FIRST PART: THE BETROTHAL CEREMONY

The priest stands before the Tetrapod near the Sanctuary and on the Tetrapod are placed the Holy Gospel, the Cross, two candlesticks, two crowns and a glass of wine.

According to the present custom, the bridal party is received by the Priest at the entrance of the Church. Then they make a procession into the Church while the Priest is incensing, and the Choir is chanting the Hirmos of Pentecost in the 4th Tone:

Hirmos of Pentecost in the 4th Tone:

Choir Hail O Queen, glory of virgins and mothers: for your praise is beyond the eloquence of the most cultured tongues, and the wonderful manner in which you gave birth to Christ throws every intelligence into amazement. Therefore, we the faithful magnify you with one accord.

The priest stands before the Holy Doors, and the bridal couple approach with the two witnesses, the bridegroom on the right and the bride on the left, and on each side of them the best man, and the maid of honour, all holding lighted candles. The priest then places the two rings on the right side of the table, and begins the service thus:

Priest: Blessed is our God, at all times, now and always, and forever and ever.

Choir Amen.

THE BLESSING AND EXCHANGE OF RINGS

Priest: O Lord our God, who wedded together from the nations the pure and Virgin Church, bless + this betrothal and unite and protect these your servants in peace and harmony.

For all glory, honour and worship are your due, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever.

Choir Amen.

Priest: The servant of God (Name) is betrothed to the handmaid of God (Name), + in the name of  the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Choir Amen.

Priest: The handmaid of God (Name) is betrothed to the servant of God (Name), + in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Choir Amen.

Priest: The servant of God (Name) is betrothed to the handmaid of God (Name), + in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Choir Amen.

SECOND PART: THE CROWNING CEREMONY

Choir Glory be to You, Oh our God, glory be to You.

This refrain is repeated after each verse of Psalm 127:

Priest:
- Happy are those who fear the Lord and follow in his paths.
- You will eat what your hands have worked for, happiness and prosperity will be yours.
- Your wife, a fruitful vine on the inner walls of your house. Your sons, around your table like shoots around an olive tree.
- Such are the blessings that fall on all those who fear the Lord.

The priest here begins the Exchange of Consent:

Priest: (Name of Groom) do you freely and willingly come to take the handmaid of God (Name of Bride) here present, for your lawful wife, according to the rite of the Holy Catholic Church?

Groom: I do.

Priest: And do you (Name of Bride) freely and willingly come to take the servant of God (Name of Groom) here present, for your lawful husband, according to the rite of the Holy Catholic Church?

Bride: I do.

The priest makes the sign of the Cross with the Gospel Book as in the beginning of the Divine Liturgy:

Priest: Blessed is the kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever.

Response: Amen.

Deacon/Priest: In peace let us pray to the Lord.

Response: Lord, have mercy.

- For peace from on high and the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.

R.: Lord, have mercy.

- For peace in the whole world, the well being of the holy churches of God and the union of all, let us pray to the Lord.

R.:  Lord, have mercy.

- For this holy place and for those who enter it with faith, reverence and fear of God, let us pray to the Lord.

R.: Lord, have mercy.

- For our Bishop (name), the reverend priests, the deacons in Christ, and for all the clergy and the people, let us pray to the Lord.

R.: Lord, have mercy.

- For the servant of God (name) and the handmaid of God (name) who are now being joined together in the partnership of marriage and for their salvation, let us pray to the Lord.

R.: Lord, have mercy.

- That this marriage may be blessed like the marriage at Cana in Galilee

, let us pray to the Lord.

R.: Lord, have mercy.

- That this couple may be granted for their own good both purity and the fruit of the womb, let us pray to the Lord.

R.: Lord, have mercy.

- That they may rejoice at the sight of their sons and daughters, let us pray to the Lord.

R.: Lord have mercy

- That they may be overwhelmed with joy at the sight of their many children, and that their life may be without stain, let us pray to the Lord.

R.: Lord, have mercy.

- That they, and all those present here, may be granted whatever they ask which is good for their salvation, let us pray to the Lord.

R.: Lord, have mercy.

- For their deliverance and our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger and need, let us pray to the Lord.

R.: Lord, have mercy.

- Help us, save us, have mercy on us and protect us, O God, by your grace.

R.: Lord, have mercy.

