A Jewish wedding usually runs in this order: the kabbalat panim receptions, with the groom’s tisch and the ketubah signing, then the bedeken, the chuppah, breaking the glass, the yichud, and the reception with the hora. The order is steady; the timing isn’t, because Shabbat, festivals and the season all shape when a UK Jewish wedding can start. Below: each part in turn, a sample timeline with clock times, and where photographs and film fit.
The short answer: Allow about an hour for the receptions, tisch, ketubah and bedeken, around 30 to 45 minutes for the chuppah, a short yichud, then the reception. Weddings can’t take place on Shabbat, so a Saturday-night chuppah waits until Shabbat ends: late afternoon in December, late evening in June.
Every community does things a little differently, so check the details with your rabbi. For how synagogue rules on cameras compare with other places of worship, see what each UK ceremony allows for photography and filming.
What is the order of events at a Jewish wedding?
Kabbalat panim and the tisch
Before the ceremony, the couple usually receive guests separately. The bride sits in a decorated chair as family and friends greet her. Elsewhere, the groom’s tisch (Yiddish for “table”) gets going: he begins a short teaching, and his friends interrupt with songs and toasts. Some of the best candid photographs of the day happen here.
The ketubah signing
The ketubah, the marriage contract, is often signed at or just before the tisch, in front of the rabbi and two witnesses. It’s over in minutes, so tell your photographer exactly when and where. Many ketubot are works of art, so we photograph it on its own too.
The bedeken
The groom is led, usually with singing, to the bride, looks at her, and lowers her veil. In many traditional weddings it’s the first time the couple have seen each other in days, and one of the most emotional moments of the day. The crowd around the bride closes in fast, so we position ourselves before the procession arrives.
The chuppah
The chuppah is the canopy under which the ceremony takes place, often open to the sky. The main parts:
- The processional, often with both sets of parents.
- The circling. In many traditional weddings the bride circles the groom seven times. In many Reform and Liberal weddings the couple circle each other, or the circling is left out.
- The betrothal blessings over a cup of wine.
- The ring. The groom places the ring on the bride’s finger with a declaration; in many egalitarian ceremonies both give rings.
- The reading of the ketubah, often in Aramaic and English.
- The seven blessings (sheva brachot), often shared among family and friends.
- Breaking the glass. The groom, or the couple together, breaks a glass underfoot, and the room shouts mazel tov.
The yichud
Straight after the chuppah, the couple spend a short time alone in a private room, their first as a married couple, and those who fasted often eat here. We leave you to it, though many couples like a quiet portrait as they come out.
The reception and the hora
The couple’s entrance, the hora with chairs lifted high, the meal and speeches. Grace after meals (birkat hamazon) often closes the meal, with the seven blessings repeated. In Orthodox weddings, dancing may be separate for men and women.
A sample Jewish wedding timeline
This example is a Sunday wedding with the chuppah at 15:30 at a venue near London. Move every time to fit yours.
| Time | What happens | Photo and film |
|---|---|---|
| 12:30 | Getting ready | Details, family, the dress, the ketubah on its own |
| 13:45 | Family photographs, each side separately | Quick, planned groups before guests arrive |
| 14:30 | Kabbalat panim, groom’s tisch, ketubah signing | Two places at once: photographer with one, filmmaker with the other |
| 15:10 | Bedeken | In position before the procession arrives |
| 15:30 | Chuppah | Fixed camera and microphone set beforehand; photographer to the side |
| 16:10 | Yichud | You alone; a quiet portrait as you come out |
| 16:30 | Drinks reception | Couple portraits (20 minutes), mixed family groups, guests |
| 17:45 | Entrance and hora | Two cameras on the dance floor |
| 18:15 | Dinner and speeches | Every word recorded |
| 22:00 | Grace after meals and seven blessings, dancing | Coverage ends to suit you |
The tisch and the bride’s reception happen at the same time, one reason to book photography and film together: one of us stays with each.
When do the portraits happen at a Jewish wedding?
It depends on whether you see each other before the bedeken.
- Traditional route. Photograph each family separately before the receptions, then do couple portraits (twenty minutes) and mixed family groups during the drinks after the yichud.
- First-look route. Some couples see each other privately before the ceremony and do the portraits early, so they can join the drinks. Our guide to seeing each other before the ceremony weighs it up.
Light matters too. In winter, portraits after a 15:30 chuppah will be in the dark, so do them before the ceremony or plan lit portraits: see UK winter wedding light and timings. For the groups, see how to plan your family photo list.
