Chuppah: a wedding guide

The chuppah is the cloth a Jewish couple stand under to wed. Four poles hold it up.

When couples book this

About 4 months before your wedding.

Answer these before you meet anyone.

How are you hoping to get the chuppah?
A family frame or a borrowed community chuppah is as common as a rental or florist build.
What look are you picturing?
The traditional form is a cloth spread over four poles; a florist's frame or a draped arch stands in for it just as often.
Freestanding, or held by hand?
A hand-held chuppah is carried on four poles by honored people.

Usually priced as one flat amount.

Possible extras: Structure rental / build, Delivery, setup & strike.

Where is the chuppah coming from?
A chuppah doesn't have to be hired — a frame a family member builds, a borrowed community chuppah, or the one your synagogue keeps on hand are all common paths, alongside a florist build or a rental.
What covers the top?
A parent's or grandparent's tallit as the canopy is a common choice; customs vary by family and community. In Sephardi practice a tallit is also spread over the couple's heads under the chuppah while the ketubah is read and the blessings are said — that one comes with the couple, not with the structure.
Freestanding or hand-held?
A hand-held chuppah is carried on four poles by honored people — often close friends or family. A freestanding chuppah is built and struck like a structure.
Who decorates the chuppah?
Where does the chuppah stand?
Many families set the chuppah under the open sky, as a good sign; indoors, the ceiling height decides the pole length.
How does it come down?

Correct these details as needed.

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: