IN Soviet years in our country, some functions that were previously performed by the church began to be performed by registry offices. IN government institutions civil status acts were registered, including marriages, and the sacred rite of consecration of the union between spouses, which was performed in churches, was forgotten.

In those years, people who got married in church were expelled from the party and Komsomol, and sometimes even fired from their jobs. It is not surprising that few people decided to take such a step. Over time, these prohibitions were lifted, and the ancient tradition of consecrating relationships loving people in our churches it is beginning to revive.

Some couples decide to enter into such a union several years after registering the marriage in the registry office. What are the requirements for those getting married in a church if they are already married? There is no difference in the rules of the church charter for people who have been married for a long time or recently.

What do you need for a church wedding if you are already married?

In any case, you are required to bring documents to the church confirming registration with the registry office.

According to the rules, spouses who want to sanctify their union in church must be baptized Orthodox Christians, not related to each other by blood (up to the fourth degree), not godfathers of each other, or godparents and godchildren.

In some cases, weddings with Christians of other faiths (Catholics, Lutherans, Protestants) are allowed, but this ceremony is not performed if one of the spouses is not baptized, is a Muslim, a Buddhist, or adheres to another faith.

You should also know that the church does not recognize all marriages concluded in accordance with civil norms. It does not allow marriage more than three times, although in accordance with the legislation in our country subsequent – ​​fourth and fifth – marriages are allowed.

If one of the spouses has already been married before, he must obtain permission from the bishop to dissolve the previous marriage.

How do those who are already married prepare for a wedding?

You need to choose a temple where this ceremony will take place, install suitable date in accordance with church calendar and negotiate this with the priest. According to the church charter, weddings are not held:

• on multi-day days church posts(Rozhdestvensky, Veliky, Petrov and Uspensky),
• on Cheese and Easter weeks,
• during the period from the Nativity of Christ to Epiphany (Svyatka),
• on the eve of the twelve, great and temple holidays,
• in days church holidays(for Candlemas, Ascension of the Lord, Trinity, Beheading of John the Baptist, Christmas Holy Mother of God, Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Protection of the Holy Virgin),
• on Saturdays, as well as on Tuesdays and Thursdays - the day before Lenten Wednesdays and Fridays.

In order to have time to prepare everything you need, it is better to set a wedding date 2-3 weeks before the event.

What else do married spouses need to prepare for the wedding ceremony? On the eve of this ceremony, the spouses need to fast for three days, confess and take communion.

If you are not very familiar with the procedure for conducting church rituals, do not worry - the priest will tell you everything. Before giving you his blessing, he will offer to read certain prayers, attend a church service, etc.

Keep in mind that on the eve of communion and weddings you should not drink alcohol; It is also recommended to abstain from intimacy. These days they do not need to be angry, quarrel, allow idle talk, unkind thoughts, they should be more humble and meek.

What is required for a wedding ceremony in a church?

To perform this ritual you will need:

• two icons - the Savior and the Mother of God, with which the priest will bless the spouses during the sacrament,
• rings: gold for a man and silver for a woman, although only gold or silver can be used,
• church candles and two small scarves with which you will wrap the candles so that during the wedding the dripping wax does not burn your hands,
• towels, one of which is used to bandage the wedding couple’s hands, and the other is placed under their feet (these can be elegant white towels or towels decorated with wedding symbols),
• red fortified wines "Cahors" or "Sherry".

The wedding set will be available for purchase at the church store. The wedding ceremony itself is carried out free of charge, but there is a tradition of leaving a donation in the temples. Its size, which is discussed in individually, usually 500-1500 rubles.

Video filming in the temple is possible only with the prior permission of the priest. Some churches prohibit filming, while others only allow filming from certain locations.

How to prepare for a wedding in a church?

Take your choice of witnesses seriously. According to the rules, only baptized Orthodox believers can act in this capacity. It is desirable that this be a married couple, married and with children.

Witnesses will have to not only be present in the church and hold crowns over your heads during the ceremony, but also maintain close contact with you later, help in establishing a family and, if necessary, provide moral assistance.

The spouses' outfits should be formal and at the same time modest. You should not wear casual, sports or too revealing clothes to your wedding. The bride's dress should not have a deep neckline or slits and should not be longer than the knees.

