Your civil jewish /interfaith wedding can be as secular or religiouse as you choose it to be. Being a jewish Civil celebrant , we can have the verses read in both Hebrew and English. It is all your choice.
In a Civil Jewish ceremony we can incorporate any of the following customs:
The Chauppah - The wedding ceremony takes place under the chuppah (canopy) which symbolizes that the bride and groom are creating a home shared by the couple and that it will always be open to guests.
The Seven Circles - Under the chuppah, the Ashkenazi custom is that the kallah(Bride) circles the chatan(Groom) seven times. Just as the world was built in seven days, the kallah is figuratively building the walls of the couple's new world together. The number seven also symbolizes the wholeness and completeness that they cannot attain separately.
The Kiddishin - The kiddushin (betrothal ceremony) takes place under the huppah. It begins with greetings, a blessing over the wine, and a sip taken by the bride and groom. Wine, a symbol of joy in Jewish tradition, is associated with the Kiddush, the sanctification prayer recited on Shabbat and festivals. Marriage, which is called Kiddushin, is the sanctification of a man and woman to each other.
Giving of the Ring - In Jewish law, a marriage becomes official when the chatan gives an object of value to the kallah. This is traditionally done with a ring.
The Ketubah - The "Kesubah" is a binding document of confidence and trust which details the husband's obligations to his wife. Therein, the Choson pledges to "work for you, honor, provide for and support you, in accordance with the practices of Jewish husbands who work for their wives' honor, provide and support them in truth and be attentive to their emotional needs." Ask me about a modern version for this custom.
The Seven Blessings - The concluding portion of the marriage ceremony is the seven blessings. We can call upon several different people to recite these blessings. They acknowledge G-d as the Creator of mankind, joy, bride and groom. They also praise G-d for having created man in His image, and for giving him the ability to reproduce that image. These blessings are recited at weddings, since it is only then that the couple begins life as complete human beings. Upon completion of the blessings, groom and bride drink from the cup.
Breaking the Glass - At the conclusion of the blessings, after the couple drinks from the second cup, the groom breaks the glass with his right foot, as an additional remembrance of the destruction of the
Mazal Tov !
