Jewish Wedding Traditions Across Denominations

If you and your partner come from different Jewish backgrounds — or one of you is new to Jewish tradition entirely — it helps to understand how ceremonies tend to differ, and what usually stays consistent no matter the denomination.

What Tends to Stay the Same

Across nearly all Jewish weddings, you'll find a few consistent elements: a ketubah (the marriage contract, signed before the ceremony), a chuppah (the canopy the couple stands under), and the breaking of a glass at the end of the ceremony. The structure of two stages — kiddushin (betrothal) and nissuin (marriage) — also holds across denominations, even when the details around them vary.

Orthodox Weddings

Orthodox ceremonies tend to follow traditional Jewish law most closely. Expect separate seating for men and women during parts of the ceremony, a badeken (the veiling ceremony) beforehand, and the bride circling the groom seven times under the chuppah. The ketubah is typically written in Aramaic, and the officiating rabbi will usually be Orthodox-ordained.

Conservative Weddings

Conservative ceremonies generally follow the same core structure as Orthodox weddings but with more flexibility — mixed seating is common, and couples often have more say in customizing readings, music, and the ketubah text while still keeping the traditional framework intact.

Reform Weddings

Reform ceremonies tend to be the most flexible, often blending Hebrew and English, incorporating personalized vows, and giving couples significant freedom in choosing which traditions to include. A chuppah and ring exchange are nearly universal even here, but elements like glass-breaking or circling may be optional or reimagined.

Interfaith and Secular Ceremonies

Many couples — including interfaith couples or those who identify culturally rather than religiously Jewish — choose to keep a few meaningful traditions (a chuppah, a shared cup of wine, breaking the glass) while building a ceremony that reflects both partners' backgrounds. Officiants experienced in interfaith ceremonies can help navigate which traditions to include and how to honor both families.

Blending Backgrounds

If you and your partner come from different denominations, the most common approach is an honest conversation early on about which specific traditions matter most to each of you — then building the ceremony around those, rather than trying to default to one side's full framework. Many officiants are used to this and can help you find a version that feels authentic to both of you.