A NEW TAKE ON WINE IN A BOX
Recently, I have been asked to share a relatively new tradition for wedding ceremonies that is especially beautiful for Jewish and interfaith services: The Seven Blessings.
Originating in the second century, the Seven Blessings (Sheva Brachot) have evolved into a meaningful wedding inclusion. Each blessing addresses a different aspect of the couple’s relationship and their connection to tradition, community, and the joy of marriage.
Textual versions of the Seven Blessings are often modified or customized to reflect the couple’s personalities, beliefs, and life together. While a rabbi typically recites them, this moment also offers a wonderful opportunity to honor loved ones. Consider inviting a father, both parents, close family members, or friends to each read one of the blessings—allowing the community to actively bless and celebrate the couple.
Tips for incorporating the Seven Blessings into your ceremony:
Decide on traditional versus customized wording. Custom wording can honor interfaith elements, secular sentiments, or personal stories while preserving the blessings’ spirit.
Choose readers who are meaningful to you. Assign one blessing per reader to create a communal and intimate feel.
Provide printed copies and rehearse briefly so readers are comfortable with pronunciation and pacing.
Consider the ceremony flow. The blessings are typically recited after the ring exchange and before the final declaration, but placement can be adapted to your service structure.
If many guests wish to participate, use a chuppah-side circle or a brief procession to the bimah/altar so each reader has a clear moment.
Include music or a moment of silence between blessings to give the words space to resonate.
Including the Seven Blessings creates a powerful blend of tradition, personalization, and communal blessing—especially meaningful in Jewish and interfaith weddings. If you’d like sample modernized text for each blessing or help assigning readers and integrating the readings into your ceremony, I can provide options tailored to your beliefs
Now, we come to the box.
A beautiful wooden box sits on a sturdy table. The lid has seven pre-drilled holes, each matched to a brass nail. The nails fit neatly into their places. The box can be custom-made or purchased at a wine or craft shop.
The couple selects a favorite, special bottle of wine they both love and places it inside the box along with private letters—each written by one partner and unread by the other—expressing how they feel on their wedding day. Each letter is sealed and placed into the box.
During the ceremony I usually explain the process, step by step. Then seven readers are invited forward; each offers a blessing, reads aloud, and hammers a brass nail into the lid. As each nail is driven home, the box is sealed with the couple’s hopes and the community’s blessings.
The couple displays the sealed box in their home for five years. On their fifth anniversary they open the box, read the letters, and share the wine together.
On your wedding day, you are creating an Echod Moment for your fifth anniversary. Now that’s special.
