Having a Jewish wedding when you're really more of a Jew by culture rather than by religion comes with a lot of choices. What to include, and what not to include? I was brought up as a secular humanistic Jew. According to wikipedia, humanistic Judaism is defined as "a movement in Judaism that offers a nontheistic alternative in contemporary Jewish life. It defines Judaism as the cultural and historical experience of the Jewish people and encourages humanistic and secular Jews to celebrate their Jewish identity by participating in Jewish holidays and life cycle events (such as weddings and bar and bat mitzvah) with inspirational ceremonies that draw upon but go beyond traditional literature." This pretty much sums up how I explain it. Being Jewish to me is similar to being Greek. It's a cultural experience rather than a religious one for me.
Now I have the daunting task of first learning what the different Jewish wedding traditions are and then deciding which to include. Here are the top Jewish wedding traditions!
1. The Ketubah Signing
2. The Chuppah
3. Separation
4. The Procession
5. The Covering of the Bride
6. Unterfierers
7. Encircling the Groom
8. Betrothal
9. The Kiddush
10. The Seven Blessings
11. Ring Ceremony
12. The Breaking of the Glass
13. Yichud
14. The Hora
There are too many to address them all right now so I'm going to make defining Jewish wedding traditions and deciding which to include a series of blog posts! Let's start out with the first one! The Ketubah signing:
A ketubah is a special type of Jewish prenuptial agreement. It is considered an integral part of a traditional Jewish marriage, and outlines the rights and responsibilities of the groom, in relation to the bride. It is signed by two witnesses (not blood related to the bride or groom) and read aloud during the ceremony. Close family and friends are invited to witness the signing, which is considered an honor. The ketubah is often hung prominently in the home by the married couple as a daily reminder of their vows and responsibilities to each other.
Ok- so this tradition I LOVE! The ketubah signing is so special and I love what it represents. Also, they make some seriously beautiful ones! Here are a couple I found on etsy that I think are fantastic!
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| How cool that you can get your ketubah on a canvas of one of your engagement shots! |
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| This one is my favorite! It really is a piece of art! |
Oh yeah, and another thing I love about ketubahs is that they include my favorite Jewish wedding phrase. "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine." I just think it is so romantic! I've grown up seeing it on my parents ketubah and I love it!
Ok, well so far we are one for one in including the Jewish traditions! Check back for the next one!
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I love this! it kind of reminded me of the post it note on Grey's. :)
ReplyDeleteNot to take the amazingness and significance of the Ketubah signing down a level and compare it to a TV show. but grey's is amazing so it's okay :)
but seriously such a great idea. I love it :)
If you end up wanting to do a canvas one, you know this is what my brother does for a living. It would be so beautiful.
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