Planning a Jewish wedding in just six months might seem overwhelming, but with the right organization, it’s absolutely possible. Whether you’re incorporating Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, or modern Jewish traditions, this checklist will help you stay on track and ensure every important detail is covered. From choosing a rabbi to finalizing your ketubah, here’s your step-by-step guide to planning a meaningful and beautiful Jewish wedding in half a year.

---

Month 1: Lay the Foundation

Set the Date and Secure Your Key Vendors

• Choose Your Wedding Date: Consider the days that are traditionally avoided for Jewish Weddings such as Shabbat, Jewish holidays, and other important dates (like the Omer for Orthodox Weddings).
• Book Your Venue: Make sure it accommodates Jewish customs such as kosher catering and a designated space for the chuppah, Tisch and Bedekin if you are planning on having all three.
• Hire a Rabbi or Officiant: Schedule a meeting to discuss ceremony details and any religious requirements.
• Secure Your Photographer and Videographer: Ensure they understand Jewish traditions and can capture all key moments.
• Book a Band or DJ: Confirm they can play traditional Jewish music for the hora and other important dances.
• Determine Your Budget: Outline costs and prioritize spending.
• Draft a Guest List: Start gathering addresses for invitations.

Begin Pre-Wedding Traditions

• Engagement Party: Plan a l’chaim or formal celebration if desired.
• Pre-Marital Counseling: Some rabbis require couples to attend sessions or Bride + Groom classes or Torah classes before the wedding.

---

Month 2: Plan Your Ceremony & Attire

Finalize Jewish Wedding Rituals

• Select Your Ketubah: Choose a design and confirm the text with your officiant.
• Decide on Chuppah Design: Rent or create a meaningful canopy for your ceremony. If you are looking to include florals on your chuppah, your florist should already have the Chuppah foundation for you!
• Plan Your Bedeken & Tisch: If incorporating these traditions, coordinate with your rabbi and start discussing how you want your Tisch and Bedekin to come to life. Each couple has a different vision for this and no matter how you plan it, it will be extremely meaningful and special.
• Select Sheva Brachot Honorees: Choose loved ones to recite the seven blessings during the ceremony under the Chuppah and at the post-wedding sheva brachot. In some sects of Judaism, this is done by the Rabbi!
• Order Kippot: Personalize yarmulkes for guests if desired.

Choose and Order Wedding Attire

• Bride’s Dress and Accessories: Consider modesty preferences and if the Rabbi has any kind of restrictions, keep that in mind!
• Groom’s Attire: Ensure a well-fitted suit and consider a kittel if following Orthodox customs.
• Schedule Dress & Suit Fittings: Ensure plenty of time for alterations.

---

Month 3: Invitations & Catering

Send Invitations & Manage RSVPs

• Design and Order Invitations: Include Hebrew text if desired.
• Create a Wedding Website: Share details about Jewish customs, schedule, and RSVP options.
• Book Hotel Blocks: Reserve accommodations for out-of-town guests.

Plan the Wedding Menu

• Choose Your Menu: Ensure they can provide the menu that works best for you and your wedding party.
• Plan the Bar: Select wine for the ceremony and celebratory drinks for the reception.
• Select the Wedding Cake and Desserts: Sometimes the best part of the meal!

---

Month 4: Finalize Details

Confirm Vendors & Ceremony Plans

• Meet with Your Rabbi: Go over final ceremony details.
• Review Ketubah Text: Ensure accuracy and final approval from the officiant.
• Plan the Music List Coordinate with the band or DJ.
• Finalize Wedding Favors: Consider something that is unique and special to you as a couple.
• Schedule Hair & Makeup Trials: Find the perfect look for the big day.

Pre-Wedding Traditions

• Start considering the Mikvah Visit: Typically done a few days before the wedding but starting to research where and when is best for you and your personal experience is a good idea to consider a couple months before the wedding.
• Plan the Aufruf: If having an aliyah at synagogue, coordinate with the rabbi.

---

Month 5: Final Preparations

Confirm Logistics

• Create a Wedding Day Timeline: Ensure everyone knows where they need to be.
• Assign Wedding Day Roles: Designate people for traditions like the Sheva Brachot (Seven Blessings), Ketubah signing and wearing your Jewelry when you are under the chuppah.
• Confirm Final Guest Count: Provide the number to your caterer and venue.

Get Ready for the Big Day

• Pack for Your Wedding Night & Honeymoon: If leaving right after the celebration.
• Pick Up Wedding Attire: Ensure all accessories and shoes are included. I always tell my couples to put all of your accessories and whatever details you want photographed at the beginning of the day in a box as you get them so you do not forget or misplace anything!
• Prepare a Wedding Day Emergency Kit: Include essentials like safety pins, tissues, and extra bobby pins.

