There are plenty of fine details that go into planning a wedding, and if you are planning a Jewish wedding, you might feel like there are millions of different details that you need to get right. But planning your wedding should be fun and exciting rather than stressful. Between navigating family pressures, making arrangements with vendors, and incorporating all the different traditions into your wedding day, you want to make sure that you can still find the process enjoyable and make sure that you are at the top of your game for your big day. But incorporating Jewish wedding traditions into your day without losing your sense of individuality can be tricky. Here are some tips to keep in mind for couples planning a Jewish wedding.
Make Time for Research
Before you choose vendors, photographers, videographers or wedding entertainment, it’s a good idea to research as much as possible and figure out what you personally love that will also incorporate the Jewish traditions into your wedding day. For example, if you’re looking for entertainment at the reception, you might want to look for a Jewish wedding band for hire. You could hire Jam Hot for your Jewish wedding, as they’re a Jewish wedding band that can provide reception entertainment that doesn’t take away from the traditional aspects of your wedding but can be tailored to your individual preferences too.
Incorporate Things That Are Important to You
Don’t think that Jewish traditions are the only thing to be concerned about when planning your wedding. Make sure that your wedding reflects you both as individuals too and think about adding something that you both love and that bring you together. Any shared interests or even quirks about your personalities can be incorporated into your wedding to make it truly unique to you both. While it’s always nice to take other people’s opinions on board, particularly family members, try not to get to carried away with what other people what that your wedding isn’t what you want.
Get Wedding Insurance
It’s highly recommended that you get insurance cover for your wedding. Weddings – particularly lavish Jewish weddings – cost a lot of money, and anything could happen, so you will want to be covered for your own peace of mind. There are plenty of different wedding insurance options out there to consider different levels of cover to suit everybody’s budget.
Personalise the Chuppah
Take your time when planning your chuppah and personalise it in a way that makes it special and unique to you as well as keeping Jewish requirements in mind. Most rabbis are happy to work with you both to make what you want to happen for the chuppah, and there are a lot of things that you can do to make sure that your family and close friends are a key part of the service.
Opt for the Jewish Wedding Traditions That Reflect You
There are tons of different traditions and prayers that can be involved in a Jewish ceremony, from all the way before the ceremony until the reception, so don’t feel pressured to incorporate all of them in your wedding. Look into the different wedding traditions, prayers, and other additional options and choose the ones that make the most sense to you as a couple and for your wedding day.
Give Yourself Plenty of Time
Give yourself plenty of time when it comes to booking the essentials, like asking your Rabbi or another wedding officiant to officiate at your wedding. Make sure that the person that you want to officiate your wedding is available on the date that you want to get married; it can be worth waiting to set your wedding date until after you have booked the officiant if you have a certain person in mind. Ideally, you should give at least 6-12 months’ notice. Once this is booked, it’s time to start viewing potential venues and meeting with caterers; again, you should leave yourself plenty of time in order to make it easier for you to find a venue and vendors that you like who are available for your chosen wedding date.
Consider Hiring a Wedding Planner
If all the finer details of planning your wedding are beginning to leave you feeling a little stressed out, it might be worth hiring a wedding planner who is experienced with Jewish weddings. The benefits of hiring a wedding planner will usually be well worth the cost if you get a good one, as you will be able to relax more and enjoy the process without feeling overwhelmed with everything that you have to do. And, good wedding planners often have extensive contacts when it comes to venues, caterers, and other vendors who they can negotiate with on your behalf to help you get a better deal.
Be Open and Honest About What You Want
More often than not, families are at the heart of a Jewish wedding, and it’s quite natural for your families to want to get involved with the planning as much as possible because they are so excited and happy for you. However, it’s also important that you plan your wedding in a way that is important to you and that it reflects who you are as a couple. The best thing to do to ensure that any conflicting expectations are heard for your special day is to be open and honest with your families about how you want your wedding day to be.
Have Fun!
Remember, your wedding day shouldn’t be a stressful experience – it’s the best day of your life, and you will want to have fond memories of it for years to come. Focus on incorporating the things that you both enjoy into your wedding plans, make sure that the bar is right next to the dance floor and prepare yourself for having the best night ever with your nearest and dearest.
It can be easy to get caught up with all the finer details of planning a Jewish wedding but don’t forget to focus on making sure it’s a day that you will thoroughly enjoy.