Reception Rembered- Chuppah

If you aren't Jewish, you are likely asking me, what the hoopa is a chuppah? Well, it is the canopy that a couple gets married under during the ceremony. One year ago I knew the full meaning, but now I seem to only remember something about symbolizing a new roof being raised as a new couple  and  surrounded by family.... I guess it is time for a rewatch of Fiddler on the Roof.  A traditional chuppah looks like this ---->




While scouring pinterest I came across this beautiful ribbon canopy and I fell in love!! It was everything I wanted to make a romantic statement at my reception.

See? This is breathtaking. Who wouldn't want this? I guess the real question is who would be INSANE enough to try to build this? Oh, AND make it free-standing so that we can use it to decorate receptions in separate states? I guess I was. Idiot.




This project took a whole army of brain power and effort.  My dad, brother and Carl Hurst were working on the design- they built the frame out of PVC pipe and used re-bar in the grass to stand it up. I was scouring DI for colorful sheets (light material that would hang) and then my mom, Lorraine and Janae Denney helped cut strips and sew strips of cloth for hours!! We used random fabric, sparkly Christmas tablecloths, Little Mermaid bedsheets, other sheets and left over tablecloth fabric to make the strips. My sweet mom sewed sleeves to fit over the PVC pipe out of the material. It took my mom and I hours to untangle and arrange set it up and then some of the strips started shedding and we went though and cut all the little fabric hairs off the flowing fabric. It was a never ending nightmare. I called Ashlee, Martha and KR in early to help set things up and they cut fabric hairs off and draped shiny bead strands for another hour. After all, it turned out BEAUTIFUL!!  Wedding guests waited beneath the canopy chuppah to get to the receiving line.  We even took the beautiful disaster to our California open house and set it up in the front yard as the entry to the house for guests. It was SO much work!!! But it was so memorable for me, for all of our family. Even though we didn't get married beneath it, I will still call it a chuppah because it was indeed my family raising a beautiful roof to for the start of our new life. We are so lucky to have such supportive families!