*~*~*~*~GREEK BRIDES WEDDING THREAD~*~*~*~*

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Posted by FinallyEngaged

Well, I am getting married at St. Pauls in Hempstead and they told FH not to worry about coming in until August as well, and I am also getting married in November. Since I am not GO, Fh also asked about what paperwork we would need, and for the both of us, as long as we have our baptismal certificates we are good to go.

Now regarding the band tipping... that is a great question.....

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Thanks, that's good to know!

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Posted by MrsS4

we dont need to tip them they get hundreds of dollars off the floor!! wouldnt it be nice if the couple could get that $$ loll---

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I went to an event recently where several thousand dollars were thrown (no joke!)...sigh...why couldn't 10% of that amount be given to me?!?

Neither my family nor FH's throws a lot of money at events, so maybe we'll give a tip at the end if not a lot is thrown.

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Posted by bkposh

I am Romanian orthodox and was just wondering if anyone knows if the Greek Church would marry us.

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It probably won't be a problem...your ethinicity isn't an issue since you're Orthodox Christian

Which church were you looking at?

PS - You'll have become a member of that particular Church in order to be married there

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Posted by Annoulak

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Posted by bkposh

I am Romanian orthodox and was just wondering if anyone knows if the Greek Church would marry us.

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It probably won't be a problem...your ethinicity isn't an issue since you're Orthodox Christian

Which church were you looking at?

PS - You'll have become a member of that particular Church in order to be married there

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not sure which church..I was looking for one that might be close to either Westbury Manor or Swan Club since those are the 2 halls we are considering. Do you have any recommendations?

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Posted by bkposh

not sure which church..I was looking for one that might be close to either Westbury Manor or Swan Club since those are the 2 halls we are considering. Do you have any recommendations?

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THIS LINK will take you to all the Greek-Orthodox churches in NY. Call the ones you're interested in and explain that you're Romanian Orthodox and see what they have to say.

Good luck!

Hi Ladies I have a question?? My FH wants and thinks his name should be first on our invitations. Have any of u ever heard of this. The grooms name before the bride???
TIA

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Posted by Costabeba

Hi Ladies I have a question?? My FH wants and thinks his name should be first on our invitations. Have any of u ever heard of this. The grooms name before the bride???
TIA

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Is there a specific reason why he wants his name first? I personally haven't seen that, but I don't think there's a specific rule that it can't be done that way. I suppose if his parents are paying for the wedding, then you could write

Mr. and Mrs. Groom's parents
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their son
Groom's name
to
Bride's name
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bride's parents

In my case, both sets of parents are paying for the wedding, so I wrote both parental names at the top, and put the bride's name first. Like this

Mr. and Mrs. bride's parents
and
Mr. and Mrs. groom's parents
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their children
Bride's name
to
Groom's name

Is it your FH that wants his name first or his parents who are saying this?

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Posted by KT81608

Hi!! Both FH and I are GO and we are getting married in the greek orthodox church...does anyone have the information for the program?? a lot of our guests are not greek and I would like them to understand what is going on (symbolism) during the ceremony!! TIA

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Here's what I'll be using for the ceremony program:

The Sacrament of Marriage
The Sacrament of Marriage in the Orthodox Church sanctifies the union of a man and a woman who are brought into a communion of love for mutual companionship and fulfillment. This blessed union is not expressed through vows, but through a shared and committed relationship with the Risen Christ. Therefore, the couple, the clergy, and the laity pray that this Christian marriage be sanctified and preserved by God in the image of Christ’s perfect union to the Church. The Marriage Rite of the Orthodox Church consists of two independent and self-contained rites that have been linked and celebrated together since the tenth century. The rites reflect the two-stage process of marriage: the Betrothal and the Crowning.

The Betrothal
The service of betrothal precedes the service of crowning. The theme of this service is faithfulness that is expressed in the symbolism of the rings. The exchange of rings is understood not simply as a pledge of mutual faithfulness, but as a sign of God’s pledge to man. This service is comprised of three main components: petitions, prayers, and the exchange of rings. The service is initiated by the priest, chanting the litany that includes petitions for the bridal couple. Two short prayers are then read that associate marriage with the saving work of Christ, who restores the unity between God and man. The priest blesses two gold rings, then taking the groom’s ring touches his forehead saying, “The Servant of God is betrothed to the Handmaiden of God in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” The priest then betroths the bride to the groom in a like manner. The Koumbara and Koumbaro (sponsors) interchange the couple’s rings three times as an expression and witness of the two lives being entwined into one.

