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Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained – The Ketubah

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Ketubah
All imagery by Blake Ezra Photography. 

Welcome to the first post in our 8-part series of Jewish Wedding Traditions explained.

This week it’s all about the Ketubah. The Ketubah is the name of the traditional Jewish marriage certificate; in Hebrew the word Ketubah literally means ‘something written’.

The content of a Ketubah has always traditionally been a one-way document detailing what the groom must provide to the bride in their married lives together, which includes three main things — clothing, food and physical relations.

This ancient document used to deal with concepts such as payments for marriage, which in today’s modern world simply aren’t applicable to most of us. One passage says, “All my property, real and personal, even the shirt from my back, shall be mortgaged to secure the payment of this marriage contract.” We can understand it not as a way to “secure the payment” of the marriage, but as the groom saying to his bride, ‘everything I have is also yours, down to the shirt on my back’.

The Ketubah - Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained
If you’re planning a wedding the Ketubah can be a great thing to personalise to make it more relevant to you. A Ketubah can be decorated in many different ways, with illustrations around the text or colours that represent something about you, indeed there are many artists who custom-make Ketubot, all with a presence on the internet.

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A Mediterranean Garden Wedding Full of Love, Lemons, and Olive Trees at Beit al Hayam, Jaffa, Israel

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Elinor & Daniel, Beit al Hayam, Jaffa, Israel

Some Jewish weddings just make you feel like you’ve stepped into another world. In the case of Elinor, a business manager in LA for people in the show business world, and Daniel, a software engineer, that world is a Mediterranean garden fantasia full of vibrant blue and yellow tones, olive and lemon trees, and, of course, plenty of flowers.

Elinor and Daniel knew they wanted to craft a wedding that would make their friends and family from abroad feel as if they were stepping into the couple’s home – and to make their vision a reality, they opted to work with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Bebke Productions. Gev and Inbal of Bebke are masters at putting together weddings that transport you, and they were the absolute perfect choice for this very special day.

In Elinor and Daniel’s words, Bebke Productions was “simply amazing,” working closely with the couple and handling every detail of the day with aplomb – as well as creating a killer atmosphere filled with fun touches like signs styled like Mediterranean tiles, an epic cocktail bar with signature drinks, a dining area modeled after an Italian courtyard, and so much more – don’t miss all the wonderful touches in the photos from Jen Sladkov.

There’s so much more to say about this very special Jewish wedding – read on for the whole story!

Elinor & Daniel, Beit al Hayam, Jaffa, Israel Elinor & Daniel, Beit al Hayam, Jaffa, IsraelElinor & Daniel, Beit al Hayam, Jaffa, IsraelElinor & Daniel, Beit al Hayam, Jaffa, Israel
How we Met

Elinor, the bride and Daniel, the groom: Our moms were in the army together and stayed friends. When I moved to LA, I was invited by Daniel’s mom to a Chanukkah party at her home and there I met Daniel.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Family-Focused Jewish Wedding in Teal and Silver at The Prado at Balboa Park, San Diego, California, USA

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Krystal & Richard, The Prado at Balboa Park, California, USA

We love it when a couple focuses their wedding on the things that really matter – which is exactly what today’s couple, Krystal, a chief in the Navy, and Richard, a construction manager, did. Early on, they decided they wanted to craft an intimate, budget-conscious day centered around family and faith, and their joyous San Diego Jewish wedding at The Prado at Balboa Park was exactly that.

Including family was key to the couple every step of the way. Krystal planned the wedding alongside her mother, mother-in-law, sisters, and sister-in-law, and on the day family members did everything from reading the seven blessings to leading the toasts. Including the memories of relatives who had passed away was also top of mind for Krystal and Richard, and, in addition to a memorial table with 4×6 picture frames with photos and names, during the ceremony the couple’s rabbi read out the names of late loved ones.

Family members also signed the couple’s stunning ketubah, which they found via Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com. They chose the Infinite Love Papercut design for its bright colors, and they loved working with Ketubah.com for their quick response times, variety, and ease of changes for text or delivery dates.

Krystal was a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club throughout her wedding planning, and we’re so touched to hear that she found the group a big source of support in everything from figuring out how to honor loved ones who have passed on, trimming down a guest list, and whether – and how – to manage a successful hora with a smaller crowd.

This was truly an incredible wedding – don’t miss the joy-filled photos by Bruna of Elegance in Frame Photography to see all the love and happiness of the day!

Krystal & Richard, The Prado at Balboa Park, California, USA Krystal & Richard, The Prado at Balboa Park, California, USA Krystal & Richard, The Prado at Balboa Park, California, USAKrystal & Richard, The Prado at Balboa Park, California, USA
How we Met

Krystal, the bride: Picture it, San Diego, 2020. It was Richard’s first time out in years and my first time out since returning from a six-month deployment. It was going to be a much needed ladies night since restaurants and bars were finally open again.

