In church liturgical practice, there are seven sacraments - sacraments, during which a special divine grace descends on a person. The wedding is one of the seven Orthodox sacraments.
During the sacrament of the wedding, Orthodox believers make a vow before God to love each other. During this rite, the priest in special prayers asks for the blessing of the Lord for a joint family life, the birth and education of children in the Orthodox faith. The sacrament of a wedding in church tradition is called the creation of a "small Church", that is, a family.
Historically, the wedding was celebrated together with the divine liturgy (until the 10th century). Therefore, before the sacrament of the wedding, believers received communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ at the liturgy. After uniting with God, the spouses already proceeded to the sacrament of the wedding.
In the period from the 10th to the 15th century, the sacrament of the wedding begins to separate from the divine service of the liturgy. The church blessing for marriage is gradually formed into a separate rite. However, the historical memory of the need for confession and communion before the sacrament of the wedding remained.
At present, many clergymen of the Russian Orthodox Church advise, before the sacrament of the wedding, to cleanse their souls from sins in confession and begin the sacrament of communion. This is a godly tradition that has a beneficial effect on the spiritual life of a person. The importance of the sacrament of the wedding determines a certain deliberate approach, spiritual preparation for the future sacrament. That is why it is useful to follow the tradition of confession and sacrament before the wedding.
However, at present, the sacrament of the wedding can be performed without prior confession and communion of the spouses. This practice is observed in large cities and numerous parishes (it is necessary to understand that wedding, confession and communion are currently separate sacraments). Thus, confession and communion before the sacrament of the wedding is a useful and desirable practice, but by no means fundamental. Each person is free to decide for himself how important it is to unite with Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist just before starting a family.
