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12 Thoughtful Ways to Make Jewish Rituals Inclusive at an Interfaith Wedding {with La Fête}

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Are you planning an interfaith Jewish wedding? If so, you might be thinking about how to find the right balance between honoring the Jewish rituals that matter to you while making sure every guest, regardless of background, feels welcomed and included in the day. 

We sat down with interfaith and multicultural wedding expert Charlotte Ricard-Quesada, founder of La Fête, for a discussion about thoughtful ways to honour Jewish tradition while creating a ceremony that feels inclusive, warm, and genuinely reflective of both partners.

The founder and creative director of luxury wedding planner La Fête, Charlotte followed her dream and created her own events company in 2016, following a career in luxury fashion. She’s become one of London’s most sought-after wedding designers and event planners, and is the recipient of several industry accolades, including Best Wedding Planner at the BrideLux UK Awards 2022.

Charlotte’s multicultural background and fluency in four languages make her a go-to for couples planning interfaith and multicultural weddings, and she has such a wealth of experience to draw on. If you’re planning an interfaith Jewish wedding yourself, this one is truly a must-read.

Explain Jewish Rituals with a Ceremony Program

One of the simplest and most powerful ways to include everyone is to explain what’s happening in a wedding program that outlines the ceremony and explains the various Jewish traditions that are part of the day. There are lots of symbols that can be confusing to the uninitiated, from the chuppah to the ketubah to smashing the glass, and making sure all of your guests are kept in the loop is key to creating a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere for family and friends of all backgrounds. 

Charlotte recently planned an interfaith wedding where the Jewish bride wanted all relevant symbolism explained, in simple terms, in the wedding program – and she shares that it made such a difference in terms of allowing the attendees to feel fully part of each ritual component of the ceremony. 

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Love Knows No Boundaries: Navigating Interfaith Jewish Wedding Celebrations

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Styled by La Fête ｜Photo by Divine Day Photography

This is a guest post by Charlotte Ricard-Quesada, Founder & Creative Director of La Fête. She is passionate about helping her couples craft meaningful Jewish and interfaith Jewish weddings in the UK, Italy, France, Spain, and beyond. Today she’s channeling her wisdom into some great tips about how to plan a beautiful celebration that honors both of your backgrounds. Even if you and your partner are both Jewish, if you come from different cultural or international backgrounds lots of these tips will be relevant – so read on!

Love is a universal language, transcending borders, cultures, and religions. In an increasingly interconnected world, interfaith marriages are becoming more common, celebrating the beauty of diversity and the unity of love. While navigating these celebrations can be intricate, the result is a unique and deeply meaningful ceremony that honours both partners’ backgrounds. Here, we explore how to plan and execute an interfaith Jewish wedding that respects and celebrates the traditions of both partners.

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Susie and Axel’s Jewish wedding, planned by La Fête ｜Photo by Dream Prod

Embracing Dual Heritage

The key to a successful celebration lies in understanding and respecting both traditions. This journey begins with open and honest conversations between the couple and their families. Discussing each person’s expectations, non-negotiables, and the elements they hold dear ensures that both faiths are represented and honoured. In many scenarios that I have dealt with, couples and families need to be as clear as possible from the start about their way of living their religion, and the rituals or traditions that are important for each one. Some families have a more paired-back vision of religious practice and this needs to be considered, without affecting the other party.

Rebecca & Emmanuel, Villa Luisa, Seville, Spain

Rebecca and Emmanuel’s Jewish wedding, planned by La Fête ｜Photo by Juan Luis Morilla

Finding Common Ground

The beauty of any wedding lies in finding common ground and creating a ceremony that reflects the couple’s unique love story. Start by identifying shared values and themes that resonate with both traditions. For example, the importance of family, love, and community are universal concepts that can be beautifully woven into the wedding ceremony.

Rebecca & Emmanuel, Villa Luisa, Seville, Spain

Rebecca and Emmanuel’s Jewish wedding, planned by La Fête ｜Photo by Juan Luis Morilla

Seeking Guidance

Consulting with clergy from both faiths can provide invaluable insights and help in blending the ceremonies seamlessly. Many rabbis and religious leaders have experience with interfaith weddings and can offer guidance on how to incorporate elements from both traditions respectfully. This collaborative approach not only enriches the ceremony but also provides a deeper understanding of each other’s faiths. Many times, when it has been interfaith weddings, I have had a rabbi and priest, or a rabbi and a vicar for example creating this beautifully unique ceremony.

Rebecca & Emmanuel, Villa Luisa, Seville, Spain

Rebecca and Emmanuel’s Jewish wedding, planned by La Fête ｜Photo by Juan Luis Morilla

The Chuppah

A central element in a Jewish wedding, the chuppah represents the couple’s future home, open to guests and family. Including a chuppah in an interfaith ceremony is a beautiful way to honour Jewish tradition. Personalise the chuppah with meaningful decorations, such as family heirlooms or symbols from both faiths, to represent the union of two cultures.

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A Kallmeyer Bride for a Parisian Chic Jewish Wedding at Pavillon Dauphine, Paris, France

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Susie-Axel-Pavillon-Dauphine-Paris-France

It’s not easy planning a Jewish wedding long-distance – and that goes double when it happens to be halfway across the world, as was the case for California-based couple Axel and Susie! In honor of Axel’s French roots – he’s originally from Lyon, France – the couple opted to make things official in none other than the City of Lights.

And they found the perfect partner in making their dreams come true in their wedding planner, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor La Fete. Working with a knowledgeable planner is so key when planning your big day from afar – and if you scroll through the beautiful photos from Dream Prod, we’re pretty sure you’ll agree La Fete knocked it out of the park.

