The rite of the wedding ceremony in the form that exists now was formed back in the 1st century AD, that is, at the time of the birth of Christianity.
But church weddings then took place after the liturgy - the most important Christian service, and today weddings are usually carried out as an independent event.
The purpose of the ritual is to take an oath of allegiance before God, to seal your union with God’s blessing and to receive a blessing for the birth and upbringing of future children.
What is a wedding
The wedding ceremony has a specific purpose: you take an oath of fidelity before God and all the guests present, receive a blessing for your sacred union, as well as for the birth and upbringing of children.
If you want to not only register your relationship in the registry office, but also get married, you need to know some points: what are the requirements for those who want to get married in a church, how this ceremony takes place, how long it lasts, what needs to be done in advance and how to behave in the temple.
Let's deal with all the points in order.
Wedding in Lutheran traditions
The Lutheran wedding ceremony is similar to the Catholic one. The newlywed walks arm in arm with her father along the beautiful path to the altar, where her husband and the priest await them. During this, live organ music plays, which adds zest to the wedding ceremony. Those present standing up greet the appearance of the bride and her father.
When the couple are reunited at the altar, the shepherd asks everyone to sit down and reads a prayer. The choir often sings during prayer. After the prayer, the priest begins to ask questions: “Who is marrying off this sweet creature?” The father of the bride must answer.
Then the shepherd asks those present if anyone wants to say a word against this union. The answer is usually silence. Then the shepherd asks the spouses to take an oath to love and take care of each other and asks them to exchange rings. The priest announces the young spouses. The final prayer sounds and then the guests can congratulate the newlyweds. The ritual looks very unusual.
This is how weddings take place in the Lutheran church and are popular today.
If your intentions are sincere, let the Orthodox wedding ceremony help strengthen your union. God help you. A modern wedding will be like a real holiday and will take place in a beautiful church in Orthodox traditions, unlike our distant ancestors. By the way, during a wedding, the ancient Slavs wore wreaths of flowers on newlyweds, led them to some tree in a clearing or bush and danced around it and sang songs.
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Basic requirements for those getting married
- Those wishing to get married must certainly be baptized in the Orthodox Church. If one or both spouses are not baptized, this can be done before the wedding - the main thing is to agree on everything in advance;
- The marriage must be registered in accordance with the law of the Russian Federation - before the ceremony, you must enter into a civil marriage at the registry office. Also check to see if you need to bring a marriage certificate with you, as many churches require it;
- Before the ritual, you must confess and take communion.
- If there is a significant difference in the age of the newlyweds, you must first obtain special permission from the bishop;
- Same-sex marriages, marriages between step-relatives, half-brothers and half-siblings are prohibited.
- According to the instructions of the church calendar, weddings are not held on certain days of the week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday), as well as on the eve of great church holidays and temple days. They don’t get married on Christmastide or fasting.
How long does the wedding ceremony last?
For some couples in love, it is not enough to just have a wedding and sign at the registry office. The newlyweds want to marry in heaven, celebrate the sacrament of marriage and be together forever.
This is a very responsible and at the same time joyful moment for married couples. After all, after the bride and groom, in front of witnesses, pronounce vows of love for each other, the Lord will protect their union.
While preparing for a significant sacrament, newlyweds are interested in the question of how long the ceremony lasts, what stages it consists of, and what else is important to know. After all, you need to plan your day carefully.
In this article we will talk about what determines the time of the wedding ceremony, and how long it usually lasts .
How long does the ceremony take and what influences the duration?
First of all, it depends on the specific church , as well as on the priest, because there is a human factor. On average, the procedure itself takes an hour . Of course, there are individual cases when it takes much longer.
The priest must read several prayers without fail. The duration of the wedding ceremony depends on how quickly the priest pronounces the sacred word.
If many more couples have expressed a desire to get married on the day you have chosen, the ceremony will take place a little faster - up to half an hour . This is done in order not to collect a huge queue of newlyweds.
In very busy churches, several couples can get married at once. Of course, not everyone likes this. After all, a sacrament is an intimate process . Therefore, it is better to ask in advance if there are other newlyweds booked for your time.
Advice! In small towns and villages the influx of people is much less, so the chance of getting married alone is much higher. Just go to the countryside and agree with the priest there to hold the ceremony.
In exceptional cases, the priest reads the prayers slowly and thoughtfully, and does not skip the text. Therefore, the wedding can last about two hours. If it is important for you to know how long the ceremony will take, ask about it those spouses who underwent the ceremony in the church of your choice.
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.
How the ritual is performed
The wedding ceremony is divided into several important stages. I'll tell you about each in detail.
