“By standing under a Jewish home, we
elicit God’s blessings for a new couple and
life together,” Goldman said.

There are the legal obligations of writing and signing the ketubah,
reading the sheva b’rachot — the seven blessings — and exchanging
the rings, but there is also the tradition of friends and families hosting
parties for the bride and groom seven days after the wedding. This
is similar to the holiday of Sukkot.

Many people believe the rings are a formality, but the groom
must give a gift to the bride to show her his love — and it is crucial
the correct rings are used, Goldman said. There is the tradition of
breaking the glass, which signifies a bittersweet start to a new life.

Some people even use the shattered glass to create a mezuzah case.

“Even at the height of our joy, we break the glass to remember
that the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed and there’s still pain
and suffering in the world,” Goldman said. “Every time you walk
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WHAT IT MEANS
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Yanoff, who is a Conservative rabbi, said
he always tries to personalize each wedding and cater the customs
to what the bride and groom want.

“There’s not one way of doing it [the wedding],” Yanoff said.

As an example, he cited how, in an Orthodox wedding, the bride
will circle the groom seven times, but now in a more egalitarian so-
ciety, bride and the groom will often circle each other three times,
concluding with one circle together.

“I do think the liturgy and traditions of the wedding are so beau-
tiful,” Yanoff said.

All of the rabbis said getting to know the bride and the groom is
a special experience. They learn about their history, how they met
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