If it is too open, you need to take care of a scarf or cape that is thrown on top. The heads of all women present at the wedding must be covered with scarves or hats. Also, during the ceremony, the spouses must wear pectoral crosses. This also applies to other people present at the wedding ceremony.

It remains to be said that the wedding ceremony takes quite a long time - at least 40 minutes, and it is better for the bride to choose comfortable shoes with not too high heels, so that nothing distracts her during the ceremony.

We hope that in this article you will find the answer to the question of what is necessary for a wedding in a church for those couples who have already been married. We advise you to treat this sacrament with all seriousness and responsibility, because dissolving a church marriage, unlike a civil one, is extremely difficult.

A wedding is a beautiful ceremony, a sacred sacrament that allows a couple to find a spiritual connection. True, this can only be done by presenting a marriage certificate, so usually the newlyweds go to the registry office, then to church, and only after that they begin to celebrate the wedding. But many decide to have a wedding ceremony not on the wedding day, but several months or years after it. How to prepare for a wedding in this case and in general, is a couple who have been married for several years allowed to get married?

Sometimes it is not possible to get married on the wedding day and the couple postpones this ceremony for some time. And sometimes spouses go to the wedding a few years after the wedding. This waiting period is explained by the couple’s desire to understand the correctness of their choice. On the one hand, it seems correct - you need to get married only if there is an internal (spiritual) need for this ceremony, and not because it is now in fashion. On the other hand, the church recognizes marriage only if it is performed according to its rules, while civil marriage is nothing more than cohabitation, fornication. So you have to get married on your wedding day? If strictly adhered to church rules, then yes. But if it is not an innocent maiden who gets married, then the time of the wedding will no longer play a special role. Therefore, if a couple decides to get married some time after the wedding, then from the point of view of modern norms there is nothing wrong with this.

How to prepare for a wedding?

Ritual Orthodox wedding requires preparation and it’s not just about the guest list and clothes (although you need to think about that too). The main thing is spiritual cleansing, which is why the wedding was previously preceded by a week-long fast, and before the ceremony the couple had to attend the service, confess and receive communion. Now wedding traditions have been somewhat changed to suit modern mores. Thus, fasting is reduced to 3 days, and confession and communion are allowed on the eve of the wedding.

You also need to take care of the wedding set - you can purchase it in church shops or prepare it yourself. You will need rings, a towel, wedding candles, 4 handkerchiefs for candles (from the same fabric as the towel), icons of the Savior and the Virgin Mary.

How to dress for a wedding?

Many people think that the bride must attend the ceremony in a wedding dress, but this is not entirely true - it is possible to wear any dress or suit with a skirt that meets the following requirements.

• back and shoulders are closed;
• skirt length is no higher than knee;
• White clothing is desirable.

The head must also be covered - with a mantilla, shawl, scarf or veil.

As for makeup, it should not be too bright. And no lipstick (at least, wipe it off before entering the church) - no one will allow you to kiss the cross with painted lips.

The groom's appearance should also be appropriate for the occasion - clothing that covers the body (not jeans or a tracksuit), preferably in light shades.

The same requirements apply to the clothing of witnesses at a wedding. In addition, everyone present at the wedding - the bride and groom, witnesses and guests - must wear crosses.

The best time for a wedding

It is known that during fasting, great and church holidays, weddings are not performed. Also, a couple will not get married on Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday. And the best day for a wedding is considered to be Sunday, and there are many who want to sanctify their relationship. Therefore, it is necessary to agree on the wedding day in advance.

Requirements for witnesses at a wedding

Witnesses must be baptized. After the ceremony, they become spiritual relatives and if they subsequently want to get married, the church will not approve their marriage. However, it is acceptable for the witnesses to be already a married couple. The role of witnesses at a wedding is to hold the crowns over the heads of the newlyweds throughout the entire ceremony (about 40 minutes). But in some churches the main wedding attributes are placed on the heads of the future spouses. Therefore, all the details should be clarified in the church in which you plan to hold the ceremony.

Wedding is one of church sacraments, a religious rite of marriage according to church statutes, literally a marriage before God. Only those baptized in Orthodox faith couples who have registered their marriage in the registry office and who are not related to each other. Sacrament of wedding- a serious decision, when taking it, one must take a responsible approach to marriage according to the Orthodox canon, since such a union is not debunked. After an official divorce, you can only receive a blessing for re-wedding, which the archbishop gives.

The sacrament can take place in the presence of witnesses, but this is not a necessary condition. On the eve of the wedding, the newlyweds need to confess, take communion, to keep the outpost preferably at least three days.

He will explain the meaning of the ceremony and its importance for spouses about to get married.

It is important to consider that Weddings are not held on any day. According to the church charter, the sacrament is not performed during fasting, on the eve and on days religious holidays, the day before one-day posts(Tuesday Thursday Saturday). Therefore, the expected date of the ceremony must be agreed upon with the clergyman.

Note: a girl is not allowed to participate in the sacraments during menstruation, so it is better choose a date that is safe in terms of female cycle days.

What is needed to perform the sacrament?

To carry out the ceremony you need wedding icons, candles, a towel, wedding rings.

Wedding icons- this is a pair of icons, usually the Most Holy Theotokos and Jesus Christ, with which the priest blesses the couple during the ceremony. They can be purchased in advance, or the parents of those getting married can give the icons as a gift.

Candles will be needed during the ceremony; the spouses will hold them in their hands. It’s better to take care of scarves so that when holding lit candles you won’t be afraid of getting burned by the wax. They can also be purchased at the church store. After the ceremony the candles remain with the spouses, they can be lit in front of home icons.

Rushnik It is a piece of white fabric made of cotton or linen, embroidered along the edges. You can sew it yourself if the bride does needlework or purchase a finished product. The only condition for the towel is that it must be white.

Wedding rings can be gold or silver. Naturally, both spouses must be wearing pectoral cross.

Gold pendant with cubic zirconia, Kalina Zolotaya(price on the link)

How is a wedding ceremony held in a church?

Newlyweds should have a light breakfast in the morning; if in the morning they are going to confess and receive communion before the ceremony, then they should go to church on an empty stomach.

The girl should dress piously, the head and shoulders must be covered with a scarf, the skirt of the dress must be below the knee. Since you will have to stand for a long time, it is better to choose comfortable shoes without heels. The groom is required to remove his headdress when entering the church.

How does the sacrament itself take place? Where, when and with whom does the wedding take place? Procedure in all Orthodox churches happens about the same. Only the person getting married and the priest who will perform the ceremony need to be present at the sacrament. Witnesses, guests, church choir - at the request of the wedding couple.

The wedding ceremony can be divided into two parts: betrothal and wedding.

First, the clergyman betroths the couple, and they officially become engaged. The couple exchange rings three times. Then they are led into the temple, sanctifying the path with a censer. Afterwards, the priest, blessing the spouses, hands them lit wedding candles. The newlyweds with candles stand on a towel spread on the floor in front of a stand for theological books, on which the wedding crowns lie. The priest places them on the heads of those getting married, witnesses hold crowns, or they are put on the heads of the newlyweds. Then prayers are read for blessing the family, giving them family well-being. The priest sanctifies the wine, gives each of the wedding couple to drink from the cup of wine three times, then joins the hands of the spouses together and covers them with the stole, which symbolizes the inseparability of their union.

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After prayers and blessings, a procession of the cross is made three times around the lectern, the priest leads the young, witnesses follow them, holding their crowns. Upon completion procession the priest takes off the crowns, the spouses kiss the icon Holy Virgin and the Savior and receive wedding icons from the hands of the priest.

What should witnesses do during a wedding? The guarantors hold the crowns, hand out the rings, spread out the towel

This is a general wedding scenario. How long does the sacrament last? usually 40-60 minutes. After the ceremony, you can celebrate the sacrament with a meal, but the church warns against too noisy celebrations and too much food. festive table, reminding us of the importance of modesty and limiting ourselves.

If guests are present at the ceremony, then after the ceremony the newlyweds are given flowers, gifts, congratulations sound- like at a wedding. It is important that all those invited to the sacrament follow the rules on how to behave in the temple.

There are signs that relate to wedding candles, supposedly whichever one goes out first, the spouse holding it will die first of the couple.

