Question in Preparation for My Sister's Wedding

[debka_notion]

 How does one go about finding/buying/making a chuppah?  I'm having a feeling that my sister and her fiance are not real likely to be interested in the tallis option.  I imagine that making one could also just involve some dowels with nails on top and a piece of fabric with loops, but if we did want to buy/rent one, how would we find such a thing?  If we were to make them one, does anyone have any tips? 

My parents sent me the question, and so I in turn am asking you...

Comments

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

I made ours with one length of pretty fabric, several feet of ribbon, and nearly as many feet of Stitch Witchery (http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.jsp?CATID=cat483848&PRODID=prd2975). :-) It's now thumbtacked to the ceiling above our bed, as a canopy.

tremontstshul already had poles, thank goodness -- homemade from giant dowels with eye-bolts screwed into the top.

[taylweaver.livejournal.com]

I don't know how useful I am, but I know that my family has a set of chuppah poles to attach a tallis to. (mentioned here not to be lent, but because I will now describe them) Downside: people have to hold them. (upside if you want to give people honors, I guess) I think they are thick wooden dowels with metal hooks at the top that go through the tzitzit holes. They also frequently get decorated when being used with things like ribbons and fake flowers. My guess would be any sort of nice fabric would work for the top, but make sure the holes are reinforced.

I don't know where one would get a premade chuppah, though.

[gelishan.livejournal.com]

...I do not know, but would you like me to pass on the question to my uncle the rabbi?

[spazerrific.livejournal.com]

this is a more... unorthodox option... (and possibly more expensive if you don't have the connections) but my brother-in-law's father makes adirondak furniture, so he made the chuppah (no fabric, though, the canopy was just interwoven branches), it was GORGEOUS and free-standing. I don't know where to go to get something like that when the maker isn't the groom's father, though...

[naomichana.livejournal.com]

We wanted a giant tallit with orange stripes, and since this was pre-disengagement, it was easier to make our own. :) We used a big piece of very light white fabric, a lot of several widths of orange and peach ribbon, whatever that tape stuff is you iron on plus a lot of blanket stitching on the edges, a couple lengths of fringe (more hand-stitching), and a friend's sewing machine to do large reinforced buttonholes on the corners. I think the total cost of materials was maybe $80, including the poles -- which were large wooden dowels, as others have said, but in this case topped with wooden knobs to which we attached the chuppah with more ribbons through those reinforced buttonholes (which also held tzitzit). Our chuppah poles have actually been borrowed several times now; the chuppah, with many imperfections I could detail, is living in a box in our closet until I can mercilessly guilt my children about using it. :)

[tovah623.livejournal.com]

[hatam-soferet.livejournal.com]

Shuls usually have one for rent. Florists in Jewy areas often have them. Making them is dead easy and jolly good fun. If you hate the shul one, you can probably still use the poles.

[qianian.livejournal.com]

Emma is getting married? I was just thinking about her today because she's the only bassoonist I think I know and I need one to proof a part I'm writing.

[chinchillama.livejournal.com]

As you know ours was not free standing but was just fabric (decorated nicely with ribbons and stitching and whatnots) that then had pockets sewn into the corners rather than loops. I don't think it would be so hard to do as it's basically a large rectangle that can be as simple or as fancy as you like. The poles were just nice curtain rods with a pretty stain (shh, don't tell) :p

[crewgrrl.livejournal.com]

Buying is VERY expensive. Where is the wedding? My store rents one for a week, poles included. Please let me know. I can get it reserved for y'all WAY in advance.