Jewish Wedding Guide
The Jewish Wedding is one of the most important life cycle events during a lifetime. There are numerous rituals that are performed during the marriage ceremony, which means there are several items used that are considered to be Judaica. Many of the items used in a Jewish wedding are items used in other areas of Jewish life while others are specific to the wedding.
Items Used in a Jewish Wedding
The most important items used in a Jewish wedding ceremony are the wedding ring and the Ketubah. Under Jewish Law, the ring cannot have gemstones on it and must be a solid piece of metal. However, it can be engraved with phrases or molded into a specific shape.
The other item, the Ketubah, is the marriage contract between the groom and bride that is signed before the marriage ceremony by two witnesses. The Ketubah is usually written in Aramaic and sometimes has an English translation.
There are also other items that are used in the wedding ceremony such as a Kiddush Cup, a glass that is broken at the end of the wedding ceremony by the groom and the Kittel. The Kittel is a white robe-like garment that is first worn by a Jewish man during his wedding ceremony and is typically worn on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur afterwards for the rest of his life. The Kittel is worn in the Ashkenazi community; Sephardic Jews do not typically wear a Kittel.
Decorations
The Judaica items used in a wedding can be decorated with a wide range of items, motifs and designs.
The Ketubah is commonly decorated with Judaica items and scenes, such as Jerusalem, two large rings, a large Kiddush Cup as well as the Vienna Gateway that is depicted on the front page of the Babylonian Talmud. The text of the Ketubah, which normally is in Aramaic, may be in any Hebrew language font the couple would like.
Kittels are typically decorated with lace trim and are sometimes embroidered with geometric and floral patterns on the collar and outer label where it is buttoned closed.
The other items used in a wedding, such as the Kiddush cup used during the ceremony, may be decorated with any of the common decorations such as Jerusalem, grape clusters, engravings of names among numerous other decorations.
Personalization
The Ketubah is one of the most common personalized items used in a wedding and may be decorated with virtually anything the couple desires, from floral patterns and Jerusalem to scenes from the Torah portion read the week of the couple’s wedding In addition, the text can be personalized in some communities to suit the couple’s taste, although this is fairly uncommon.
Other items, such as Kiddush Cups, may also be personalized, but since many wedding take place in locations such as synagogues, this is typically not the case unless the item is a wedding gift.
For More Information
For more information on the Jewish Wedding celebration or other Judaica items, feel free to contact our Judaica experts with any questions or concerns.