The Church calls not to believe in stupid superstitions, not to succumb to fears based on beliefs

When asking yourself the question of how to get married correctly, you should discuss all the details with the priest. There is no need to be afraid to ask or clarify something, even if the question seems stupid, it is better to voice it so as not to get lost in guesswork. Some priests even advise listening to a sermon, going to church and getting closer to church life before going to get married. Still, a wedding is not just a process consisting of certain actions, it's something more.

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The Slavic wedding ceremony was carried out in a similar way, only instead of wedding crowns on the heads of young people laid wreaths, hence the name - wedding. Only the customs were much stricter; it was believed that a girl who was not pure, that is, was not a virgin, could not get married, and without this condition the ceremony could not be carried out.

Photo and video shooting at a wedding

Photography and video recording of the wedding sacrament allowed, but not in all churches, so it’s better to ask the clergyman for permission in advance. It is important to remember that in church you need keep quiet, so the photographer must move carefully, without interfering with the young people, the priest, or the guests during the ceremony.

Do not use the flash or click the shutter too often so as not to interfere with the sacrament.

Despite the limitations placed on a photographer's work, there are many angles and ways to take great photos that will last a long time.

Because the church is the house of God, then it is better to conduct a photo shoot on the street after the ceremony. Wedding photo session – important point for the young, but by no means key in the ritual. The wedding photos will make a wonderful photo book, which can be combined with photos from the painting in the registry office.

What should not be done after the wedding of spouses?

The requirements after the wedding do not differ from the requirements of general morality. There is no need to perceive a wedding as a duty or imposition of morality. Wedding is marriage before God, therefore, after the wedding you need to maintain the desire to live your whole life hand in hand with your other half.

Do not forget that the wedding ceremony is a delicate process and to understand the full picture of what is happening, you can watch wedding sacrament video.

Marriages are made in heaven, and this happens through a wedding, a beautiful ceremony with a centuries-old history. Although the phrase “wedding ceremony” may not be entirely correct, because wedding is one of the seven Sacraments of the Orthodox Church, which means the union of two people forever according to the decision of the heart and soul.

Often people get married paying tribute to fashion, and not understanding the very essence of this action. After all, people can get married if they have made a mutual decision to stay together under any circumstances, as long as their hearts beat.

Wedding refers to sacred ceremonies that give a person grace from the Lord and the Holy Spirit.

Wedding in the Orthodox Church - rules

The ceremony is carried out according to certain rules:

1. The wedding is carried out in the presence of a marriage certificate.
2. The husband becomes the head of the family, he is obliged to honor his wife, protect and cherish.
3. It becomes the husband's responsibility to maintain contact with the church.
4. A wife must listen to her husband and recognize his leadership.

A completed wedding is not subject to cancellation or revision, but with special permission, dethronement or divorce is carried out for the following reasons:

• spouse's adultery
• mental illness of the spouse (if at the time of the wedding the person is already ill, this is grounds for refusing to marry the couple).

If the former spouse is alive and well, a second wedding is possible with the permission of the bishop. A petition is written indicating the reasons for the divorce, documents are attached (any church will tell you more, and they will also give you a list of necessary documents).

You should know that the bishop’s permission is given to persons from dissolved unions only out of tolerance for the weakness of today’s Christians:

• the wedding is carried out in the absence of obstacles (previously, an engagement was held, the couple’s intention to tie the knot was announced publicly - so that anyone who knows about the circumstances preventing this could report it);
• a person can get married three times, a third ceremony is allowed extremely rarely;
• the young and witnesses must be baptized and wear a cross during the ceremony.

Allowed church marriages between Christians, one of whom is not Orthodox, and the baptism of children into Orthodoxy is mandatory:

1. If the person getting married does not know whether he has been baptized, he must tell the priest about it.
2. The couple informs the priest of the temple about their intention to get married.
3. To receive a positive decision from the church to perform the ceremony, the couple must agree to give birth to children and raise them in Orthodoxy.
4. There are age restrictions: men from 18 years old, women from 16 years old.
5. You cannot obtain a wedding permit if:

• not baptized;
• the bride and groom are relatives, even if the relationship is distant;
• one of the spouses has a previous marriage or an established civil relationship that is reliably known.

