Shots Photography

Whats in a Greek Wedding?

The wedding service in the Greek Orthodox faith is an ancient and beautiful ceremony, which has been celebrated in its current form for centuries. The wedding ceremony is full of symbolism and is a great experience if you have never attended one before, because it is likely to be quite different from other weddings you have attended in Western Europe. The service is also rather unique because the bride and groom do not make vows to each other – their presence together in the church is taken to mean that they are serious about getting married. There are no wedding rehearsals and the ceremony usually has a very relaxed atmosphere - guests take photos whenever they want to and often chat quietly among themselves throughout the ceremony.

The Beginning of the Wedding

In most cases the wedding guests will wait with the groom outside the church until the bride arrives (a few sneaky wedding pros will go into the church early to secure a good seat). In the Summer, when most weddings take place, it is not unusual for ceremonies to be arranged back to back, so the guests attending a marriage will often stand around with those who have just attended the previous wedding are ready to leave. Wedding dress commentators among the crowd will get to consider and discuss at least two brides and maybe even a third as they leave the church – bargain! Meanwhile, the groom waits for the bride at the entrance to the church, often holding her floral bouquet. He hands it to her as they meet and they then go inside together followed by the guests. There is no separation of the guests into guests of the bride and guests of the groom – everyone sits together and in the case of small churches, many people prefer to stand in a spot where they can get a good view of the proceedings.

Service of Betrothal

The wedding ceremony itself is in two parts: the Service of Betrothal and the Ceremony of the Sacrament of Marriage. The exchanging of rings is the focus of the Service of Betrothal. The priest blesses the rings by holding them in his right hand and making the sign of the cross over the heads of the bride and groom. The rings are then placed on the third fingers of their right hands. The Koumbaro, the couple's religious sponsor, then swaps the rings over between the bride and groom's fingers, three times. A number of rituals in the ceremony are repeated three times and this symbolises the Holy Trinity: God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Ceremony of the Sacrament of Marriage

This Ceremony consists of several key parts. First, several prayers are said and then as they come to an end, the priest joins the right hands of the bride and groom. Their hands remain joined until the end of the wedding ceremony, which symbolises the couple's union.

The Crowning

The bride and groom are crowned with thin crowns, or stefana, which are joined by a white ribbon and have been blessed by the priest. The crowns symbolise the glory and honour that is being bestowed on them by God, and the the ribbon symbolises their unity. The koumbaro then exchanges the crowns between the heads of the couple, three times.

The Common Cup

The crowning is followed by a reading of the Gospel, which tells of the marriage of Cana at Galilee. It was at this wedding that Jesus performed his first miracle, changing water into wine, which was then given to the married couple. Wine is given to the couple and they each drink from it three times.

The Ceremonial Walk

The priest the leads the couple, who are still wearing their stefana, three times around the altar on their first steps as a married couple. The Koumbaro follows close behind the couple holding the stefana place. At this point the couple (and anyone standing nearby) is usually showered with rice, which was earlier handed out to the wedding guests. The priest will often make use of the bible he is holding to give himself some protection!

The Removal of the Crowns

When the Ceremonial Walk has ended, the priest blesses the couple, the crowns are removed and he then separates their previously joined hands with the bible, reminding them that only God can break the union which they have just entered into.

Wedding traditions

Unfortunately, a lot of the information available on Greek Orthodox wedding traditions is a little outdated and contains generalisations that give the impression that certain traditions are followed by everyone who gets married. Some of these traditions are set out below.

• The baking of bread and cakes containing coins.
  
  

• Rolling a baby on the marital bed to encourage fertility.
  
  

• The throwing of money onto the marital bed.
  
  

• The pinning of money onto the bride (and sometimes also the groom) at the wedding reception.

Emmanuel Mendonca is the webmaster of Greece Travel Articles - a source of interesting articles and information about visiting, living and working in Greece.

MORE ARTICLES:

Weddings - Who Pays For What?
Of course, times have changed and there are occasions where the traditional ways to pay for the wedding do not apply. But if you are like most people, here's the breakdown of who exactly pays for this thing (should you continue this traditional pattern):The Family of the Bride -All of Ceremony (flowers, decorations, announcements, programs, church fees, photographer/videographer, wedding favors, etc.

