The History : A Bedeken is the term for the 'veiling of the bride' just prior to the start of a Jewish wedding ceremony. The Torah/Bible tells us that when Rebecca gazed upon Isaac for the first time, "she took her veil and covered herself" (Genesis 24:60). The word itself means to "check" or confirm that it was his bride, and is drawn from the Biblical story of Jacob's wedding. He has fallen in love with Rachel and they are to be married. Jacob does not look under the veil and discovers after the ceremony that he has married her older sister Leah. And so today, at the veiling of the bride, the groom is present to make sure that he is marrying his intended. What will it look like? : Our Bedeken will be done prior to our ceremony, for everyone to join in on. For 5 days prior, we won't be seeing / speaking to each other as tradition. Right before the wedding ceremony, Ana will be sitting with all the women in her life, and Chanan will be danced in by the men in his. We will get to embrace, our families will pray over us, and then we'll head into the ceremony from there!
The chuppah (aka the altar!) is beautifully symbolic & symbolizes the home that the couple will build together in their married life, and is open on all sides like the biblical tent of Abraham and Sarah, signifying that everyone is welcome and that everyone will be treated hospitably in the home that we create in our marriage. We'll have all of our family & wedding party standing up at the front with us under the chuppah.
Before entering the chuppah, Ana will circle Chanan seven times. This is an old Jewish custom, representing creation of a new family circle. Circling takes on a special meaning in that seven is a special number in Jewish tradition. The creation story tells us that God formed the earth in six days and rested on the seventh. Seven, therefore, symbolizes completeness and perfection.
The vows are the promises we will make to one another that create the commitment of our marriage. Vows originally started in the medieval church, when they began really as more of a contract binding two families together - and now are looked at as more of a symbol of our commitment and promises to each other.
We will be exchanging rings as a sign of the commitment and love shared between two individuals who are building a life together. We will have both of our families hold & pray over the rings prior to us exchanging them.
There are a lot of different interpretations of this tradition - however, we will be smashing a glass at the end of the ceremony to remind us that love & marriage is fragile and must be treated with the utmost care - some would say at the end "may your marriage last as long as it would take to repair this glass.” And - this is the part where everyone screams Congratulations & "Mazel Tov"!
Join Ana & Chanan after the cocktail hour for a 20 minute dance set before dinner for a customary Jewish circle dance (yes, this is the part where you raise them up on the chairs). Feel free to watch a video to get yourself psyched up here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGTho2a9t9k
A "kippah" or, what we call these tiny hats - is considered a sign of reverence for God. Should you want to join in, we will have personalized kippahs available for all guests, but of course - do what you feel comfortable with!
While we love your children, we ask that unless noted on your invitation, that you kindly do not bring them along to the wedding. If you're bringing them along & need a babysitter in Lancaster, please let Ana know and I will help you find someone.
As we're getting married in the heat of the summer - the main thing is that we want everyone to feel comfortable. Our ceremony, weather permitting, will be held outside with the rest of the events taking place indoor/outdoors as well. Our dress code is summer colorful cocktail attire, so we'd love to have everyone come in their fun prints, rainbow brights, and most importantly -- dancing shoes ready to go! Let us know if you have any specific questions or want to run anything by us first!