3 Heart-Melting Jewish Wedding Traditions (and How Your Photographer Should Capture Them!)

Photos and Words By Eliana Melmed, Eliana Melmed Photography

As a both Jewish wedding photographer and a 2025 bride-to-be, I’ve photographed many celebrations that blend tradition with personal touches. While many people know about the breaking of the glass or the hora, there are so many other meaningful Jewish wedding customs that make these celebrations unique. Here are three traditions that always make me reach for my camera — and that I can’t wait to include in my own wedding this year.

At a traditional Jewish wedding, couples often stay separated for a week before their wedding day. As the celebration kicks off, one partner moves through the venue while guests create a pathway, singing the traditional wedding song “Od Yeshama.” The melody fills the room as the big moment approaches. This is the bedeken (veiling ceremony), a meaningful ritual that happens before the chuppah and connects the couple to generations of tradition.

What happens: During the bedeken, one partner (traditionally the groom) approaches the other (traditionally the bride) who sits on a decorated chair surrounded by family members. The approaching partner places a veil over their beloved’s face, symbolizing the biblical story of Jacob and Leah. Once the veil is lowered, guests cheer and celebrate before the entire wedding party processes to the chuppah where the main ceremony will take place. This powerful moment marks the couple’s first sight of each other after their week apart.

Modern interpretations: Today’s couples often put their own spin on this tradition. At one wedding, a partner who didn’t want to wear a veil presented their beloved with a kittel (white robe) instead. This egalitarian approach preserved the ceremony’s emotional core while reflecting the couple’s shared values.

Note for your photographer: Make sure your photographer knows to exactly where to position themselves for this emotional moment. They’ll need to anticipate the best spot to stand for this march without disrupting the crowd or blocking anyone’s view. Ideally, your photographer will find the perfect balance of getting close enough to capture the emotion of the day while staying out of the way of the main event.

After the ceremony and glass breaking, couples experience a beautiful shift from solemnity to celebration as they’re walked to a private room to enjoy their first moments alone as a married couple.

What happens: Immediately following the ceremony, guests form an impromptu parade, escorting the newly married couple to their yichud room (private space) where they’ll share their first moments alone as a married couple. This transition happens quickly as the energy shifts from ceremonial reverence to joyful celebration, with guests singing and dancing alongside the newlyweds.

Behind the scenes: Couples often appoint “yichud guards” – siblings or friends who playfully stand watch outside the door. These guardians make sure the newlyweds get their private moment, sometimes with funny badges or handmade signs. It’s a small but meaningful way to include more loved ones in your day!

Note for your photographer: This tradition rarely comes with an announcement—discuss it in advance so your photographer can anticipate the moment. Capturing the expressions transforming from ceremonial reflection to surprised joy tells a complete emotional story, but requires a photographer who knows when and where to position themselves without getting in the way.

The tradition of creative “shtick” performances reveals the distinctive personality of each couple through their community’s celebratory gestures.

What happens: During the reception, friends and family perform entertaining skits, dances, or presentations tailored specifically to the couple. This could be anything – from wearing ridiculous costumes to dancing with props representing inside jokes or significant moments in the couple’s relationship. Each performance reflects the unique bond between the couple and their community. As a photographer, I usually don’t understand half of what is happening during shtick, but it still has me cracking up every time.

Memorable moments: I’ve photographed friends juggling pickle jars for a pickle enthusiast, guests dancing in college-branded t-shirts representing the couple’s alma maters, and someone pantomiming an inside joke that sent one partner into fits of laughter (no one else knew what was going on but it was apparently hilarious). One particularly memorable performance involved friends dancing with a bag of rice because one partner had written their thesis on rice in medieval Italy — a perfect blend of humor and personal significance.

Note for your photographer: You definitely need two photographers for these spontaneous moments! One should focus on capturing the performers while the other watches the couple’s reactions. These real expressions create photos that genuinely show relationship dynamics in ways posed photos never could.

If you’re planning a Jewish wedding, especially with a photographer who’s not familiar with these customs, clear communication makes all the difference:

Whether you’re incorporating traditional customs or putting your own spin on them, these special moments will become the emotional highlights of your wedding memories. After photographing so many Jewish weddings—and now planning my own!—I can tell you: when your photographer really understands these customs, they’ll capture way more than just traditions. They’ll catch all that genuine love and amazing community spirit that makes Jewish celebrations so incredibly special. Those are the photos you’ll find yourself looking at over and over again for years to come.

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