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| Beautiful St. George Church |
Although many of you have been to more than your fair share of (big fat) Greek weddings, those of you who haven't are in for a treat and will bear witness to a very unique and beautiful ceremony.
Through the Sacrament of Marriage, a man and a woman are publicly joined as husband and wife. They enter into a new relationship with each other, God, and the Church. Since Marriage is not viewed as a legal contract, there are no vows in the Sacrament. According to Orthodox teachings, Marriage is not simply a social institution, it is an eternal vocation of the kingdom of God. A husband and a wife are called by the holy Spirit not only to live together but also to share their Christian life together so that each, with the aid of the other, may grow closer to God and become the persons they are meant to be. In the Orthodox Marriage Service, after the couple have been betrothed and exchanged rings, they are crowned with "crowns of glory and honor", called 'stefana' signifying the establishment of a new family under God. Near the conclusion of the Service, the husband and wife drink blessed wine from a common cup which is reminiscent of the wedding of Cana and which symbolized the sharing of the burdens and joys of their new life together.
We will be taking our wedding photographs prior to the ceremony so that we can have as much time to spend with you dancing & celebrating at the reception as possible. As soon as the ceremony has concluded, we encourage all of our guests to proceed to church patio for the "Cocktail Hour" for drinks and appetizers. Thereafter the entire party will join us for the reception on the back lawn (or soccer field) of the St. George property and begin enjoying the 'orektika' where we will join you for dinner, dancing and drinks under the stars.
