The Chuppah The wedding ceremony will take place under the chuppah, a canopy held up by four poles. This structure represents the shelter and privacy of the home that the bride and groom will create in their marriage. You will see that the bride and groom stand at the centre of the Chuppah, and the walls are open on all four sides, symbolizing that our home will always be open to friends and family. Our chuppah will also be filled with our closest loved ones. Just as the walls of our home protect us, offering warmth and security, so too the ‘walls’ of our chuppah — that is our families — provide support and strength with their love. Several prayers are said before the bride and groom present each other with rings. There is also a public reading of the Jewish wedding contract (the Ketubah).
Breaking of the Glass The conclusion of the ceremony is marked by the groom smashing a glass underfoot. It is the official signal to cheer, shout “Mazel Tov!” (Congratulations!) and start partying! There are various explanations on the symbolism of this act; representing the fragility of our relationships; that the marriage is to last as long as the glass remains broken, ie. forever; a superstition that the loud noise will drive away evil spirits; and finally a symbolization of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem over 2000 years ago, a reminder that our joy is tempered by the tragic events in our people’s history. Regardless, when Jimmy and Sophie break the glass, join in cheering us on by shouting MAZEL TOV!
The Hora Time to party!!! The hora is an exciting, high-energy dance that's a big highlight at Jewish weddings. It involves everyone dancing in large circles around the couple to traditional Jewish music. The newlyweds are then lifted onto chairs in the middle, so we will need some strong guests to help out! We highly encourage you to jump right in!
Here are a couple tutorials of how to do the Hora (you may know how much Sophie loves a YouTube tutorial!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGTho2a9t9k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FygCMSRDgcE