About Orthodox Weddings

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The Wedding Ceremony

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Holy matrimony is the Sacrament of the Church in which a man and a woman become “one flesh” in Christ. Christ imparts God’s blessing and grace on the newly united couple so that they may live together in His Love, mutually fulfilling and perfecting one another. The marriage ceremony of the Orthodox Church is steeped in Christian tradition. There are no vows or statements of intent as in many marriage ceremonies; rather, it is a sacrament governed by God. The participation of the couple in the sacramental actions of the service unites them to one another.

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Witnesses in the Presence of the Holy Trinity

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The Orthodox Church understands that when we worship, we are entering into the heavenly places and into the presence of the Holy Trinity. The sanctuary is representative of the Kingdom of God. Here we come together with innumerable angels to the general assembly and church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, judge of all, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, and to Jesus...” (Heb. 12:22-24). For this reason, everything in the Church has a meaning and a purpose. Since we believe that worship mystically takes place in the heavenly places, we understand that we are not worshipping alone. We are in the presence of the heavenly host and all the Saints who have departed this life. We see them in the icons around us. Chief among them is the Virgin Mary, the “favored one” of the Lord, whom the Holy Scriptures declare, “All generations will call blessed” (Luke 1:48). These Saints are our family of faith and we gather in their midst as witnesses to the miracle of God as He mystically unites husband and wife to become one flesh.

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The Betrothal and Exchange of Rings

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The rings represent unending and forever deepening love and commitment. In the Liturgy you will not hear the words “until death do we part,” for the Orthodox believe that in the hope of the resurrection we are alive in Christ and therefore being joined in Christ through this sacrament, the couple become one forever and unto ages of ages. This eternal union reflects the greater reality of salvation itself. Two people once separated are united in Christ through their self-sacrificing love for each other, just as God and man once separated by sin, are reconciled to each other through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

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The Candles

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The Marriage Service begins after the Betrothal Service. The bride and groom are given candles which they will hold throughout the service. The candles are like the lamps of the five wise maidens of the Bible, who because they had enough oil of virtue, were able to receive Christ the Bridegroom when He came in the darkness of the night. The candles symbolize the spiritual willingness of the couple to receive Christ, the true Light, who will bless them throughout this sacrament.

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The Joining of the Right Hands

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The right hands of the bride and groom are joined when the priest reads the prayer that beseeches God to “join these Thy servants, unite them in one mind and one flesh.” The hands are kept joined throughout the service to symbolize the “oneness” of the couple throughout their life.

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The Crowning

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The crowning is the center of the wedding service. The crowns symbolize the crowns of martyrdom, since every marriage involves immeasurable self-sacrifice. The husband gives up his life for his wife and she sacrifices her life for him. In a mutual self-giving which culminates in the creation of children, as the quintessential manifestation of their selfless love. The crowns are also signs of the glory and honor with which God crowns those who are joined together in marriage. The groom and bride are crowned as king and queen of their own kingdom, the home, which they will rule with wisdom, justice and integrity.

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The Sharing of the Common Cup

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The service of the Crowning is followed by the reading of the Epistle and the Gospel. The Gospel reading describes the marriage at Cana of Galilee, which was attended and blessed by Jesus Christ, when he performed His first miracle by turning water into wine. In remembrance of this blessing, wine is given to the couple. From this moment on they will share everything in life, joys as well as sorrows, and they are to “bear one another's burdens.” Their joys will be doubled and their sorrows halved because they will be shared.

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The Dance of Isaiah

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The priest leads the bride and groom in a procession around the analogion (table on which lies the Holy Gospel). The husband and wife take their first steps as a married couple, and the Church, represented in the person of the priest, leads them in the way they must walk, a life centered on following the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. During the procession, a hymn is sung to the Holy Martyrs, reminding 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 it’s all for the one loved.

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The Blessing

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The couple returns to the front of the table and the priest, blessing the groom, says, “Be exalted, O bridegroom, like Abraham; and be blessed like Isaac; and multiply like Jacob, walking in peace, and keeping the commandments of God in righteousness.” And blessing the bride, the priest says, “And thou, O bride, be exalted like Sarah; and exult like Rebecca; and multiply like Rachel; and rejoice in your husband, fulfilling the conditions of the law; for so it is well pleasing to God.” 

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Your Presence

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In attending this wedding ceremony, we ask you not only to witness the marriage of Katie (Katherine) and Blake (Innocent), but also to add your prayers to theirs that God may bless their life together. For “unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)