Jewish Wedding Book

by Lilly S. Routtenberg, Ruth R. Seldin

Practical counsel on social and religious observance, with glossary of terms, from the engagement to the marriage ceremony.

188 pages, Paperback

First published September 13, 1987

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely read; a nice overview of wedding etiquette for the late-60s American Ashkenazi audience. It covered all aspects of a wedding in enough detail that the reader could gain all they need to know while not being overwhelmed, and for a deeper dive, I assume other literature (or mothers) would be the appropriate resource. While many things have changed since then, it was very interesting to see what’s stayed the same- much of the book felt shockingly modern for something published in (I believe) 1967. If only the dress codes were still known and observed. (I am, however, glad that menus have evolved with the times).

This would be a 5-star book if not for the twelve or so missing pages in the latter third of the book, which severely impacted the reading experience and came at such crucial times as flowers and traditions and rituals. This sort of thing makes a book worth more money on Antiques Roadshow, but in this case, it was not to our benefit.

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book, both for what has changed and what has not. Unfortunately, a severe misprint in the copy left the latter half of the book lacking many of its pages, so I can't really give it 5 stars. An interesting look into both American and Jewish wedding culture of the 1960s. Unsurprisingly, the book is really written from an upper-class, big city lens, but the authors did their best to make allowance for smaller weddings and intimate gatherings. While much of the advice is obsolete in detail, plenty of it remains appropriate in spirit. That is, except for the stuff about divorces. That's all rather obsolete.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little jewel of a book.

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very very out-dated and not applicable to modern Jewish weddings.