Wedding buttercup, Jewish wedding cheatsheet for ya!

[swimmer]

Hey lady! We really struggled with being clear and keeping it short enough to fit on a "tea length" aka .5 a sheet of heavy paper from Staples. Anita Diamant''s New Jewish Wedding was seriously our guide for doing the ceremony. Here is our "cheat sheet," but everyone''s will be different because of various decisions about adherence, etc.
I wanted to put something about the Hora and chairs..but DH said that folks had seen Fiddler on the Roof so it wasn''t necessary. There is a pic of this in my wedding thread too.
Are you still getting to do the ketubah signing not in your dress?
Good luck with everything lady!

The Ketubah
The bride and groom, Rabbi, and two
witnesses sign the Jewish marriage
contract before the ceremony. It details
their respective rights and obligations to
one another.

The Chupah
The bridal canopy is a symbol of the
couple’s new home. Like Abraham’s tent,
all sides are open, signifying
hospitality. Parents stand closely to
signify the joining of two families.

Circling
The bride and groom meet at the Chupah.
They circle one another, symbolically and
physically creating a new space,
representing the new family they are
forming.

Ring Ceremony
The ring is placed on the right index
finger, a thousand year old tradition,
stemming from the ancient belief that
the index finger is connected by an
artery directly to the heart. With the
ring their hearts are joined.
According to Jewish tradition, the
band must be without holes, an
unbroken circle representing the
wholeness achieved through
marriage.

Kiddushin
In Talmudic times, a Jewish wedding was
comprised of two distinct rituals. Since
the middle ages, the two acts have been
combined into one ceremony, known as
Kiddushin. The bride and groom drink
wine from the same cup as a symbol of
their commitment to a shared life together.

Sheva Brahot
The seven blessings praising G-d for
the creation of the world, humanity,
and the joy of marriage are
traditionally recited at weddings.

Breaking the Glass
At the conclusion of the ceremony,
the groom breaks a glass, a tradition
with various explanations of joy
tempered by sorrow. Please join together
in shouting Mazel Tov!

 

[Octavia]

swimmer, even though I''m not buttercup, I wanted to thank you for posting this! I''m attending a Jewish wedding next weekend and I''m so glad to have an idea of what the traditions are (I''m not sure whether they will write it out, like you did, for those of us who are unfamiliar). This was very interesting

 

[buttercup80]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

 

[buttercup80]

Sorry just saw the question and am actually signing the ketubah in my dress. . . but FI won''t be in the same room. I''m going to sign it and then the Rabbi will take it to FI to sign and then he will present it to us at the start of the ceremony.

 

[swimmer]

Glad to help!
I''m happy you were able to figure something out that works with you having enough time to get ready Buttercup! That had me concerned. Nice compromise. Traditionally you would be in different rooms and the guys would be getting sloshed while the ladies gave you words of wisdom...then getting together for it being read. So a great option. (not that I''m an advocate of being traditional

)

 

[jackieomy]

Sorry,
I disappeared for a few days and missed this thread.
I think swimmer''s descriptions were great. We had a bit more space (or, I''m more blabby so I needed more space

) so I used wording that allowed for multiple interpretations (for instance, we talked about the breaking of the glass not only to remind us of times of less happiness but also to symbolize that,
"once a glass is broken that it is forever changed; likewise the couple are forever changed by the act of marriage and take on a new form"

we also added a bit about yichud, our time of seclusion following the wedding. (The rabbi warned us that people often like to talk to you right after the wedding.) Since we wanted our time alone (but nearby), we added this:

Yichud
After the ceremony, it is traditional for the couple to enjoy some time together alone. This is called Yichud (seclusion), which signifies the newly acquired right of the couple to live together as husband and wife. A private room is set aside for the couple for at least 10 to 15 minutes, with some food for them to break their fast. Yichud has been described as a period of "bonding." It is an island of privacy and peace before the public celebration begins.