Under the Chuppah: A Minute-by-Minute Rundown

The ceremony under the chuppah can feel intimidating when you don't know what's happening. For couples preparing it, and for guests who want to follow along, here's the typical timing of an Ashkenazi Orthodox chuppah. Timing varies by tradition (Sephardic, liberal), but the skeleton stays the same.

Before the chuppah: the badeken (5 min)

The pre-ceremony step. The groom approaches the bride, verifies her identity (a reference to Jacob, who was tricked by Laban) and lowers the veil over her face. This step precedes the chuppah and can be intimate (close family only) or public (all guests). Duration: 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 1 — The groom enters the chuppah (3 min)

The groom arrives first, accompanied by his parents (or by his best men, depending on tradition). He takes his place under the chuppah, which symbolizes their future home. Music plays as he walks in — often a violin or klezmer clarinet solo.

Step 2 — The bride’s entrance (5 min)

The bride enters next, accompanied by her parents. In the Ashkenazi tradition, she circles the groom 7 times (the 7 days of Creation), symbolizing the building of a shared world. Sephardic tradition: no circling, or just 3 times.

Step 3 — Blessings over the wine (2 min)

The rabbi recites the opening blessing over the wine (kiddushin). The groom, then the bride, take a sip. The wine seals the commitment.

Step 4 — The ring exchange (3 min)

The groom places the ring on the bride's finger — the right index finger, in Orthodox tradition — while reciting the formula: 'You are consecrated to me by this ring, according to the law of Moses and Israel' (Harei at mekudeshet li...). In liberal or egalitarian weddings, the bride may also give the groom a ring.

Step 5 — Reading the ketubah (5 min)

The marriage contract is read aloud, in Aramaic (the document's original language, roughly 2,000 years old). The rabbi or someone close to the couple reads it. It's an important moment — the ketubah lists the groom's financial and moral obligations to the bride.

Step 6 — The seven blessings (Sheva Brachot, 8 min)

The seven blessings are recited — often by 7 different people (a great honor). Joy, creation, the couple, the people, wine. This is the spiritual heart of the ceremony. Duration: 8 to 10 minutes.

Step 7 — Sharing the second cup (1 min)

The groom and bride each take a sip from the second cup of wine (different from the first). A symbol of sharing and the new cycle now beginning.

Step 8 — Breaking the glass (1 min)

The groom crushes a glass wrapped in a cloth under his foot. Everyone shouts 'Mazel Tov!' Three interpretations: remembrance of the destroyed Temple, an irrevocable commitment, and protection against the evil eye.

Step 9 — Exit + yichud (10 min)

The couple exits the chuppah to music and withdraws to a private room — the yichud, the first moment of complete privacy since their commitment began. In Orthodox tradition, this is the moment the marriage becomes legally consummated under Halacha. Duration: 10-15 minutes (guests take a cocktail-hour break meanwhile).

What about non-Jewish guests?

If you have non-Jewish guests (cousins, friends, coworkers), consider a short explanatory program to hand out at the door — or build the explanations directly into your Tov.events invitation (a 'the ceremony, step by step' section). Guests really appreciate understanding what they're watching.

To announce your chuppah with a built-in, step-by-step rundown (plus the exact time), create your invitation on Tov.events — free, in Hebrew + English.