Outdoor Wedding Ceremonies – Keeping Your Guest Comfortable
According to a survey conducted in 2003 by Bride's magazine, 15% of all couples choose an outdoor wedding, and that trend is growing. But with a all of the beauty and simplicity that an outdoor wedding brings, it also brings added anxiety from the force known as Mother Nature.

Ideas for Do It Yourself Wedding Favors
Ideas and Tips for Do it Yourself Favors

How to Choose Wording for a Las Vegas Theme Wedding Invitation
Your Las Vegas wedding will be beautiful, whether you are getting married in Las Vegas or having a Las Vegas themed wedding elsewhere, you are ready to walk down the aisle. But how do you express in words to your family and friends that you?re about to walk down a Las Vegas wedding aisle? It?s more simple than many brides would like to think. Here are some tips for brides to think about when writing their Las Vegas wedding wording for their invitations.

Photo Booth Rental a Hot New Trend for Wedding Reception Fun
Photo Booth scrap booking has emerged as a popular new trend for couples wishing to add a lively element to their wedding reception.

'ello? 'ello? 'ello? Is that the Wedding, then?
You hear them at champagne-flowing parties. You hear them in crowded trains.

Los Angeles' Glamour Photography Leader Pink Kitty Studios Goes National
After several years of success in Southern California, and with coverage by both local and national media over their innovative ideas, Pink Kitty Studios has opened additional locations in Colorado and Philadelphia, with more to come.

Ideas for the Illinois Wedding Photographer
Gone are the days of stiff, uncomfortable wedding photographs. More and more bridal couples are demanding that their wedding album be more about them and their ideas. They don?t want their pictures to look just like everyone else?s. The freethinking Illinois wedding photographer will adapt to the change and have some extra special posing ideas in mind to happily accommodate his or her clients. In addition to having ideas of your own, it is important to listen to what the couple has to say. They may already have certain images in their minds that you haven?t thought of.

New Beautiful Bride Gift Set from Dainty Footings Ensures Feet Feel Fabulous on Her Wedding Day
A new luxury women's high heel bridal shoe cushion set from Dainty Footings is specially designed with high-tech Poron to keep a bride's feet feeling as wonderful as she does on her special day. Each Beautiful Bride Gift Set comes wrapped in a shimmering, silky white organza pouch with a white satin ribbon at the top and contains one pair each of ball-of-foot cushions, heel liners, and heel cushions in the color cream. Dainty Footings are reusable and hypoallergenic, correct improper foot position relieving pressure on joints, reduce foot slippage and blisters, and provide maximum shock absorption.

Top 10 Tips for Great Wedding Day Hair
These tips assume that you are going to be using your regular hairdresser to plan your style and on your wedding day. However if you plan to style your hair yourself, you can easily follow the same timetable and I have added some extra tips for you.

Finding Personalized Wedding Gifts
Attending a wedding as a guest can be a very fun experience. Sharing in the special magic of watching two people devote their lives to each other is touching.

Inexpensive Wedding Gifts For Anyone
A wedding gift does not have to be expensive to be well received and appreciated by the couple. While the extravagance of some weddings may compel their guests to purchase pricey gifts, it is not necessary to do so. Many people are invited to a number of weddings each year and it?s not feasible to purchase an expensive gift for every wedding you attend. While you may want to splurge on an extravagant gift for a close friend or relative, you are not required to invest a great deal of money in a gift for a casual acquaintance. Even if you are very close with the couple you may be able to create a very inexpensive gift for their wedding. The following are just a few ideas for inexpensive wedding gifts that are sure to delight the couple withou...

Unsecured Loans For Tenants - A Wedding With All The Trimmings
It?s often a girl?s dream of having the big wedding in front of all the family. Walking down the aisle looking like a real princess on the most important day of her life. Having her hair, nails and make-up professionally done for the day, arriving at the venue in a swanky car and with the photographer capturing her every movement and pose are all part of what makes it so special. It?s an idyllic view, I know but for couples who want to get married or enter into civil partnerships, many would consider doing the best job that they can on getting the day as near perfect as possible. This means a lot of organising however. Just think about everything you may need to sort out: church/venue, stationery, cars, clothes, hair, nails, make-up, pre...

A Closer Look At Your Digital Photography
What does digital photography mean? Digital photography means different things depending on how the people interpret it. Some people perceive digital photography as something which converts a traditional photo into digital format by simply using a scanner. Others interpret it as something that is done by means of a traditional picture taken from film and digitize it through the computer. While others see it as something captured digitally by means of a digital camera.