Wedding traditions of Tel Aviv
A coastal city of beach and rooftop weddings, and of couples who marry in Cyprus because Israel has no civil marriage.
Tel Aviv couples often hold relaxed, outdoor weddings by the sea or in industrial-chic venues, and they sometimes fly to Cyprus, Prague or elsewhere for a civil ceremony. A rabbi-led wedding is common but some couples hold a rite led by a friend or a secular officiant. Same-sex couples marry abroad, and the state registers their marriage.
A wedding here
Many weddings are held late afternoon, with the chuppah on a lawn or a rooftop and a long dance floor. Mizrahi and Ashkenazi families bring their own music and food. A tisch, a groom's table, and the bedeken, the veiling of the bride, are among the customs kept by observant families.
Law and change
The Chief Rabbinate controls Jewish marriages in Israel. Couples who are not recognised as Jewish by the Rabbinate, who are of different faiths, or who are of the same sex, cannot marry in the country and either marry abroad or form a relationship under another status. Reform of these rules is repeatedly proposed.
Wedding customs of Tel Aviv
Also part of it, and being written: Bedeken (The veiling of the bride.), Same-sex marriage in Israel (The legal position.).
A wedding trail idea for Tel Aviv
- Jaffa An old port town with stone alleys, where wedding photographs are taken.
- Neve Tzedek A neighbourhood of small streets.
- Tel Aviv beachfront Seaside ceremonies.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, venues and wedding-season dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Same-sex marriage in Israel: ืืื ืฉื, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ketubah: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Chuppah: me, Public domain, source