Orthodox Weddings

| Koumbaro | Marriage Paperwork | Koufetta | Sacrament Fee |

The Ceremony

The Sacrament of Marriage

The ceremony consists of two parts which are distinct and separate from each other: The service of the Betrothal and the Ceremony of the Sacrament of Marriage. Everything in the ceremony has a special meaning and significance, especially the repetition of each act three times to symbolize and to invoke the mystical presence of the Holy Trinity. The Wedding begins as the white candles are handed to The Bride and The Groom. These candles symbolize their spiritual willingness to receive Christ.

The Service of Betrothal

Petitions are chanted for the spiritual welfare of the couple. The highlight during this service is the exchanging of the rings. The priest then blesses the rings. He holds them in his right hand, and making the sign of the cross over their heads, he betroths the servants of God, The Bride to The Groom. The rings are then placed on their right hands, for it is the right hand of God that blesses, it was the right hand of God to which Christ ascended, and it is also to the right that those who will inherit the eternal life will ascend.

The koumbaro (religious sponsor) then exchanges the rings three times. The exchange signifies that in married life, the weakness of one partner will be compensated by the strength of the other, the imperfections of one, by the perfection of the other. By themselves, the newly betrothed are incomplete, but together they are made perfect. The rite of the betrothal ends with the priest praying for betrothal of mutual promise, officially given before the church, may prove in true faith, concord and love.

The Ceremony of the Sacrament of Marriage

The ceremony consists of petitions, prayers, the crowning, readings from the New Testament, the offering of the common cup, the circling of the ceremonial table and the benediction. At the conclusion of the prayers, the priest joins the hands of The Bride and The Groom. The hands are kept joined until the end of the service to symbolize the union and the oneness of the couple.

The Crowning

This is the focal point of the marriage ceremony. The crowns are signs of the glory and honor with which God crowns them during the sacrament. The wedding crowns (stefana) are joined by a ribbon which again symbolizes the unity of the couple and the presence of Christ who blesses and joins the couple and establishes them as the King and Queen of their home, which they will rule with wisdom, justice and integrity. The priest takes the two crowns and blesses The Bride and The Groom, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit and then places the crowns on them. The Koumbaro then steps behind The Bride and The Groom and interchanges the crowns three times as a witness to the sealing of the union.

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 if it to the newlyweds. In remembrance of this blessing, wine is given 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, and that they are to "bear one another’s burdens." Their joys will be doubled and their sorrows halved because they will be shared.

The Ceremonial Walk

The priest then leads The Bride and The Groom in a circle around the table on which are placed the Gospel and the Cross, the one containing the word of God, the other being the symbol of our redemption by Jesus. The Bride and The Groom are taking their first steps as a married couple, and the church, in the person of the priest, leads them in the way they must walk. The way is symbolized by the circle at the center of which are the Gospel and the cross of our Lord. This expresses the fact that the way of Christian living is a perfect orbit around the center of life, who is Jesus Christ our Lord.

During this ceremonial walk around the table a hymn is sung to the Holy Martyrs reminding the newly married couple of the sacrificial love they are to have for each other in marriage - a love that seeks not its own but is willing to sacrifice its all for the one loved.

The Removal of the Crowns

At the conclusion of the Ceremonial Walk, the priest removes the crowns from The Bride and The Groom and beseeches God to grant to the newlyweds a long, happy and fruitful life together. He then lifts up the Gospel and separates their joined hands reminding them that only God can separate the couple form one another.

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Marriage Paperwork

1. Wedding Fee Check This covers the cost of opening the church and is typically paid by the koumbari.

2. Stewardship pledge and payment A Greek Orthodox person must be a steward of a Greek Orthodox Church. If you have not pledged for the current year - please include your pledge and check for this year. If you are a member of another Orthodox church, we need a verification form from the church noting current membership; please note somewhere on the form the date of the wedding so it can be attached with the proper paperwork.

3. Stewardship verification for Koumbari Koumbaro must be Orthodox and a member of an Orthodox Church. They must be current stewards of either our church of if members of another Greek Church. If the koumbari are members of another church, we must have a certification of membership faxed (fax 956-1377) to us from their church, noting the wedding couple and date so it can be filed properly.

4. Baptism Certificates of both bride & groom

5. Confirmation of dates and times Wedding date, time and rehearsal date, time

6. Premarital Seminars are mandatory Contact the office for times and dates

7. Return all paperwork & fees (at the same time & completed) to the office

Those who seek to be married must meet certain obligations. These have been set by our Parish Council and are intended to help meet the financial needs of the church and to encourage regular and consistent membership in our community from year to year.

Category 1: For established members of St. George who fulfilled a Stewardship pledge in 2002 and are currently fulfilling a 2003 pledge: Only the church opening and service fee is required. Members of other Orthodox churches who provide official verification of their membership also belong in this category.

Category 2: For those who are joining St. George for the first time or rejoining during a year in which they plan to schedule a sacrament; If both members of the couple are members of the Orthodox faith, each one must make a fulfill a Stewardship Pledge of at least $250 and each is encouraged to make pledges of Time and Talent. The pledge must be paid before the sacrament is conducted. Non-Orthodox spouses may make a voluntary pledge, but are not required to do so. The service fee is required.

Category 3: For those who do not reside in Hartford, belong to another Orthodox parish which is too small to accommodate the wedding, or for some reason wish to use our cathedral, and who are canonically eligible the service fee for opening the church applies.

Please note: All fees must be paid before the sacrament is performed.

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Koumbaro or Koumbara

Being asked to be the Koumbaro or Koumbara is a great honor in the Greek Orthodox faith. It is not necessary for the koumbaroi to be Greek; however, they have to belong to the Christian Orthodox faith. The Koumbaro/a is the person who, among other responsibilities, exchanges the crowns three times of the wedding couple during the ceremony. He/She is required to be a member in good standing with a Greek Orthodox Church and is also responsible for providing the following items for the special day:

• Stefana (the wedding crowns)
• Two Lambades (specially decorated candles)
• Wedding tray (usually silver) decorated with rice and koufeta (see below)
• Gratuities to the Priest, Canter and Sexton
• In most cases, the koumbaro/a also provides the wedding favors (boubounierres).

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Koufetta

Koufetta, the Greek name for Jordan almonds, are placed on the wedding tray along with the wedding stefana. This tray is also decorated with rice. Sometimes, the wrapped koufetta are tied onto a wedding favor, also called a boubounierre. Incidentally, odd numbers of koufetta are used in the favors because odd numbers are indivisible, symbolizing how the wedding couple stand as one and share everything. The general significance the Jordan almond is that fresh almonds have a bittersweet taste, which represents life. The sugarcoating is added with the hope that the married couple's life will be more sweet than bitter.

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Sacrament Fee

There will be a fee of $500 for a Wedding with $50 of that going to the Cantor and $50 going to the Building Manager. The remaining amount covers the cost of opening the building.

Please keep in mind that you need to be a steward in good standing for the past two years for any sacraments. If you are not a steward you will have to pay for two years of stewardship in addition to the sacrament fee. The stewardship is charged at the minimum of $500 per year for a total $1000.

For example; for a wedding between two orthodox people, both bride and groom need to be stewards which means that they will both have to be stewards for the previous and current year. The cost for this example would be $2500, $1000 each for two years of stewardship and $500 for the sacrament fee.

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