The Chuppah: Our ceremony takes place under a wedding canopy on four posts, known as a chuppah. The chuppah symbolises the home that we will create together in our married life. It’s open walls signify that family and friends, old and new, will always be welcome.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the groom will break a glass under his foot in memory of the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The broken glass also reminds us of the delicate nature of marriage, which must always be nurtured. As the glass breaks, it is customary for the wedding guests to shout “mazal tov”, a wish of congratulations and good luck. One rabbi described it this way "let the number of pieces this glass breaks into represent the years of happy marriage the two of you two will have".
As we enter the chuppah, the bride will circle the groom 3 times and the groom circles the bride 3 times - then they circle each other. The circling is a physical enactment of the wedding ring, conveying unity as well as defining the familial space. There is also a mystical teaching that suggests that in circling seven times, they enter each others innermost being.