Israeli Weddings and 10 Year Old Birthday Parties

What do Israeli weddings and 10 year old birthday parties have in common? In both cases the invitation is almost always hand delivered.

Like most things in Israel, the wedding culture here is much more informal that in the US. Some people wear jeans (but don't worry, it is their nicest pair), it is ok to show up late and everyone is invited. Invitations are also typically given out whenever the happy couple sees you.

In the US, addresses are gathered months in advance, names are formally written on the envelope and an RSVP card is always attached. An Israeli invitation is usually a one sided note card that has the pertinent information (date, time, location) and the RSVP information is typically an email address or at best a phone number. Regardless of what information is listed, most people let the future married couple know they are coming as casually as the invitation was handed to them. Sometimes these two events happen simultaneously.

The other night we received two wedding invitations at Ariel's birthday party. In both cases our names were quickly scribbled on the envelopes that were not sealed. One wedding we had known about for some time and told our friends months ago that we would of course be there. The other one was the first time we had heard about it and the wedding was only 2 weeks away! Of course, by Israeli standards 2 weeks is plenty of notice.

I will admit that I too am guilty of partaking in Israeli wedding etiquette (or lack there of) when I got married. But as they say: "when in Rome…"