Indoor Weddings

Is it permitted to hold a wedding inside the synagogue?

Shalom!

Thank you for your question.

Weddings used to be held inside the synagogue until it became a distinctly Christian practice to hold wedding ceremonies inside the church sanctuary. The practice was then abandoned based on the prohibition of “ b’chukoteihem lo teleichu ,” the prohibition against doing something that is distinctly non-Jewish. The early leaders of the Reform movement actually insisted that weddings be held inside the synagogue sanctuary consistent with their mistaken philosophy that Jews should conform to non-Jewish culture. Another reason why synagogue weddings were abandoned was due to the concern that it is inconsistent with the sanctity and decorum that must be maintained in a synagogue sanctuary.

As such, common Ashkenazi custom is to hold wedding ceremonies outdoors whenever possible. Holding a wedding ceremony under the stars symbolizes the hope that the Jewish people become “abundant like the stars of the heaven.” If a wedding must be held indoors it should be held under an open sunroof that allows the stars to be seen.

In Sephardic communities, there is no emphasis on holding wedding ceremonies outdoors. They are regularly held indoors.

OC 391:3; EH 61:1; Sdei Chemed , Chatan V’kalla 2; Chatam Sofer , EH 98; Mahari Assad, OC 38; Maharam Schick, EH 87; Divrei Malkiel 5:205; Ketav Sofer 47; Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 147:1.