Jumping the broom: a wedding guide

Many Black American couples jump the broom. They jump hand in hand as the vows end.

When couples book this

About 4 months before your wedding.

Answer these before you meet anyone.

What kind of broom are you picturing?
How are you hoping to get the broom?
Every path is a good one; this is only where you're leaning.
Who do you want decorating the broom?
Decorating together is often its own small gathering.

Usually priced as one flat amount.

Possible extras: Artisan broom, Ribbon, florals & trim.

Where does the broom come from?
Any of these is right: an heirloom that has already been jumped, a broom made for the day by family, a gift from someone who wanted to give this exact thing, or an artisan's piece that becomes the heirloom. Record the story with the object — the officiant can tell it.
Who decorates the broom?
Decorating the broom together — ribbons, cowrie shells, flowers, the couple's names — is often its own small gathering before the wedding.
Where does the jump sit?
Who lays the broom down?
Laying the broom is an honor to give — a grandmother, an elder, the friend who made it. Name them in the program if you like.
How is the tradition shared with guests?
The history as it is known: enslaved people, denied marriage at law, married over a broom; the custom lapsed after emancipation and came back in the 1970s, after Roots. Where it began is contested — the African origin often told for it is undocumented, and the documented roots run through the British Isles and the plantation South (Parry, 2020). Some families hold it as a line to their ancestors; some decline it for where it comes from. Tell it as your family holds it.
Where does the broom live afterward?
The broom you jump is the one you keep — over a doorway, on a mantel, or waiting for the next couple in the family to jump it.

Confirm arrival, finish, who to call, access, a meal, and what is due.

Choose which moments to include.

The brief a couple sends you has these sections: