Question

What is American cocktail attire?

Answer

Men: Suit and tie, paired with dress shoes. Jacket recommended for the wedding ceremony, but not necessary for the reception. Women: Knee-length dress, or blouse with knee-length skirt, paired with dressy flats, sandals, or heels. We suggest covering bare shoulders with a shawl or wrap while in the church.

Question

What is Indian formal attire?

Answer

Men: Shervani or dressy salwar, paired with dress shoes Women: Saree or lehenga choli. We recommend covering any bare midriff with a dupatta while in the church.

Question

What happens in an Orthodox wedding ceremony? What can we expect?

Answer

We’re so glad you asked! Marriage is one of the seven Holy Mysteries of the Orthodox Church and is treated with great reverence. The marriage ceremony is split into two parts: the Rite of Betrothal and the Rite of Crowning. Here’s what happens in both (per the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America): https://www.goarch.org/-/crown-them-with-glory-and-honor-marriage-in-the-orthodox-church#

Question

Who are Kassiani and Maximos? Why do Kaavya and Evan each have an extra name?

Answer

When Kaavya and Evan were, respectively, baptized in the Orthodox Church, they received baptismal names, each of them after a saint. Kaavya is named for St. Kassiani the Hymnographer, a poetess and abbess during the Byzantine Empire, and Evan is named for the great philosopher and thinker St. Maximos the Confessor. To this day, the names Kassiani and Maximos are used anytime Kaavya and Evan participate in Holy Mysteries of the Church. These are their “church names.”