It is difficult to obtain permission to marry a godfather and a godson.

Pregnancy of a young woman or lack of consent and blessing of parents are not an obstacle to the ceremony.

Wedding time

Weddings are held at any time of the year, but the date is specified during a preliminary conversation with the priest. Autumn and winter are considered the most favorable (after the Intercession and after Epiphany). In the spring they get married on Krasnaya Gorka, in the summer - during the periods between fasts.

Often young people get married after registration, but even then it’s not too late. According to the canons of Orthodoxy, unmarried couples are in fornication, so believing spouses should not delay this - it is wonderful when children are born in a marriage sanctified by the church. The decision to get married should be thoughtful and balanced - both spouses should not doubt the love and devotion of their partner.

When can't you get married?

The ceremony is not held during fasting and on the eve of all major events. Orthodox holidays. The monthly cycle of the spouse should be taken into account - after all, according to the rules, a woman is not allowed to enter the temple during her period.

What is needed for a wedding ceremony in the Orthodox Church

To carry out Orthodox sacrament you need to prepare, it is not enough to just make a decision, but also to know the details of preparation for a significant event.

The sequence of actions is approximately this:

• choose a temple;
• decide on a priest;
• can marry a couple spiritual father spouses, even a priest from another parish;
• talk with the priest and listen to his advice - for this, a preliminary conversation is held with the newlyweds, during which it is explained how the wedding takes place in the church and what is needed for this.

If the priest does not ask the newlyweds to postpone the wedding, there are no obstacles to setting a date and time for the ceremony. During the conversation, it is clarified whether the newlyweds agree to get married at the same time as other couples - so that there is no turmoil that will spoil the impression of the event.

The wedding is very beautiful, so many people want to do video filming and photography. You should coordinate this with the priest and ask him to instruct the operator on the correct behavior.

Young people are ordered to fast, which means refusing the following actions:

• eating meat;
• smoking;
• drinking alcohol;
• intimacy.

It is better to check with the priest during the conversation about the duration of the fast; it is several days.

1. Before a significant date, you need to go to a service.
2. Confession and communion of the holy gifts are obligatory.
3. Consecrated images of the Savior and the Mother of God are purchased in advance.
4. You need candles, a white towel or a table on which the young people will stand. Attributes are purchased by witnesses.
5. Rings are purchased and given to the priest before the ceremony. According to the canonical rules, a man’s ring is gold, a woman’s is silver, but now this is not given any importance.
6. Before the wedding, parents bless the newlyweds, baptizing them with images and presenting them for a kiss. The man is the image of Christ the Savior, the woman is the Mother of God.

How long does a church wedding last?

The ceremony lasts long enough, the newlywed should think about low-heeled shoes.

Cost of a wedding in an Orthodox Church

You have to pay for the wedding. Of course, this is a Sacrament that is not measured in money, but payment is made not for the grace of God, but for the work of the people performing the ceremony.

When communicating with a clergyman, you should clarify this side of the issue. If the amount is too high for young people, they should say so. Sometimes, instead of payment, the priest invites the couple to make a donation to the church in whatever amount they can.

The cost of a wedding in the capitals starts from 10,000 rubles, this is due to the beauty and celebrity of the temples. The concept of prayer of a place is also important. In other cities and towns, weddings are much cheaper, in weekdays the cost is usually lower.

Church wedding for already married couples a few years after the wedding

It will not be easy for the bride and groom to endure two ceremonies on one day, so these two events are often separated in time. Sometimes the wedding is postponed for several years, and a lot of time passes before the couple decides to legalize their relationship in the church. They get married 10 and 20 years after registration, but if many years have passed, then instead of a wedding, a church blessing ceremony is offered.

Weddings were originally intended for young married couples. The church will bless the long-term union of two people in a different way. Father will explain how a wedding takes place for people who have been together for many years.

The blessing has the same meaning and meaning, but the ceremony looks different:

• crowns and a cup of wine are not needed for people who have lived for eternity together, these symbols mean mutual patience, joint overcoming of difficulties and hardships;
• prayers for childbearing are not suitable for spouses whose children have already grown up;
• Prayers are read that are appropriate in meaning.

