A Greek Orthodox wedding is a very beautiful service deep in meaning and tradition. The ceremony starts with the Bride and Groom each holding white candles to symbolize their acceptance of Christ in their lives.  Another tradition fulfilled in the Greek Orthodox wedding is that the couple must have a religious sponsor (koumbaros) who will serve as witness to their union and remain an important person throughout the couples’ life together.  One last element that most people are familiar with is that many phrases and rituals are repeated three times to represent the Holy Trinity – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  The ceremony itself consists of two parts: The Betrothal Service and the Ceremony of the Sacrament of Marriage.

Betrothal Service:

The Greek Orthodox wedding begins with the Betrothal Service during which the Priest blesses the rings.  The rings are then placed on the ring fingers of the right hands (as it symbolizes the “good” hand according to the Bible) of the bride and groom by the best man (Koumbaros) or Maid of Honour (Koumbaras), who then exchanges the rings between the couple three times signifying that the two have become one, forever.  The Priest then says a prayer to seal the rings upon their fingers and the Ceremony of the Sacrament of Marriage begins. 

The Ceremony of the Sacrament of Marriage:

This portion of the Greek wedding ceremony also has many significant parts.  First, the bride and groom are each given a lit candle which symbolizes the light or purity in their lives.  Next is the joining of hands which symbolizes the couple has been joined as one.  The bride and groom remain with their hands held together for the remainder of the ceremony.

The Crowning:

The crowning of the couple with the stefana (two flowered crowns linked together by ribbon) and signifies the joining of the couple as one and that the couple is prepared to establish their own kingdom as head of a new family.  The Priest crowns the couple and the Koumbaro switches the crowns back and forth three times on the couples’ head. 

The Common Cup:

Once the couple is crowned, the Priest recites readings of the Epistle and the Gospel.  This Gospel reading is to remember the first miracle which Christ performed during the marriage of Cana at Galilee where he converted water into wine.  The Priest presents the couple with a single cup of wine that they must drink from symbolizing that they will share the “cup of life” together.

The Ceremonial Walk:

Next, the couple circles the altar table, three times, while holding hands and joined by the stefana.  The Priest recites passages and carries a glided Book of Gospels which signifies that the couple will follow the word of God as they begin their new lives together.  Circling the table signifies the eternity of marriage.  At the end of the ceremony, the Priest blesses the couple and lifts the crowns from their heads which indicates the end of the marriage ceremony and the beginning of their new life together.