The Holy Mystery of Marriage

Dearly beloved,

Soon you will experience the most special moment of your life. Our Church will unite you with the conduction of the Mystery of Marriage, which is not a simple social event neither a social obligation. It is worth it, the intended spouses and their relatives to have a deep awareness and understanding of the sanctity of the Mystery and to show due respect by actively participating in the service of Marriage.

In this spirit, we wish to make known to you the following:

a. The Mystery is conducted in the traditional order within the Holy Temple.
b. The bride is requested to appear exactly at the time that is scheduled for the wedding ceremony. The delayed arrival creates to the guests and to the Holy Temple great inconvenience and derails its program.
c. We kindly ask the outfit of the Bride to be characterized by propriety and decency, appropriate of the sanctity of the Temple and the Mystery. The same applies to the attire of the maid or matron of honor.
d. The best man and the matron of honor must be Orthodox Christians; if they are married, they must be by religious marriage. This will be proven by a signed consent form, at the discretion of the priest on the day of the issue of the marriage licenses.
e. During the “Dance of Isaiah“ you should by all means avoid throwing rice, rose petals, Jordan almonds, etc. because this habit, without offering anything in the life of the newlyweds, destroys the sanctity of the Mystery and creates insurmountable practical problems in cleaning up the Temple. These can be thrown, as an expression of your wishes, during the exit of the newlyweds from the Temple, which is common in many places.

I wish the Lord to richly bless your marriage and give you all the goods in your life.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR THE MARRIAGE LICENSE

1. A Certificate of Celibacy from the parish of each intending spouse, which indicates the order of marriage and at least in one of them that there is no prohibited degree of kinship.
-If either or both parties are from another Metropolis, the Certificate of Celibacy must be certified by the relevant Metropolis.
-If either or both parties are from a Metropolis of another country, the Certificate of Celibacy must be certified by the Holy Synod.
-If either or both parties are foreigners, originating from outside the European Union, a residence permit is required.
-The Certificate of Celibacy Type B must be accompanied by a simple sworn statement of the intending spouse.
-In the event that either or both parties enter a second or third marriage, they have to present the Certificate of Celibacy and the Divorce, on which there will be the indication “FOR MARRIAGE”.
-In the event that either or both parties are widowed, they must submit together with the certificate of of celibacy,
a) the Death Certificate of the deceased spouse and
b) a certificate of the previous marriage, where the order of marriage will be indicated.

2. Identity cards for the confirmation of the personal information of the intending spouses, for the completion of the “Notice of Intended Marriage” and for determining the family name of their children.
-In case the intended spouses already had a civil marriage, they must present the marriage certificate, where the order of marriage will also appear.