Sofia Richie’s Wedding of the Year Was Traditionally Jewish

Mazel tov, Sofia and Elliot!

This past weekend, Sofia Richie (model, influencer and daughter of Lionel) and music executive Elliot Grainge (just some guy) undeniably had the wedding of the year. Hosted at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in the south of France, the ceremony and after-party had just about everything, which, in case you’re curious, includes a seven-and-a-half-minute walk down the aisle, three custom Chanel dresses, bouquets on bouquets of white flowers, guests like (sister of the bride) Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton, and musical performances from (brother-in-law) Joel Madden of Good Charlotte, singer-songwriter Stephen Sanchez and, of course, Lionel Richie.

Oh, and did I forget to mention that the wedding of the year also happened to be super Jewish? It was!

Per Vogue, the couple, who are both Jewish, were married by Rabbi Thomas Salamon of London’s Westminster Synagogue under a luxurious, cream-colored chuppah. (In addition to his Tom Ford tuxedo, Elliot also wore a tallit and kippah.) Before the public ceremony, the bride and groom and their families met for a private ketubah (or Jewish wedding contract) signing.

Grainge is the son of Lucian Grainge, the CEO of Universal Music Group, and now runs an independent rap and pop music label. He grew up in London, had a star-studded bar mitzvah, and defines himself as, of course, a “nice Jewish boy.”

“It was very important to Elliot’s family and to me, now that I’ve converted, that it be a traditional Jewish ceremony,” Sofia told Vogue. Richie, who was raised Christian, took to Instagram on April 3, 2023 to announce her conversion to Judaism. In the post, she called it “one of the greatest experiences of my life.” She also shouts out Cantor Nathan Lam, of Temple of the Arts in Beverly Hills, for “helping me along this journey.” It’s important to note that Lam, formerly a celebrity voice coach and a senior cantor at Stephen Wise Temple, one of the largest Reform synagogues in Southern California, has been accused of carrying on a series of inappropriate sexual relationships with congregants and mentees.

At the wedding party, the Jewishness continued. As evidenced by a photo from Sofia’s (Jewish) stylist Liat Baruch captioned, “L’Chaim to you baby girl,” the celebration included a hora and traditional chairlift. (By the way, congratulations to Sofia on being the first person in human history to actually look good during the chairlift!!) One of Baruch’s Instagram stories revealed that the party’s playlist included the song “Tel Aviv” by popular Israeli singer Omer Adam. (Madden also performed the Good Charlotte anthem “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous” to a crowd of incredibly rich, incredibly famous people and the footage is truly something.)

Mazel tov, Sofia and Elliot!

Evelyn Frick

Evelyn Frick (she/they) is a writer and associate editor at Hey Alma. She graduated from Vassar College in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. In her spare time, she's a comedian and contributor for Reductress and The Onion.

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