The wedding is one of the seven church sacraments, during which the newlyweds enter into a marriage before God, certifying their feelings for each other. The sacrament of a wedding in an Orthodox church lasts about an hour.
The sacrament itself consists of the ensuing betrothal and the wedding itself. Before the start of the solemn service, the clergyman meets the bride and groom under the ringing of bells at the entrance to the temple.
Before the betrothal begins, the newlyweds are at the end of the temple (at the same time, they lay a special plate under their feet). Then the bride and groom are given wedding candles. After that, the priest moves to the center of the temple and gives an exclamation to the beginning of the sacrament. Next, the clergyman pronounces a great litany with special petitions for the bride and groom. Then a short prayer is read, after which the priest again approaches the newlyweds and puts rings on their fingers. Rings (as wedding rings are called in the Orthodox tradition) change three times. That is, the engagement ring of the husband and wife is alternately worn on the finger of the spouse. After this, a few more prayers are read by the priest in the center of the temple.
After prayers, the priest approaches the couple and, when singing certain wedding chants, brings the newlyweds to the center of the church. Then comes the questioning of the priest about the desire to conclude a church marriage. After obtaining consent, the sacrament of wedding begins directly on both sides.
One of the main points of the wedding is the laying on the heads of the newlyweds. After that, the priest pronounces the secretly completing formula three times: "Lord our God, crown me (them) with glory and honor." At the same time, the priest lifts his hands to heaven, and then turns to the bride and groom and blesses them. This happens three times. The following are readings from the scriptures of the New Testament.
Another moment of the wedding service is the consumption of wine from a single cup by the newlyweds as a sign that now the husband and wife have everything in common. After that, the priest takes the newlyweds by the hand and three times passes with them around the analogue while singing certain chants in chorus.
The crowns are removed from the heads of the couple before the end of the wedding. At the end of the sacrament, the newlyweds are sung the chant "Many summers", in which God asks the longevity of the newlyweds.
After the sacrament is performed, the priest brings the newlyweds to the open royal doors to the salt. The husband and wife kiss the icons located near the royal gates, and then, as a testament to the love of the newlyweds, the newlyweds kiss themselves.
At the end of the wedding, the priest may speak a parting word for the young, after which a wedding certificate is required.
In some churches, it is common practice to drive the newlyweds three times around the temple by car, after which, under the sound of bells, the wedding procession leaves the temple.
