The service of Holy Matrimony

Even though the bride and groom don’t get to exchange vows during the wedding ceremony, the marriage ceremony of the Orthodox Church is truly beautiful and is steeped in ritual and symbolism. Each of the acts has a special meaning and significance. The service of Holy Matrimony consists of two parts: the service of the Betrothal and the service of the Crowning, or Stepsis.

The Service of the Betrothal:

The rings are blessed by the priest who takes them in his hand, and making the sign of the cross over the heads of the bride and groom, says: "The servant of God… is betrothed to the handmaid of God… in the name of the Father, of the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

The Koumbari then exchange the rings three times, taking the bride's ring and placing it on the groom's right finger and vice-versa. The rings are the symbol of betrothal from the most ancient times. The exchange signifies that in married life the weaknesses of one partner will be compensated by the strengths of the other. By themselves, the newly married couple is incomplete; together they are perfect. Thus, the exchange of the rings gives expression to the fact that the spouses in marriage will constantly be complementing each other.

The candles, each held by the bride and groom during the service, symbolizes the warmth of their faith in Jesus Christ and their true love for each other, which they pledge to uphold forever.

The Crowning, Or Stepsis

The Crowns are signs of glory and honor with which God crowns the couple during the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. The groom and bride are crowned as the king and queen of their own little kingdom, their home. The white ribbon, which joins the two white crowns, symbolizes unity.

During the service of the crowning, the priest, in several prayers and petitions, asks God to bless the marriage and to grant to the groom and bride a long and peaceful life, fidelity, mutual love and understanding, healthy children, happiness and prosperity.

At the end of the third prayer, the priest, who calls upon God "to join them into one mind and one flesh," unites the right hands of the groom and bride, an act, which depicts the unbreakable and everlasting unity of the couple.

When the crowning takes place, the priest, taking the crowns and holding them above the couple, says: The servants of God… are crowned in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen."

Following the crowning is the reading of the Epistle and the Gospel. The Gospel reading describes the marriage at Cana in Galilee, which was attended and bless by Christ, and for which He performed His first miracle. There, he converted water into wine and gave it to the newlyweds. In remembrance of this blessing, wine is given to the couple. This is the "common cup" of life denoting the mutual sharing of joy and sorrow, the token of a life of harmony. The drinking of wine from the common cup serves to impress upon the couple that from that moment on they will share everything in life, joys as well as sorrows, and that they are to "bear one another's burdens." Their joys will be doubled and their sorrows halved because they will be shared.

The priest then leads the bride and groom in a circle around the Holy Table on which the Gospel and the Cross are placed, the one containing the word of God, the other being the symbol of our redemption by Jesus. The husband and wife are taking their first steps as a married couple, and the Church, in the person of the priest leads them in the way they must walk. The way is symbolized by the circle at the center of which is the Gospel and the Cross of our Lord. This expresses the fact that the way of Christian living is a perfect orbit around the center of life, which is Jesus Christ, our Lord.

The bride and groom together proceed around the Holy Table three times. During this ceremonial walk, a hymn is sung to the Holy Martyrs reminding the newly married couple of their sacrificial love they are to have for each other in marriage. Some interpret this walk as a religious dance expressing the joy of matrimony.

The couple returns to its place and the priest, blessing the groom, says, "Be thou magnified, O bridegroom, as Abraham, and blessed as Isaac, and increased as Jacob, walking in peace and working in righteousness and the commandments of God." And blessing the bride, he says, "And thou, O bride, be thou magnified as Sarah, and glad as Rebecca, and do thou increase like unto Rachel, rejoicing in thine own husband, fulfilling the conditions of the law; for so it is well pleasing unto God."

Copyright 2004 by GreekEnterprises Inc. Use of material or content from this site without written permission is strictly prohibited.

Information about Greek weddings, Bridal, Groom, wedding services, bridal shops, Greek Baptisms, Baptismal related services, baptismal shops.