The Ketubah
After the couple is legally engaged (Tena’im), it is time for them to be contractually married. Two witnesses sign the Ketubah (literally the marriage contract) which traditionally spells out the husband’s obligation to his wife, everything from sustaining her with basic necessities to honoring and cherishing her. Additionally, the traditional Ketubah discusses how the husband must support his wife during their lives together, and, G-d forbid, in the event of death or divorce. While the contract has been signed, the couple is not yet considered married until the chuppah ceremony.

Bedecken
The Bedecken is the veiling of the bride by the groom. With great fanfare, dancing and singing, the guests escort the groom to the bride. The groom then lowers the veil over the bride’s face. The custom of the bride wearing a veil goes back to the Biblical matriarch, Rebecca, who veiled herself upon seeing her future husband, Isaac (Genesis. 24:65). By viewing the bride carefully before placing the veil over the bride’s face, the groom confirms that this is his intended bride, that he will not be deceived as was Jacob when Leah was substituted for Rachel (Genesis 29:23). Once the bride is veiled, she is given special blessings, usually by her father. The groom, surrounded by his enthusiastic friends, is escorted out of the room to prepare for the Chuppah.

Chuppah
The Chuppah, or wedding canopy, is a covering, often cloth, held aloft on four poles. The chuppah is symbolic of the first roof the bride and groom share together, representing their new home. That there are no walls in this new home, encourages the couple to follow in the ways of Abraham and Sarah, whose tent was always open to guests.
Following a brief family processional, the groom precedes to the Chuppah. He is traditionally welcomed by the song Baruch HaBah (Blessed is he who comes). An Ashkenazi groom will often don a simple white robe, known as a kittel. The bride and groom’s white attire is symbolic of purity and creates the imagery of angels. Sephardic grooms are wrapped in a new talit (prayer shawl) and recite a sheh’heh’cheh’yanu blessing, thanking G-d for sustaining him to this occasion.

The bride enters last and is escorted to the Chuppah where she meets her groom. In most Ashkenazi traditions, the bride circles the groom seven times under the Chuppah and then stands to his right. In many Sephardic traditions, the bride is escorted almost all the way to the Chuppah, at which point the groom comes out to meet her and escorts her the rest of the way.

Seven Circles
The custom of the bride circling the groom seven times is rich with symbolism. The following is a sampling of the meaningful interpretations that have been ascribed to this custom :
1) This parallels the seven days of creation, and symbolizes the fact that the bride and groom are about to create their own “new world” together.
2) Seven circles correspond to the seven times in the Torah where it is written “…and when a man takes a wife.”
3) When Joshua led the Children of Israel in the battle for the city of Jericho, he was instructed to circle the city seven times, resulting in the walls of the city crumbling. As two people enter into marriage, they face the challenge of breaking down the “walls” that may exist between them.
*The circling of the groom is an Ashkenazi practice and is not generally part of Sephardic tradition.

Kiddushin
Like many Jewish ceremonies, the wedding ceremony begins with a cup of wine. The rabbi recites a blessing over a cup of wine and a second blessing of sanctification over the marriage. Both the bride and the groom then drink from the cup. The groom then places a solid gold band on the right index finger of the bride and declares: “Behold, you are consecrated unto me with this ring according to the laws of Moses and Israel.” These two blessings and the giving of the ring, completes the ancient betrothal ceremony.
To separate the first part of the wedding ceremony from the second part that follows, the Ketubah is read following the giving of the ring.

The Ring Ceremony
During a traditional Jewish ceremony, the wedding ring is placed on the bride’s right index finger, which is the finger most visible to the witnesses. The wedding band actually validates the marriage contract, consecrating the marriage. Jewish wedding rings must be made of solid uninterrupted gold, silver or platinum with no precious stones or holes breaking the circle. The continuity of the ring represents the hope for an everlasting marriage.

Reading of the Ketubah
The Ketubah is read aloud and the groom hands the document to the bride. The couple is now officially husband and wife. The second half of the ceremony now continues with the Nissuin (uplifting)

Nissuin
A second cup of wine is filled and the second half of the wedding ceremony commences during which the Sheva Brachot (see below) are recited. After the seven blessing are recited, the bride and groom then drink from the second cup.

Sheva B’rachot
The Sheva Brachot are seven special blessings in honor of the wedding, that are recited both under the chuppah and at the end of the festive meal that follows the ceremony. The seven blessings of the Sheva Brachot are:

-The First Blessing is recited over a cup of wine as a sign of rejoicing.

-The Second Blessing thanks G-d for creating the world. At the same time, it honors those assembled at the wedding.

-The Third and Fourth Blessings acknowledge G-d’s physical and spiritual creation of humankind. These blessings are recited at weddings, since it is only then that the couple begins their life as complete human beings.

-The Fifth Blessing is a prayer for the restoration of Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Holy Temple, the edifice which so expressed G-d’s special relationship with the Jewish people that the memory of its destruction rises above even our highest joys.

-The Sixth Blessing expresses the hope that the bride and groom grow in their love for each other, with a focus as exclusive as that of Adam and Eve, when there was no one else in the world.

-The Seventh Blessing is a prayer that the time of the Messiah will come to redeem the Jewish people from exile so that peace and tranquility will reign over the world.

The Breaking of the Glass
At the conclusion of the wedding ceremony, the groom smashes a glass with his foot and the guests then shout “Mazel Tov!” – Congratulations and good luck. There are numerous interpretations of this custom of breaking the glass. Some see it as as a symbolic reminder of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem while others interpret is as a symbol of the fragility of a relationship. Psalm 147, “If I forget thee O’ Jerusalem,” is often recited or sung at this point of the ceremony.