The breaking of the glass and the singing that invariably follows it represent the last stage in the Chuppah ceremony, but there is another stage which must be observed, being seen as it is as an integral part of the wedding ceremony. This is the yichud, where bride and groom go to a small private room to spend some time alone.
Yichud (togetherness) corresponds to the third means of “acquiring a wife” – originally implying consummation, it has now become a symbolic aspect of the ceremony where the couple will be unaccompanied for the first time, making it important as a fulfilment of the contractual relationship.
Today, this is also the point where couples who have fasted through the day will break their fast, before rejoining their guests for the celebration.
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