Wedding without witnesses

Usually the wedding is held with witnesses who are selected from people close to the spouses. They must be baptized and legally married. Divorced husbands and wives and people in civil marriages cannot participate in the ceremony. It is allowed to get married without witnesses if no suitable persons are found. The parents of those getting married can act as witnesses (if they are legally married, and if they are married, then this is even better).

Wedding without registration at the registry office

The ceremony is not held without registering the marriage at the registry office and presenting the relevant document. This eliminates the possibility of bigamy, since the religious organization does not conduct background checks on parishioners.

A wedding in a church is a sacred rite that gives a husband and wife a church blessing for a happy family life, birth of children. Many couples decide to celebrate this beautiful and touching event. But in order for the ritual to be not just a tribute to fashion, but to become a serious, deliberate step, it is worth knowing its features.

Important conditions for a wedding

It is allowed to get married on the wedding day or after a period of time: a week, a month, years. The main thing is that all conditions provided by the church are met.

Who can get married?

An important condition for the ceremony is the presence of a marriage certificate. In addition, spouses must be baptized Orthodox Christians. However, in some cases, a wedding may be allowed if the spouse is a non-Orthodox Christian, provided that children born in marriage will be baptized in Orthodoxy. Compliance with the marriageable age is also important: the bride must be 16 years old, the groom - 18. There is no need to be afraid of refusal if the wife is pregnant, since, according to the church, children should be born in a married marriage. The wedding can be held even if the spouses have not received a parental blessing, since it can be replaced by the blessing of the confessor.

There are not many restrictions on the sacrament of marriage. The Church will not approve of the ritual between unbaptized, atheists, blood, and also spiritual relatives, for example, between godparents of the child, between godfather and godson. This ceremony is allowed to be held no more than three times. It is also prohibited to get married if this is already your fourth officially registered marriage.

When is the ceremony allowed?

Often newlyweds decide to get married on the day with the official registration of marriage. But, given that such a sacrament of Orthodoxy is a rather serious step, there is no need to rush into the ceremony: it can be postponed until the birth of a child or carried out after several years of official marriage.

This ritual is not performed every day. Newlyweds are married 4 days a week on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. However, it is worth considering that there are 4 fasts throughout the year, during which church marriages are not celebrated:
- Rozhdestvensky - lasts November 28 - January 6;
- Great - seven weeks before Orthodox Easter;
- Petrov - depends on the date of Easter, lasts from 8 to 42 days;
- Uspensky - lasts from August 14 to August 27.

The church will also refuse to hold weddings on significant days:
- September 11 - Beheading of John the Baptist;
- September 27 - Exaltation of the Holy Cross;
- from January 7 to January 19 - Christmastide;
- on Maslenitsa;
- on Bright Week (the week after Easter).

Even if the day you choose does not fall on the listed dates, it is still better to go to church to clarify everything with the priest. In addition, the bride must calculate so that on the chosen date there will be no “ critical days", since it is impossible to appear in church at this time.

What should precede the wedding ceremony?

It is necessary to prepare spiritually for this ritual. This means that before the wedding the bride and groom need to pray, confess, take communion, and undergo a three-day fast (it is necessary to abstain from food of animal origin). Newlyweds should not enter into carnal relations before marriage, and this condition also applies to a couple who decided to get married after several years of marriage. They need to refrain from intimate relationships for several days before the ceremony.

Preparation for the sacrament of wedding

Choosing a church, communicating with a priest

To decide where to get married, you can go to different churches and choose the church where you feel most comfortable. For a magnificent, solemn ceremony, a large cathedral is suitable, for a quiet, secluded ceremony - a small church. Because the priest is important actor ritual, it is worth taking a responsible approach to its choice.

You must register for the wedding ceremony in advance (several weeks in advance). It is also worth discussing all the issues with the priest in advance: the duration of the wedding, what you need to bring with you, whether it is possible to take photographs, etc. It is worth considering that this is a paid ceremony, but in some churches its exact cost is established, in others voluntary donations are provided. This issue should also be discussed with the priest. Moreover, “additional services” are often provided, for example, bell ringing, church choir.

