Note: the wedding ceremony will last ~1 hour and guests generally stand for the duration of the service (limited seating should be available). Please be sure to wear comfortable shoes!

Holy Matrimony is one of 7 sacraments of the Eastern Orthodox Church, in which God (through the priest) joins a man and a woman as husband and wife, so that what is begun on earth does not “part in death” but is fulfilled and continues most perfectly in the Kingdom of God.

The ceremony is divided into two parts: the Rite of Betrothal, which takes place just inside the entrance to the Church, followed by the Rite of Crowning, which takes place in the center of the Church.

ENTRANCE & WEDDING ICONS

The bride and groom arrive at the Church separately, and as they each enter the church the choir sings hymns of welcome. The Groom arrives first, accompanied by an Icon of Jesus Christ, and the Bride arrives second, accompanied by an Icon of the Mother of God. These icons have been handpainted for the couple and will be kept in their home, blessing their marriage.

EXCHANGING OF RINGS

In the Rite of Betrothal, the couple exchange rings as a visible sign of their voluntary pledge to enter into marriage and to begin their shared life.

The priest blesses the Groom and the Bride with the rings three times, saying, “The servant of God (GROOM) is betrothed to (BRIDE) in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” As the priest blesses the couple, a sponsor of the couple will exchange the rings on their hands three times (placing the bride’s ring on the groom’s finger and vice-versa), in honor of the Holy Trinity, and symbolizing that in marriage their gifts, talents, and bounties are shared between each other. In married life, the weaknesses of one partner will be compensated by the strength of the other; the imperfections of one, by the perfections of the other. By themselves, the newly-betrothed are incomplete; together they are made perfect.

Following the betrothal, the wedding rings will remain on the ring finger of the couples’ right hands per Orthodox tradition.

THE PIDNOZHNYK

At the start of the Service of Crowning, the bride and groom will move into the center of the church, and step together onto a "rushnik" (an embroidered white cloth) called a “pidnozhnyk” (literally, “under the feet”). The cloth represents the road of life, which, from this day forward, they will walk as one, and the hope that the newlyweds will never face poverty or "stand on a bare earthen floor".

THE CANDLES

The bride and groom are given candles to hold, as a reminder that Christ is the light of the world and will illumine the steps of the couple. The lit candles also represent the hope that their lives will glow with the light of good deeds.

THE CROWNING

The Crowning is the most solemn, but festive moment of the wedding service. The crowns are signs of the glory and honor with which God crowns the bride and groom during the wedding sacrament. They are crowned as the king and queen of their family - which is viewed in Orthodoxy as a “micro-Kingdom” of God - and which they are expected to rule with wisdom, justice, integrity and, above all else, selfless love.

The crowns used in the Orthodox wedding service also refer to the crowns of martyrdom since every true marriage involves immeasurable self-sacrifice from both spouses.

THE SCRIPTURE READINGS

Ephesians 5:20-33

In his letter to the Church in Ephesus, St. Paul describes the marital relationship as being symbolic of the relationship between Christ and the Church. As Jesus Christ selflessly loves His Bride, the Church, the husband must be prepared to give up everything, even his very life, for his wife. Just as the Church entrusts Herself to the loving care of Jesus Christ, so wives should be able to entrust themselves to the love of their husbands.

John 2:1-11

The Gospel reading from the Book of John describes Jesus’ first miracle, turning water into wine, which took place at a marriage feast. It is understood that Jesus blesses the matrimonial relationship through performing the first of his miracles at a wedding banquet.

THE COMMON CUP

After the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer, in remembrance of Christ’s first miracle at Cana of Galilee, the couple will sip from a “common cup” of wine, offered by the priest. This is a sign that from that moment forward, they will share everything in life; their joys will be doubled and their sorrows halved.

THE PROCESSION

The priest, holding the cross, leads the bride and groom in a circle around the table on which the Gospel is placed. They are taking their first steps as a married couple, and the Church, in the person of the priest, leads them in the way they must walk. The circle symbolizes the eternity of marriage and that the Gospel and the Cross are to be at the center of the couple’s lives. The hymn that is sung honors the Holy Mother of God, remembers the Holy Martyrs, and glorifies our Lord, Jesus Christ. The reference to the Holy Martyrs reminds the newly married couple of the sacrificial love they are to have for each other in marriage - a love that seeks not its own, but is willing to sacrifice its all for the one loved.

THE BLESSING

At the conclusion of the procession, the priest removes the crowns and blesses the groom and the bride, following which the wedding ceremony is complete.

"Mnogaya Leta", which wishes "Many Years", is sung to the newly married couple in celebration.