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EveryShaadi

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.

About this page

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.

RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
KindRiteVowBetrothalGift customAttireAdornmentPerformanceFeast customBlessingPlayFamily roleSettingModern
StageFinding a matchEngagement and betrothalThe weeks beforeThe eveProcession and arrivalThe ceremonyThe wedding feastReception, dance and giftsAfter the wedding
🇮🇱 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 🇨🇳 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 🇺🇸 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 🇧🇹 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 🇮🇱 IsraelHalizahחליצה (ḥălīṣā) The Jewish rite that frees a childless widow from the duty to marry her deceased husband's brother.Rite · After the wedding 🇮🇱 IsraelGetגט The Aramaic divorce document that frees a Jewish woman to remarryVow · After the wedding 🇩🇪 Germany and 2 moreGet of Cleves A disputed 1766 Jewish divorce document that sparked international rabbinic debate over mental competence.Vow · After the wedding 🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreHeter meah rabbanimהיתר מאה רבנים A rare exemption allowing a man to remarry when his wife refuses a Jewish divorce.Vow · After the wedding 🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelBirkat Hamazonבִּרְכַּת הַמָּזוׂן (Birkat Hamazon) The Hebrew blessings recited after a Jewish meal to thank God for the food and the land.Blessing · After the wedding 🇮🇱 IsraelSeudat mitzvahסעודת מצוה The obligatory festive meals in Judaism that mark religious milestones and sacred days.Feast custom · The ceremony

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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