Why Are Sephardi & Ashkenazi Weddings So Unique?

While Ashkenazi and Sephardic weddings share the same basic framework, customs among the two groups vary widely. From the Shabbat Chatan to the mikvah (ritual immersion), and from henna parties to chuppah styles, each community celebrates this auspicious occasion with its own unique style.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:32 The Ashkenazi aufruf vs. the Sephardic Shabbat chatan
01:35 The mikvah
02:32 The Sephardic henna celebration
03:56 Ashkenazi fasting vs. Sephardic feasting
05:27 When to veil
06:27 The chuppah
07:02 Alone time in the yichud room
07:56 Varying Jewish wedding customs across the world

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Recommended video—Is there a difference between Sephardic & Mizrachi Jews?

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Image and footage credits:
Matt & Ashley Photography
New Line Cinema
Shlomo Werpen “Shlomotions”
Fox
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Pond5
CJ Studios
Touchstone Pictures
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Paramount Pictures
United Artists
NBC
The Cinestory
Universal Pictures
To The Moon
Windthrow
Warner Bros
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Reouven Photography
Ali Warhit
Blake Ezra Photography
Rebecca Denton Photography
Dreamwork Pictures
Rene Zadori Photography
Darcy Troutman Photography
Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
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Forged in the North
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Rabbi Yisroel Bernath
Chris Kapa
TriStar Pictures
Jag Videos
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Executive Producer:
— Barry Skolnick
Co-Executive Producer:
— Shmuel Katz
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Translation credits:

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#wedding #culture #jewish

[izzyreel]

I was raised Orthodox Ashkenazi Jewish and a lot of the Sephardi customs were new to me. I got emotional with how beautiful the traditions are.

[annehersey]

Wow! I like the Sephardi traditions better! Especially the Henna party and the Bachelorette party in the Mikvah!

[yosefzanerva]

My family hails from Lithuania and my brother's wife is from Mumbai, India. We had a Haldi and a Henna, and it was amazing.

[alphadog]

Thanks for explaining so many varied customs within the Jewish diaspora.

[clauuvm]

Thank you for this! I photographed many, many Jewish weddings in my carrier and always noticed different customs in each one, I never knew exactly why until this video.

[gloryakiepper]

Every clip you post teaces me something new and it keeps me fresh. The depth of your knowledge is truly outstanding. Thank you. Enjoy 2024.😊

[kathleenklein]

So interesting to see the Sephardi customs, I love all the colors and gold!

[DouglasMcLaurin]

Love this! Will have a mixed wedding, combining the best!

[Jonathan-giux]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:

00:00 🤵 *Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jewish weddings have some major differences due to the diversity of Jewish traditions over time.*
00:28 📅 *The Ashkenazi Aufruf happens before the wedding, while the Sephardi Shabbat Chatan is after. *
01:26 🛁 *Ashkenazi brides have a private Mikveh, while Sephardi brides celebrate it as a festive pre-wedding party.*
02:53 🎨 *Sephardi brides have elaborate henna parties, uncommon among Ashkenazi. *
03:50 💍 *Sephardi henna customs vary between communities but often involve symbolic objects.*
04:19 🍽 *Ashkenazi brides and grooms fast on their wedding day, while Sephardi feast.*
05:45 👰‍♀️ *The Ashkenazi Bedeken veils the bride before the ceremony, Sephardi veil halfway through.*
06:44 🤵‍♀️ *Ashkenazi use a Chuppah structure, Sephardi use a tallit canopy.*
07:13 💏 *Ashkenazi couples go to a yichud room, Sephardi wait until the night's end.*
08:11 💒 *Today, Sephardi and Ashkenazi weddings blend customs beautifully.*

Made with HARPA AI

[eddwincedeno]

It's nice to see Sephardi customs represented, I feel so many people forget about Sephardi Jews so it's nice to see some representation

[cherrymaryjanefernando]

We love your culture, from Philippines

[Ilayshatz]

I am orthodox Ashkenazi but my moms family is italkim and morrocan so I grew up with Italian jewish food but still prayed in an Ashkenazi synagogue and live by the Ashkenazi way

[ms.tiadaniel]

If Hashem wills I will be having my Sephardi wedding very soon! 😊 You're all invited!

[tashikoweinstein]

Yep, you can definitely tell that Sephardic have Latin influences just by their wedding ceremony alone. We Latinos always find an excuse to party! In Colombia 🇨🇴 my mom's home country, they always throw a big goodbye party. In fact, goodbye parties are bigger than a Quinceanera in Colombia. For Colombians, "life is a party, " and apparently, the same rule applies to Sephardic
Henna Party?! I was told that Henna was Cultural Appropriation! Knowing that Henna is a Jewish Custom, I am getting Henna more often. Also, you didn't explain the separation between men and women during the wedding ceremony, a big deal among my tribe, and I hate it!

[sondranewall]

My father was an orthodox Jew, and we did not fast before the wedding, neither did my sisters or brother. My mom died before I was married, when I was young, and my oldest sister walked me down the aisle. My father entertained my inlaws in his home the night before the wedding and my ex-husband was there for the party. My sister closest in age with me had the same party the night before the wedding; however, probably because my brother in laws family was from Birmingham, Alabama, and we lived in Newark, NJ, were the my sister and brother in law were married at a big fancy hall.

[ryanmoore]

Lmao your guys cut in clip game in one of the best on youtube hands down

[LuzzyStef]

Wow I did not know Sephardim do all that

[LeFleur]

Im not jewish but im morroccan, so the sephardi wedding is very similar to the traditional morrocan wedding

[gamermapper]

Can you talk about the specific Edot and Minhag of Italian Jews (Italkim/Bene Roma)? It's a third secret group that very few people talk about. In fact even in Italy they aren't a majority.

[KiraHelenRose]

I do wish you would more clearly differentiate true Sephardi (Spanish/Iberian) traditions from Mizrahi traditions. It makes it very hard to learn the differences between them when they are conflated together due to liturgical labels. Whenever I try to learn about Sephardim, I just get a lot of Mizrahi culture coming up in the results. It would be nice to see Sephardi traditions fully represented independently. They deserve their own recognition.
I watched a film called The Governess, it is about a Sephardi Jewess in England in the 1840s. The traditions represented had a very Spanish and Mediterranean flair, but also were much more similar to Ashkenazi culture than to Mizrahi. I don’t know how accurate the portrayal is in the film though. If anyone has seen it and can tell me, I would really appreciate it. I know the woman who directed it is of Italian Sephardi background. So perhaps that is why. Perhaps the Italian Sephardic traditions and Spanish Sephardic traditions differ greatly? I know Italian Sephardi is also different from the Italkim culture. And the liturgy is different.
It would be wonderful to dive into all of these things and be able to understand more of these differences.