Sarah

And

Jeff

Month Day, Year

1

Welcome

We are thrilled to be celebrating our with you! We are incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by loved ones as we celebrate this special day. We are grateful for the love and support of our parents, siblings, family and friends, and are delighted that you were able to travel from near and far to celebrate this occasion. Your presence makes this day all the more joyous.

We hope this booklet will help you understand and enjoy the many beautiful customs and traditions in our wedding day.

With love,

Sarah and Jeff

2

Before the Ceremony

The festivities begin with several important wedding traditions that take place before we walk down the aisle. When you arrive, Sarah and Jeff will be greeting guests separately, in events known as Kabbalat Panim and the Groom’s Tisch.

Kabbalat Panim

Kabbalat Panim literally means receiving faces, or receiving guests. In the wedding imagery, the bride is like a queen for the day. Sarah will sit on a special chair to greet guests, with her mother seated on one side, and Jeff’s mother on the other. Come up and say hello!

Groom’s Tisch

While Sarah welcomes guests at the Kabbalat Panim, Jeff will be upstairs at the Groom’s Tisch (table). The Tisch is a lively scene, with lots of energy and a little Scotch. The groom presents a piece of learning at his Tisch. Traditionally, friends interrupt with songs in order to ease the groom’s nerves. We invite both men and women to join in the merrymaking.

Wedding Documents

During the Kabbalat Panim and Groom’s Tisch, two important documents will be signed.

Ketubah – The is our wedding contract, describing the commitments and obligations that we are undertaking in marriage. Our Ketubah is beautifully decorated, and we will proudly display it in our home after the wedding.

Our Ketubah will be signed by Ketubah_Signer1 and Ketubah_Signer2

Marriage license – When the Ketubah is signed, our marriage license will also be signed – so that we can be married not only in the eyes of Jewish tradition, but also in the eyes of the State of California.

Our Marriage License will be signed by License_Signer1 and LicenseSigner2

Bedeken

After the documents have been signed, Jeff will come down the stairs to the location of the Kabbalat Panim, led and surrounded by singing and dancing friends. This is the kind of “dancing” that anyone can do – it’s more like enthusiastic jogging. Jump in and join the fun!

When Jeff reaches Sarah, he will place a wedding veil over her face in a tradition known as the bedeken. This tradition dates back to the biblical story of Jacob. Jacob unwittingly married Leah, believing that the 3 woman beneath the wedding veil was Leah’s sister – his true love – Rachel. Jeff places the veil over Sarah’s face himself to signify that he is choosing to marry Sarah and no other.

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Processional

Groom’s Attendants Attendant1 Attendant2

Parents of the Groom Groom’s_Mother Groom’s_Father

Groom Jeff

Bride’s Attendants Attendant3 Attendant4

Flower Girl Flower_Girl

Parents of the Bride Bride’s_Mother Bride’s_Father

Bride Sarah

Officiants Rabbi____

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Ceremony

Our wedding ceremony will take place under a canopy, called a . The chuppah symbolizes the home we will build together. Under the chuppah, Jeff will wear a plain white garment called a kittel. Both Sarah and Jeff wear white, to symbolize the spiritual purity with which they enter their new relationship.

We will walk down the wedding aisle to the chuppah, escorted by our families. At the end of the aisle we will circle one another seven times, symbolizing that through this wedding our lives become intertwined. The seven circles symbolize the seven days of creation, as Jeff and Sarah are creating a new life together.

Erusin (Betrothal)

The wedding ceremony has two main parts: and Nisuin.

Erusin consists of two blessings. The first blessing is over a cup of wine – the traditional Jewish symbol of joy. The second blessing is the traditional betrothal blessing, praising God for the sanctity of marriage.

After these two blessings, Jeff places a ring on Sarah’s right index finger (thought to have a direct connection to the main artery of the heart) and says in Hebrew “Thus you are consecrated unto me with this ring in accordance with the laws of Moses and Israel.” Sarah then offers Jeff a ring and says in Hebrew “Thus you are consecrated unto me with this ring as a symbol of my love and devotion.”

Nisuin (Nuptuals) / Sheva Brachot (Seven Blessings)

The Ketubah (wedding contract) is read aloud, and then the second main part of the wedding takes place. The Sheva Brachot – seven special wedding blessings – are recited. These blessings are central to our wedding, and comprise the bulk of the wedding liturgy. Read as a whole, they place the bride and groom within the context of Jewish time.

The Sheva Brachot will be read by:

Sheva_Reader1 Sheva_Reader2 Sheva_Reader3 Sheva_Reader4 Sheva_Reader5 Sheva_Reader6 Sheva_Reader7 Sheva_Reader8 Sheva_Reader9 Sheva_Reader10 Sheva_Reader11 Sheva_Reader12 Sheva_Reader13 Sheva_Reader14

Guests are encouraged to sing along during parts of the seventh blessing. The words for this blessing are provided on the next page. 6

Reader: Baruch ata adonai eloheinu melech ha’olam Congregation: asher bara sason v’simcha chatan v’kalah geela, reena, deetza v’chedva, ahava v’achava v’shalom v’reut Reader: M’heira adonai eloheinu, yishama b’arei Yehudah uv’chutsot yerushalayim Congregation: Kol sason v’kol simcha kol chatan, v’kol kalah Leader: Kol mitzhalot chatanim michupatam un’arim mimishtei n’ginatam Baruch ata adonai m’sameach chatan im hakala

Blessed are you, God, Sovereign of the universe, who created joy and gladness, groom and bride, merriment, song, dance and delight, love and harmony, peace and companionship.

God, may there soon be heard in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride, the jubilant voices of those joined in marriage ringing from their wedding canopy, and the melodies of friends rejoicing with them.

Blessed are you God who gladdens the groom and bride with one another.

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Breaking the glass

At the close of the ceremony, Jeff will break a glass. The shattered glass is seen as a reminder that even in the happiest moments, the world is imperfect and in need of our care. Then the crowd shouts “mazal tov!” (congratulations!) and friends lead Sarah and Jeff out of the room in dance.

Yichud

We will spend our first few minutes as a married couple alone, in a custom known as . This tradition allows us to take some time in the midst of the hectic day to savor the moment together.

Traditionally, two “eidim” are designated to make sure that the bride and groom are able to enjoy these moments of peaceful time alone. Our eidim are Eidim_Name1 and Eidim_Name2.

Celebration

It is considered a big mitzvah (“moral imperative”) to dance and celebrate with a bride and groom. We hope you’ll take this mitzvah seriously – see you on the dance floor!

We’ll kick off the night with traditional horas – a.k.a. running around in a circle to klezmer music. If you haven’t done this before, try it – it’s a blast! This will feature Jeff and Sarah lifted up on chairs in the fun. In the midst of this we’ll take a break for “schtick,” when guests entertain the bride and groom with silly antics like dancing and juggling. No special talent required – we look forward to seeing you up there!

We will dance our first dance to “I Will Wait for You,” the theme from the Umbrellas of Cherbourg. This is the same song that Sarah’s parents danced to for the first dance at their wedding, 35 years ago.

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Month-Day-Year

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