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Home > Jewish wedding dancing

The Magic Of The Veil

22/03/2017 by Amy Schreibman Walter

The-Wedding-Veil
This is a guest post by Amy Schreibman Walter

Growing up, I often watched old black and white romance movies on TV with my Bubbe. We used to swoon together over elegant movie stars in sweeping bridal gowns, their thick eyelashes peeking out from underneath all kinds of veils. The cathedral length veils, the chic birdcage veils, the floaty waltz veils. Oy vey! All the veils!

The first time I fell in love, I dreamed, for the first time, of my own wedding: this fantasy included a little Juliet cap with an opaque drop veil, just like Grace Kelly’s. Wearing whimsical, girly clothes is one way I express my personality, but I’m a feminist, too. Independent, self- sufficient woman that I am, my desire to wear a veil on my wedding day was never about being complicit to an outdated patriarchal notion of marriage.

David Pullum Photogoraphy Jewish Wedding Photographer in London
A veil narrative imprinted itself in my psyche during those early days watching movies with my Bubbe, but it was never an antiquated narrative. Rather, the veil has always represented something potent to me: the day I’d wear a veil would be the day where I’d commit to share my life with someone I loved, someone who loved me too.

As I approached my thirties, I began to search in earnest for a life partner. In marriage I’d cease to be a single woman who was always dating the wrong men. I’d become a woman who was committing to one person for a lifetime, a woman who would do everything in her power to make this important relationship last.

After two decades of often disastrous dating, I met my husband when I was 38, and our whirlwind courtship felt a little like magic. Magic requires the right accessories — enter, the veil.

Veil--John-Nassari
When my Mom first placed my veil on my head, I knew I’d found ‘the one.’ We both welled up a little: it was a version of me that neither of us had ever seen – by its very presence on my head, the veil had transformed me into a bride.

A tiara, a floral hair wreath, even a long white gown – these aren’t exclusively for brides. But the veil is unique: its placement on my hair was a signifier to mark a day when something was going to happen that would shape my life.

Veil-Babb Photo
The Veil’s History

In the Greek and Roman times, brides wore long red or orange veils, called flammeum s–  resembling a flame, the veil was supposed to scare off evil spirits. The theatricality of these early veils no doubt set the stage for the show stopping veils of today. This veil was also a way of shielding the bride’s face – most marriages were arranged and it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding – his bride would be revealed to him only after the ceremony had been concluded.

Over time, as religious weddings became increasingly popular, the veil was repurposed, becoming a sign of humility and respect before God. The Hollywood movie moment of a groom lifting the veil before kissing his new wife comes from the religious idea that once the bride and groom become husband and wife, only then can they be together in a physical way.

Chris Giles
Much of this historical context behind the veil felt irrelevant to me as I was shopping for my veil, out of step with the life I was living. I lived with my fiancà©; we were trying for a baby. Yet despite its historical and cultural baggage, the veil had meaning for me. After twenty years of trying and failing at romantic relationships, something had shifted. Much like my engagement ring and my bridal gown, the veil issued a statement – a new phase was about to begin.

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How To Have The Most Fun On The Dance Floor At Your Jewish Wedding

04/12/2015 by Amy Schreibman Walter

Jewish-Wedding-Dancing
Top image: Kelly Kollar Photography, taken from Ava & Josh’s Art deco-inspired  Jewish wedding
All other images:  Laura DeBourde Photography, taken from Amy  &  Steve’s Jewish wedding

I have to hand it to Steve, my husband — he knows how to set priorities when it comes to wedding planning. We got married last month, and he didn’t care too much about many of the little details — talk of place cards and napkin rings didn’t garner much interest. But when it came to planning our wedding reception (or party, as we liked to call it), he knew exactly what he wanted.

We both love to dance and often host parties at our flat — friends end up dancing in the kitchen, the living room and even the hallway. Music was always going to be an important part of our big day. When we first started talking about what kind of party we wanted to have, Steve said it was important to him to invest our money in three things —

  1. A groovy dance floor to complement our largely 70’s, 80’s and 90’s playlist
  2. A band or/and D.J. that we respected
  3. Lighting to create a party mood

Jewish wedding dancing
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Jewish Wedding Dancing (The Hora) – Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained #9

14/11/2014 by Karen

Jewish-wedding-dancing
All imagery by Blake Ezra Photography. This is part 9 of the 9-part Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained series.

So far in this Jewish Weddings Explained series, we’ve gone through the entire day from morning to evening, now the real fun begins. Let’s be honest, Jewish weddings are known for their dancing. If there’s one thing that most non-Jewish guests know about a Jewish wedding, it’s that someone is going to be lifted on a chair and there’s going to be some crazy dancing.

In fact, we recently photographed a stunning and intimate non-Jewish wedding in the rolling hills of Devon. A couple of months before that day, the Groom’s brother had married a Jewish girl in New York. The Groom enjoyed the dancing at his brother’s wedding so much that he insisted his guests hoist him and his new wife onto chairs, which they did, as other guests around them clapped and made vaguely Jewish-sounding noises like ‘oy, oy, oy’. Even at non-Jewish weddings, lifting the couple on chairs will always be awesome!

Firstly, what do we call it? Most people nowadays refer to this part of the wedding as the ‘Israeli Dancing’. For me, it’s not as though everybody in Israel dances down the street in a circular fashion on their way to the local shops, and when you go into a club in Tel Aviv, you don’t see everyone being lifted up on chairs… so I call it ‘Jewish dancing’.

Images from Jewish dancing at Weddings. Images from Jewish dancing at Weddings. Images from Jewish dancing at Weddings.
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