A traditional Jewish wedding is full of amazing rituals that symbolize the relationship of husband and wife. I’ve personally never attended this type of ceremony but, recently had the pleasure of capturing an intimate version of the ceremony on the beach in Makena, Maui.

I’m not sure about what the traditional names are but, I can tell you it started off with the bride circling the groom a total of seven times. I learned that the number seven symbolizes completeness or wholeness and the circling binds the couple which is something that can’t obtain separately.
The ceremony encompasses a special wine and the couple takes turns drinking the wine from silver goblets and then read and sing to one another. It was truly beautiful and gave me goosebumps. There’s also a contract called, ‘ketubah” (marriage contract) in the original Aramaic text that is presented to the couple to sign along with two places for witnesses. The celebration ended with the groom breaking a glass with his foot.
All I can say is that this was an intensely beautiful ceremony and I felt so priviaged to be witness to the ceremony.

Wedding Coordination: Fay Hovey at Aloha Maui Weddings
Maui Wedding Photographer: Nicole Sanchez
Lighting Assistant: Trevor Natividad