Wedding Chuppah Ideas and Instructions

A Jewish wedding chuppah (or huppah, huppa) is the canopy that the bride and groom stand under during the ceremony. This open-sided tent has several meanings, such as a nomadic tent, the symbolic home of the couple or a way to show G-d’s presence.

It is easy to design and build a wedding canopy yourself, and you’ll have a wonderful keepsake after the wedding to cherish and pass on. Be sure to read the article, Wedding Chuppah Cover Ideas for ideas and instructions on the cloth cover of the canopy.

Before creating the chuppah poles, decide whether you will having people holding them the whole time or if you want the poles to be stationary, self-standing in holders. You can have four guests carry the huppah down the aisle or it can be standing in the ceremony space before guests even arrive.

You’ll Need:

• Four 7 or 8ft round wooden dowels
• Four large containers such as flower pots
• Cement
• Four hollow PVC pipes that the wooden dowels fit into snugly

The flower pot containers will be the holders of the poles. The PVC pipe will be stuck into cement inside of the containers and the actual wooden poles will slide into the PVC pipe. Position the PVC pipe in the flower pot and then pour in the mixed cement, about a third high. Be sure to plug any holes in the bottom of the flower pot with tape before adding cement. Let cement dry at least overnight before moving.





Once the cement is dry, check to make sure that when the chuppah pole is inserted the weight of the cement is enough that it holds the pole upright. Soil can be added if there is room in the pot and ivy or other plants can be planted in these chuppah pole holders. Alternatively, the day of the wedding cut flowers, tulle, fabric, and just about anything else can be used to further decorate the pole holders. The wooden dowel poles can be painted, stained a darker wood color, decorated with ribbons or wrapped in fabric or flowers.





To attach the wedding chuppah cover to the top of the poles, a screw and washer can be used and the fabric can simply be pierced by the screw, or loops can be sewn to the corners of the fabric and then hooked to the poles.





You can either leave the wedding chuppah standing as is for the ceremony or the guests can walk with it down the aisle and then insert the poles into the holders. This way, they are automatically standing where they are supposed to be since the pots will be set in place.


Related DIY Jewish Wedding Articles:
Wedding Chuppah Cover Ideas - The actual cloth of a huppa has no requirements, so you are free to be as creative as you want! Here are several ideas to get you starting on creating a unique huppah cover.
Jewish Wedding Program - Sample of a jewish wedding program, outlines what happens throughout the ceremony. Excellent for getting ideas on what to include in your program.
Breaking the Glass - Describes many different meanings, history and includes instructions on how to make your own glass cover and where to find a unique glass to break.



It’s your wedding, do it the way you want!

For more Jewish wedding crafts, projects, ideas and instructions, go to the Jewish Weddings main page.

Go to the Do It Yourself Weddings home page.