6 Special Dinners

After our wedding, Josh and I spent 6 wonderful nights with friends. Each night, we went over to a different friend's house for dinner and a prayer to continue the wedding celebration, making our special day last for a very special week. It was an absolutely amazing experience.

Traditionally,

Sheva Brachot ("Seven Blessings") are special Jewish wedding blessings. 

 Sheva Brachot are recited for the bride and the groom under the Chuppah during the Jewish Wedding ceremony. 



There is a tradition to throw dinner parties for the new couple each night during the week following the wedding. At the end of each of these meals, after Birkat Hamazon (Grace After Meals), Sheva Brachot are also recited. In fact, these meals themselves are popularly referred to as Sheva Brachot after the special wedding blessings recited at their end. 
 The source of this custom of a week of festive dinners is the week that followed Jacob and Leah's wedding (Gen 29:27). Sheva Brachot are recited over a cup of wine, and usually the seven blessings are divided among honored guests. The cup of wine is passed around the table to the person reciting each blessing.

I can not think of a better way to kick off our marriage. The week between our wedding and our honeymoon was spent with some of our favorite people helping our celebration to continue long after it normally would have.

This Friday, we had the opportunity to host a sheva brachot for 2 good friends who recently got married. It was a blast to be on the other side of the experience. Watching them sitting together, talking about their wedding, still feeling the wedding high was pretty cool. I am so glad we were able to do this for them.

Josh and I love entertaining, and now, with our new kitchen and fantastic serving pieces and dishes, it is even more fun. We served an Italian style meal with pasta, sauce, garlic bread, salad, challah, and tons and tons of wine. For dessert there were yummy pies and brownies. It was a great meal and it was such a treat to be able to share in our friends wedding experience.

Celebrating our wonderful memories with friends is amazing, especially with our group of friends. But to be able to share our friends' memories with them and to create a comfortable environment for them to celebrate in is truly the best part of being a part of this community.