How long does it take?
On average, a wedding lasts from 40 minutes to an hour, but there are exceptions. The exact duration depends on the church and the priest who reads the prayers. Some people do it slowly, without missing a single word, while others can read a little faster.
In some cases, for example, when there are a large number of people wishing to get married on a particular day, it is allowed to skip certain parts of the church text. If you decide to get married in a church that is popular and has a large influx of people, then the ceremony can last 20 minutes. Such churches usually practice weddings of several couples at the same time.
But many do not like this option, because the sacrament is carried out in a hurry. Advice! If you want to be the only couple getting married at the moment, then you should go to some village.
There are usually not many people there, and the ceremony can last up to two hours. You can chat with people who have already gotten married in the church of your choice. They will tell you approximately how long the wedding will last.
What can hinder a Christian marriage?
Often, those preparing for a wedding first register a civil marriage at the registry office. The Orthodox Church considers civil marriage to be devoid of grace, but recognizes it as a fact and does not consider it illegal, fornicating cohabitation. Nevertheless, the conditions for marriage under civil law and according to church canons differ. However, not every civil marriage can be consecrated in the church.
The Church does not allow marriage more than three times. According to civil law, a fourth and fifth marriage is allowed, which the Church does not bless.
A marriage is not blessed if one of the spouses (and especially both) declares himself an atheist and says that he came to the wedding only at the insistence of his spouse or parents.
A wedding is not permitted if at least one of the spouses is not baptized and does not intend to be baptized before the wedding.
A wedding is impossible if one of the future spouses is actually married to another person. First, you need to dissolve the civil marriage, and if the marriage was church, be sure to take the bishop’s permission to dissolve it and his blessing to enter into a new marriage.
Another obstacle to marriage is the blood relationship of the bride and groom and the spiritual relationship acquired through succession at baptism.
How to prepare?
The first thing to do is decide on the date of the ceremony. To do this, you should look at the Orthodox calendar or consult with a priest. Remember that you will not be able to get married during Lent or on other significant days for the church (for example, Maslenitsa or the first week after Easter). Also, weddings are not held every day in the church, but only four days a week. It is worth considering that on weekdays there are much fewer applicants than on weekends.
After choosing the date, you should decide on the church in which the ceremony will take place and the priest conducting it. From him you can find out all the details that interest you.
Before the wedding itself, you need to go through several mandatory rituals:
- communion;
- observing a three-day fast;
- confession and prayer.
On the eve of the sacrament, from 12 o'clock at night you cannot drink, eat or smoke.
Please pay attention to another important point: ask the priest whether photography and video shooting are allowed in the church. Not all temples allow this, and so that the ban does not become an unpleasant surprise, it is worth clarifying the rules in advance.
Important! You need to arrive approximately 20-30 minutes before the sacrament begins.
To perform the ceremony you will need:
- certificate that your marriage is registered in the registry office;
- a wedding towel worn by young people;
- pectoral crosses;
- candles;
- rings;
- icons of the Savior and the Virgin Mary.
Take care of all attributes in advance. For example, if there is no marriage certificate, the ceremony will be in question.
How long does the preparation take and how long does the wedding ceremony take place in the church?
The duration of the preparatory period depends only on the newlyweds themselves. During this time, they will have to purchase everything they need for the wedding, meet the priest who will perform the ceremony and tell them how to celebrate the wedding and choose an outfit.
The betrothal and wedding ceremonies themselves in the church last as long as it takes to carry out all the above procedures step by step. Typically, this occurs within forty minutes to one hour.
According to the requirements of some priests, couples are required to fully defend the service in the morning and receive communion. Only after this are they allowed to get engaged and married. In this case, the procedure can last up to five hours. How to celebrate the wedding ritual, and whether it is worth doing it at all, the newlyweds already decide on their own; there are no clear rules on this matter.
A wedding in the Orthodox tradition is a very important ceremony, which has its own clear regulations and drama. The portal svadbagolik.ru is sure that by going through it, you enter into an alliance before God and give rise to a happy family.
How is the ceremony carried out in the church?
The wedding is carried out in two stages: the betrothal and the wedding ceremony itself.
During the betrothal, the priest blesses the newlyweds and places blessed rings on their fingers as a sign that the bride and groom are confident in their intentions and firm in their promises. The priest prays for them, asks for their love, firm faith and unanimity.
After the engagement, the wedding ceremony begins. The priest asks the bride and groom whether they are marrying of their own free will and whether they are bound by any promises. After this, crowns are put on them, and the clergyman begins to read prayers, then baptizes them with the crown, and the young people receive communion with wine from the chalice.
How the wedding ceremony is performed
Conclusion of a natural marriage, or free union
The purpose of this stage is for the bride and groom to confirm their voluntary and inviolable intention to enter into marriage.
On the lectern (the so-called high rectangular table with a sloping top, which usually stands in front of the iconostasis in the middle of the church and is used during worship) lie the Gospel - a symbol of the presence of Christ , a cross - a sign of his love, as well as crowns. A white or pink scarf is laid out in advance in front of the lectern - a symbol of purity and unity of life in marriage.
The bride and groom with lighted candles in their hands follow the priest with a censer (just as they will follow all the commandments of the Lord ), stand on this platform and in front of the minister of the church and everyone who came to the ceremony confirm that their decision to enter into a legal marriage is voluntary and inviolable and that none of them had previously made a promise to any third party to marry him.
Wedding ceremony
The most important and crucial moment of the entire wedding ceremony.
Having read three prayers addressed to Jesus Christ and the Triune Lord, and asking them for all possible worldly and spiritual blessings for the young, the priest takes the crown , baptizes the groom with it, after which he must kiss the image of Christ located on the front of the crown.
At the same time, the priest says: “The servant of God (name) is married to the servant of God (name) in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
Then the priest also blesses the bride , allowing her to venerate the image of the Most Holy Theotokos three times on the crown and saying: “The servant of God (name) is married to the servant of God (name) in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
Afterwards, the priest reads a secret prayer , each time blessing the newlyweds with a priestly blessing: “Lord our God, crown them with glory and honor.”
The crowns intended for the young symbolize the crowns of the Kingdom of God - eternal life, reminiscent of the crown of thorns once placed on the head of Jesus Christ by the tormentors, and also mean that in marriage a husband and wife should be like a king and queen to each other .
After reading fragments of the messages of the Holy Apostles and the Gospel, in which the union of the newlyweds is compared with the union of Christ and the church, the priest calls on the newlyweds and everyone present to read the Lord’s Prayer together.
As a sign of devotion to the Lord and submission, the young must bow their heads under the crowns.
Common cup or cup of fellowship
The priest brings wine to the newlyweds in one cup.
Red wine symbolizes true love , into which in the upcoming family life the young must transform the truth of their feelings, compared to clean fresh water: just as wine becomes better from year to year, so love should become deeper and more complete.
And a single cup is a symbol of the common fate of the young . The bride and groom drink wine three times and alternately in small sips.
Procession around the lectern
The priest connects the right hands of the young people, covering them with an epitrachelion - a long ribbon that goes around his neck and both ends descend to his chest. He places his hand on top, as if on behalf of the church, handing over the wife to her husband .
Without releasing his hands, the priest leads the young people around the lectern three times.
Then the priest says: “Take their crowns in Thy Kingdom” and, reading the solemn prayer “Be magnified, O bridegroom, like Abraham,” he removes the crowns from the heads of the bride and groom, and they must kiss chastely, testifying to the holiness and purity of mutual love.
Next, holding hands, the newlyweds follow the priest to the royal doors leading inside the altar. This path is the symbolic first steps on a new life path for the young people together.
At the royal gates, the groom must kiss the icon of the Savior, and the bride must kiss the image of the Mother of God.
The newlyweds change places and again kiss the icon and the crucifix, and the priest hands them two icons, which were given to him in advance by the relatives of the newlyweds: for the groom - the image of the Savior, for the bride - the image of the Most Holy Theotokos.
The wedding ends with the proclamation of many years to the newlyweds and congratulations to the guests.
Recommendations
Before getting married, you should definitely clarify whether the main characters of the sacrament - the young people and the witnesses - have been baptized. If not, then you should correct the situation and go through the sacrament of baptism.
Check with the priest whether the witnesses will hold crowns over the heads of the newlyweds or whether they are allowed to wear them. If crowns are worn, then the bride must take care of her hair. You should choose a modest hairstyle, without heavy backcombing and decorations, so that the crown can be easily put on and does not spoil the hairstyle.
Don't forget to give the rings to the clergyman in advance so that he has the opportunity to consecrate them.
Important! Be sure to take your marriage certificate. Without him, the ceremony will not take place.
Remember that one of the main stages of preparation for a wedding is morning communion and confession. Therefore, young people should not eat or drink from 12 o’clock at night. You should also not smoke or drink alcohol.
Make sure you wear comfortable shoes. The ceremony may take a long time, and the bride will hardly be comfortable standing in high heels for an hour.
The witness will have to hold the crown over the bride's head for an hour, or maybe more. It is therefore important that there is not a big difference in the height of the women and that the witness is not too fragile.
In fact, the wedding lasts much longer
If we want to correctly calculate the time spent on the sacrament of wedding, we need to take into account the preparation for the ceremony.
Before the ceremony there are usually several preliminary rituals:
- Three-day fast;
For at least three days you need to eat only lean food in order to spiritually cleanse yourself. Unfortunately, not all newlyweds follow this rule, only deeply religious couples. - Confession and repentance;
Before the wedding, you need to go to the priest for confession in order to create a new family forgiven for your sins. It is important to sincerely talk about what worries you. - Participle.
This is a mandatory stage before every sacrament, and weddings are no exception. The priest gives a spoonful of red wine and a piece of bread.
In addition, after midnight on the eve of the sacrament, it is not recommended to drink or eat anything; smoking and drinking alcohol are prohibited. A light dinner is allowed before sunset. Of course, you need to pray before going to bed.
