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Jewish weddings are joyous, often educate, events filled with great tradition, ceremony and ritual. However, the Jewish rabbis who wrote the Jewish law made it very simple for a Jewish man and a Jewish woman to wed. Much of the ceremonial splendor that we associate with the Jewish wedding, developed as a reflection of the heritage of the Jews to what the practices belong. Jewish naming customs and ritual such as Jewish baby naming ceremony has developed similarly.
Jewish wedding customs are as diverse as the heritage and histories of the people who celebrate them. American Jews, for instance, have developed marriage customs that their European brethren do not celebrate. Ashkenazy Jews, who are Jews of German and Eastern European descent, have different wedding traditions than the Sephardi Jews, who originated in the Iberian Peninsula.
Likewise, differenting customs arise out of the various branches of Judaism. Reform Jews are more apt to relax the religious traditions that all Jews once regarded as strict. This has allowed modern Jewish couples to be involved in designing their wedding ceremony and add their own personal refinements. Of course this does all depend on the Rabbi that couple is working with to officiate their Jewish wedding ceremony. Each Rabbi offers their own style, and of course using the importance of the rituals and customs that make the ceremony what it's known to be.
Traditionally, a Jewish wedding officiant, such as a Jewish rabbi, performs the ceremony in a synagogue or temple. However, it is the Chuppah, the wedding canopy that creates the sacred space and it can be raised anywhere outside the temple or synagogue walls. The couple will often use the same site for their reception and the location will generally be a place of great importance to the bride and groom.
After all of these potential differences, there are certain aspects of the order of wedding ceremony that are very common. For instance, in a Jewish wedding, the procession involves both the bride and groom walking the aisle accompanied by their parents. When the wedding is traditional, the Jewish rabbi leads the procession. Then the grandparents, groomsmen, ring bearer, groom and his parents, bridesmaids, flower girl. The bride then makes her grand entrance, accompanied by her parents. The bride is considered a Queen on her wedding day according to Jewish wedding historical references. Her entrance marks the end of the procession.
When the bride and her parents reach the middle of the aisle, the groom walks from the Chuppah to meet his bride and escort her to the Chuppah, to enter their new home together. The chuppah, a canopy on four poles, is where the ceremony takes place. This tradition originates with the wedding of Abraham and Sarah in the Bible. The chuppah is meant to symbolize the home that the groom and the bride will be creating together and that their home will always be open to guests.
The Jewish wedding Ketubah is the contract that the couple is making between each other. Standing under the chuppah, the Jewish rabbi reads it after the ring ceremony. It is common for couples to frame the ketubah and display it prominently in their home.
The breaking of the glass is one of the most iconic and common Jewish wedding traditions. This is where the groom will crush a glass beneath his foot. After the groom breaks the glass, everyone applauds and exclaims "Mazel Tov", meaning good luck.
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Source by Greg Knell