- Blessing. Before entering the temple, the newlyweds wait for the priest in the vestibule: the groom stands on the right, and the bride on the left, both facing the altar. The priest approaches them, holding two burning candles in his hands as a symbol of purity and chastity. Then he blesses the bride and groom three times, hands them candles and blesses them with cross-shaped incense.
- Betrothal - this part of the ritual aims to convey to the young and those present the full importance of the sacrament of marriage, to awaken in their hearts deep respect and awe for this event. It is after the blessing that the priest and the newlyweds go to the temple itself, where the clergyman engages them, after which they put wedding rings on each other three times.
- A marriage according to religious canons, during which the bride and groom confirm their voluntary and inviolable intention to enter into a marital union. On the lectern (special table) lie the Gospel, crucifix and crowns. The bride and groom, with lit candles in their hands, kneel in front of this table and swear an oath to the inviolability of their union. The priest reads prayers, after which he baptizes the bride and groom with a crown. Then the young bow their heads under the crowns, drink wine from a special cup, and follow the priest around the lectern. This is followed by the ritual union of two hearts, and the wedding ceremony ends with wishes for many years of family life to the newlyweds and congratulations from the relatives and guests present.
Happy hours are not observed: how long does a wedding last and what determines the duration of the ceremony?
How long will the wedding ceremony take? It all depends on the church you choose and the clergyman who performs the ceremony.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Useful video
A wedding is an extremely important event for newlyweds. As with any event, it is advisable to know exactly how long it will take. Fortunately, you can always estimate the estimated wedding time by talking to people who have already gotten married in your church , or asking the rector directly how long the ritual lasts, and also by watching this video:
Conclusion
A wedding is an important step and a solemn moment in the life of a family. At the same time, couples have the opportunity to choose either a modest and short ceremony, or go through the sacrament in compliance with all church canons. However, the time and surroundings of the ceremony are secondary issues. The main thing is to achieve spiritual unity, which makes husband and wife inseparable in eternal life.
Preparing for the ritual
I highly recommend that you first get acquainted with the clergy of the temple and decide on the priest who will perform the ceremony of the sacrament of the wedding. Discuss all the details of the ceremony with him in advance, ask questions that concern you, and inquire about the possibility of photography.
You should sign up for the wedding ceremony in advance, discussing the date and specific time with the priest. In different churches and parishes the number of people wishing to get married is different, so in some places this needs to be done 2 months, and in others 2-3 weeks before the desired date.
Prepare your wedding dress: find out what church norms require for the color and cut of the dress.
Find and purchase in advance the attributes necessary for the wedding ceremony: icons, wedding candles, towel, wedding rings, etc. Also discuss the entire list of necessary accessories with the clergyman in advance.
Required Attributes
On their wedding day, newlyweds will need wedding rings made of silver or gold, wedding icons, a towel and church candles. As for icons, you can purchase them yourself or receive them as a gift from your parents. The images of Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary are most often used. It is with these icons that the clergyman will bless the couple during the ceremony.
The candles will be in the hands of the spouses throughout the performance. To avoid getting burned by hot wax, you can use handkerchiefs or napkins. Blessed candles are usually sold in a temple store. After the sacrament, you can take them home to light them there in front of the icons.
A towel is a white cloth, mostly made of linen or cotton. Its edges are decorated with embroidery. You can make this product yourself or buy it in a store.
And one more important point: each spouse must have a cross on his neck during the ceremony.
How to behave in church
There are unspoken canons of behavior in the temple that should not be violated. You should not behave provocatively. Laughter and talking during the ceremony are inappropriate.
Young people need to learn in advance the marriage vows and the words that should be spoken during the ceremony. This will show respect for the clergyman and for God.
The bride must wipe off her lipstick before the service begins. Women should enter the church with their heads covered; skirts and dresses should be below the knee. Excessively bright makeup is also inappropriate.
Photo and video shooting
In most churches, recording the sacrament on a video camera or taking photographs is not prohibited, however, in order to avoid getting into an uncomfortable situation, it is better to discuss this point with the priest in advance. The main condition is usually that the operator must behave quietly and not interfere with the ceremony. It is best to turn off the flash; a loud clicking shutter can also create inconvenience; it is recommended to turn it off. You should not disturb the clergyman and stand in places that are inconvenient for him and young people with the desire to take more interesting shots; there will be plenty of angles for shooting.
The church is a sacred place, so it is better to take the main photo session with the guests when leaving it after the ceremony. Here you can already spend the necessary time, without particularly limiting yourself in the angles and arrangement of those present.
