Incorporating Customs into an Interfaith Wedding

Judaism was the first of the Abrahamic religions followed by Christianity when the prophecies of the Old Testament of the Bible were fulfilled. The religious book of Judaism is the Torah. The Torah and the Old Testament of the Bible include most of the same books. Thus, many Jewish and Christian traditions are similar and can easily be incorporated into an interfaith wedding ceremony. There are wedding planners and officiants that specialize in Jewish/Christian interfaith weddings. They are equipped to help an interfaith couple incorporate both Jewish and Christian customs into the ceremony.

Similar Customs.
A wedding procession starts out both Jewish and Christian wedding ceremonies. Christian wedding processions start with the bridesmaids walking down the isle followed the bride who is typically given away by her father. The groomsmen and the groom are usually standing at the altar with the Minister when the procession starts. In a Jewish wedding procession the groomsmen and the groom walk down the isle, as do the bridesmaids and the bride. This custom is very similar in both religions and can easily be customized to meet the needs of the bride and groom for an interfaith ceremony.

There are many locations that are chosen for both Jewish and Christian wedding ceremonies. Jewish weddings often times take place at a synagogue, outdoors or at a family home. In the Christian tradition many weddings occur in a church, outdoors or at a family home. As you can see finding a location that works for both faiths should not be a problem.

A Jewish wedding often takes place under a Huppah or wedding canopy. Many Christian ceremonies also take place under a beautiful canopy or arbor of some sort. Again, this can be incorporated into both traditions.

Other similar customs include the lighting of candles, the exchanging of vows, the exchanging of rings and the pronunciation of husband and wife. These are all very easy to incorporate into an interfaith wedding.

In both the Jewish and Christian religions a marriage contract is signed. In the Jewish faith this takes place before the ceremony and in Christian tradition it can take place either before or after the ceremony. In Jewish tradition wine is blessed for the ceremony. In Christian weddings sometimes communion is taken. Merging these can be discussed with the clergy.

As you can see, many of the customs are very similar and easily merged. Those customs that are not similar can be used to make your wedding beautiful and unique.