During the wedding planning journey with our couples, one of our favourite parts is working on the chuppah design for their modern Jewish weddings. Chuppahs in and of themselves are structurally very simple, which allows us a lot of freedom to make them beautiful, aesthetically aligned features that often become one of the major talking points of the entire wedding. Elegante by Michelle J couples generally choose chuppah designs that are real show-stoppers, and no two look the same because they are thoughtfully and personally curated – here’s how we do it, and how you can narrow down what you want for your own chuppah.
You’ll also find a whole bank of design inspiration below!
What does your chuppah have to have for a Jewish wedding?
The good news is, all a chuppah needs to be is four poles with a canopy or covering over the top, with open sides. Symbolically, it represents the home you will build together as a couple, with your marriage becoming legally binding during the ceremony that takes place beneath it. Our couples often choose to use a family heirloom Tallit as part of the canopy.
Beyond this, the design of your chuppah is entirely up to you and can be absolutely whatever you want it to be.
How Elegante by Michelle J approaches chuppah design.
For us, the chuppah ceremony is the heart of your wedding, and it tends to be a very emotive and emotional part of the day. For this reason, we really love to celebrate this important element of our couples’ weddings by designing chuppah structures that really deliver on wow factor.
More often than not, your chuppah is one of the first things your guests will see when they arrive on your wedding day – it’s the first opportunity to utterly transport them into the world we’ve designed for you, the first chance to include them in a truly special memory that they’ll all share.
We treat your chuppah both as part of your wedding design as a whole, and as its very own moment with a specific style and atmosphere. Designing your chuppah starts with an anchor, something that the whole aesthetic revolves around – this might be the olive grove it will stand in front of, or your favourite flower, for example.
More often than not, our couples go big and beautiful with their chuppah designs – abundant florals are a popular choice at our weddings!
However, not all couples, venues and weddings need or want a big, elaborate chuppah. Sometimes our couples want their venues to speak for themselves, and the design of your chuppah will always be influenced by where you’re having your wedding. Let’s compare a Jewish wedding in a London ballroom vs one in an overseas destination, for example:
- A London hotel ballroom can be beautiful and elegant in itself, but the wow factor really comes from your styling. Added to which, it’s likely that your guests will have attended London ballroom weddings before or at least think they know what to expect. In this case, designing a chuppah that is full of personality and really impactful in the space is more important
- At a destination wedding (such as Emily & Avery’s shown below) you may choose to host your chuppah somewhere with a fabulous backdrop, and want that view to do all the talking. In this case, your venue is already doing some of the ‘decorating’ work so you may choose to keep your chuppah design more simple
The best part about your chuppah design is that there are no rules beyond the basic structure, so no two ever have to look or feel the same. We work with our trusted range of vendor partners across chuppah structure build, florals, styling and lighting production to ensure something bespoke and beautiful, every time.
Chuppah design inspiration for your modern Jewish wedding
Destination wedding chuppah designs:
Aviva & Alan’s chuppah at the Synagogue in Florence
See their full weekend wedding.
Emily & Avery’s chuppah at their Algarve wedding
Read about their destination wedding in Portugal.
Katie & Tom’s chuppah at their Mallorcan garden wedding
The full garden party wedding here.
Natasha & Mark’s lakeside chuppah in Italy
Talia & Nadav’s Spanish wedding chuppah
Read about this two-centre wedding beginning in Barcelona.
London wedding chuppah designs:
Annabel & Oli’s Kew Gardens chuppah
Discover this celebration at one of London’s most iconic venues
Daniella & Adam’s chuppah in London
See the whole London museum wedding.
Emily & Louis’ chuppah at Corinthia London
Featured on Smashing The Glass
Georgia & Tom’s Savoy wedding chuppah
See more of this beautiful London ballroom wedding
Kirsty & Dean’s Rosewood London chuppah
Discover our 5 favourite London ballrooms for weddings.
CONTACT MICHELLE
Practical considerations for your chuppah design
No matter how decadently designed your chuppah, it still needs to serve its purpose. Here are a few practical tips to keep in mind:
- There needs to be enough space underneath the chuppah for everything you want to include in your ceremony. Often, couples stand beneath the chuppah with many members of their family as well as the rabbi, and other guests may come up to do readings throughout. However much space you start with under the chuppah, remember that if you start building out the poles with florals it will start to creep inwards – ensure you factor this in.
- You should also make sure all your guests have a good view of what’s happening underneath the chuppah, so if you have lots of decor on the poles you’ll need to consider the configuration of the seating around it. As beautiful as your florals may be, your guests are here to see you get married! In the past we have created various different seating arrangements to accommodate this.
- Can you reuse your chuppah space at any point during the day? With such a carefully designed structure, it always seems a shame to walk away from your ceremony and not see it again all day! Our couples often like to return for photos beneath the chuppah (provided your ceremony and reception are happening in the same location) or have their cake cutting there later in the evening.
- If your wedding is taking place in a Synagogue, you and your suppliers will need to work with them to arrange access times and to establish what is and isn’t allowed. Your chuppah design may require a long build time or specific items or materials to be brought inside, and this all needs to be checked and approved to remain respectful and ensure everything goes to plan on the day.
Of course, having a Jewish wedding planner on board throughout removes the need for you to worry about any of this, and also gives you the best chance of marrying beneath a chuppah that your friends and family will be talking about for years to come!
Get in touch to start planning your Jewish wedding in the south of England or Mediterranean Europe – if you love our chuppah designs, just wait until you see the rest of our weddings.