The Service of the Crowning
The crowning of the bride and groom is the highlight of the wedding ceremony. Symbolic crowns are placed on the heads of the couple, crowning them as the king and queen of their own kingdom, also signifying the equality, mutual love and support that they will have for one another. The priest takes the crowns, blesses them over the Gospel, signs the couple three times with the Liturgical formula: “The Servant of God [groom’s name] is crowned for the Handmaiden of God [bride’s name] in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” and then crowns them chanting, “Lord our God, crown them with glory and honor.” The Koumbara and Koumbaro then exchange the crowns three times. The crowns remain on the heads of the couple until the close of the service.

The Common Cup
The sharing of the cup symbolizes that from this moment forward, all of life’s experiences, both joyful and sorrowful, will be shared by the couple in the presence of Christ.

The Dance of Isaiah
(The Ceremonial Walk)
In this procession the priest, holding the Gospel, leads the bride and groom around the table three times. The couple is accompanied by their Koumbara and Koumbaro who will walk them throughout the joys and sorrows of life. This liturgical action is significant as it initiates their steps together as husband and wife, always following the teachings of Christ. This present ritual is abbreviated from an older and more elaborate practice of the priest leading the couple to their home. Following the Dance of Isaiah the crowns are removed by the priest while blessing the couple and their marriage.

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Posted by Annoulak

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Posted by KT81608

Hi!! Both FH and I are GO and we are getting married in the greek orthodox church...does anyone have the information for the program?? a lot of our guests are not greek and I would like them to understand what is going on (symbolism) during the ceremony!! TIA

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Here's what I'll be using for the ceremony program:

The Sacrament of Marriage
The Sacrament of Marriage in the Orthodox Church sanctifies the union of a man and a woman who are brought into a communion of love for mutual companionship and fulfillment. This blessed union is not expressed through vows, but through a shared and committed relationship with the Risen Christ. Therefore, the couple, the clergy, and the laity pray that this Christian marriage be sanctified and preserved by God in the image of Christ’s perfect union to the Church. The Marriage Rite of the Orthodox Church consists of two independent and self-contained rites that have been linked and celebrated together since the tenth century. The rites reflect the two-stage process of marriage: the Betrothal and the Crowning.

The Betrothal
The service of betrothal precedes the service of crowning. The theme of this service is faithfulness that is expressed in the symbolism of the rings. The exchange of rings is understood not simply as a pledge of mutual faithfulness, but as a sign of God’s pledge to man. This service is comprised of three main components: petitions, prayers, and the exchange of rings. The service is initiated by the priest, chanting the litany that includes petitions for the bridal couple. Two short prayers are then read that associate marriage with the saving work of Christ, who restores the unity between God and man. The priest blesses two gold rings, then taking the groom’s ring touches his forehead saying, “The Servant of God is betrothed to the Handmaiden of God in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” The priest then betroths the bride to the groom in a like manner. The Koumbara and Koumbaro (sponsors) interchange the couple’s rings three times as an expression and witness of the two lives being entwined into one.

The Service of the Crowning
The crowning of the bride and groom is the highlight of the wedding ceremony. Symbolic crowns are placed on the heads of the couple, crowning them as the king and queen of their own kingdom, also signifying the equality, mutual love and support that they will have for one another. The priest takes the crowns, blesses them over the Gospel, signs the couple three times with the Liturgical formula: “The Servant of God [groom’s name] is crowned for the Handmaiden of God [bride’s name] in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” and then crowns them chanting, “Lord our God, crown them with glory and honor.” The Koumbara and Koumbaro then exchange the crowns three times. The crowns remain on the heads of the couple until the close of the service.

The Common Cup
The sharing of the cup symbolizes that from this moment forward, all of life’s experiences, both joyful and sorrowful, will be shared by the couple in the presence of Christ.

