- What is the average cost of a kosher wedding?
For New York City in 2010, the average cost of a kosher wedding for around 200 people is between
$33,791 and $56,318. For the US in 2010, the average cost of a kosher wedding for around 200 people is between
$21,735 and $36,224. To learn how these averages were calculated, please visit:
http://orthodoxjewishwedding.blogspot.com/2010/05/average-cost-of-kosher-wedding.html
- What are some venues that can seat high capacities of people?
A shortlist of reasonably priced in-house kosher catered venues that hold upwards of 400pp in the NY/NJ area include Marina Del Ray, Crystal Plaza, Atrium, Temple Beth El, and the Sephardic Temple. These places offer the venue, catering, wait staff, bar, etc at around $79 - $110 / pp + tax + gratuity. ...significantly less than going to a venue that requires an outside kosher caterer (please note, these prices were quoted after using negotiation tactics and were stated for a Feb'10 wedding; refer to:
http://orthodoxjewishwedding.blogspot.com/2010/04/questions-to-ask-wedding-venues-about.html)
- What are ideas for the chuppah?
Some ideas for the chuppah include using branches instead of flowers to decorate the chuppah, use a Tallit as the top cover, have family or close friends put a nice design or message on a piece of fabric and then sow together to create the top cover, or be a minimalist and go for basic white fabric and slim poles. For more details, please visit:
http://orthodoxjewishwedding.blogspot.com/2010/12/perfect-chuppah-ideas-and-ways-to-save.html
- How can you make your wedding dress more modest?
Making your dress more modest can be as easy a as finding a matching jacket or shawl to having a seamstress add sleeves and extra coverage around the collarbone and shoulders. Consideration should be given to available and/or practical options, as pricing and timing can vary. To learn more, please visit:
http://orthodoxjewishwedding.blogspot.com/2010/11/making-your-jewish-wedding-gown-more.html
- What are suggestions for long-sleeve bridesmaid dresses?
There are options for modest bridesmaid dress such as using a dress undershirt underneath a strapless or less modest dress, there are several types of Chinese gowns pre-designed with sleeves, check out department store websites and search for bridesmaid or mother of the bride gowns for long sleeve gowns, or find matching bolero’s, jackets, or shawls. To learn more, please visit
- What are items that are paid for by the groom’s side, otherwise known as FLOP?
To learn how FLOP is defined and the average cost paid for by the groom’s side on wedding items, please visit:
http://orthodoxjewishwedding.blogspot.com/2010/08/flop-wedding-items-paid-for-by-grooms.html
- What is the average cost of kosher catering for a wedding
2010 estimates for NY/NJ kosher catering ranged from $45/pp to $70/pp for glatt kosher / meat catering. Kosher dairy or vegetarian catering can be slightly less expensive. This does not include tax, gratuity or the cost of the wedding venue. To learn more details, please go to:
http://orthodoxjewishwedding.blogspot.com/2010/09/metro-ny-kosher-catering-cost-estimates.html
- What are the staples in having a Jewish wedding?
Beyond kosher catering for the Orthodox crowd, other Jewish-related wedding staples (but are not limited to) the tisch room and bedeken, ceremony area and chuppah, yichud room, and ballroom with mechitza.
- What are inexpensive ways to throw a Jewish wedding?
To learn ways to save money on kosher catering (which is one of the biggest items in the wedding budget), please visit:
http://orthodoxjewishwedding.blogspot.com/2010/04/ways-to-save-money-on-kosher-catering.html
- Are Jewish weddings always kosher?
No. Similarly, not all Jews keep kosher.
- What are the top-rated kosher caterers in NYC?
In my research on over 70 venues in the NY/NJ area, the kosher caterers that seemed to have the strongest relationships with some top venues or have been noted as high quality caterers include (but are not limited to): Foremost, Prestige, Main Event, and Simply Divine.
- Are there affordable kosher wedding venues in NYC?
Yes. The following are top ten affordable venues in NYC:
http://orthodoxjewishwedding.blogspot.com/2010/06/ten-affordable-kosher-wedding-venues-in.html
- Where can I make a donation to help provide financial assistance for wedding costs to Jewish couples in need?
I would suggest a donation to a gemach (a charity fund of items) for brides or couples in need of financial assistance. Here is a link to Yad Batya L'Kallah, an organization that raises money for brides that are in need:
https://www.yadbatya.org/intro.cfm
- Can you provide ideas for New York kosher wedding venues that can hold upwards of 300 people comfortably?
