From the bedeken to the yichud room — everything about the ceremonies and customs of a Jewish wedding.
A Jewish wedding is one of the most meaningful and joyful events in Jewish life. Unlike many modern weddings, a Jewish ceremony is rich with thousands of years of tradition, symbolism and halacha. Here is everything you need to know.
On the Shabbat before the wedding, the groom (and in many communities, the couple together) is called to the Torah for an aliyah. The congregation traditionally throws candy to wish them a sweet life together.
In observant communities, the bride visits the mikveh (ritual bath) before the wedding. This is a deeply personal and spiritual preparation for marriage and the beginning of taharat hamishpacha (family purity).
Before the ceremony, the bride and groom receive guests separately. The groom's reception (tisch) often includes Torah discussion, singing and l'chaims. The bride sits with her female guests like a queen receiving her court.
The groom, accompanied by family and friends, approaches the bride and lowers her veil over her face. This echoes the story of Jacob and Leah and symbolizes the groom recognizing and cherishing his bride for her inner beauty, not just her outward appearance.
The wedding ceremony takes place under the chuppah — a canopy representing the new home the couple will build together. The chuppah is open on all four sides, symbolizing hospitality and the couple's new home that will be open to all.
In Ashkenazic tradition, the bride circles the groom seven times under the chuppah. Different explanations exist: seven represents completeness, the seven days of creation, or the seven times Joshua circled Jericho.
The groom places a plain gold ring on the bride's index finger (traditionally, to ensure witnesses can see clearly) and recites: "Harei at mekudeshet li b'taba'at zo k'dat Moshe v'Yisrael" — "Behold, you are consecrated to me with this ring according to the law of Moses and Israel."
The ketubah (marriage contract) is read aloud in Aramaic, outlining the husband's obligations to his wife.
Seven blessings are recited over wine, praising God and blessing the couple with joy, happiness and the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
The groom breaks a glass with his right foot. This recalls the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem — even at the height of our joy, we remember our collective grief and incompleteness without the Temple.
Immediately after the ceremony, the couple spends a few minutes alone together in a private room — their first moments as husband and wife.
The wedding feast is a mitzvah. Guests are obligated to bring joy to the bride and groom. Dancing, music and celebration are central to a Jewish wedding reception.
For seven days after the wedding, the couple is hosted at celebratory meals where the Sheva Brachot are recited again. This extends the joy of the wedding throughout the week.
"Kol sasson v'kol simcha, kol chatan v'kol kallah" — The voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride. — Jeremiah 33:11
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