Wedding Ceremony

Hello. I have a task to plan a wedding for a Jewish couple in my religion class whilst i know this is not a realistic situation I still must answer the following question: "What would happen to the bride and Groom is the seven Benedictions where not recited at the wedding" - thank you

Shalom!

Thank you for your question.

I must begin by emphasizing that only a competent rabbi may officiate at a Jewish wedding. As the Talmud states: “Anyone who is not an expert in the laws of divorce and marriage should not be involved in them.” There are so many details that must be tended to, that it is not possible for anyone else to officiate at a Jewish wedding. It goes without saying that a religion student should certainly not officiate at a Jewish wedding,

However, regarding your question, there are two parts to marriage. There is the “kiddushin” which can be defined as “the betrothal” and the “nisuin” which is the completion of the marriage process. The nisuin is accomplished by a process known as “chuppa” in rabbinic literature.

There are a number of interpretations as to what constitutes “chuppa” and, by extension, the finalization of a marriage. According to some opinions, the “chuppa,” the canopy under which the couple stands, is indeed the “nisuin,” the finalization of the marriage. According to others, chuppa is defined as the husband bringing his wife into seclusion in his home. Others rule that it suffices for the groom to merely bring his bride into his home even if they cannot be secluded. Others say that the veiling of the bride before the ceremony is the “chuppa” either on its own or in conjunction with the Sheva Berachot (“what you called the Seven Benedictions”) that are recited under the wedding canopy.

Therefore, as you can see, there is an opinion that if the Sheva Berachot were not reciting, the marriage is not properly solidified however, if they recited it after the wedding meal its enough, if they didn't recite it after the meal then they should recite it today in the presence of ten men.