Return to the Jewish Wedding Guide for Interfaith Couples.

We live in a time when couples have a huge range of choices about the words and rituals they can choose from in planning their wedding ceremony. If you’re working with a rabbi, cantor or officiant of another faith, s/he will probably provide you with some specific ceremony texts and outlines to consider, as well as ideas for incorporating specific elements you may want. You can learn more about the different rituals here. Many clergy are open to suggestions or changes from the specific words and rituals they typically use, though some are more flexible than others, so it’s a good idea to find out early on if the person you’re working with is a good match for your needs. We are often asked for sample wedding ceremonies, so we thought this page would be useful to include.

If you want to fully customize your ceremony language, you can visit our ceremony script tool and hand-pick the language that your officiant will read from (or just get ideas to pass on to your officiant). This is especially popular when having a friend or non-religious officiant lead your ceremony.

We have many samples of different parts of Jewish and interfaith wedding ceremonies that you may want to browse, including alternative English translations to some of the traditional Hebrew blessings. We offer examples of different options for several components of the wedding ceremony, including:

• Blessings over the Wine
• Exchange of Rings
• The Seven Blessings: Alternative Wordings and Explanations
• Ways to End the Ceremony
• Breaking the Glass

We also have examples of ceremony elements that come from outside Jewish tradition, but which are popular among many interfaith couples, such as:

• Lighting a Unity Candle
• Exchanging Vows

If you’re looking for examples of full wedding ceremonies to explore, consider:

• A Jewish-Catholic Ceremony from Rabbi Devon Lerner
• The Knot’s “Sample Wedding Ceremony Scripts”

There are also books with sample ceremonies, including:

Diamant, Anita. The New Jewish Wedding, Revised. (Scribner, 2001)

Foley, Michael P. Wedding Rites: The Complete Guide to Traditional Vows, Music, Ceremonies, Blessings, and Interfaith Services. (Eerdmans, 2008)

Kaplan-Meyer, Gabriele. The Creative Jewish Wedding: A Hands-on Guide to New & Old Traditions, Ceremonies & Celebrations. (Jewish Lights Publishing, 2004)

Lerner, Devon. Celebrating Interfaith Marriages: Creating Your Jewish/Christian Ceremony. (Owl Books, 1999)

Matlins, Stuart M., ed. The Perfect Stranger’s Guide to Wedding Ceremonies. (Skylight Paths Publishing, 2000)

Seid, Judith. God-Optional Judaism: Alternatives for Cultural Jews Who Love Their History, Heritage and Community. (Citadel Press, 2001) (Specifically the chapter on weddings, p. 165-179)

You can also always ask an officiant you’re considering working with if they would be willing to show you examples of ceremonies or rituals that they have used in the past.

Return to the Jewish Wedding Guide for Interfaith Couples or view as a PDF.