Stacey Jill's parents wedding, circa 1972.

Despite the fact that I have forgotten most of the Hebrew taught to me as a child, I still identify as a “Cultural Jew.”  These days, Melissa nor I are tied to one faith and at first thought many of the typical traditions would have to be thrown out the window. However, we decided that we should go ahead and pick the rituals that  we felt would signify our relationship with each other and our families.

The Chuppah
According to Wikipedia, the Jewish tradition of having a “Chuppah” symbolizes the home the couple will build together.  We are ignoring the part of the definition that says a man now takes control and demonstrates his ability to take care of his woman.  Instead, we are looking towards the story of Abraham and Sarah, who according to Chabad.org, always allowed guests to stay in their home. This act demonstrates the couple’s commitment to establish a home which will always be open to guests.

The Breaking of the Glass
This is said to have many different types of symbolism attached to it. One explanation of this custom seemed to speak to our social activist selves:  “ It is a reminder of the broken and fragmentary nature of reality, and hence a reminder to engage in spiritual repair of the world[45]” (excerpted from Wikipedia). I feel that this speaks to our passion for social activism. We found in the beginning of our relationship that both of us are very passionate about fighting for the good in the world.

The Unity Candle
This is meant to signify the joining of two families and seemed to fit us as this is very important to both of us. We are actually very lucky to have loving and supportive families who will be participating in the ceremony.

As an Anti-Bride, what traditions are you going to keep, create or leave at the altar?

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