The Dance of Isaiah
(The Ceremonial Walk)
In this procession the priest, holding the Gospel, leads the bride and groom around the table three times. The couple is accompanied by their Koumbara and Koumbaro who will walk them throughout the joys and sorrows of life. This liturgical action is significant as it initiates their steps together as husband and wife, always following the teachings of Christ. This present ritual is abbreviated from an older and more elaborate practice of the priest leading the couple to their home. Following the Dance of Isaiah the crowns are removed by the priest while blessing the couple and their marriage.

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This is what I am using for mine...

The Sacrament of Marriage

Marriage is one of the seven Sacraments of the Greek Orthodox Church. It is the Sacrament during which the bride and groom give a solemn promise before God and the Church to love each other and to be true to each other. The service actually consists of two parts, the Service of the Betrothal and the Service of the Crowning.

The Service of the Betrothal

The Betrothal consist of several beautiful prayers during which the priest asks God to grant the betrothed perfect and peaceful love, salvation, and to bless them with fair children.

Exchange of Rings

During the Betrothal, the rings are blessed over the heads of the bride and groom three times, after which they are placed on the fourth finger of the right hand. The exchange of the rings by the Koumbaros, the official sponsor of the marriage, symbolizes the unbreakable bond of Christian Marriage. The Betrothal ends with a prayer that the Lord might make strong their Betrothal in faith, truth, and love, and make them of one mind; and-that He would grant them His heavenly blessings.

Lighted Candles

The bride and groom are given white lighted candles to hold. The lighted candles symbolize the purity of their lives, which should shine with the light of virtue.

The Joining of Hands

During the Service of the Crowning, three long prayers are read, asking God to grant the bride and groom a long and peaceful life, mutual love and help, happiness, and health. Then the right hands of the couple are joined by the priest who calls upon God to join them into one mind and one flesh.

The Crowning

The priest takes up the crowns and makes the sign of the cross three times each over the heads of the bride and groom, and then places the crowns on their heads. The crowns are a symbol that the newly married couple receive the grace of the Holy Spirit to be the founders of a new generation and are crowned with virtue and holiness to serve all their lives to the glory of Almighty God.

The Common Cup

The drinking from 'the Common Cup' is the next point in the service. The priest gives to the husband and wife to drink from a cup of wine three times each. This is not Holy Communion, but it symbolizes that they now share with each other every joy and sorrow.

The Circling of the Table

The priest takes the bride and groom by the hand and leads them around the table three times while three hymns are chanted. The circle symbolizes eternity. The triple circling is an honor of the Holy Trinity.

Wow to both of you I have never seen this at a greek wedding. I married off my brother and sister in law two years ago and they did not have this. I myself never truely knew the break down exactly of these rituals. It really is so beautiful once you read this, I love it. I too will now use this. Now you had this done with your invitations???

And back to the invites, Neither his nor my parents are paying for the wedding, we are. He just said that his name should be first. But I will fight till the end if this is not so. THanks so much

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Posted by Costabeba

Wow to both of you I have never seen this at a greek wedding. I married off my brother and sister in law two years ago and they did not have this. I myself never truely knew the break down exactly of these rituals. It really is so beautiful once you read this, I love it. I too will now use this. Now you had this done with your invitations???

And back to the invites, Neither his nor my parents are paying for the wedding, we are. He just said that his name should be first. But I will fight till the end if this is not so. THanks so much

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Either did I but I figured I would like the people who aren't familiar with the type of ceremony know what is going on since they will be sitting there for 40 minutes.

Same here neither side is helping to pay for the wedding and we still put mine first! You keep up the fight!

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Posted by Costabeba

And back to the invites, Neither his nor my parents are paying for the wedding, we are. He just said that his name should be first. But I will fight till the end if this is not so. THanks so much

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If you go to any invitation site or verseit.com, it gives you templates for how to word invitations...and all of them have the bride's name first, so show that to your FH and tell him it's the rule

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Posted by Costabeba

Now did u have this done with your invitations? And inyour invitations, how long in advance did u post your repoce ofr? My wedding is Nov 15 and my invite lady said i should post a responce for Oct 10 is that the right amount of time? Sorry for all these questions!!!! I appreciate it

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I'm getting married a day after you and I made my response date October 17 (it's a Friday). You can do it earlier, in fact October 10 sounds like a nice date.

I'm probably going to do the church programs by myself...buy some nice card stock and print them out unless I find someplace that can make them for really cheap.