With so many things to think about regarding the ‘Big Day’ hopefully this guide will give you some hints about the ceremony that’ll help.
You’ve chosen the venue for the wedding and you’d like to have the whole event including the ceremony at the venue.
So firstly you need to make sure there is a suitable area to accommodate the chuppah and all your guests that will need to be seated. Bear in mind that our average chuppah has a ‘footprint’ of approx 3m x 3m or with a stage you’ll need approx 3.5m x 3.5m. You’ll also need to allow for an area of maybe at least 1m around the chuppah/stage so that the guests chairs aren’t right up against the chuppah or stage. You’ll also need to allow space for a small table to go either behind or to the side of the chuppah for a bottle of wine, glass and ketubah (the Marriage Contract).
Also our average chuppah is 2.5m tall or 3m tall if on a stage, so make sure there is enough ceiling height and no chandeliers to get in the way.
As regards how many chairs you’ll be able to fit into the space, a good ‘rule of thumb’ is to allow each row to occupy approx 3ft (1m) from the back of a chair to the back of the chair in front of it and allow approx 18in (46cm) for the width of the chair.
The aisle carpet we use is 2m wide so you’d need to allow just over that for the aisle so as to have the aisle without any chairs encroaching on it.
If it’s a summer wedding and the venue has suitable grounds, you may decide that you’d like the chuppah to be sited outside. Once again make sure there is a large enough area to accommodate everything without any obstructions such as trees or bushes.
If the ceremony were to be held outside, we would always recommend that you use a PA system so that all the guests can hear the officiant clearly. The PA could also be used for any musicians playing at the chuppah. It may also be worth considering where the venue is…..is it on a flight path or perhaps near a noisy main road!
Finally, remember we’re in the UK which means unreliable weather, so make sure you definitely have a plan B.
In many of the venues we work at, the chuppah tends to be in the same area as the dinner/party will be in afterwards, so just to reassure you we are very used to this ‘room turnround’ and can normally derig and remove the chuppah in approx 15 – 20 mins.