---

Month 6: Enjoy the Celebration

The Final Week

• Have Your Mikvah Visit: A significant spiritual preparation before marriage.
• Rehearse the Ceremony: Go over final details with your officiant and whomever else needs to know what is going on!
• Get Plenty of Rest: Enjoy this exciting and sacred moment in your life!

---

A six-month timeline can be a little daunting at time, but with proper organization, you can create a beautiful and meaningful Jewish wedding. Focus on what matters most, celebrating your love and honoring Jewish traditions.A six-month timeline can be a little daunting at times, but with proper organization, you can create a beautiful and meaningful Jewish wedding. Focus on what matters most—celebrating your love, bringing together family and friends, and honoring Jewish traditions that have been passed down for generations. Every detail, from choosing the perfect chuppah to selecting who will recite the Sheva Brachot, contributes to making your wedding day a deeply personal and unforgettable experience.

Remember, while planning is important, the heart of a Jewish wedding is the sacred commitment you are making to each other. Embrace the process, and don’t stress over perfection—what truly matters is the joy, the love, and the memories you create together. Lean on your family, friends, and vendors who understand your vision and can help bring it to life.

If you’re looking for a photographer who not only captures the beauty of your wedding but also understands the significance of each Jewish tradition, I’d love to help. From the excitement of the Tisch to the emotional moment of the Bedeken, from the chuppah ceremony to the high-energy hora, I’ll be there to document it all with an eye for both artistry and authenticity. Let’s work together to create images that will tell the story of your wedding day for generations to come.

Need a photographer who understands Jewish wedding traditions? Let’s capture your special day! Contact me today to discuss your wedding photography needs.

Mazel tov and happy planning!

Picture this… You are at Maynard’s on the Jersey Shore with the rest of your friends. It is a typical summer shore weekend when you notice your friend is talking to the cute brunette you JUST matched with.You walk right up to them and completely ignore your friend and spend the rest of the night in the corner talking to the cutest and sweetest girl you have ever met…

and that was JUST the beginning.

Fast forward a few years and you are at the same bar posing for your engagement photos, looking super cute with your pup Reese.

I mean, can it get better than that?!!!

I am absolutely blown away by these two…or should I say three!

Little pup, Reese, almost stole the show with her sweetness, but nothing could beat the love and joy that feels electric whenever Shelby and Danny are together.

Their love is fun, silly, full of respect and support, and there is really nothing better than that!

Their easygoing nature and excitement for life is something I deeply admire, and I could not be more excited and happy for these two!

I already know your wedding day is going to be a special one!

Shelby and Danny, I can’t wait to continue celebrating the two of you!! Xos!

A girl never forgets the first time she talks to a someone about Harry Potter.

I remember like it was yesterday… Jessica, one of my closest friends growing up, and I were sitting down on one of the couches in the backroom of our local synagogue. We were playing cards, gossiping about the latest drama, when a spunky redheaded girl, who was two years older than us and WAYYY cooler in every way, walked in and said, “I was up until 3am reading Harry Potter!” She climbed up onto one of the chairs next to us. My entire body tingled with the feeling of magic as we discussed the mystical world of Hogwarts.

A few years later, my parents decided to take us to Disney World. To be totally honest, I was not happy about it! The day we went to Magic Kingdom, I was even more pessimistic than usual. As we waited in line to for some ride that I had absolutely no interested in, I saw a familiar face. It was Adam! Adam was a year ahead of me in school, but way more in touch with himself. As I was playing it cool, acting as if I hated everything and anything that was within a 30 yard circumference, Adam was insanely happy. At the time, I could not have been more envious!

Over a decade later…

“I didn’t meet Adam until I lived in Philadelphia” Marla said beaming as she was talking about her fiance. I was shocked. As someone who grew up in the same Jewish Community as both Adam and Marla, I thought everyone knew everyone, no matter what school, synagogue or group they belonged to. I guess the world wasn’t ready for the amazingness that is Marla and Adam until five years ago.

Roughly five years ago Marla and Adam met, and the world has been a little brighter ever since. Best friends first above everything. They are one of the sweetest couples I have ever met. Marla and Adam have a spark between them that is not only beautiful, fun, loving but also magical in every way.

I have known both of them for as long as I can remember and am in awe of the incredible couple they have become. Both smart, ambitious and good to the core. Both Marla and Adam have the biggest smiles and the best of hearts. The first time I saw them together I thought “YES! That is what it is all about! That is what love is supposed to look like!”

When they are together, you can feel the bond and the love between them. It is truly an incredible thing to witness. Hogwarts and Disney World have nothing on the magic between Marla and Adam. They have more inside jokes and more fun than any two people I have ever met.

My wish for you Marla and Adam is to keep the magic and love alive. Keep loving each other the way you do, there is nothing like it!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•