The Many Sides of Chuppah

The Many Sides of Chuppah

January 31st, 2011 @ 4:22 pm by Mrs. Lioness
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As I’ve mentioned before, Mr. Lion is Catholic and I’m Jewish. Neither of us are traditional in practicing our faiths, but we definitely identify with them culturally. As a Jewish bride who plans to have a non-denominational wedding ceremony, I wanted to somehow incorporate a few Jewish traditions. One tradition that we decided to include was using a chuppah.

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A chuppah, or canopy, is a piece of decor that sits at the altar during a Jewish ceremony to symbolize the home that the bride and groom will build together.

Traditionally, the four poles are carried down the aisle by members of the wedding party. From there, it can either be secured at the altar, or the wedding party members can continue to hold it up throughout the ceremony. The groom walks underneath first to symbolize his ownership of the home, then the bride walks in to symbolize the groom providing for her. No offense to tradition, but we’ll probably walk underneath together because that’s more our style!

The chuppah is usually open on all sides, to symbolize the hospitality of an open home. The chuppah is typically covered, to symbolize God’s presence over the home and over the marriage. The cover can be designed with traditional Jewish symbols…

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…or it can be a more modern and unique design…

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…or it might not even be fabric at all!

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The chuppah itself can come in all shapes and sizes.

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Some chuppahs aren’t even covered on top, but the concept is still the same. Plus, it serves as a great way for the couples’ personalities to shine through!

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So what will our chuppah look like? Well, we wanted it to fit in with the rest of our whimsical garden decor.

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We’re Mr. Lion is planning on going the DIY route with this project. A few wooden poles, some cement and flower pots for the bases, and some fabric for the top should do the trick. Our florist is providing a little bit of greenery, but other than that we wanted to keep it pretty simple. I’ll let you know how it turns out!

What’s the significance behind your ceremony decor?

Tags: atlanta, ceremony, decor |

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16 Responses to “The Many Sides of Chuppah”

Member

TheFutureMcBride (message) 4,479 posts, Honey bee

Thanks for explaining what a Chuppah means. They’re beautiful, but I’ve never known what they meant.

1/31/11 @ 4:28 pm (reply)

Member

mightywombat (message) 3,311 posts, Sugar bee

THANK YOU FOR THIS POST! I have been desperately in need of some chuppah inspiration pics!! This made my day.

We’re also an interfaith couple, also nonpracticing. But I do identify culturally as Jewish, and this was something my mom and I both wanted me to have at my wedding. We’re including a non-traditional explanation of the chuppah in our ceremony.

Here’s the wording I wrote, in case it helps any other non-traditional Jewish couples!

The structure we are standing in is a chuppah. This chuppah symbolizes the home A and B will build together. The roof provides protection and shelter. The four poles holding up the roof represent the love and support offered by friends and family. The open walls symbolize A and B’s willingness to welcome others into their lives.

1/31/11 @ 4:40 pm (reply)

Member

mightywombat (message) 3,311 posts, Sugar bee

p.s. Love the surfboard chuppah, lol!

1/31/11 @ 4:43 pm (reply)

Guest

Twitter Trackbacks for The Many Sides of Chuppah | Weddingbee [weddingbee.com] on Topsy.com

[...] The Many Sides of Chuppah | Weddingbee weddingbee.com/2011/01/31/the-many-sides-of-chuppah/ – view page – cached As I’ve mentioned before, Mr. Lion is Catholic and I’m Jewish. Neither of us are traditional in practicing our faiths, but we definitely identify with them [...]

1/31/11 @ 4:59 pm (reply)

Member

lss2011 (message) 37 posts, Newbee

Neither my FI or I are Jewish, but I’ve always loved the look of the chuppah, and plan to have one at my wedding. Thanks for the lesson!

1/31/11 @ 5:08 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Lioness (message) 817 posts, Busy bee

@TheFutureMcBride: @lss2011: You’re welcome!

@mightywombat: I’m so glad I was able to help! BTW I LOVE that wording…absolutely beautiful

1/31/11 @ 5:24 pm (reply)

Member

MsBrooklynA (message) 2,681 posts, Sugar bee

I love love love the moss covered chuppah with the hanging balls. Soo pretty!

1/31/11 @ 6:00 pm (reply)

Member

LittlestBirds (message) 2,605 posts, Sugar bee

I *love* your inspiration pics for your chuppah. Our arbor was very similar to a 2-pole version of a lot of those, and I think it would have been lovely in the form of a chuppah.

http://gallery.weddingbee.com/photo/our-ceremony-arch?replies=1#post-27049

1/31/11 @ 6:41 pm (reply)

Member

missmouse29 (message) 2,998 posts, Sugar bee

Thanks for the explanation of cuppahs! I have always thought they were lovely, but didn’t know much about them other than they were a Jewish wedding tradition.

1/31/11 @ 6:48 pm (reply)

10.

Bee

Miss Tartlet (message) 3,207 posts, Sugar bee

Chiming in on the thanks for the chuppah lesson. I’m slightly embarrassed to say that one of my best friends had one at her wedding, and I didn’t even think to inquire into its symbolism. I just thought: “Wow, that’s super pretty. I want one.” ~.^

1/31/11 @ 7:06 pm (reply)

11.

Member

Miss OBG (message) 1,272 posts, Bumble bee

@mightywombat: I LOVE this wording! I was looking to include something like this in our program.

FI and I will also be married under a chuppah (even though only I’m Jewish), and ours is also more of a branch arch. I was wondering if we needed to cover it with anything, but our rabbi told us the only thing that’s needed for it to BE a chuppah is for a rabbi to CALL it a chuppah. She said one couple she married wanted to be in an open field, so she said the sky was their chuppah.

Love the inspiration pics Lioness!

1/31/11 @ 8:39 pm (reply)

12.

Member

mightywombat (message) 3,311 posts, Sugar bee

@Miss Lioness: Aww, thank you!

1/31/11 @ 10:33 pm (reply)

13.

Bee

Mrs. Husky (message) 1,754 posts, Buzzing bee

Wow, that first photo made my heart skip a beat. Gorgeous photos!

2/21/11 @ 1:51 pm (reply)

14.

Guest

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15.

Guest

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[...] cleared, and my bridesmaids raced me more than to our wedding venue. I met Mr. Lion beneath the chuppah, and we exchanged some very significant [...]

4/8/11 @ 1:25 am (reply)

16.

Guest

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