As the ladies were looking for an empty table, Richard was holding one down for the fellas who just stepped away. I asked if we could share his table to finish our drinks, he kindly obliged, and the rest is history. I remember he wore a black t-shirt with a hamster in the pocket (proof he didn’t go out that night looking for a girlfriend) and conversation sparked because we’re both Denver Broncos football fans.

He had such a bright and handsome smile that the first time he laughed, I swooned. Classic story of guy meets girl during a pandemic, right? It’s funny because earlier that week I deleted all the dating apps on my phone and told myself I was going to be single for a while. Well, clearly Hashem had other plans for me. We met on a Saturday night, first date was Tuesday, and by Thursday he asked me to be his girlfriend. 10 months later, he proposed!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Lilian West Bride for an Autumnal City Jewish Wedding at the Pan Pacific London, London, UK

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Freya & David, Pan Pacific London, London, UK

Happy 2023! We’re starting off the new year with a bang in the form of a truly FABULOUS London Jewish wedding – prepare to be wowed by the super-stylish nuptials of Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Freya and David!

For their chic, urban, autumnal nuptials, these two chose one of our very favorite venues, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Pan Pacific London (which they found right here on STG!). Freya and David can’t stop raving about the stylish space and exquisite service – and once you have a look at the magazine-worthy photos by Dominika Miechowska, you’ll see why.

In Freya’s words, “Between their devoted venue floor able to be split in two for both the ceremony and reception in one place, and their incredible Singaporean menu, it was the perfect place for us. I cannot stress enough how fabulous the wedding team were – small things I had not even thought about, they had a plan for on the day. Nothing was too big of an ask and they made the day go off without a hitch.”

We loved following Freya’s wedding planning journey during her time in Brides Club, and we’re so thrilled that the group helped her find so many of her wonderful vendors, from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Dimitria Jordan, who designed the pair’s on-the-day stationery and signs, to Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Happy Chuppah People, who supplied their lovely chuppah, to Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ink With Intent, the artist behind Freya and David’s egalitarian ketubah illustrated with autumnal flowers.

This really is one very special wedding – read on for the rest of the story in Freya’s own words…

Freya & David, Pan Pacific London, London, UK Freya & David, Pan Pacific London, London, UKFreya & David, Pan Pacific London, London, UKFreya & David, Pan Pacific London, London, UK
How we Met

Freya, the bride: We met on Tinder! Dave was about to move to London for his masters degree and I was already here, working in legal research. We met up three days after he arrived from the US and simply did not want our first date to end; a casual coffee in Marylebone turned in to dinner and drinks in Shoreditch, which turned in to seeing each other at least five times a week.

After graduation, he had to go back to the US for work – so I followed and started my PhD in St. Louis in international law. Four years, a pandemic, another across the world move, and a ginger cat later, I feel so lucky to have spent nearly every single day since with my best friend.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Berta Bride for a Breathtaking Jewish Wedding Full of Flowers, Corgis, and Jewish History at Villa Arcadia, Johannesburg, South Africa

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Shari-Gavin-Villa-Arcadia-South-Africa

While we adore ALL the wonderful Jewish weddings we feature here on STG, for our last post of the year we always try to select something with that little bit of extra wow factor. And if we say so ourselves, we’ve outdone ourselves with our ’22 pick. The fabulous South African Jewish wedding of Shari, who works in marketing and media, and Gavin, a musician, is truly one for the books.

First off the flowers… there really isn’t much we can say beyond WOW. From the Amalfi Coast-inspired floral chuppah to the artfully curated tabletops to the hanging arrangements – all we can say is do yourself a favor and scroll through the exquisite images by Shanna Jones Photography ASAP!

Just as stunning was Shari’s Berta gown. She knew “Demi” was the one for her the moment she set eyes on it, and purchased her dream dress from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Wedding Club in London, “who were absolutely incredible in organising it despite the distance from South Africa”!

We also love that Shari and Gavin opted to wed in a venue with Jewish history: dating back to 1903, Villa Arcadia was the first Jewish orphanage in South Africa, and it was instrumental in homing war orphans from Eastern Europe.

There’s so much more to say about this wonderful day – how sweet is it that the couple’s corgi, Nika, served as their flower girl?! – but we’ll let the bride take it from here…

Shari-Gavin-Villa-Arcadia-South-AfricaShari-Gavin-Villa-Arcadia-South-Africa Shari-Gavin-Villa-Arcadia-South-AfricaShari-Gavin-Villa-Arcadia-South-Africa
How we Met

Shari, the bride: We met very unexpectedly through mutual friends who were dating, we both went to his house with very low expectations. The only reason they thought to set us up was because Gavin was tall enough for me!Continue ReadingContinue Reading