Jewish Wedding Traditions

Jewish wedding traditions are among the more common of the wedding traditions known in western society, because the Jewish religion and culture is quite common. By having a traditional Jewish wedding, you will ensure that you will host an event that honours family, the union of the bride and groom and the Jewish culture. Jewish wedding symbolism is rich and wonderful. The custom of veiling the bride comes from the Bible, where stories contain references to brides wearing veils upon uniting with their husbands in addition to showing she places her complete faith and trust in the man she is about to marry.

There are different Jewish customs with one being the use of torches and candles, which are meant to frighten off or scare away demons. Two candles are carried to escort the bride and groom to the wedding canopy. The hakafot is another of the Jewish wedding customs of the bride circling the groom. In some traditions, Jewish wedding rituals require she does this seven times and in others, three. This demonstrates how central the groom is to her thoughts and to her very being. Some believe this custom is done to protect the groom from demons, which seek to find him. The Jewish wedding ceremony hoopa, a bridal canopy, is the central tradition of most Jewish weddings. It is made of satin or velvet and is supported by four poles. It signifies that both bride and groom are joining under the same roof.

During Jewish wedding ceremonies, the men must wear a skullcap or kippot. The covering of the head is a demonstration of awareness. It shows that the man recognizes something infinitely above his intellect and symbolizes his sense of respect and humility in the presence of such a being.

The actual Jewish wedding ceremony consists of two main parts: consecration and the marriage, both of which are started with a blessing.
There are seven Jewish wedding blessings, which mark the completion of the ceremony and are recited over wine. If it is not a double-ring ceremony, only the groom recited the Jewish wedding vows, which are "Behold you are consecrated to me with this ring according to the laws of Moses and Israel".

Almost every Jewish wedding ends with the traditional breaking of the glass. The explanation of this Jewish wedding tradition is that the smashing of the glass adds a social component to the ceremony, as well as the implication that the world is not perfect. There are also many Jewish wedding songs sung or played during the reception. An Israeli song called 'Hora' is actually done as a Jewish wedding dance.

Some of the more common Jewish wedding gifts are wedding Shabbat candles, lovebird drinking flutes, a pewter wedding mezuzah or a wedding tambourine.