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chuppah holders?

robinmswrobinmsw member
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in Jewish Weddings
Did anyone have people hold your chuppah?  Or carry it down the aisle?We were originally planning on having four of our good friends carry it down the aisle and hold it during the ceremony.  But now I'm worried about them getting restless or being bored standing up there.  I thought of just having them carry it down the aisle and putting it in weighted vases and then sitting down, but my fiance thinks that defeats the purpose--if it's going to be free-standing, why not just have it set up when people come in?Anyone have ideas?  What did you do?Thanks, as always.
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Re: chuppah holders?

  • slbriz34slbriz34
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    You both have valid points and I'd say it depends on who you've chosen for the honours.  The ceremony is only so long; I think they can manage for 20-30 minutes.  But if not, it's still very much an honor to be asked to carry the chuppah and to do so and put them in weighted vases isn't a big deal. You'll just have to decide on it.  My opinion; if you really think they'll be bored, then I'd go with your suggestion - they get to participate and then sit down to enjoy the ceremony like every other guest, imho.  :-)
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  • MoFreeMoFree member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We had 4 chuppah holders who carried the chuppah down the aisle and then held it for the ceremony. I was not aware of any issues of boredom or restlessness. Two of the chuppah holders are not Jewish, my brother and a younger cousin who were very honored to be given a role in the ceremony.
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  • 2dBride2dBride member
    5 Love Its First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We made the decision to have a free-standing chuppah, because our wedding will be very small (under 20 people), and over half are already participating in some way (MOH, dude of honor, reader, seven people giving the seven blessings, two photographers, and a videographer).  I therefore ended up making our chuppah (picture below), and we will have it set up before people come in.[img]<a href="http://s89575357.onlinehome.us/ChuppahSmall.jpg" rel='nofollow'>http://s89575357.onlinehome.us/ChuppahSmall.jpg</a>[/img]
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  • RachiemooRachiemoo member
    First Anniversary First Comment Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    we did free standing and it worked out well for us. 
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  • silversparkssilversparks member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We didn't have anyone carry our chuppah. We thought about it, but we had so many people involved in the ceremony, we wanted to clear some space for traffic control! I think sometimes it can be hard for the seated guests to see what's going on if there's a large wedding party, family members, and chuppah holders crowding around. However, it is a great way to include friends in the ceremony, just make sure they can stand for a good 20 minutes comfortably, and I've never seen a problem with boredom. Also, my mom made our chuppah, and if anything happened to it she would have been devastated. [img]<a href="http://tinyurl.com/mvod92" rel='nofollow'>http://tinyurl.com/mvod92</a>[/img]
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  • BenandDinaBenandDina
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    edited December 2011
    We did free-standing, and it worked well for us.
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  • hbarbourhbarbour member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We are planning to have 4 carriers/holders (mix of family and honored friends). But we have no wedding party other than that to speak of. I do agree with what someone posted about it being hard to see if there's a large crowd under the huppah, so if you have a large wedding party that could be something to think about. For me, I really loved the idea of the huppah procession and how it fits with the notion of B&G being king and queen for the day. Plus, we have a friend making ours and it's just stunning, so I think it will make for amazing photos and set a dramatic stage for our walk down the aisle. But I also think that having a freestanding huppah there for guests to see as they're getting seated equally builds the anticipation. Whatever you decide will be right! Good luck and have fun!
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  • becohen15becohen15
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Hi -     I am planning to have my 4 chuppah holders walk the chuppah down and then put it in some kind of weighted vase or planter and then sit down.   (I will have seats in the front reserved for them).  As pp said, I think it will be too crowded at the front with them plus my wedding party.  But, I still want to honor those 4 people by having them carry the chuppah.  Nobody has said it would be weird to do it this way . . .      Also, I was a chuppah holder at a friends wedding 2 years ago, and I did not feel restless or bored.  I had an upclose view of the ceremony.  :)  That held my attention.hth.Beth
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  • shali1212shali1212 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We are making our chuppah. We are filling plastic "terra cotta" pots with concrete, inserting 2 foot pvc pipes in them and the poles for the chuppah will insert into those. We are filling the concrete-pots with flowers and plants on top so it won't look ugly.
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  • becohen15becohen15
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Shali -     What size flower pots will you use?  Are you worried they will be too heavy with cement?  I was thinking of cement too, but am worried the pots will be difficult to carry once they are filled with cement.
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