Explanation of a Greek Orthodox Wedding:

The services have blossomed from the common Judeo-Christian teaching found in both the Old and New testaments and properly infer that marriage exists even from the creation of the first man and woman, whom God blessed and told to be fruitful and multiply. Because this journey together is a special act of God's grace, performed by the Holy Spirit and not by the strength of our spoken commitment, we do not present verbalized vows to each other. This signifies that the success of a marriage cannot depend on human promises, but on the promises and blessings of God. 

In the Orthodox tradition, the wedding ceremony is actually two services in one. The first, which is the briefer of the two, is the service of the betrothal, during which the rings are exchanged. The second is the service of Crowning, in which lengthy prayers are offered for the couple, the crowns of marriage are placed on their heads, the common cup is shared, and the celebratory procession takes place around the table. 
 

Service of the Betrothal

The priest begins by offering petitions of prayer on behalf of the man and the woman who are being betrothed. He then asks God's blessing upon the rings and proceeds to bless the bride and the groom with the rings. He does this three times in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, first from the groom to the bride, and then from the bride to the groom.

The priest then places the rings on the right ring finger of the two. (the right hands are used in the putting of the rings, since according to the Biblical knowledge we have, it is the right hand of God that blesses; it is the right hand of the Father that Christ ascended; it is to the right that those who will inherit eternal life will go.) The rings are exchanged three times on the fingers of the bride and groom by the Koumbara (Orthodox Sponsor) as a further expression and witness that the lives of the two are brought together.

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Service of Crowning

The union is then completed with the crowning. The celebrant takes the crowns, traditionally made of flowers to signify the purity and goodness of married life, and blesses the bride and groom. He then places the crowns upon their heads, chanting "Oh Lord our God, crown them with glory and honor." The ribbon which joins the crowns symbolizes their unity in Christ.

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The Common Cup

The rite of crowning is followed by the reading of St. Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians concerning the mystery and holiness of marriage, and the marriage of Cana at Galilee which was blessed by Christ and was the setting of his first miracle. As newlyweds, the couple will share a common cup of wine symbolizing that from this moment on, they will share in all of life's experiences. Their joys will now be doubled and their sorrows halved. 

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The Ceremonial Dance

The Celebrant takes our joined hands and leads the couple three times around the ceremonial table on which is placed the Gospel and the Cross, the one containing the word of God, the other symbolic of our redemption by Jesus. As husband and wife, they are taking their first steps as a married couple. The Church, represented by the Priest, leads the couple in the way they must walk. The way is symbolized by the circle of which the Gospel and the Cross of our Lord are at the center. The walk around the table symbolizes the joy of the celebration of a new family being established by God. The ritual is referred to as the Dance of Isaiah, reminiscent of the Prophet's dance of joy when he envisioned the coming of the Messiah. The Koumbara follows the couple holding the ribbon that joins the crowns to signify her life long commitment of moral and spiritual support.

 

The Removal of the Crowns and the Benediction

Near the end of the ceremony, the Celebrant removes the crowns and says, "Be magnified, Oh Bridegroom, as Abraham and blessed as Isaac, and increased as was Jacob. Go your way in peace, performing in righteousness and commandments of God. And you, O Bride, be magnified as was Sarah, and rejoiced as was Rebecca, and increased as Rachel, being glad in your husband, keeping the paths of the Law, for so God is well pleased."  Removing the crowns, the Celebrant says, "Accept their crowns in Your unsoiled and undefiled; and preserve them without offense to the ages." The benediction is the recited and the newly married couple depart from the Church. 

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The Koufetta

These white, sugar-coated almonds that you will receive are an ancient cultural tradition. The fresh almond has a bittersweet taste that is symbolic of life itself. The sugar coating is added with hopes that the life of the new family will have more sweetness than bitterness. The odd number of almonds is indivisible, just as the newlyweds will remain undivided.