We all think about incorporating heirlooms into our wedding day in some form or another.  What better place to add nostalgia than to the ceremonial canopy or chuppah?

Traditionally used in Jewish ceremonies, a wedding canopy – or chuppah – is a cloth or sheet stretched or supported over four poles, sometimes carried by attendants to the ceremony. A chuppah symbolizes the home the couple will build together.

We recently came across Four Branches canopies and chuppahs by Traci Kaye.  This former New York-based fashion designer has taken the tradition to a new level by by merging sentimental items from a couple’s family into a new heirloom that will be passed down from generation to generation. This beautiful chuppah is destined to be used in celebrations for years to come.


The sky’s the limit when it comes to what you can include in your canopy. From family mementos to kitschy items from your relationship, we’ve seen it all! Here are a few ideas for inspiration:

  • Mom’s wedding dress (sure, you hoped you’d wear it… but what is up with all those buttons?!)
  • Your mother-in-law’s veil (eek… how to explain you’re not the veil type?)
  • Your father’s pocket square (which he’d otherwise be using to wipe away his tears at your ceremony)
  • Your grandfather’s tallis (passed down from his father back in the 1920s)
  • The napkin from the restaurant where your future husband proposed (with or without your lipstick mark!)