I gave this to my neice who is wanting a Jewish wedding and I used it for my own (neither of us were born Jewish). It's a great reference for the planning of a wedding and also for educating non-jewish guests. Highly recommend it if you just can buy one book!

My fiance and I bought this book at the suggestion of the rabbi who was performing our ceremony. He was raised conservative and I was raised reform but at the time of our marriage was not relgious at all. We both thought it a good idea to check out the book, mainly because the rabbi (conservative) recommended it. In particular, I was interested in learning a bit more to blend in with my now-husband's family.



I think the problem with the book is that it was amazingly condescending. Perhaps for people with absolutely no knowledge of Judiaism it wouldn't have been so. However, to me it oversimplified many concepts, seem to claim there was only "one right way" to have a Jewish wedding in some respects, and left out the key information we were looking for -- namely the appropriate processional and recessional formations for a couple without significant family issues or discord.



My suggest about this book would be to purchase only if you have little or no prior knowledge of Judiasm or Jewish weddings. Otherwise, it really did not go past the information we received from our Rabbi and our own personal knowledge.

My fiance and I bought this book at the suggestion of the rabbi who was performing our ceremony. He was raised conservative and I was raised reform but at the time of our marriage was not relgious at all. We both thought it a good idea to check out the book, mainly because the rabbi (conservative) recommended it. In particular, I was interested in learning a bit more to blend in with my now-husband's family.

I think the problem with the book is that it was amazingly condescending. Perhaps for people with absolutely no knowledge of Judiaism it wouldn't have been so. However, to me it oversimplified many concepts, seem to claim there was only "one right way" to have a Jewish wedding in some respects, and left out the key information we were looking for -- namely the appropriate processional and recessional formations for a couple without significant family issues or discord.

My suggest about this book would be to purchase only if you have little or no prior knowledge of Judiasm or Jewish weddings. Otherwise, it really did not go past the information we received from our Rabbi and our own personal knowledge.

I got this book for my fiance on the recommendation of my Rabbi. She loves it.

My fiance and I were looking for a book to explain Jewish wedding laws and customs. We bought a few different books, and I think this was by far the best.

I particularly liked its clarity and organization. While other books bombard you with random Hebrew and Yiddish terms (sometimes translating them into English and leaving out the original language), this book takes time to explain them. It distinguishes which Jewish wedding practices are law and which are custom. It talks about both Ashkenazi and Sephardi traditions and makes it fairly clear which traditions are specific to one ethnicity and which are more universal. It addresses a number of mainstream American wedding practices (such as rehearsal dinners) that are NOT typically a part of Jewish weddings. And it educates in a way that makes me feel like I have a grip on the information, rather than throwing out pieces of information that make me go "Huh? What's up with that?"

There is a reason rabbis recommend this book. If you have any interest in learning about Jewish weddings, especially if you want to incorporate Yiddishkeit into your own wedding, this is the book to get.

My fiance and I were looking for a book to explain Jewish wedding laws and customs. We bought a few different books, and I think this was by far the best.

I particularly liked its clarity and organization. While other books bombard you with random Hebrew and Yiddish terms (sometimes translating them into English and leaving out the original language), this book takes time to explain them. It distinguishes which Jewish wedding practices are law and which are custom. It talks about both Ashkenazi and Sephardi traditions and makes it fairly clear which traditions are specific to one ethnicity and which are more universal. It addresses a number of mainstream American wedding practices (such as rehearsal dinners) that are NOT typically a part of Jewish weddings. And it educates in a way that makes me feel like I have a grip on the information, rather than throwing out pieces of information that make me go "Huh? What's up with that?"

There is a reason rabbis recommend this book. If you have any interest in learning about Jewish weddings, especially if you want to incorporate Yiddishkeit into your own wedding, this is the book to get.

I originally bought this book from amazon when I first got engaged. My fiance and I are both jewish and have been to many many jewish weddings, but I wanted to learn more. So, I found this book because of all the glowing reviews! And I would like to add another one!

As I said in the title, I read it once and since I kept telling my fiance little tidbits that I didn't know or things that were interesting, he asked to borrow the book. After his first reading he said that he wanted to review certain sections, highlight them and then pass this book onto his mother!

I really found Diamant's book to be greatly inspiring and full of explainations on what parts are necessary in a jewish ceremony and what parts are customs and why. She really appeals to a large audience because she does not assume you have to be orthodox to understand or take part in anything she discusses. This book has also inspired me to have a Friday night "Sabbath" dinner with close family before our wedding and integrate some rituals I didn't know about previously, like both mothers breaking a plate. (Read the book to find out what it means!)

And since I am having a long engagement, I am going to have to refresh my memory soon because when I read it I just remember saying out loud "Oh, that is so cool! I want that to happen during my ceremony too!"

BUY THIS BOOK! YOU WON'T REGRET IT!

I married a Jewish man this August and this book was a lifesaver! My dear mother-in-law got me a copy and it proved invaluable. Anita Daimant is great at explaining things clearly and simply without condecension. Additionally, she understands that each person's experience within Judaism is different. She provides various translations for wedding blessings and poems which will fit almost everyone's experience. I highly recommend this book to anyone, especially the non-Jew or newly converted, who are having a Jewish wedding.

Though my fiancee isn't a religious person, he's not Jewish. But we are having a "Jewish" wedding. In her book, Anita Diamant dismisses such relationships and marriages in a rather disparaging way. She seems to think that if you're not both Jewish, the other had better convert (like *her* husband did.) I don't like the tone of this book at all. It is chock-full of fabulous facts but it talks to the reader in a holier-than-thou tone that I, for one, can't stand.