Tips For Jewish Destination Weddings Courtesy Of A Wedding Rabbi

By Betty Clark


When you have your heart set on an exotic location for your wedding, you will be forced to make a number of long distance decisions. If you've decided to have the ceremony on the beach or in a garden, you'll be adding an extra dimension to the planning. For the Hebrew couples planning Jewish destination weddings, a wedding rabbi with years of experience has some good advice.

You need to find if there's a local rabbi who can officiate for you. If you are going somewhere remote, finding a rabbi anywhere in the vicinity could be a problem. You might invite your rabbi to fly out and conduct the ceremony. It will be more meaningful with someone you know performing the service, but you will have to pay all his expenses.

An outdoor wedding is always subject to weather conditions. You need to find out if the Chuppah canopy can be moved inside. For an outdoor wedding the four legs are buried in the sand and a plank is put down for the convenience of guests and the bridal party. This can be a laborious process. If moving the canopy is out of the question, you should make sure the florist can provide a hand held one.

You must provide a specific place for all the ritual wedding elements. You need to have your wedding ceremony treasures picked up and placed at your table or by the wedding cake. Be sure you have a pull string bag and someone assigned to pick up the breaking glass. This is an important symbol of your commitment.

If you are flying, you should figure out how best to protect your ketubah. A heavy plastic bag or a cardboard tube, packed carefully in your luggage, should work. If your wedding ceremony is on the beach, you can use a treated canvas ketubah. This material will keep sand and water spray from damaging the document. It's a good idea to have some wire or ribbon on hand in case it gets windy. You can secure the ketubah to the easel that way.

Accommodating guests can get complicated. If possible, you want them on site the day before the wedding. If that's not possible, you need to book the earliest flights the airline can provide. If there are unexpected delays, the guests may still be on time. The wedding planner should have transportation from the airport to the hotel and wedding venue under control.

You can get wedding insurance. This is something you need to put in your budget. It will protect you if anything unforeseen happens, like a change of plans, a caterer who doesn't show up, or a deposit you have to forfeit.

Your wedding should be a joyous occasion. If you are set on having it in an exotic location, you must plan for everything. You never know what will happen and how you'll have to adjust to keep all the elements of your special day on track.




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