Oftentimes, it’s the little Jewish related things that are forgotten from the huge wedding checklist. You won’t find them on the popular wedding to-do lists online, so they slip your mind among all the pre-wedding hullabaloo. Below are reminders for some things you may choose to include in the wedding, and may have forgotten to add to your list for the big day!
1. Order a Ketubah. A Ketubah is a wedding contract signed right before the wedding, outlining the obligations of a groom toward his bride. The Ketubah is traditionally read in Aramaic under the Chuppah. Some choose to order hand painted and customized Ketubahs and hang it over their beds when they are married, while others choose a more standard version.
2. Benchers. Decide if you want to give out birkonim (“benchers”). Choose a design, a text for the cover, and order them to give out at the tables on your big day.
3. Kibbudim. Make a list of all of the honors you would like to give out at the wedding and assign them to the relevant guests. There are a lot of kibbudim to go around, so you’ll have a chance to honor all the people you feel especially close to, as well as those you have obligations towards. Kibbudim include honors such as an emcee under the chuppah, someone to read the ketubah, witnesses to sign the ketubah, people to read out the sheva brachot under the chuppah and after dessert, and more.
4. Talit. It is customary for the bride to give the groom a Talit (and tallit bag) as a gift before the wedding.
5. Kiddush Cup. Make sure you have kiddush cups for the wine-drinking part of the chuppah.
6. Glass to break under the chuppah. Don’t forget to ready a glass to break after the singing of ‘Im Eshkachech’. We’d like to minimize the number of injured grooms so make sure to wrap the glass really well in cloth and/or tinfoil, or use a light bulb instead.
7. Plate for the mother’s to break. The custom of breaking the plate usually takes place at the wedding before the chuppah ceremony. At this ceremony, the tnaim, or ‘agreements’ are read and signed, signifying the commitment of the couple toward each other, and the intention of them to marry. Traditionally, a plate is broken by the mothers to signify the commitment that was just made through the reading of the tnaim, as well as to dampen the festivities just a little with the remembrance of the destruction of Jerusalem at this time of great happiness.
8. Kittel. Ashkenazi men wear a white frock under the chuppah.
9. Register for Judaica. Lucky for you, La’Bayit is chock full of beautiful Judaica pieces, from chanukiot and mezuzahs, all the way to etrog holders. Check it out!
10. Kallah and Chatan classes. Ask friends or look around online for great kallah and chatan teachers that match your style as a couple. There are some truly amazing teachers out there, so it’s worth the research to turn Jewish marital laws into something you appreciate and understand.
I love this :))))
Thanks, Akiva!