A Greek wedding ceremony lasts approximately 45 minutes - 1 hour. However, the service will be partially in Greek which may make the ceremony seem longer.
A koumbara refers to the sponsor for the wedding ceremony. It is a true honor but comes with a lot of responsibility. Part of the traditions is most often times the koumbaro and koumbara go on to be the godparents of the couple’s first child in the orthodox church as they have strong spiritual connections to the bride and groom.
As a spoiler alert, there are no vows or “I do” that characterizes most weddings. The bride and groom do not speak a word! Instead, the wedding ceremony is packed with just about as much symbolism and tradition that can fit in one service. There are two main parts to the wedding service; the first is the Betrothal Service, followed by the Marriage Service. During the Betrothal, the priest blesses the wedding rings and touches the bride and grooms forehead with them. He makes the sign of the cross above their heads, then the Koumbara will exchange the rings on the right hands of the bride and groom three times.
The second part of the service – the Marriage – sees the bride and groom each holding a lit candle throughout the service, which symbolizes the light of Christ who is with them for the rest of their marriage. The Koumbara places the Stephana [crowns] on the heads of the bride and groom. The Stephana are two decorated crowns with a long ribbon running between the two. The Stephana literally represents crowns, as the marriage is viewed as creating a new kingdom where the bride and groom are considered the king and queen of the home and family. The bride and groom share a common cup of wine, which is unconsecrated and not the same as communion. This symbolizes the sharing that life brings after marriage. Finally before the ceremony is over, in what is a high point of the service the newlywed couple is led around the small table by the priest, while the Koumbara follows behind holding the Stephana ribbon. They circle the table three times, taking their first steps as husband and wife in what is known as ‘The Dance of Isaiah’.