Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Kaballat Panim

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Formal Attire

The bride holds a women's reception, while the groom hosts a men's reception nearby, serving food & drinks. Followed by the Bedeken (unveiling of the bride) ceremony. At the Bridal Reception: The bride sits on a distinctive chair, receiving mazal tov wishes & words of encouragement from friends & family, while she showers the guests with blessings. At the Groom's Reception: Songs are sung, & Torah words are shared. The Tena'im (Promise document) is written and signed, listing the obligations of the families. The Ketubah (marriage contract) may also be completed & signed. In Chabad circles, the groom delivers a discourse discussing marriage's mystical implications. Why? Separate Receptions: The tradition of not seeing each other before the veiling ceremony requires separate receptions. Chassidic Discourse: This discourse invites the blessings of Chabad Rebbes to the wedding ceremony. información en español: https://shorturl.at/wKPSX

Chuppah

6:30 pm - 7:00 pm

Modest Formal Attire

The chuppah is a canopy atop four poles that symbolizes the future home of the couple. The ashkenazi tradition holds the chuppah beneath open skies. Chuppah Preparations: After the badeken ceremony, the groom prepares in a private room, removing jewelry and emptying pockets. The bride also removes jewelry and unties any knots in clothing. Ashkenazi grooms may wear a kittel, sometimes with an overcoat. Fathers and grandfathers often bless the groom. Why: Chuppah: Symbolizing the couple's unified home, it's held under open skies to invoke blessings. A kittel signifies purity and forgiveness. Chuppah Experience: The solemn ceremony often evokes tears of awe. Deceased relatives spiritually join, and attendees are expected to respect the solemnity. Prayers are particularly potent, and requests for special prayers are appropriate. información en español: https://shorturl.at/wHQ39

Dinner followed by Party

8:00 pm - 11:30 pm

Bathrobes (with clothes under them)

We invite you to come and enjoy dinner and dancing! If you know you know, Mendel is known for going to weddings with a bathrobe, so his own wedding can’t be the exception. Hence the groom encourages you to embrace the bathrobe (*to be worn on top of your suit/dress) for the dancing. L’Chaim! After dinner we’re calling Sheva Brachos for 10:30 PM What is Sheva Brachos? The wedding meal is followed by the Grace after Meals and the recitation of the Sheva Brachot (7 blessings), the same seven blessings recited at the end of the chuppah ceremony. Before the Grace after Meals, two full cups of wine are prepared; one for the individual who leads the Grace, and the other for the Sheva Brachot blessings. The one who leads the Grace calls everyone to order: "Let us bless our G‑d in whose abode there is joy, of whose bounty we have eaten." All those in attendance respond in kind. Información en español: https://shorturl.at/pSTXY