Weddings
Getting Married? Mazal tov!
I'm delighted and honored to officiate at the wedding of two Jewish partners. (See "Weddings" in the FAQs for details.)
A Jewish wedding can take place almost anywhere:
a synagogue, a hotel, someone's house or backyard, a beach...yes, even at Disney World (see "Weddings" in the FAQs for details).
There are a few limitations on when a Jewish wedding can take place
(e.g., not on Shabbat, a major Festival day, or High Holidays), but for the most part, the day and time are up to you. (See "Weddings" in the FAQs for more details.)
The beauty of a Jewish life-cycle events is in their simplicity.
Feel free to dress the ceremony up or down, be formal or casual, or anything in between. The basic ceremony, with all the ritually required elements, takes 30 minutes or less.
There are a few necessary ingredients for a Jewish wedding:
Chuppah - the wedding canopy
Ketubah - the wedding document
Rings - plain metal or stone, with no gems or inserts and no engraving that goes all the way through; a continuous band. (NOTE: couples who want to wear wedding rings that don't meet these criteria can purchase inexpensive bands to use in the ceremony.)
Glass item - a glass, champagne flute, or incandescent light bulb (if you can find one), to break at the end
Bottle of wine (preferably Kosher) - any type, except sparkling / carbonated
Kiddush cup
Small table - to hold the above under the chuppah
Wedding Party, Processional, Recessional
You're welcome to handle this however you'd like. My role is the ceremony itself, under the chuppah. I don't walk in processionals - this is your celebration with your friends and family; I'm there to represent the tradition. The one exception is the music playlist for the ceremony. I'll vet the songs used -- not for musical style (which is up to you), but to ensure it's consistent with a Jewish wedding. Even classical pieces can pose a problem -- for example, the wedding march from Lohengrin (popularly known as "Here Comes the Bride") is from a German opera celebrating pagan gods.
