Tag
Wedding
22 articles
How to Choose a Rabbi: For Conversion, Weddings, and Beyond
Whether you need a rabbi for conversion, a wedding, or a spiritual home, choosing the right one is deeply personal. Here's how to find a rabbi who matches your needs, your values, and your vision of Jewish life.
Jewish Wedding Dances: The Hora, the Shtick, and the Joy
No Jewish wedding is complete without dancing — from the iconic hora and chair-lifting to the creative absurdity of shtick to the solemn beauty of the mitzvah tantz. Here is your guide to every dance at a Jewish wedding.
Jewish Weddings Around the World: A Global Celebration
From Moroccan henna nights to Yemenite bridal jewelry, from Persian sofreh tables to the Ashkenazi hora — Jewish weddings around the world share a common core but express it through dazzlingly diverse cultural traditions.
Klezmer: The Soul Music of Eastern European Jews
From shtetl weddings to world stages — klezmer is the joyful, weeping, irresistible music of the Jewish soul.
Jewish Lifecycle: From Birth to Death
Judaism marks every stage of life with sacred rituals — from the brit milah eight days after birth to the traditions of mourning and remembrance.
The Jewish Wedding: A Complete Guide to the Ceremony
Under the chuppah, surrounded by family and tradition, two lives become one — the Jewish wedding ceremony is a beautiful blend of ancient law, symbolism, and joy.
Attending a Jewish Wedding: A Complete Guide for Guests
Your complete guide to attending a Jewish wedding — from the chuppah ceremony and glass breaking to the hora dance and gift etiquette (hint: think multiples of 18).
Why Do Jews Break a Glass at Weddings? The Beautiful Tradition Explained
The glass breaks, everyone shouts 'Mazel Tov!' — but behind the joyful moment lies a profound tradition connecting personal happiness to communal memory and historical sorrow.
Jewish Wedding Music: From the Bedeken to the Hora
From the bedeken niggun to the chuppah processional to the hora and 'Siman Tov u'Mazel Tov,' Jewish wedding music is a structured soundtrack of joy, solemnity, and celebration.
Aufruf: The Pre-Wedding Torah Honor
The Aufruf — calling the groom (or couple) to the Torah before their wedding — is a beloved Ashkenazi tradition combining Torah honor, candy throwing, and Shabbat celebration. Learn its origins, its Sephardi equivalent, and how modern couples have made it their own.
The Ketubah as Art: Centuries of Illuminated Marriage Contracts
The ketubah — the Jewish marriage contract — has been a canvas for artistic expression for over a thousand years. From Italian Renaissance illuminations to modern abstract designs, explore the art of the Jewish wedding document.
Jewish Food for Every Life Event: From Bris to Shiva
In Jewish life, every milestone has its menu. Bagels at the bris, everything at the bar mitzvah, honey cake at the wedding, hard-boiled eggs at shiva. Explore the foods that mark — and comfort — every stage of Jewish life.
Jewish Wedding Planning: Your Complete 12-Month Checklist
Planning a Jewish wedding involves traditions that go back thousands of years — and logistics that are distinctly twenty-first century. This 12-month checklist covers everything from finding a rabbi to choosing a ketubah to managing the hora.
Jewish Lifecycle: Complete Guide from Birth to Death and Everything Between
Judaism marks every stage of life with ritual, community, and meaning — from the naming of a newborn to the prayers said at the grave. This comprehensive guide covers every lifecycle event, with links to detailed articles and practical planning guides.
Jewish Wedding: The Complete Guide to Everything
Everything about Jewish weddings — from the proposal to the chuppah to the last dance. This pillar page links every wedding-related article on the site.
Jewish Dance: From the Hora to Israeli Folk Dance
Jewish dance ranges from the exuberant hora circle to Hasidic ecstatic movement, from Yemenite step to Israeli folk dance. Dance has been a central expression of Jewish joy for millennia.
Sheva Brachot: The Seven-Day Celebration After a Jewish Wedding
Sheva Brachot — the Seven Blessings — are recited not only under the chuppah but at festive meals throughout the week following a Jewish wedding. Explore this ancient tradition of communal celebration that extends the joy of marriage across seven days.
A Jewish Wedding Day: From Morning Preparations to the Last Dance
A Jewish wedding day is a carefully choreographed journey from morning fasting to midnight dancing. Walk through every stage — the fast, the tisch, the badeken, the chuppah, the breaking of the glass, and the celebration — in this comprehensive guide.
Tractate Kiddushin: How a Jewish Marriage Begins
Tractate Kiddushin explores how a Jewish marriage is initiated — through money, document, or consummation — and the legal and spiritual transformation that betrothal creates.
Interfaith Wedding Ceremonies: Honoring Both Traditions
Planning an interfaith wedding involving a Jewish partner? Here is a practical guide to ceremony options, finding officiation, and honoring both traditions with grace.
Choosing and Writing a Ketubah: A Complete Guide
A guide to choosing and writing a ketubah, covering traditional Aramaic texts, modern alternatives, artistic options, halakhic requirements, and how to personalize this ancient marriage document.
Jewish Marriage: Kiddushin, Nissuin, and the Wedding Ceremony
An explanation of the two stages of Jewish marriage — kiddushin (betrothal) and nissuin (nuptials) — covering the ring, the ketubah, the chuppah, and the seven blessings that create a Jewish wedding.