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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
🇩🇪 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 🇮🇱 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 🇹🇭 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 🇲🇦 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 🇪🇬 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 🇬🇷 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 🇷🇺 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 🇪🇬 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 🇮🇱 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

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

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