The first week of marriage is designated as an exclusive time for the bride and groom. This custom is mentioned as far back as the marriage of Yaakov [Jacob] to Leah. In Genesis 29:27, his father-in-law tells him that he will not give him Rachel, the daughter he had worked for, until he finishes out the week with Leah. Both the bride and groom take off from work for this week to give their full attention to each other as they celebrate their marriage for a full week with family and friends. A Jewish wedding is celebrated within the context of the community. See -Why-we-break-a-glass-at-Jewish-weddings
Consequently, the newly married Jewish couple does not typically steal away for a honeymoon trip. The travels of that week are dictated by the locations of the various hosts who prepare dinners in their honor for Sheva Brachos [Seven Blessings]. These dinners, and even the first week of marriage itself, are named for the blessings that are recited at the conclusion of the grace after meals at each dinner served to the couple and in the presence of a minyan [quorum of ten] and panim chadashos [a new face], a new guest. These are the same blessings recited under the chuppah and following the grace said at the conclusion of the wedding meal.See the-grace-and-round-2-of-the-seven-blessings
They are usually hosted by the parents of the bride, the parents of the groom, and various friends and relatives. Sometimes all Sheva Brachotsare local, but some couples find themselves taking plane trips from one to the other., depending on how far apart their hosts are. It takes a bit of planning to keep the Sheva Brachos balanced between the two sides.When a couple marries in a place far from the hometown of the groom, his parents may host a larger than usual Sheva Brachoth to accommodate the people who could not make the cross country trip for the wedding. Otherwise, though, they are usually smaller gatherings of a dozen to twenty-five people. While each day of the first week is eligible for a Sheva Brachos dinner, it is not mandatory to have one each seven if it does not work out for one or more of the days. For second marriages for the bride, there week of Sheva Brachos is abbreviated to only three days.
Related articles: dinner-and-dancing -the-conclusion-of-chuppah--yichud the-betrothal-and-the-ring symbolism-of-the-ring on-to-the-chuppah, the-bedeken -standing-under-the-chuppah The Kethuba breaking platesSee the guide to aspects of the Jewish wedding indexed at kallahmagazine.com/JewishWedding.html
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