Weddings are not allowed in church:

1. A) from 12th December until Christmas
2. B) during Lent
3. C) from 1st to 15th August
4. D) on 5th and 6th January
5. E) on 29th August (Beheading of St. John the Baptist)
6. F) on the feast of the Holy Cross (14th September)
7. G) between a member of the Orthodox church and a non-Christian, or with a member of a denomination not baptizing in the name of the Holy Trinity

The best man and maid of honor (koumbaro/a) must be Orthodox Christians in good standing. They can belong to any canonical Orthodox Christian jurisdiction or parish. A non-Orthodox person may act as a witness for the civil marriage.

In accordance with the laws of England and Wales, the ceremony of civil marriage should take place before the ecclesiastical marriage. At St. Constantine’s and St. Helen’s church we are pleased to advise you that we have the facilities to undertake both ceremonies on the same day.

Steps to Follow 

• To book your wedding, please contact Father George to agree a date for your marriage and talk about any other issues you may have pertaining to your marriage.
• Once a date has been agreed with Father George, you must call Mary Mantilas the Authorized Person to discuss the process for the civil marriage. (Contact details from the church.)
• As a legal requirement, both the bride and groom must give notice of their marriage in person at the registration district (or districts) where they live. Giving notice involves attending an appointment at a Register Office where you will declare:
• who you intend to marry
• where the ceremony will take place
• that you are legally free to get married

You need to give notice at least 29 days before your ceremony. Please book your notice appointment as far in advance as possible (up to 12 months) to ensure the date is available. If you or your partner is from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you may need to wait up to 70 days before your ceremony.

Your Register Office will inform you of documents you may need. (Passports, birth certificates, utility bill, proof of residence etc.). If you are divorced, you need to provide evidence that you are free to marry again.

A fee is payable to the registration district.

After the required days’ notice have passed you need to collect the Registry Wedding Schedule. This is the formal documentation (one A4 white paper) which permits the marriage to take place. Once you have this, please contact Mary Mantilas to organize a pre wedding meeting.

Church Documents Required

• Certificate of Non-Impediment. (Πιστοποιητικό Αγαμίας). To get this, you will need to visit the church at which you were baptized taking with you your Baptism Certificate, and giving your name, date you were baptized and Baptism Certificate number. If this is not possible, a solicitor may sign an Affidavit (see Appendix A) stating the person is single and baptized in Holy Trinity.

Episcopal Permit (issued by the Archdiocese). During your meeting with Father George, you will need to sign an application for the Episcopal Permit in the presence of two witnesses. These will usually be you best man and maid of honor, (koumbaro/a) who must both be Orthodox Christians.

2) Passports

3) Divorce papers (where applicable)

The completed application for an Episcopal Permit and Certificates of Non-Impediment will be sent to the Archdiocese with a fee.

Please allow plenty of time before your intended wedding date to apply for both the legal and ecclesiastical licenses.

In the case of a second marriage, the person concerned should produce a Divorce Absolute from the Civil Courts if the previous marriage took place only at the Registry Office. If the previous marriage was solemnized in an Orthodox church, a Divorce Certificate from the Ecclesiastical Court will also be needed.

If the previous spouse has died, then only the Death Certificate need be produced.

The religious and civil ceremony comprises of three parts: –

1. The Betrothal Service
2. The Civil Marriage
3. The Ecclesiastical Marriage

What is marriage?

In the sacrament of marriage, a man and a woman are blessed by God so that they can join their lives to one another, become ‘one flesh’, and start a family together. By having their relationship sanctified in the church, the couple are not merely joined to one another, but to one another in Christ. While human love is limited, the love of God is unlimited and it is this love, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, that a couple can foster.

Jesus taught the uniqueness of human marriage as the most perfect natural expression of God’s love for men, and of his own love for the church.  According to Christ, the love of a man and woman must be unique, indestructible, unending and divine.

As Elder Aimilianos of Simonos Petros Monastery on Mt. Athos wrote many years ago, “When two people get married, it’s as if they’re saying: Together we will go forward, hand in hand, through good times and bad. We will have dark hours, hours of sorrow filled with burdens, monotonous hours. But in the depths of the night, we continue to believe in the sun and the light.”

What do I need for the ceremony?

