Jewish weddings are to be planned for well in advance. The bride-to-be and the groom-to-be,) should not only pay consideration to the material and temporal features of married life, but should center as well on making certain their religious, spiritual and moral readiness for the years to come.
The dawning wedding day heralds the happiest and holiest day of one's life. This day is considered a personal Yom Kippur for the bride and groom. On this day all of their past mistakes are forgiven as they unite into a new and complete soul. As on Yom Kippur, both the bride and groom will fast. In the case of marriage, this will happen from the break of dawn until the wedding vows have been completed
It is strong tradition for the bride and groom to not to see each other for one week following up to their wedding. Separate receptions for each, called Kabbalat Panim, are held just before the wedding.
Jewish tradition holds the couple akin to being a queen and king. The bride will be seated on a throne to greet her guests, while the groom is surrounded by guests who sing songs and toast to him.
At this time there is a special tradition for the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom to stand together and break a plate. The reason is to show the seriousness of the commitment. This is a symbol to show that just as a plate can never be fully repaired, broken relationship can never be fully repaired and one should be careful and wise to never allow this to happen.
The wedding ceremony takes place underneath a canopy, which is a symbol of the home to be built and then shared by the wedded couple. It is open on all sides, just as Abraham and Sarah had their tent open all sides to welcome friends and relatives in unconditional hospitality. This is usually performed outside, under the stars, as a sign of the blessing given by God to the patriarch Abraham that his children shall be as the stars of the heavens. It is of great importance that the couple does not wear jewelry while underneath the canopy, as it is superstition that if they did, it would show that they only cared about materialistic objects.
Jewish weddings are solidified by the giving of the Jewish wedding ring. The ring should be made of plain gold, without any stones or diamonds. This shows that they believe the marriage should be one of uncomplicated beauty. One of the most questioned aspects of Jewish weddings are the questions of why a ring is used a bit differently than most other types of weddings. There is a good explanation and the core of the answer is tradition. When Jewish men marry, they place the ring on the index finger of the right hand of their bride. Once this is done, most women then move it to the customary ring finger of their left hand.
The explanation for why this is done can be traced back to the time of the Talmud and the differences in beliefs at that time about which finger is closer or more direct to a person’s heart. Christianity believes it is the ring finger; Judaism believes it is the index finger. Of course the heart is essentially in the middle anyway and this is irrelevant as to how much love is involved in a marriage. One of the most questioned aspects of Jewish weddings is the questions of why a ring is used a bit differently than most other types of weddings. There is a good explanation and the core of the answer is tradition. When Jewish men marry, they place the ring on the index finger of the right hand of their bride. Once this is done, most women then move it to the customary ring finger of their left hand.
The explanation for why this is done can be traced back to the time of the Talmud and the differences in beliefs at that time about which finger is closer or more direct to a person’s heart. Christianity believes it is the ring finger; Judaism believes it is the index finger. Of course the heart is essentially in the middle anyway and this is irrelevant as to how much love is involved in a marriage.
Jewish weddings are well known for having a glass broken. This happens after the vows are said. The glass will be placed on the floor and the groom will break it with his foot. Although most people see this as an event that is loudly applauded, this tradition is a symbol of the sadness at the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Once this is done, great celebration will take place at the reception, as bride and groom begin their new life together.