Anything you would wear to any other church or professional function is generally acceptable. Modesty is expected, so consider this alongside your personal comfort when choosing what to wear. Please note that women are not required to wear a head covering inside the church. This is entirely optional, and the women who choose to wear a head covering do so for their own reasons.
On the church property, there is parking along the paved drive on the way in and on the back side of the building, which is not facing the street. While not required, please consider parking along the entryway drive if you are able-bodied and able to do so, to reserve the closer spaces in the back-side lot for those unable to walk on gravel, uneven ground, or over greater distances.
In the open Parish Hall space, padded metal-framed chairs will be arranged in two columns, with an aisle down the middle leading from the back of the church, opposite the altar, to the nave. Inside the nave, seating is limited to unpadded wooden pew benches and a few metal-framed padded chairs for general guests. Family members and friends should expect to be directed to two sections of reserved seating in the form of metal-framed padded chairs in the center of the nave, which will provide a front-row view of the ceremony.
While Orthodoxy is very participatory, and our church community may frequently stand, cross themselves, sing, or respond when prompted by the Priest, we encourage our friends and family who are not Orthodox to remain seated, watch, and enjoy the ceremony. We are so excited to share the day and the beauty of our faith with you, and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the ceremony or Orthodoxy after the wedding weekend has concluded.
We have received an overwhelming amount of love, support, and service offerings in response to the announcement of our engagement and our upcoming wedding weekend. For family and friends outside the church, the bride or groom will provide dates, times, places, and tasks for any help we may need in preparing for or cleaning up after the ceremony. For friends and family within the church, we will keep everyone informed of events and opportunities for your participation through verbal announcements at the end of Liturgy on Sundays, by contacting you directly, or through the virtual and physical bulletins prepared by our Administrator, Susan.
While we will have a professional photographer in attendance, any photos and videos taken by guests can be uploaded to the prepared Google Drive space here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16cK7-FDq4umC_pxAJg6lCOi52fbtacsm?usp=drive_link.
In lieu of material goods, we are only requesting monetary gifts. These funds will help us purchase a home in the future, a larger bed, bedside tables, and a few home items we may need along the way. Otherwise, we are fortunate to already have all other fundamental household and personal items.
Instead of a more traditional Reception event, we have chosen to arrange our day differently to manage time and social energy in a way that is most suitable for us. We will celebrate our marriage with our church community through a catered Coffee Hour that we will host after Divine Liturgy on the day of our wedding ceremony. After the ceremony, we will arrange a very small off-site dinner with our visiting family and friends.