Selection of guarantors

Two guarantors (witnesses) are usually chosen from close relatives. It is worth considering that they must be baptized. It is not allowed to take divorced spouses or a couple living in an illegal, “civil” marriage as guarantors. Their spiritual responsibilities are similar to those of godparents: they must spiritually guide the family they are creating. Therefore, it is not customary to invite young people who are not familiar with married life to be guarantors. If difficulties arise when searching for witnesses, it is possible to carry out the sacrament of wedding without them.

Choosing an outfit

• Bride
  
  The bride's wedding dress should not be higher than her knees, should cover her shoulders and preferably her arms, and should not have a deep neckline (you can use long gloves, a cape, a bolero, an openwork shawl, a stole, etc.). It is advisable to give preference to light colors along with dark and bright ones (purple, blue, black) should be abandoned. Sundresses and trouser suits are not suitable for the ceremony. The bride must cover her head. Considering that during the ceremony the newlyweds wear church crowns (crowns), you should not cover the bride’s head with a large hat, as it will look inappropriate.

  You can wear any shoes, but when choosing them, you should take into account that you will have to stand in them for quite a long time, so it is better to avoid uncomfortable high-heeled shoes. To decide on a hairstyle, it is advisable to check with the priest in advance whether the crowns will be placed on the head or will be held by guarantors. The bride's makeup should not be too noticeable; it is also worth remembering that it is forbidden to kiss a crown, cross, or icon with painted lips.

  It is believed that a wedding dress cannot be given or sold. It must be stored together with baptismal shirts, wedding candles, and icons.

• Groom

  For a wedding, the groom will wear a formal suit. There are no special prohibitions regarding the color of the suit. You should not come to church in casual, denim, or sportswear. The groom should not have a hat.

• Guests

  Guests entering the temple must comply with the requirements for all parishioners: for women - closed clothing, hats, trouser suits are not recommended, for men - formal clothing, without a headdress.

  In addition, all participants and those present at the wedding ceremony: the bride, groom, guarantors and guests must wear crosses.

What to prepare for the ceremony

For the wedding you will need:
- rings that must be given to the priest before the ceremony for consecration;
- wedding candles;
- wedding icons (images of Christ and the Virgin Mary);
- a white towel (the newlyweds will stand on it during the ceremony);
- two scarves (to hold candles).

The towel on which the bride and groom stood during the wedding in the temple symbolizes the path of life, so it must be kept and not given to anyone. You should also store wedding candles, which can be lit during difficult childbirth or illness of children.

Photographer's choice

It is important to note that making a video or photographing a wedding ceremony is not allowed in all churches. Therefore, it is worth discussing this issue with the priest in advance. Considering that the lighting in churches is specific, it is advisable to choose a professional photographer who will take into account the nuances of shooting, will be able to choose the right angles, and take high-quality photographs that convey the atmosphere of the temple and the grandeur of the wedding ceremony.

Wedding ceremony

This ritual includes engagement and wedding. It is worth considering that during the ceremony the priest must call the newlyweds by the names that were given to them at baptism (sometimes they differ from the names “in the world”). Engagement passes at the entrance to the church. The bride should stand to the left of the groom. The priest blesses the newlyweds and hands over lit wedding candles, which must be held until the end of the service. After the prayer, he changes the wedding rings three times from the man’s hand to the woman’s hand. After this they become the bride and groom.

Wedding is held in the center of the temple, where the bride and groom will stand on a white towel. During the ceremony, the priest reads prayers, and the guarantors hold crowns over the heads of the newlyweds. After answering the priest’s questions, “Is the wedding performed of one’s own free will?” “Are there any obstacles?” and reading prayers, the newlyweds become spouses before God. Now they can kiss their crowns and drink wine from a cup in three doses, which symbolizes family life with joys and sorrows. After the priest leads them around the lectern and leads them to the Royal Doors, the husband kisses the icon of Christ, and the wife kisses Mother of God. Now guests can congratulate the newlyweds.

Remember that a wedding is not just a memorable, bright holiday, but also a very important step that should be taken once in a lifetime. It is possible to divorce (debunk) spouses only under serious circumstances, with the permission of the diocese. Therefore, the union of one’s life before God and the sacrament of wedding itself should be approached seriously, with understanding and taking into account all traditions and rules.