Our most bookmarked blog of the 12 months is back! Newly updated, our 2026 Jewish holiday calendar is the one to have available when selecting the date on your upcoming wedding. We cover which days of the week you must and shouldn’t select on your simcha, all of the necessary Jewish holiday dates for 2026 and the way they affect your wedding plans, and our practical suggestions for destination Jewish weddings with all of this in mind.
At Elegante by Michelle J we plan weddings in London and throughout Europe for Jewish couples of all levels of observance, and can all the time work with you to seek out the proper date on your simcha celebrations. Depending on the degrees of observance of you, your families and guests, a few of these aspects could also be more necessary than others.
Which days of the week can I actually have a Jewish wedding on?
Most Jewish couples decide to plan their weddings around Shabbat. Saturdays are considered off-limits for religious couples and their families, and the overwhelming majority of the couples we work with have fun their wedding on a Sunday. Other popular days are Thursdays because they lead into shabbat, and Tuesdays that are considered ‘twice blessed’ and due to this fact sometimes favoured.
Once we plan Jewish destination weddings, it is vitally common for everybody to fly in on Thursday or Friday and have fun with a welcome event on one in all those afternoons or evenings. We then generally have an event-free day on Saturday to honour Shabbat, and the simcha itself comes on Sunday. If you must plan a single-day wedding on a Sunday, either at home or overseas, consider that many individuals (guests, suppliers, Rabbi) won’t need to travel on the Saturday – this ought to be factored in in the event that they are coming a protracted technique to have fun with you.
For lots of our couples’ destination weddings, the Rabbi, some members of the supplier team and nearly all of the guests travel out on a Friday to avoid doing so on shabbat. The implication of that is that they need to be accommodated for an additional night, and this ought to be factored in when budgeting for suppliers and their travel.
2026 Jewish Holiday Calendar
Our 2026 Jewish holiday calendar indicates the principal religious celebrations, which ought to be avoided when planning your wedding date. These dates are considered holy and, even in the event you yourselves don’t discover as strongly religious, you likely have relations and guests that do – not to say the proven fact that a few of your suppliers won’t work on these holiday dates. Discuss with the table below to discover when you possibly can and might’t plan your simcha.
All Jewish holidays begin at sundown of the preceding night and finish at nightfall.
*The three weeks leading as much as Tisha B’av are frequently the very first thing we work out for our couples when planning their wedding date, as they fall in the summertime which is a well-liked time for weddings. Once we have now identified these dates, the summer time from May to September is mostly all acceptable.
Jewish Wedding FAQs: Dates & Holidays
Can you’ve a Jewish wedding on a Saturday?
Traditional Jewish law prohibits it because weddings involve practices not permitted on Shabbat – working, conducting business and traveling long distances will not be allowed which makes having a simcha difficult. It is typically possible to have a marriage after Shabbat ends on Saturday night, but this relies on whether the Rabbi will allow it and your Jewish suppliers can facilitate it.
Why are weddings not allowed on Jewish holidays?
Jewish holidays are generally times of community celebration, and mixing personal festivities with that is discouraged. Often, the day before a vacation can also be avoided.
Are you able to get married in the course of the Omer period?
The Omer (between Passover and Shavuot) is mostly avoided for weddings, nonetheless some customs allow weddings on or after Lag B’Omer. It is crucial to ascertain your community’s guidance on this, and seek the advice of along with your rabbi.
Are there any Jewish holidays where weddings are allowed?
Some communities and Rabbis do allow weddings on certain dates similar to Purim and Hannukah, since they will not be biblically mandated rest days – it really is determined by each individual case, nonetheless.
Are there any days considered ‘good luck’ for Jewish weddings?
Tu B’Av is traditionally a day of affection (Jewish Valentine’s Day) and so is commonly favoured for weddings. Rosh Chodesh (recent month) and the primary half of the month are also considered auspicious. As we mentioned earlier, Tuesdays are sometimes viewed as exceptional too.
What if we’re having an interfaith wedding i.e. only one in all us is Jewish? How do the vacations affect us then?
Restrictions on dates all the time apply in the event you are having a Rabbi-led ceremony, no matter whether you might be each Jewish or not. It is feasible to seek out more flexible rabbis, so it’s all the time value checking and dealing along with your wedding planner to determine one of the best dates for you.
Remember THESE 15 necessary things when planning an interfaith or multicultural wedding.
Can I actually have a welcome party on a Friday evening although it leads into Shabbat?
Shabbat technically begins at sundown on Friday evening, nonetheless most of our couples marry in the course of the summer months where this is far later within the day. For couples who will not be strictly observant, Friday nights are sometimes treated just like every other evening. For those who want to throw a Shabbat-friendly Friday welcome party, that can also be possible by structuring it as a dinner or more low-key gathering OR by gathering guests before sundown for speeches, drinks and music, then allowing each guest to decide on what they do and where they go after the sun sets – either proceed the party or go to dinner and observe Shabbat.
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You may also be fascinated about:
Emily & Louis’ London Jewish wedding, which was recently featured on Smashing The Glass.
Jewish wedding timelines – what to anticipate at your simcha.
