Jewish weddings are different from any other weddings or celebrations we’ve covered before. They are very intimate and everything is so solemn that it gets really easy to become hypnotized by the all the beautiful hushing sounds.
Crafting a Jewish wedding video is all about understanding the true meaning behind all the things going on at the moment of the ceremony. There are many traditions happening in a Jewish wedding, and the best way to capture them all is by having a highly passionate crew of people with us. The ultimate challenge (and one of the parts that we love the most) is to showcase everything that has to do with the Jewish traditions, plus selecting every important word from the rabbi’s speech and blending it together with the bride, the groom and the guests into a beautiful wedding video.
As wedding videographers based in London, we love the evenly spread light, bathing everything around us at each wedding, but Jewish ones have a special thing due to the decorations, the colours and the clothing as well.
There are certain things that we have fallen in love with about Jewish wedding videography. From the most orthodox to the reformed modern traditions, there are certain elements that are common in every single Jewish wedding, and we want to share them with you.
From the Yad to the Mazel Tov!
Jewish weddings are like a beautiful chain made of gold; details could be so small yet so intriguing and important that we as videographers are required to pay extra attention to everything surrounding us. The summit of all Jewish weddings is perhaps the famous glass stomping ritual followed by a roaring Mazel Tov, but there are many other things that we’ve managed to enjoy in these celebrations as well.
We won’t mention them all but the most moving for us. First there is the veiling (also called bedeken in the Jewish tradition). Just before the ceremony starts in the simple yet beautiful looking chuppah, the groom (accompanied by his parents and the Rabbi) approaches the bride and veils her face. This is quite the opposite from other traditions, and that’s what we love about working with so many different cultures. This act of bedeken means that his love is deep and goes for her inner beauty rather than the exterior one.
Walking to the Chuppah
The chuppah is a small canopy built especially for the wedding, here the couple stand during their wedding ceremony. But before that happens, there is something very traditional going on.
First the groom walks towards the chuppah with his parents at his sides, and then he is followed by the veiled bride accompanied by her parents as well. Instead of waiting there nervously for the bride, they both walk almost at the same time towards the chuppah.
Then, they exchange their vows under the chuppah, which symbolizes something very important for the couple. This little chuppah symbolizes the home they are about to build together.
Protection and Blessings
Jewish weddings are very solemn, and they are filled with blessings and religious motives. There are two rituals that have caught our attention and we are always in the pursuit of capturing them both in the best ways possible. After the vows are read, there is a circling ritual going on in which the couple circles around them both under the chuppah. This creates a blessed wall of protection against temptations and evilness. The blessings after that are often read in both Hebrew and English, and are shared by some of the family members or friends. They focus on joy, celebration, and the power of love.
Breaking the Glass
This is the most well-known tradition in Jewish weddings, it is the equivalent of “you may kiss the bride” from other traditions, and it has even been largely portrayed in novels and movies. A certain amount of glass gets wrapped with a cloth, and then the groom stomps it with his foot, and everybody shouts Mazel Tov!
After the ceremony and before the party, the couple spends some private time together reflecting about their new relationship. This is perhaps the most intimate moment of all, and since they are secluded it is pretty hard to film, but we still enjoy capturing it as much as possible from a distance.
We want to thank all the families that have trusted our passionate work, and we wouldn’t be able to do what we do if it wasn’t for your trust, L’Chaim!
