Why do they break a glass at a Jewish wedding?
Jewish · also called stomping the glass, mazel tov glass
At the end of a Jewish wedding ceremony the groom - or both partners - stomps on a wrapped glass, it shatters, and the room shouts 'Mazel tov!' It is the single most recognisable moment in a Jewish wedding, and the reason usually given is the most serious one available: even at the height of joy, we remember that the world is broken.
What it means
The oldest explanation is remembrance of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem - a deliberate note of grief placed inside the happiest moment of a couple's life, so that joy is never taken as complete while loss exists in the world.
Rabbis and couples offer others alongside it: that the marriage should last as long as the glass stays broken, that the shattering marks an irreversible change of state, that it is a reminder of fragility and therefore of care. Most ceremonies name one or two aloud rather than leaving it unexplained.
How it is done safely
The glass is wrapped in a cloth napkin or a purpose-made pouch and placed on the floor, usually on something hard. A thin glass breaks reliably; a thick tumbler does not, and a groom stamping repeatedly on an unbroken glass is a memorable moment for the wrong reason.
Many couples now use a glass sold specifically for the purpose, and keep the shards afterwards - a whole small industry exists turning them into mezuzahs, art and keepsakes.
Planning it properly
A tradition only goes well if the people running your day know it is coming. These are the things to say out loud, and who to say them to.
- Use a thin glass, wrapped properly
- A lightbulb or a purpose-sold breaking glass shatters first time. A drinking tumbler often does not.
- Tell your photographer the exact cue
- It is one frame and it is the last beat of the ceremony. They need to be on the feet, pre-focused, with the shout coming immediately after.
- Decide who breaks it
- Traditionally the groom; many couples now do it together, which needs a rehearsal so the timing works.
- Arrange for the shards
- Someone should collect them if you want them kept. This gets forgotten in the rush of the recessional.
Common questions
What does breaking the glass symbolise?
Most traditionally, remembrance of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem - grief held inside joy, so that celebration is never treated as complete while the world is broken. Couples also cite fragility, care, and the irreversibility of the moment.
Who breaks the glass at a Jewish wedding?
Traditionally the groom, at the very end of the ceremony. Many couples today break it together, and some use two glasses.
What do you say after the glass breaks?
'Mazel tov' - shouted by everyone present, immediately. It marks the end of the ceremony and the start of the celebration.
The vendors who make this work
Breaking the glass depends on people who have done it before. Every review on Lazo comes from a couple who actually got married with that vendor, and rankings can't be bought.
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