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Greek Orthodox weddings

Your guide to the Greek Orthodox ceremony and accompanying wedding traditions

In Britain, there are 30,000 people of the Greek Orthodox faith from the mainland of Greece, and a further 300,000 Cypriots. The Greek Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church were in Eucharistic Communion until 1054,when the churches split over differences of dogma and ecclesiastical administration.The Greek Orthodox wedding is very similar, in many ways, to a traditional Church of England wedding. The rituals of the day are alike, but there is little flexibility in the service itself -- you cannot have readings or music that is not already incorporated into the service, nor is any secular content allowed.

What happens at a Greek Orthodox wedding

The ceremony is performed by a priest in a Greek Orthodox Church and lasts between 40 minutes and an hour.
Until recently, marriage in a Greek Orthodox Church was not legally binding -- a couple also had to take part in a civil ceremony in a register office or licensed venue. Now however, there are various venues in London where the religious and legal sides are combined in one ceremony. For more details, call the headquarters of the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain on 020 7723 4787.

Planning your Greek Orthodox wedding

Setting the date

There are a number of days when it is forbidden to get married, including the fasting period 40 days prior to Easter and the 40 days prior to Christmas for the same reason. The first 15 days of August, a period dedicated to celebrating the Virgin Mary, are also out of bounds. It’s best to consult your local church as there are additional days on which marriage would be inappropriate.
Superstition has it that marriage in a Leap Year is unlucky.
Marriage can take place at virtually any time of the day, in accordance with the requirements of the priest. The only time that you can’t get married is during Sunday Mass.

Booking the church

The venue for the Greek Orthodox wedding is a Greek Church and it's important to check with the priest about both his and the venue's availability. It's usual to get married in the local church, so there's not a huge amount of choice in terms of venue for the actual wedding. One important thing is parking availability, as often these churches are in the centre of town and parking can be limited. Also, it's worth bearing in mind that it's customary to have a few meetings with the priest prior to getting married, so it's best to organise your date as early as possible so that you can attend all of these in good time.