• Wedding rings.
• Stephana/Wedding Crowns, linked by a long white ribbon.
• Dish with sugared almonds (optional).

What happens in a Christian Orthodox Service?

The wedding ceremony is an ancient and meaningful service that has been celebrated in its present form for centuries. It is steeped in ritual and symbolism which reflects marriage, love, mutual respect, equality and sacrifice. Many acts are repeated three times to symbolize and to invoke the mystical presence of the Holy Trinity.

The Service of Betrothal

Petitions are chanted for the spiritual welfare of the couple. The highlight during this service is the blessing and exchanging of the rings. The priest holds the rings in his right hand and making the sign of the cross over their heads, betroths the servants of God, the bride, to the groom. He places the rings on their right hands.

The koumbaro/a then exchanges the rings three times. The rings are the symbol of betrothal from the most ancient times.  The exchange signifies that in married life the weakness of one partner will be compensated for the strength of the other interchangeably; by themselves the newly betrothed are incomplete, but together they are made perfect; thus, the exchange of the rings gives expression to the fact that the spouses in marriage will continually be complimenting each other. Each will be enriched by the union. The rite of the betrothal ends with the priest praying for the firmness of the betrothal, in true faith, concord and love.

The Candles

The bride and groom stand close to the decorated candles throughout the service. The candles symbolize the spiritual willingness of the couple to receive Christ, who will bless them throughout this sacrament.

The Crowning

The priest places crowns/stephana on the heads of the bride and groom, after first blessing them. The crowns are tied with a ribbon at the back, signifying the couple’s union. They are the “king and queen” of their own domestic kingdom. Three times, the priest says, “The servant of God (groom) is crowned to the servant of God (bride) in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” He repeats this action, this time beginning with (bride). Once the crowns are placed on their heads, the brief hymn, “Lord our God, crown them with glory and honor” is sung. The koumbaro/a then exchanges the crowns on their heads three times as a witness to their union. The couple will wear the crowns for the remainder of the ceremony. At the conclusion of the prayers, the priest joins the hands of the bride and the groom. Their hands are kept joined until the end of the service to symbolize the union and the oneness of the couple.

The crowns also have another deep spiritual meaning as they represent the crowns of martyrdom, since every true marriage involves immeasurable self-sacrifice on both sides. This will be revealed in the hymns chanted during the ceremonial walk. 

The Scripture Readings and the Common Cup

The rite of crowning is followed by the reading of the epistle and the Gospel. The Gospel reading describes the marriage at Cana of Galilee which was attended and blessed by Christ and for which He reserved His first miracle. There He converted the water into wine and gave it to the newlyweds. The change of water into wine points to the change of the old into the new.

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. Their joys will be doubled and their sorrows halved because they will be shared.

Please note here that it is not Holy Communion, the bride and groom are taking.

The Ceremonial Walk or “Dance of Isaiah”

The priest, holding the Book of the Gospels, will lead the couple around the table three times, singing three hymns. The first begins, “O Isaiah, dance for joy….” giving this procession its name. Originally, this procession was a procession of the couple to their first home. Today, the Word of God leads them in their first steps together as a married couple. The koumbaro(a) follows the priest and couple holding the ribbon that joins their two crowns signifying his/her lifelong moral and spiritual support for the couple.

At the conclusion of the ceremonial walk, the priest removes the crowns from the bride and groom and beseeches God to grant them a long, happy and fruitful life together. He lifts the Gospel and separates their joined hands, signifying that only God can separate the couple from one another. 

The Blessing

The Priest turns to the bride and groom and blesses them each in turn.

Sugar Coated Almonds

Sugar coated almonds, are placed on the tray with the crowns and which will later be offered to the guests are also symbolic.  In the early days of the church, honey dipped almonds were offered to the newlyweds by the priest. The white symbolizes purity. The egg shape represents fertility and the new life which begins with marriage. The hardness of the almond represents the endurance of marriage and the sweetness of the sugar symbolizes the sweetness of future life. The odd number of almonds given to each guest is indivisible, just as the bride and the groom shall remain undivided.

Civil Ceremony

The Civil ceremony, which takes place after the betrothal service, is made up of a declaration and contracting words that the couple say to each other in front of their witnesses and the Authorized Person.  The Authorized Person will recite the words and the couple will repeat.  For your ease the words are shown below: