.

It’s important to cross-check your planned wedding date with a Jewish calendar to make sure you are complying with Jewish tradition. Contrarily, there are certain times that are said to be favorable for Jewish weddings, such as Rosh Hodesh, the monthly celebration of the new moon. TuB’Av and Hanukkah are also holidays that the Jewish tradition considers prosperous for Jewish weddings to fall on.

Havdalah, which marks the end of Shabbat, is a popular time for Jewish couples to wed which is on Saturday at sundown. Another option is to have your wedding on a Tuesday, which is said to be a blessed day dating back to the story of creation in the Bible.

Choosing A Rabbi

Couples who are active members of a Jewish community will typically not have a problem choosing a rabbi to perform their wedding. However, for those of you who are having trouble finding a rabbit, here are some tips:

A cantor or another education professional that serves the Jewish community can lead a wedding just as a Rabbi can. To meet legal requirements however, you should cover your bases and find out if your officiant needs to be a recognized member of the clergy.

If you have a particular Rabbi in mind, check with them as soon as you can since their schedule may be full for months in advance. If not, you can visit your local congregations and get to know the local Rabbis by watching how they conduct their services.

Student rabbis are another option, and may also be able to provide you with more time than a more experience but busy rabbi. Student rabbis will be supervised by an experienced member of the congregation.

Any questions you may have about the rituals and the kind of Ketubah (marriage contract) you want to use should be discussed with your rabbi upon meeting him. You don’t want to choose a rabbi only to find out later on that they are not open to the same philosophies as you are about your wedding.

Note: Examining and understanding traditional Jewish wedding rituals can take years of education so it’s important to do your own research in addition to working with your rabbi while planning your wedding rituals.

Choosing a Ketubah, Huppah, and other Ritual Objects

A Ketubah is essentially a Jewish prenuptial agreement which states the husband’s and wife’s obligations to each other. This agreement is then signed by witnesses. Today, more and more couples are treating the Ketubah more of an artistic text that expresses their wishes and commitments for their marriage.

The huppah (or chuppah) is the wedding canopy that the bride and groom stand under during the wedding ceremony. Huppahs are another great way for the wedding couple to express their artistic wishes. It can be adorned with flowers, embroidered, made of silk or velvet and fringe - there are many possibilities.

Most wedding couples provide their guests with kippot, or yamulkes (skullcaps) which can be personalized for each guest, or embroided with the bride and groom’s names. They can also be decorated to match the wedding theme or decor.

A Jewish wedding is full of meaningful ritual, including the breaking of the glass by the groom toward the end of the ceremony to symbolize “Many Pieces, Many Years, and Many Blessings Together…”.
Mazel Tov!