Halacha2goThe one minute halacha

How long should the candles remain burning at a chupah?

The minhag (custom) is that the unterfirers (the escorts) hold lighted candles while leading the chassan and kallah to the chupah. Some of the reasons given for this custom are: 

Candles represent simchah (joy).

“Ner”, candle in Hebrew, has the numerical value of 250, so two candles equal 500, which corresponds to the numerical value of “peru urvu”, the blessing to multiply and have children.

500 also corresponds to the combined number of organs in the bodies of a man and a woman—248 and 252, respectively.

It isn’t clear from the original sources for this minhag whether the candles are to be burning only while the unterfirers lead the couple to the chupah, or whether they are supposed to remain alight throughout the chupah. In fact, some people find it difficult to hold the candles aloft for the entire duration of the chupah. Although customs vary, most of the reasons provided, however, seem to imply that the candles should remain burning until the chupah is over. Moreover, there is an opinion that the chupah must take place during daylight; if a chupah takes place at night, keeping the candles burning throughout the chupah could satisfy the opinion that the chupah should take place only in the daytime.  #501^?