Dear Rabbi Kornfeld,
Why in the Kiddushin ceremony, does the blessing conclude with the words "Chupah V'Kiddushin", when in actual fact it is in the REVERSE.
Yours Sincerely,
Stuart Plaskow
Dear Stuart,
The Ran printed with the Rif on Kesuvos 7b discusses the Brachah of Kidushin at iength.
He explains that this is not a regular Brachah before a Mitzvah. It praises Hash-m for our spiritual level regarding marriage laws and that the wording should be understood as "Chupah, and Kidushin which precedes it". The Aruch HaShulchan (Even HaEzer 34:1-4) adds that the Brachah emphasizes that the bride becomes his wife only after the final stage of Chupah and therefore Chupah is mentioned first (even though Kidushin was sometimes perforned months before Chupah).
Bal HaEitur explains that the exact lettering of V'Kidushin is with a Beis, not a Vav, which therefore means "with previous Kidushin".
Some explain that the Brachah corresponds to the original bond between Hash-m and Klal Yisrael in the desert, where the "Chupah" of being under Har Sunai preceded the "Kidushin" of receiving the Torah (or the second tablets). (Beis Efraim, introduction to Even HaEzer.)
All the best
Reuven Weiner