Wedding Details

Definitions

Aufruf: Despite public opinion, this is not the sound a Jewish dog makes when it barks. An Aufruf is when the happy couple receives an aliyah (going up to bless G-d for the reading of the Torah.) the Shabbat before the wedding. Aliyah is Hebrew for "going up," and aufruf is Yiddish for the same thing. The congregants throw candy (preferably soft) after the Aliyah to wish the couple a sweet life together. The groom is supposed to use his tallis to protect the bride from her vicious candy-throwing friends.
Bedekin: The purpose of the bedekin is to make sure the groom is getting the right bride. Remember what happened to Jacob? He thought he was marrying his beloved Rachel, but her father substituted her sister Leah instead. Brian doesn't want to have to work another seven years to earn the right to marry Marsha, so he'll be danced by the men into Marsha's tisch to make sure he's marrying the right sister! Not that there's anything wrong with Susan! Once Marsha's identity has been confirmed, the ceremony can begin!
Benchers: These are little books with prayers in them that are used for festive meals, including Shabbat. When used for weddings, they can contain just the prayers and blessings needed for a wedding, or they can be complete offerings with songs for Shabbat, the Grace After Meals with appropriate additions for all s'machot, and lots of other stuff. We'll be using the larger kind so that we can use our wedding benchers in our new home for all of our Shabbatot and festive occasions. We will use these at the wedding to "bench" - pray after dinner. It's a lot of fun, and you are more than welcome to take your bencher home with you as a souvenir.
Chattan: The groom. In yiddush, it's Chassan, leading to the groom's tisch to be called the "chassan's tisch" - often said in one slurred word.
Chuppah: The chuppah is the canopy that the bride and groom stand under during the ceremony. It symbolizes G-d's presence and symbolizes the couple's new home. It is made from anything that will constitute a canopy - often a tallis, a quilt, or something made specifically for the ceremony. It is held up with four poles either held by the chuppah holders or free standing.
Kallah: The Bride
Ketubah: This is the Jewish marriage contract. The Ketubah is one of the oldest elements in a Jewish wedding. It's also pretty unromantic. Traditional ketubot do not mention love, trust, the establishment of a Jewish home, or God. As is appropriate for Marsha and Brian, it's pretty much just a legal contract. Ketubot are written in Aramaic text and give women legal status and rights in the marriage. The ketubah, traditionally, is an agreement that the groom will care and provide for the bride. The ketubah is signed by the rabbi and two witnesses who are not related to the couple. The ketubah is read during the ceremony under the chuppah, and it becomes the property of the bride after the wedding.
Kiddushim: This is the actual marriage ceremony. It precedes the sheva brachot under the chuppah as part of the ceremony. The groom takes a plain gold ring and places it on the finger of the bride, and recites in the presence of two witnesses, "Behold you are sanctified (betrothed) to me with this ring, according to the Law of Moses and Israel."
Kipah (Plural is kipot): This is the Hebrew word for what is often known as a yarmulke (pronounced by most as ya-ma-ka ) or by some as a Jewish beanie. Males are required to have their heads covered in shul, and some wear kipot all the time. Some women wear kipot in shul as well. Kipot are also worn at s'machot, and thus they'll be worn at the wedding don't worry we'll provide them!
Schtick: This can mean a lot of stuff, but at a wedding it has a whole new bizarre connotation. Part of the job of the wedding guests is to entertain the couple (yup, we put our guests to work). The tradition at Jewish weddings is to dance the hora and other such Jewish dances at the start of the reception. At some point, the bride and groom sit down and are entertained by their guests. This can involve everything from dancing for them to schtick magic tricks, silly hats, props, masks, costumes, and generally any sort of silliness. It's a whole lot of fun and makes for great photos! Our photographer even caught a firebreather on film during schtick at a recent wedding! You don't have to participate just watching is fun enough, but with a drink or two in you, we bet you'll want to.
Sheva Brachot: The seven wedding blessings said under the chuppah and again after the wedding meal. Marsha and Brian will also have them said at the seven meals they eat in the days after the wedding. Often people host these meals for the couple when they do, those meals are also known as sheva brachot.
Shul: The yiddush word for synagogue, temple, house of worship or, as Brian says, place of temporary abode for the big cheese. Ours is Anshe Emet in Lakeview.
Simcha (plural s'machot): A happy occasion. Weddings are very much on the list.
Tallis(or Tallit): This is that big scarf that Jewish men wear on shabbat. It's a prayer shawl and has fringes (tzitzis ) on the four corners. Many couples use tallitot (plural) for their chuppah.
Tisch: Tisch is Yiddish for "table." Before the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom are in separate rooms to celebrate with those of their gender. Here's how it works: It's customary for the bride and groom to fast on their wedding day because this day is a symbolic "Day of Atonement" for them as they end separate lives and start one together. Traditionally, when the groom would daven Mincha, (recite the daily afternoon service) it would be customary for him to have a quorum of ten adults (a minyan). After the recitation of the afternoon prayer, the groom can eat and drink, so he shares this with his fellow guests and prayer buddies (traditionally men). It is traditional that the host (here, the groom) of a festive Jewish meal say a few (or more) words of Torah at such an occasion. It has, however, become traditional for the groom to be constantly interrupted during his attempt to offer such words at his tisch - after all, he's probably a little nervous and making a speech isn't going to help! So if you're in Brian's tisch, don't let him get a word in edgewise! Marsha's group, however, will have no such interruptions because she won't be trying to make any Torah speeches The women's tisch is an opportunity to bond as womenfolk and dance and sing together to celebrate being female on such a joyous day! The tisches come right before the bedekin see above.
Yichud: You can think of this as alone time. Yichud is Hebrew for "together. This is an opportunity for the bride and groom to share their first few minutes as husband and wife in quiet and calm before they go dance their feet off at the reception. Usually, the couple has something to eat, and despite how it may have been done in ancient times, they do NOT consummate the marriage. Most couples, we're told, spend most of the 20 minutes or so staring at each other and saying Wow. We're married. over and over.