Why is a glass broken at a Jewish wedding?

To remember the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem even at a moment of great joy.

The canopy under which the marriage takes place, symbolising the couple’s new home.

What is in the ketubah?

The husband’s commitments to his wife – support, honour and a sum payable if the marriage ends – written in Aramaic and signed by two witnesses.

On which days are Jewish weddings not held?

Not on Shabbat or festivals, and not during the Omer period and the Three Weeks (with differences between communities). Ask your rabbi about a specific date.

The Jewish wedding – chuppah, ketubah and customs חֲתֻנָּה

A Jewish wedding joins two stages that were once separate: kiddushin (betrothal), done with a ring before witnesses, and nissuin (marriage), under the chuppah with the seven blessings. The marriage contract, the ketubah, is read between them.

The source

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and cleave to his wife, and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). The Mishnah describes how kiddushin is made – today with a ring before two witnesses (Kiddushin 2a). The seven blessings are recorded in the Talmud (Ketubot 7b–8a); one of them takes words from Jeremiah’s promise of “the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride” (Jeremiah 33:11).

The ceremony

The ketubah is signed by two witnesses; it records the husband’s obligations to his wife.
Under the chuppah, the groom gives the bride a ring saying “Harei at mekudeshet li…” – “You are consecrated to me with this ring according to the law of Moses and Israel.”
The ketubah is read aloud, and the seven blessings are said over a cup of wine.
A glass is broken to remember the destruction of Jerusalem even at the height of joy (based on Berakhot 30b–31a).
Seven days of festive meals with the seven blessings (sheva brachot) follow.

Sephardi and Ashkenazi customs

Ashkenazim have the badeken (the groom veils the bride), the bride circles the groom seven times, and bride and groom fast on the wedding day. Sephardim often hold a henna celebration before the wedding, spread a tallit over the couple during the blessings, and do not usually have the circling or the fast.

Sources

עַל־כֵּן יַעֲזָב־אִישׁ אֶת־אָבִיו וְאֶת־אִמּוֹ וְדָבַק בְּאִשְׁתּוֹ וְהָיוּ לְבָשָׂר אֶחָד
Genesis 2:24
קוֹל שָׂשׂוֹן וְקוֹל שִׂמְחָה קוֹל חָתָן וְקוֹל כַּלָּה קוֹל אֹמְרִים הוֹדוּ אֶת־יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת כִּי־טוֹב יְהוָה כִּי־לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ מְבִאִים תּוֹדָה בֵּית יְהוָה כִּי־אָשִׁיב אֶת־שְׁבוּת־הָאָרֶץ כְּבָרִאשֹׁנָה אָמַר יְהוָה
Jeremiah 33:11

Talmud and halachic sources

Mishnah and Talmud, Kiddushin 2a–b
Talmud, Ketubot 7b–8a – the seven blessings
Shulchan Aruch, Even HaEzer 26–66

Frequently asked questions

Why is a glass broken at a Jewish wedding?: To remember the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem even at a moment of great joy.
What is a chuppah?: The canopy under which the marriage takes place, symbolising the couple’s new home.
What is in the ketubah?: The husband’s commitments to his wife – support, honour and a sum payable if the marriage ends – written in Aramaic and signed by two witnesses.
On which days are Jewish weddings not held?: Not on Shabbat or festivals, and not during the Omer period and the Three Weeks (with differences between communities). Ask your rabbi about a specific date.