The happy couple aren't hoisted on chairs at a Jewish wedding. That happens at the reception. And while the ceremony does end with a breaking glass, there's a modern substitution that guarantees the action goes smoothly.

And just like their Christian counterparts, prospective Jewish couples may have to undergo premarital counseling.

Cantor Michal Gray-Schaffer of Congregation B'nai Abraham, 519 N. Main St., said, “We do premarital counseling but not all the time with the couple in one room.

“If one is not local, I might ask them to read a book. To get them both in the office at the same time can be hard,” she said.

“Premarital counseling is at the discretion of the clergyperson,” said Gray-Schaffer.

The ceremony itself uses a different liturgy than its Christian counterparts.

Gray-Schaffer said the ceremony is divided into two parts, the Erusin, the betrothal; and the Nissuin, the marriage proper.

During the Erusin, introductory prayers are sung or chanted over wine, followed by an exchange of rings and Hebrew vows.

Then there may be the reading of the k'tubah, a Jewish prenuptial agreement considered an integral part of a traditional Jewish marriage.

While it outlines the rights and responsibilities of the groom in relation to the bride, in modern practice, the k'tubah has no monetary value.

Gray-Schaffer said some couples frame and hang the k'tubah in their home.

Nissuin follows with a second song over wine and a Benediction, which completes the ceremony.

“The Jewish wedding almost always takes place under a chuppah,” said Gray-Schaffer.

“That's a kind of frame consisting of four posts usually with some sort of covering,” she said.

“These days, people like to decorate them with flowers. The groom's prayer shawl from his bar mitzvah might be draped across the top,” she said.

“In lots of synagogues, the women have added a beautifully embroidered cover,” Gray-Schaffer said.

Even in an outdoor or beach ceremony, the chuppah is erected, she said.

“Like many Jewish symbols, we have different interpretations for the chuppah,” she said. “For some, it symbolizes the home they will have together.”

Rabbi Jeremy Weisblatt of Temple Ohav Shalom in Allison Park, Allegheny County, said, “The chuppah symbolizes the tent of Abraham and Sarah, the founders of Judaism.

“Their tent was open on all four sides to welcome friends, strangers and everyone,” he said.

“Just as Abraham and Sarah opened their home to strangers, that's the idea: that a home should be welcoming, said Weisblatt.

Gray-Schaffer said a Jewish wedding ceremony runs shorter than a Christian wedding.

“I was just at an Episcopalian ceremony,” she said. “The priest gave a little sermon. We don't do that.

She said the Jewish ceremony consists of traditional blessings and prayers and the couple can write their own vows if they want.

“There are seven blessing that are almost always sung,” she said. “It's traditional for the bride to circle the groom during the chants.”

But in these more egalitarian times, Gray-Schaffer said, the couple may take turns with the bride circling the groom for three chants, the groom circling the bride for three chants and both bride and groom going around in a circle for the last chant.

The end of the ceremony is marked by the groom stamping on a glass under the chuppah.

Gray-Schaffer said, “This is to convey the idea that marriages are fragile and you have to take very good care of your marriage.”

“Lots of people use a light bulb wrapped up in a napkin for safety,” she said to make sure the glass is broken.