If you are looking for affordable venue/catering options then it will be significantly pricier to choose a venue that allows outside kosher caterers instead of a venue that includes in-house kosher catering. In-house kosher catered venues that hold upwards of 300pp that I looked into in the NY/NJ area include Marina Del Ray, Crystal Plaza, Atrium, Temple Beth El, and the Sephardic Temple. These places offer the venue, catering, wait staff, bar, etc at around $79 - $110 / pp + tax + grat. ...significantly less than going to a venue that requires an outside kosher caterer (please note, these prices were quoted after using negotiation tactics and were stated for a Feb'10 wedding; you may find this blog entry helpful: http://orthodoxjewishwedding.blogspot.com/2010/04/questions-to-ask-wedding-venues-about.html)
- What are the Sheva Brachot / Seven Blessings, when are they said in the traditional Jewish wedding, and is there a list of the seven blessings in Hebrew, English and Transliterated?
The term “sheva brachot” translates to the Seven Blessings and is also a term used to describe the seven meals that are shared with family, friends, people within the community and acquaintances starting with the Wedding Reception as the first of the seven meals since the chuppah. To view a complete list of the sheva brachot / seven blessings, please visit:
http://orthodoxjewishwedding.blogspot.com/2011/03/assigning-honors-for-sheva-brachot.html
- Can you provide a list of wedding venues in the NY area that fit High, Medium and Low budgets?
There are countless wedding venues in the NY area, offering a variety of price ranges that fit different budgets. Please visit the following link to see a list of wedding venues and their costs:
http://orthodoxjewishwedding.blogspot.com/2011/05/perfect-wedding-venue-wedding-venue.html
- What wedding venue did I (the blogger) choose?
Happily, we went with Crystal Plaza in Livingston, NJ. While it was a journey to reach that decision, with consideration to lots of factors including price, location, capacity, availability and quality for the cost, this was a spectacular venue with delicious Glatt kosher catering, amazing service, and an exquisite atmosphere...highly recommended if you are looking to throw the perfect wedding.
- How much does it cost for a maschiach / rabbinical supervision of the Kosher food be prepared for the Wedding?
This depends on what is already "baked in" to the cost of kosher catering. Some kosher caterers already include the cost of the maschiach / rabbinical supervision in the overall catering cost. Some caterers do break down the cost for a maschiach and this cost can vary: In my research, one caterer required one maschiach with a price of $500; another caterer charged $1000 per maschiach.
- What do you mean by "Orthodox Jewish" wedding?
Orthodox Jews are also referred to as observant Jews, or Jews that adhere to the 613 mitvot or halacha based on written and oral laws from the Torah. There is room for interpretation and some Orthodox Jewish circles are stricter than others on these interpretations. For example, when it comes to modesty, while all Orthodox Jews believe in being "modest", the definition of modesty and what is considered "acceptable" in an Orthodox Jewish community may vary between communities. Typical advice for uncertain situations is to "ask your local rabbi". There are definitely some Orthodox circles that may view some of my suggested ideas for bridesmaid dresses as not being modest enough. For those circles, the dresses can be ordered a bit larger (to be loose fitting), slits can be sewed up, and the collar-bone area can be covered by either pinning the bolero or wearing a dressy tank underneath. All of these suggestions will keep the price of a modest dress down.
That being said, this blog is dedicated to anyone that is interested (from the secular to the most religious) and the goal is to provide guidance in keeping costs down while throwing an Orthodox Jewish wedding.
- For a female guest attending an Orthodox Jewish wedding, how long does the hem have to be?
When it comes to modesty, the safest bet is to choose a dress where the knees are covered. You may notice that some of the dresses I include in my blog show the collarbone and some are short sleeve (hitting above the elbow). Stricter Orthodox Jewish crowds would not have these areas exposed. Thus, for the sake of feeling comfortable at any Orthodox Jewish wedding (regardless of how strict they hold), I would stick to going the more modest route (cover the collarbone, knees, elbows). Please note, the guests at most Orthodox Jewish weddings will be a mix of backgrounds and several guests will not hold by any rules of modesty (i.e., it would not be shocking to see someone wear a strapless dress and hem way above the knees). This is to be expected. Though the tone of an Orthodox Jewish wedding is one of modesty, and holding to a stricter sense of modesty will adhere to the tone of the wedding.
