Different ideas about what to pray for, when your child is getting married.

Ever been at a gathering and something breaks accidentally and, at the sound of shattering glass everyone jokingly shouts “Mazal tov!”? It’s one of the most ironic reactions embedded into our Jewish culture – that the sound of breaking glass triggers a raucous shout of joy and celebration.

Kallot often ask me questions like: “What should I daven for on my wedding day?” “How can I make my chuppah a truly spiritual experience?” These are beautiful questions that reflect how conscious today’s kallot are about filling their weddings with meaning and kedushah.

What a blessed, joyous first experience for my daughter, embracing her into the mitzvah of mikveh immersion in a manner that will hopefully connect her to Hashem - and her beloved – with warm, wonderous ties of happiness and holiness, for blessed decades of fertility to come. It was this very positive experience of hers – and of mine alongside her – that struck me painfully as so very much in contrast to my own tevilla experiences.

The marital bedroom should be more than just a place to sleep—it should be a sanctuary for intimacy, vulnerability, and connection.

Marrying my husband meant embracing life as an army wife. His service shaped the beginning of our marriage.