Jewish wedding traditions
A Jewish wedding is built around the chuppah, the ketubah and the seven blessings, and the breaking of the glass.
A Jewish wedding is built around the chuppah, the ketubah and the seven blessings, and the breaking of the glass. The details vary between Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist communities, and between Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrahi and other traditions.
Core elements
The ketubah is a marriage contract that sets out the husband's obligations to the wife. It is signed by two witnesses before the ceremony. Under the chuppah, a canopy, the groom gives the bride a ring, and the sheva brachot, the seven blessings, are recited over a cup of wine. The couple may be walked in by their parents. At the end the groom, or both partners in some communities, breaks a glass, a gesture often linked to remembering the destruction of the Temple.
Differences between communities
Orthodox weddings keep the bride and groom apart in the week before, include a bedeken, the veiling of the bride, and often separate seating for men and women. Reform and Conservative weddings may include both partners giving rings, women as witnesses and officiants, and in the case of some Reform rabbis, same-sex or interfaith couples. Mizrahi and Sephardi communities may add henna nights, as among Moroccan and Yemenite Jews, and elaborate costume such as the Yemenite bridal dress.
Before and after
Many grooms are called to the Torah in an aufruf the Sabbath before. After the wedding the couple spend time alone in the yichud room, and the seven blessings are repeated for the week afterwards. Weddings are not held on Sabbath or most festivals, nor during the Omer in many communities, and weeks around Tisha B'Av. The agunah problem, where a woman cannot obtain a divorce, is still a live concern for rabbis, and some couples add a prenuptial agreement.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background on Jewish (faith). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
🇩🇪 Hamburg, Germany and 3 moreWimpelווימפל
A linen sash made from a baby boy's circumcision cloth that binds the Torah scroll.Adornment · The weeks before
🇮🇱 IsraelMazel tovמזל טוב
The Jewish phrase said to congratulate someone on a happy occasion or good fortune.Blessing · The ceremony
🇰🇷 South Korea and 5 moreBlessing ceremony of the Unification ChurchHoly Marriage Blessing Ceremony (축복결혼식)
A large-scale marriage rededication or new union ceremony that engrafts couples into a sinless lineage.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelTu B'Avט״ו באב
A minor Jewish holiday in Israel that serves as a popular day for weddings and matchmaking.Betrothal · The weeks before
🇸🇬 Singapore and 3 moreMatchmaking
The practice of pairing two people for marriage through an intermediary or system.Betrothal · Finding a match
🇹🇭 Thailand and 5 moreBride price
Wealth paid by the groom or his family to the bride or her kin to formalize a union.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 3 moreJewish wedding
The ceremony and laws that bind a couple in Jewish marriage, from the canopy to the glass.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇱 IsraelErusinאירוסין
The first stage of a Jewish marriage that consecrates the bride to the groom.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal
🇫🇷 France and 5 moreProxy marriage
A union where one or both partners are absent and represented by another person.Vow · The ceremony
🇬🇷 Greece and 2 moreEngagement party
A gathering to announce a new engagement and introduce the two families before the wedding.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreWedding superstitions
Traditional beliefs about luck and omens that shape wedding rituals across culturesAttire · The weeks before
🇮🇱 IsraelKallahYarchei Kallah (Hebrew: ירחי כלה)
A biannual gathering for Torah study and marriage law held by Babylonian Jewish scholars in Adar and Elul.Betrothal · The weeks before
🇷🇴 Romania and 7 moreHorahora (Romanian), horo (Bulgarian), oro (Macedonian), horah (Hebrew)
A circle dance held at weddings across Southeast Europe and among Jewish communities worldwide.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 4 moreAgunahעֲגוּנָה (Agunah)
A Jewish woman trapped in a marriage because her husband has not granted a religious divorce document known as a get.Vow · After the wedding
🇮🇱 Israel and 3 moreChuppahחֻפָּה (ḥuppā)
The four-poster canopy that marks the Jewish wedding ceremony and symbolizes the couple's new home.Setting · The ceremony
🇪🇬 Egypt and 1 moreWedding music
The songs and instruments that mark the arrival of the couple and set the mood for the celebration.Performance · The weeks before
🇵🇱 Poland and 1 moreBadchenבּדחן (badkhn)
