How to Make Gentile Guests Feel Welcome at a Jewish Wedding

Do you anticipate having guests at your Jewish wedding who are not familiar with Jewish ceremonies and traditions? Perhaps you are having an interfaith wedding, or perhaps you simply have lots of guests who have never been to a Jewish wedding before. These guests may be apprehensive or simply unsure of what to expect, and they might feel excluded if they do not understand what's going on in the ceremony. Here's how to make your Gentile guests feel comfortable and welcome at your Jewish wedding.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Write a detailed wedding program that includes a section on Jewish wedding ceremonies, and in particular anything that you'll be doing in your ceremony.

2. Include a discussion of Jewish weddings on your wedding website, if you have one. Link your page to some other sites that explain Jewish weddings.

3. Make sure the greeters are very friendly and welcome all the guests. It's important that the Gentile guests don't feel like outsiders.

4. Ask the rabbi to explain traditions throughout the ceremony. There's no need to turn your wedding into a tutorial, but try to make sure the guests know what's going on. The rabbi might mention that the chuppah, or wedding canopy, is a symbol that all are welcome in the couple's home--as they are welcome today.

5. Ask the rabbi and cantor to translate Hebrew words, phrases, and prayers so that guests will understand.

6. Ask the rabbi to explain the glass-breaking ceremony and to tell the guests to yell, "Mazel Tov!" after the glass is broken.

7. At the reception, teach everybody how to do the hora. How fun is that?

Resources

• Jewish Wedding Guide
• Jewish Wedding Ceremony