Interesting tidbits from The New Jewish Wedding. 

• The essential Jewish wedding: "The bride accepts an object worth more than a dime from the groom, the groom recites a ritual formula of acquisition and consecration and these two actions must be witnessed. That's it. All of the rest are customs."
• The meaning of chuppa  (may be spelled huppa, chuppah, huppah) is "that which covers or floats above."  In the Jewish ceremony, it's a reminder of the tents of our ancestors, or other symbols, a holy place, can be stationery or portable. Who stands under it is a matter of debate. Traditionally, it's only the bride and groom.
• The origin of breaking the glass is unknown, though it's believed to have started in the middle ages. It may symbolize the destruction of the temple or metaphorically, an awareness of sorrow amidst the joy of the wedding. Always marks the end of the ceremony.
• In olden times, the yichud was where the marriage was consummated after the ceremony. Today, it's a private place where the couple may reflect and perhaps get a second wind.
• The first of the 613 commandments is "Be fruitful and multiply."

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