4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
The wedding begins with the cocktail hour. Carrie will be escorted into the room by Sam’s mother, her sisters-in-law, and bridal party, and will be seated in a special chair. Everyone in attendance is invited to approach her to exchange greetings and blessings. Meanwhile, Sam will be sitting in a separate room, with just the men, at the chosson’s tisch - literally, the groom’s table.
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
This is the groom's reception. The men are all invited to eat, drink, and sing with Sam. This is also where the contractual obligations surrounding the marriage are finalized. Sam accepts the terms of the ketubah (marriage contract), a two-thousand-year-old Aramaic text, which obliges him to honor, support, and maintain his future wife. The signing of the ketubah expresses the idea that any declaration of love must be accompanied by both legal obligations and moral commitment. Once signed, his and Carrie's fathers, along with their brothers, and friends and family (men only) dance with him to the Kaballas Panim where he sees his bride for the first time at the wedding and covers her with her veil (the bedeken ceremony).
4:45 pm - 5:00 pm
The word “bedeken” has two meanings, each originating from a particular episode in Genesis. The first definition for the word is “to check” so that the groom will not find himself in the same predicament as the patriarch Jacob who, after working seven years for Laban to earn Rachel’s hand, was deceived and given Leah instead (Gen. 29:21-25). The second meaning is “to cover” as illustrated in the story of Rebecca who covered herself with a veil when she saw her husband-to-be, Isaac, for the first time (Gen. 24:65). At the bedeken, Sam looks at Carrie’s face and confirms that she is his chosen bride and lowers the veil, thus symbolically setting her apart from others. After Sam places the veil over her face, their fathers will each get a turn to approach Carrie and bless her. The groom's entourage then retreats from the room, singing and dancing. After the bedeken, guests proceed to the ceremony room (hopefully outdoors!) and take their seats.
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
The chuppah (Marriage Canopy) is a symbol of the home that Sam and Carrie will build together. All four sides are left open so that the public may be part of the ceremony. It also represents the tent of Abraham and Sarah that was always open, emphasizing the Jewish value of hospitality.
The groom and bride are each escorted to the chuppah by their parents. Sam will put on a kittel, a long white frock, to symbolize atonement and purity. When Carrie reaches the chuppah, she circles Sam seven times. Just like the world was created in seven days, their new home is established with seven circles. The mesader kiddushin (officiating Rabbi) starts the ceremony by making a blessing over a cup of wine, symbolizing the joy of the occasion. This is followed by the giving and acceptance of the wedding ring. Since marriage in Jewish law is a contract, it is transacted symbolically with a transfer of an object of worth, the ring. The wedding ring is a simple solid band with no engravings or stones. A circle without beginning or end, it symbolizes their never-ending love, simple and true. It is Sam’s giving and Carrie’s acceptance of the ring that joins them as husband and wife. As soon as Sam places the ring on Carrie’s finger, they are legally married according to Jewish law.
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
The ketubah is then read aloud (it is written in Aramaic) and given to Carrie to keep, confirming her acceptance of its terms. This is followed by the recitation of the sheva brachos (seven blessings), which praise God and wish a happy future for the couple. Family and close friends are given the honor of being called to the chuppah to pronounce these blessings. The service is concluded by the singing of “Im eskachech Yerushalayim tishkach yimini” - “If I forget Thee Jerusalem, I should lose the power of my right hand”. Sam then shatters a glass, symbolizing that even in the midst of our great joy we remember the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash (the Holy Temple in Jerusalem) two thousand years ago. The breaking of the glass completes the ceremony. Everyone shouts Mazel Tov! Sam and Carrie are now husband and wife!
6:00 pm - 6:15 pm
After the conclusion of the ceremony, the bride and groom are danced to a room where they spend the first few minutes of their marriage privately before rejoining the guests at the meal that follows. This is also a time for the bride and groom to exchange gifts and eat some food.
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
In the meantime, the guests are invited to begin the first course. When the newlyweds emerge from the yichud room to join their guests, they are ceremoniously greeted with music and dancing. The men and the women dance in separate circles; a mechitzah (divider) is placed between the men's and women's dancing circles.
It is a mitzvah (commandment) to increase newlyweds’ joy on their wedding day. This is achieved through "shtick"- sitting the couple down during the dancing as guests take turns entertaining them as the music plays. People often bring props, crazy costumes, funny t-shirts or signs referencing shared jokes or experiences, or those with talent might even juggle, do silly tricks, or do acrobatics! Those who are spotlight-shy can still add to the shtick environment by bringing bubbles or glow sticks or other fun things. The meal continues throughout, the courses broken up by further dancing. At the end of the meal, Birkat HaMazon (Grace after Meals) is recited and the sheva brachot that were recited under the chuppah are repeated. Then, there will be one more dance set with popular American music where the men and women will be able to dance together.