The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony

“O Lord crown them with glory and honor!”

-from the Wedding Service of the Orthodox Church

God declared marriage to be honorable by His presence at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. Thus, it is only fitting that all marriages be performed in the Church as the couple dedicates their new life together to God. The Orthodox wedding ceremony is the original form of marriage in the early Church and continues unchanged to this day. There are different parts of the ceremony with many symbols to express God’s love towards His creation and His blessing upon the couple.

The ceremonies begin at the back of the Church where the couple exchanges rings and enter together into God’s Holy House. There are a set of prayers called a “Litany” which asks God’s blessing upon the couple, the people and the Church. The rings are then exchanged by the couple three times in remembrance of the Holy Trinity and placed on the fourth finger of the right hand. It is traditional for the couple to wear their rings on the right hand as it is the hand of blessing from the Bible. There is then another prayer which cites the many examples of Godly marriages in the Bible and extols the couple to follow their example. The priest then leads the newly betrothed couple to the center of the Church.

In the center of the Church is a table upon which sets the liturgical items used in the ceremony. There is a set of crowns which the priest places on the heads of the couple to bless them and to remind them of the crowns which the martyrs wear for their witness to Christ. There is a common cup which the couple drinks from to symbolize their unity. There is a pair of candles that the couple holds to show that the light of Christ shines in their lives. There is a handkerchief which the priest binds the hands of the couple together as a symbol of their unity. Finally, there is a Gospel Book which the priest reads from and a cross which he blesses the couple.

The service begins with the chanting of Psalm 128 which reminds the couple of the blessing of God upon Jerusalem. The priest then gives lit candles to the couple and inquires both of them of their intentions. There is again a Litany and prayers of blessing which reminds the couple of their obligation towards God and each other. The priest then blesses the couple with a crown and places it on each one’s head. Following the crowning, there is a reading from the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians (Eph 5:20-33) which speaks about the obligation of marriage and compares it to Christ and the Church. There is then a reading from the Gospel of St. John (John 2:1-11) which speaks of Christ’s blessing of the wedding in Cana.

Following the readings, there is another Litany and prayers. The couple then partakes of the common cup three times to unite them. He then binds their hands together and takes up the cross. There is a procession three times around the center table while the choir sings a beautiful hymn. Interestingly this hymn is the same one used in the ordination of clergy. Following the procession, the priest blesses the couple, unbinds the hands and removes the crowns. Usually there is a sermon following this followed by the final blessing. With this, the couple is united in Christ to each other in Holy Matrimony.

The Wedding is not simply an exchange of vows or a contract but a Sacrament of the Church, which as all Sacraments unites us with Christ. The newly married couple is not just united to each other but joined together with Christ and His Holy Church. It is not a private affair but one witnessed by the Church as the Body of Christ bringing them in closer communion with all. Through marriage their lives are transfigured as together they seek salvation in this world.