My fiance and I have become more interested in Judaism. We were previously unaffiliated but as we plan on raising a family together we think it is important for us to become more affiliated. As a part of this new affiliation we would like to have a Jewish wedding and learn what happens, what to say and all the parts of a Jewish wedding.
there are very few difference in a jewish wedding from others except of course there will be no references to Jesus since jews do not believe in Jesus unless they are messianic jews.
the smashing of the glass at the end of the ceremony is really the only big difference. other than that, the ceremony is about the same.
You both need to convert to Judaism to have a Jewish wedding.
Go to your local temple and speak to the Rabbi.He may make it hard for you.That’s part of the plan.
Once he accepts that you do honestly want to convert, it takes about a year of study and ritual to convert.
Jewish weddings are very different that Christian weddings.http://www.google.com/search?q=jewish+we…http://wedding.theknot.com/wedding-plann…http://www.myjewishlearning.com/life/Lif…
Good luck to you both and welcome to Judaism.
In every Jewish wedding there are usually three sections. Firstly there is a buffet known as a Shmorgasburg to welcome the guests and provide an opportunity for social interactions before the ceremony. During the Shmorgasburg, the groom is in a back room signing the כתובה. A כתובה is the Jewish Marriage license (written document) that is present at every Jewish wedding. At the Tisch, the table where the signing happens, there are two witnesses who observe the groom agreeing to the document. It is always customary at a wedding to have two witnesses at every transaction because with more than two appointed people, there is a chance one or more of them can be related or to bride/ groom which makes all of the witnesses false. The groom also signs what is known as a prenup which requires him to be willing to provide the bride with a גט (divorce papers) if they wish to separate.
Next the groom goes to meet the bride and carry out a ritual known as the בדקן. The בדקן is checking under the vail to ensure that the woman he is about to marry is his true bride. This ritual derives from our forefather Yaakov. When Yaakov was supposed to marry Rachel, her father switched the bride and wed him to Leah. As a result it is important for the groom to make sure he is marrying the right person so he must do the בדקן.
Following the בדקן the guests make their way to their seats to watch the wedding ceremony. The important people, including the bride and groom walk down the aisle to the חופה. The literal translation of חופה is “canopy”, this symbolizes a home in which the bride and groom will live in together once the ceremony is complete.
Under the חופה the two most important parts to the wedding take place. The first part is known as קדושין, which is the transaction making the bride forbidden from any other man in the world. In ancient times there was an eleven month gap between קדושין and the second part of the ceremony, known as נשאוין. This gap was abolished in order to prevent problems of separation between the bride and groom.
Normally there is a rabbi that is required to lead and officiate the ceremony, called the מסדר קדושין. He will say some sort of introduction during the time when the bride walks around the groom seven times. The bride does this to commemorate the Jews marching around the walls of Jericho and the walls collapsing. When the walls collapse this signifies the separation of the bride and groom ending. The process of קדושין starts by the מסדר קדושין saying the two blessings. The first is ברא פרי הגפן (the blessing over wine) because most Jewish rituals are done over a cup of wine to acknowledge the significance of the moment. The second blessing is ברכת ארוסין which is the blessing that represents the mitzvah of קדושין. Next the groom says to the bride הרי את מקודשת לי בטעבת זו כדת משה וישראל. This means “Behold, you are betrothed to me with this ring according to the laws of Moshe and Israel. Immediately following this saying, the groom then places the ring upon the finger of the bride. This ends the process of קדושין.
Following the כתובה which was signed earlier during the Tish, is read as a separation of the two processes of קדושין and נשאוין.
Next seven blessings are read which is the נשאוין process. The main goal of these blessings is to officially allow the bride and groom to live and be together in every way. The last part of the חופה is a tradition to break a glass to remember the walls of Jerusalem crumbling.
The bride and groom will then have half an hour of privacy in a room guarded by two witnesses, known as יחוד. Once this half an hour is complete the bride, groom and guests will adjourn to the wedding reception which features singing, dancing, food and drinks. During benching, which is the blessing thanking god for the food we ate, the seven blessings are said once more. The seven blessings are said again during every large meal that takes place for the remaining week after the wedding.
-Jake and Eva