Do I need wedding benchers and what should I choose?

Do you save wedding benchers in a drawer and bring them out at the end of a meal? It’s always fun to look at the benchers from various simchas and think back about that wedding and the couple who tied the knot that day. That’s why a bencher is a great keepsake to give out at a wedding, creating a party favor to offer at the event, a way of remembering a wonderful day, months and years after the party.

And, there’s also, benching. At many weddings, the communal benching with Sheva Brachot happens at the end of the meal (rightly so) but, by then some of the guests have already left. The good thing is that the guests still at the wedding get to open your personalized bencher and get a glimpse of what’s inside, while the other guests will first use them at their home. A stack of benchers on each table makes a statement that this event is also a seudat mitzvah, a celebratory meal.

So, yes, you need wedding benchers at a Jewish wedding as a keepsake, a Jewish party favor and a reinforcement of participation in a seudat mitzvah. All good.

How do you choose which wedding bencher? You can always head to an online site or your local Jewish bookstore and add your name to the cover of an already existing bencher and the job is done. I would look at the choices as follows: Price, style and content. Price is obvious. If you want to save money, then choose an inexpensive bencher and you’re done. Style is more complex. There are card benchers and booklet benchers… siddur benchers, and parasha benchers. You can find benchers that include Shabbat zemirot and there are those that have attractive designs. Of course, this segues into the third issue of content. Do you want a simple item that just includes the actual benching? Or, do you want zemirot, other prayers, or maybe full songbooks? These options are based on personal preference (and price, perhaps). I suggest thinking about what you like from the benchers you use at home and start there.

Today, there is another choice available. You can personalize your wedding benchers with artwork and photographs, creating an arresting keepsake and a fun way to fulfill the mitzvah of benching, saying Grace after Meals. Instead of another bag of Jordan almonds, you can give your guests a beautiful and personalized album from your wedding. Let’s Bench can help keep the price reasonable and make a bencher that includes both the style and the content of your choice, creating a party favor and something practical as well.

Bottom line? Order wedding benchers. Better yet, customize it to make it your own so that the next time people open their bencher drawer, they’ll see your beautiful creation and notice how it stands out. And they’ll remember your beautiful day, just as you do.