The wedding is one of the seven church ordinances, during which the newlyweds enter into a marriage union before God, certifying their feelings for each other. the sacrament of a wedding in an Orthodox church lasts about an hour.
The sacrament itself consists of the succession of the betrothal and the wedding itself. Before the start of the solemn service, the serving priest meets the newlyweds to the sound of bells at the entrance to the temple.
Before the betrothal begins, the newlyweds are at the end of the temple (at the same time, a special board is laid under their feet). Next, the newlyweds are given wedding candles in their hands. After that, the priest goes to the center of the temple and gives an exclamation to the beginning of the sacrament. Further, the priest pronounces the Great Litany with special petitions for the newlyweds. Then a short prayer is read, after which the priest again approaches the newlyweds and puts rings on their fingers. Rings (as wedding rings are called in the Orthodox tradition) change three times. That is, alternately the wedding ring of the husband and wife is put on the finger of the spouse. After that, a few more prayers are read by the priest in the center of the temple.
After the prayers, the priest approaches the couple and, while singing certain wedding chants, brings the newlyweds to the center of the temple. Then the priest asks about the desire to conclude a church marriage. After obtaining consent from both sides, the sacrament of the wedding begins directly.
One of the main moments of the wedding is the laying on of the heads of the newlyweds. After that, the priest pronounces three times the secret-performing formula: "Lord our God, I crown (them) with glory and honor." At the same time, the priest raises his hands to the sky, and then turns to the newlyweds and blesses them. This happens three times. This is followed by readings of New Testament Scripture passages.
Another aspect of the wedding service is the use of wine by the newlyweds from a single bowl as a sign that now the husband and wife have everything in common. After that, the priest takes the newlyweds by the hand and walks with them three times around the lectern while singing certain chants in chorus.
The crowns are removed from the heads of the spouses already before the end of the wedding. At the end of the sacrament, the newlyweds are sung the chant "Many Years", in which the newlyweds are asked to give longevity to the newlyweds.
After completing the sacrament, the priest brings the newlyweds to the open royal gates to the solea. The husband and wife kiss the icons located near the royal doors, and then, as evidence of the love of the newlyweds, the newlyweds kiss themselves.
At the end of the wedding, the priest can say a parting word for the young, after which a wedding certificate is necessarily issued.
In some churches there is a practice for newlyweds to drive three times around the temple by car, after which, to the sound of bells, the wedding procession leaves the temple.
