Weddings & Commitment Ceremonies

Bride and groom smiling at each other during an outdoor wedding ceremony, with an officiant in the background.

Although you might not find “something blue” on Ritualwell, you will find much that is “borrowed,” “old,” and “new.” Jewish tradition is rich in wedding customs, and we have attempted to bring you some samples from this delightful smorgasbord. You will find pre-wedding customs such as ten’aim (engagement), during which it is customary for the mothers of the couple to break a plate, the bedecken (the veiling of the bride and modern alternatives), and the tischen (literally, “tables,” where grooms and/or brides receive blessings and enjoy other rituals immediately prior to the wedding ceremony). You will also find several complete wedding ceremonies along with a breakdown of the constituent parts and alternatives for them, various ketubot (wedding contracts), ideas for tzedakah (charity), and much more. We also explore weddings and ceremonies not envisioned by the rabbis of old—interfaith marriages and weddings and commitment ceremonies between partners of the same sex.
 

Latest Rituals

“May you speak each other’s names like sacred words, / and listen to each other’s truths / as if they are prayers.”
Two gold wedding bands placed close together on a light surface with decorative elements in the background.
This ritual is intended for newly married couples who want to hang their ketubah in their home.
A man in religious attire signs a colorful document at a table with books and papers.
This ritual is intended for engaged couples on the occasion of receiving their ketubah in the mail or seeing it finished for the first time. 
Two people holding hands, silhouetted against a cloudy sky and grassy landscape near the water.
“Blessed is the Abundance of Love that envelops this couple and those who rejoice with them.”
Two glasses of red wine clinking against a warm golden background with lit candles.
Three songsheets to use for a tisch- for weddings or other occasions.
outlines of people dancing against a rainbow shaded background
A beautiful wedding day prayer from parent to child.
a bride steps out of a car
This ritual reinvents the Breaking of the Glass and turns it into a physical moment using breath and soil.
flowered chuppah at the end of an aisle
a blessing of two people under a tallit
“Instead of color and shape and symbols or frame / I ponder what is holy…”
Framed artwork with intricate circular Hebrew text and small corner illustrations, next to a Voter Protection badge.
This is a new interpretation of the traditional Seven Blessings used in a Jewish wedding ceremony.
two simple gold wedding bands

The Reconstructionist Network

Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement

Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis

Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues

Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives

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