The Ashkenazi Jewish wedding entertainer and master of ceremonies who guides the couple through ritual stages with song Performance · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreKetubahכְּתוּבָּה
The Jewish marriage contract that outlines the groom's financial and personal obligations to the bride.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreYibbumייבום
A Jewish rite where a brother marries his childless deceased brother's widow to continue the family line.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 2 moreJewish prenuptial agreement
A contract signed before the wedding to ensure a Jewish divorce can happen if one spouse refuses.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreBread and salt
A traditional welcome offering of bread and salt to guests or newlyweds in Slavic, Baltic, and Balkan cultures.Feast custom · The weeks before
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 5 moreInterfaith marriage in Judaismשִׁדּוּג חַלּוּץ (Shidug Chalutz) / אינטרפייט מריאז' (Interafeyt Mariyaz')
The union of a Jew and a non-Jew, viewed as void by traditional law but increasingly common in modern communities.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇲🇦 Morocco and 1 moreBerberisca dresskeswa-el-kbira (الكسوة الكبيرة)
The gold-embroidered wedding gown of Moroccan Jews, rooted in Spanish royal style.Attire · The weeks before
🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreSheva Brachotשבע ברכות
The seven blessings recited during Jewish weddings and the subsequent festive week.Blessing · The ceremony
🇪🇬 Egypt and 2 moreHenna ceremonyليلة الحناء (Laylat al-Henna)
The pre-wedding gathering where the bride and guests receive intricate henna body art for luck and protection.Adornment · The weeks before
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreWedding veil
A cloth covering the head or face worn by brides and grooms to mark marriage.Attire · The ceremony
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreInterfaith marriage
A union between spouses of different faiths, navigating legal and religious boundaries across the world.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇱 Israel and 5 moreLevirate marriage
A custom where a man marries his deceased brother's widow to protect her and keep the family line intact.Betrothal · After the wedding
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreRing fingerdigitus annularis
The fourth digit of the hand where wedding and engagement rings are traditionally worn.Attire · The ceremony
🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreHenna night
The evening before a wedding when the bride and groom are decorated with henna patterns for luck and joyAdornment · The eve
🇨🇳 China and 5 morePosthumous marriageminghun
A union performed when one or both partners have died, kept in parts of Asia and permitted by law in a few nations.Betrothal · After the wedding
🇧🇹 Bhutan and 5 moreSororate marriage
A practice where a man marries his late or infertile wife's sister to keep family ties strong.Family role · After the wedding
🇲🇦 Morocco and 5 moreMimounaמימונה (Hebrew), ميمونة (Arabic)
The Maghrebi Jewish feast held the day after Passover to welcome leavened bread and good fortune.Feast custom · After the wedding
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Badchen: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Korovai: Olli Niemitalo, CC0, source
- Ketubah: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Wimpel: Wikipedia Loves Art participant " The_Grotto ", CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Blessing ceremony of the Unification Church: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Interfaith marriage in Christianity: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0, source
- Yibbum: School of Rembrandt, Public domain, source
- Mazel tov: Iwona Erskine-Kellie, CC BY 2.0, source
- Matchmaking: Pavel Fedotov, Public domain, source
- Jewish wedding: Jozef Israëls, Public domain, source
- Bride price: Пимоненко Николай Корнилиевич, Public domain, source
- Erusin: LGJMS, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Interfaith marriage in Judaism: Rembrandt, Public domain, source
- Sheva Brachot: מנחם יוסיפון, CC0, source
- Henna ceremony: No author provided, CC0, source
- Proxy marriage: Alejandro Cicarelli, Public domain, source
- Engagement party: Melissa Gupta, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Wedding superstitions: Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Hora: Chajeshukarie ( talk ), Public domain, source
- Chuppah: me, Public domain, source
- Wedding veil: David Ring, CC0, source
- Ring finger: RAPMOODDE, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Henna night: Izzah Zainab, CC BY 2.0, source
- Mimouna: U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv, CC BY-SA 2.0, source