Everything about this exquisite wedding was perfectly Parisian chic from the venue, Pavillon Dauphine, to Susie’s 4-piece custom wedding outfit by Daniella Kallmeyer of Kallmeyer. And naturally, the food was nothing short of gourmet.

Read on for all the wonderful details of this very special day…

Susie-Axel-Pavillon-Dauphine-Paris-FranceSusie-Axel-Pavillon-Dauphine-Paris-France Susie-Axel-Pavillon-Dauphine-Paris-FranceSusie-Axel-Pavillon-Dauphine-Paris-France
How we Met

Axel and Susie met in April 2019 in San Francisco, California on the dating app “Hinge.” Axel, originally from Lyon, France, had been living in SF since 2015. Susie, originally from Washington, D.C., moved to SF from Mexico City in March 2019 and met Axel shortly after – very shortly in fact: he was her first date since moving to SF. On their first date, they met for dinner on a Tuesday night and were the last two to leave the restaurant. A few months of persistence later, Axel asked Susie to join him on a trip to France in September 2019 – and the rest is history.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Top Jewish Wedding Planning Tips

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Jewish wedding Osea Island, Essex, UK_0041
Jasmine & Brett’s wedding featured on Smashing the Glass | Photo by Claudine Hartzel

So you’re planning a Jewish wedding – mazal tov! Wedding planning is exciting, no question, but it can also be seriously overwhelming. There’s so much to learn, so much information to sort through and, in many cases, so many opinions to contend with. 

But having the right tools goes a long way! And that’s why we tapped into our fabulous network of wedding planners to share their top tips for a smooth wedding planning journey. Read on for some essential Jewish wedding wisdom!

Charlotte from La Fete says

Make sure that you are really clear with your parents from the start on their involvement in your big day. Are they expecting certain things – do you have any non-negotiables? The clearer you are earlier on, the easier and smoother the whole process will be. 

Rebecca & Emmanuel, Villa Luisa, Seville, Spain

Rebecca & Emmanuel‘s wedding featured on Smashing The Glass | Photo by Juan Luis Morilla

 Michelle from Elegante by Michelle J says

We are very fortunate that the Jewish marriage ceremony is very poignant and meaningful;  so my advice to all of my couples is to make it especially so,  the highlight of your wedding day. It’s all too easy to get caught up with the dinner florals, the entertainment, the food and of course they are important (and as a wedding planner I also love to get caught up in all of these details). But everyone is gathering together to witness the two of you entering into the commitment of marriage. So this should be considered “the main event”. Everything else that follows is a celebration of the beautiful wedding that your guests have had the privilege of witnessing.

Chloe & Danny‘s wedding featured on Smashing The Glass | Photo by David Bastianoni

Yana Andreev from Craspedia Events says

Create an email account that will be designated for wedding things only. That way you’ll have all the corespondence in one convinient location, you both have access to and it won’t mix with work and personal stuff. 

Jewish wedding Bayaar, Hadera, Israel

Shelly & Harel‘s wedding featured on Smashing The Glass | Photo by Noa Magger

Luba from Primavera Dreams says

My #1 tip for a destination Jewish wedding: Make sure that your planner knows the traditions, understand the particularity of a Jewish wedding and can actively help to source what may be needed (from chuppah and rabbi to challah, to kosher food and wine, etc. if needed). Or it may cost you a lot of money and stress.

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Rita & Daniel‘s wedding featured on Smashing the Glass | Photo by Tatiana Blanco Photography 

Dyana from Dyana Dessar says

Do remember why you are getting married, because you love each other!  it is not a military manoeuvre and whilst it is important to have a good timeline don’t sweat the small stuff, stop take a moment and take the day in as it will be over all too soon, and to make sure it all runs smoothly employ a professional wedding planner! 


Jolanda & Jack‘s wedding featured on Smashing the Glass | Photo by The Love Hunters

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An Andalusian Fantasy Ashkenazi-Sephardi Jewish Wedding at Villa Luisa, Seville, Spain

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Rebecca & Emmanuel, Villa Luisa, Seville, Spain

We love it when a couple lets their Jewish wedding locale set the stage for an ultra-memorable celebration – which is exactly what Parisian duo Rebecca, a physiatrist, and Emmanuel, an epidemiologist, did when they chose to make it official in Seville, Spain!

The pair chose Andalusia not only for its fabulous East-meets-West architecture and delectable cuisine, but also for its rich Jewish history, in tribute to the bride’s Sephardic heritage.

And their amazing wedding planner, Charlotte Ricard-Quesada from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor La Fête – who Rebecca and Emmanuel found right here on Smashing The Glass – brought their dreams to life exquisitely – on a super tight timeline, no less! Charlotte’s fluency in Spanish and experience planning weddings in Seville made the process a breeze, and she connected the pair with many of their fabulous vendors – including their breathtaking venue Villa Luisa, which captures the splendor of old Andalusia in all its glory. Don’t miss the dreamy photos by Juan Luis Morilla!

And did we mention that Rebecca and Emmanuel’s Seville-based kosher caterer, Taim, served up authentic Andalusian tapas – which are often difficult to find with kosher certification?

There’s so much more to say about this one-of-a kind wedding, but we’ll turn you over to Rebecca to hear about the rest…

Rebecca & Emmanuel, Villa Luisa, Seville, SpainRebecca & Emmanuel, Villa Luisa, Seville, SpainRebecca & Emmanuel, Villa Luisa, Seville, SpainRebecca & Emmanuel, Villa Luisa, Seville, Spain
How we Met

Rebecca, the bride: We met on the internet 17 years ago. I was looking for someone who could lend me medical books, Emmanuel had some and the exchange took place at the Saint-Germain-des-Prés metro station, near the medical school.Continue ReadingContinue Reading