Can you have a Jewish wedding on a Saturday?
Not during the day. Jewish weddings aren’t held on Shabbat, which runs from Friday sunset to nightfall on Saturday, or on festivals. In Orthodox communities, weddings are also traditionally avoided during most of the Omer, between Pesach and Shavuot (with Lag BaOmer the exception), and the Three Weeks, from 17 Tammuz to Tisha B’Av. Reform communities are more flexible.
Shabbat ends at nightfall, after sunset, and that moves a long way through the year. London sunset times, around the 1st of each month:
| Month | Sunset | Month | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16:00 | July | 21:20 |
| February | 16:50 | August | 20:50 |
| March | 17:40 | September | 19:50 |
| April | 19:35 | October | 18:40 |
| May | 20:25 | November | 16:35 |
| June | 21:10 | December | 15:55 |
The latest sunsets, around 21:20 to 21:25, fall in late June; the earliest, around 15:50, in mid-December. Your community’s calendar gives the exact, later, time Shabbat ends on your date. In practice, Saturday-night weddings are easiest in the darker months, and many summer couples choose a Sunday instead. A Friday wedding has the opposite problem: it must finish before Shabbat begins at sunset, which in December is before 4pm.
A Saturday-night wedding means no daylight, and in observant families getting ready, travel and photography all wait until Shabbat ends, so we plan lit portraits.
How do Orthodox, Masorti, Reform and Liberal weddings differ?
The shape is the same; the details vary. In broad terms, and always subject to your rabbi (Masorti weddings often sit between the two columns):
| Orthodox | Reform and Liberal | |
|---|---|---|
| Ketubah | Traditional text | Often an egalitarian text, signed by both |
| Circling | The bride circles the groom, often seven times | Mutual circling, or none |
| Rings | Often one ring, given by the groom | Often both give rings |
| Seating and dancing | Separate seating and dancing are common in Orthodox weddings | Mixed |
| Cameras in synagogue | Photography during the ceremony may be restricted | Varies; ask |
Legally, Jewish weddings can take place anywhere in England and Wales, including outdoors, without a registered building. Many couples hold the chuppah at their venue, where cameras have more freedom. If your wedding brings two traditions together, our guide to two ceremonies in one day covers timings and outfit changes. We have filmed a Hindu and Jewish wedding in London, with both ceremonies told as one story.
From behind the camera
Under the chuppah, the best view of the couple’s faces is often from just behind the rabbi, exactly where we can’t stand without permission. So we ask at the planning stage, and if the answer is no, we set a small fixed camera and microphone before guests arrive and work the edges with longer lenses.
The glass happens in a second, so we decide in advance which of us has the feet and which has the faces. On the hora, our filmmaker goes inside the circle only when the dancing allows, and always keeps clear of the people lifting the chairs.
Frequently asked questions
What is the order of a Jewish wedding?
Most Jewish weddings follow the same shape: the kabbalat panim receptions, with the groom’s tisch and the ketubah signing, then the bedeken, when the groom veils the bride. Next comes the chuppah, with the betrothal blessings, the ring, the reading of the ketubah and the seven blessings, ending with breaking the glass. Then the yichud, and the reception with the hora.
Can a Jewish wedding be held on a Saturday?
Not during the day. Jewish weddings are not held on Shabbat, which runs from Friday sunset to nightfall on Saturday, or on festivals. A Saturday-night wedding can start once Shabbat ends, which in London is late afternoon in December but late evening in June. Your community calendar gives the exact time Shabbat ends on your date.
Can you photograph the ketubah signing?
Usually, yes, though it depends on your rabbi and community. The signing is often in a side room before the ceremony, with the witnesses, the rabbi and close family. It is quick, so your photographer needs to know when and where it happens. Ask your rabbi in advance, and photograph the ketubah itself as a detail too.
Can a Jewish wedding be held outdoors in the UK?
Yes. Jewish weddings, like Quaker weddings, can legally take place anywhere in England and Wales, including outdoors, without a registered building. That is why many couples hold the chuppah in a venue’s garden. Most other religious weddings and register office weddings cannot legally be held outdoors. Your rabbi will advise on the religious requirements.
Keep reading
- Can you take photos during the ceremony? UK rules for every kind of wedding: how synagogue rules compare, with an email template for your rabbi.
- Fusion weddings: two ceremonies in one day: for interfaith and two-culture celebrations.
- Winter weddings in the UK: light and timings for a December Saturday night.
Planning a Jewish wedding? See how we photograph and film Jewish weddings, then book a call and tell us your date and chuppah time.