- Let us remember our all holy, spotless, most highly blessed and glorious Lady the Mother of God and ever Virgin Mary with all the saints, and commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ God.

R.: To You, 0 Lord.

Priest: For all glory, honour and worship are your due, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and

always and forever and ever.

R.: Amen.

Priest: Let us pray to the Lord.

Response: Lord, have mercy.

Priest: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, who are the Maker of every pure and mystical marriage, and the Lawgiver of that of the flesh, the Guardian of purity, and the provider of good things beneficial for our life. It is You, O Master, who in the beginning made man and set him as king over creation and said, “It is not good for man to be alone on earth, let us make for him a helpmate like himself.” (Cf. Gen. 2:18) You took one of his ribs and formed woman, and when Adam saw her he said, “This at last is bone from my bones, and flesh from my flesh; she shall be called woman because she was taken from man.” (Cf. Gen. 2:23) This is why a man leaves his father and mother and joins himself to his wife, and they become one body, and those whom God has joined together, let no man put asunder.

 Now also, O Master, Lord our God, send down your heavenly grace upon these your servants (names).
- Bless them, O Lord our God, as you blessed Abraham and Sarah.
- Bless them, O Lord our Grid, as you blessed Joachim and Ann.
- Bless them, O Lord our God, as you blessed Zachary and Elizabeth.
- Remember them, O Lord our God, as you remembered your Forty Holy Martyrs, upon whom you sent crowns from heaven.
- Be mindful O Lord our God of their parents who raised them, for the prayer of parents strengthens the foundations of homes.
- Remember, O Lord our God, your servants the best man and maid of honour who share this celebration with us.
- Be mindful, O Lord our God, of your servant (name) and your handmaid (name) and bless them. Grant them the fruit of the womb, healthy children, harmony of soul and body. Exalt them as Cedars of Lebanon and protect them as a fruitful vine. Grant them the seed of offspring and provide them with sufficient goods, so that they may abound in every deed that is good and acceptable to you. Let them see their children’s children like olive branches around their table. And after they have pleased you, may you illuminate them as the stars of heaven.

By You O our Lord, to whom belongs glory, power, honour, and worship, and also to your eternal Father and your all holy, good and life giving Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever.

Response: Amen.

Priest: Let us pray to the Lord.

Response: Lord, have mercy.

Priest: O holy God, who created man out of dust and fashioned a woman out of his rib and joined her to him as a helpmate like himself, it so pleased your majesty that man should not be alone on the earth. O Master, extend your hand from your holy dwelling place and unite your servant (name) and your handmaid (name) (here they join their hands, the groom's left to the bride's right). For by you woman is united to man. Join them in chastity, crown them with glory, wed them into one flesh, grant them the fruit of the womb and the procreation of good children who will lead blameless lives.

For yours is the dominion, and yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and for ever and ever.

Response: Amen.

The priest begins the crowning ceremony with the groom, then the bride and then the groom. Each time the priest exchanges the crowns in the form of a Cross.

Priest: The servant of God (name) is crowned to the handmaid of God (name), + in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Response: Amen.

Priest: The handmaid of God (name) is crowned to the servant of God (name), + in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Response: Amen.

Priest: The servant of God (Name) is crowned to the handmaid of God (Name), + in the name

of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Response: Amen.

The following hymn in the seventh tone is chanted three times by the priest and people:
O LORD OUR GOD, CROWN THEM WITH GLORY AND HONOUR, AND GRANT THEM DOMINION OVER THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS.

EPISTLE:
Priest: Let us be attentive.

Reader:
You put crowns of pure gold on their heads.
They asked for life, and you gave it to them, length of days for ever and ever.

Priest: Wisdom

Reader: A reading from the letter of

St. Paul to the Ephesians.   (5:15-23)

Priest: Let us be attentive

Reader:
Brethren,
Always and for everything give thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.
21        Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22        Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord.
23        For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is Himself its Saviour.
24        As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands.
25        Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
26        that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
27        that He might present the church to Himself in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
28        Even so husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
29        For no man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ does the church,  because we are members of his body.
31        "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."
32        This mystery is a profound one, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church;
33        however, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

[Commentary cf. Rudolf Schnackenburg, The Moral Teaching of the New Testament. P. 250.]

Priest: Peace with you, reader.

Priest: (Incensing) Wisdom. Let us stand and listen to the Holy Gospel. Peace be with all of you.

Response: And to your spirit.

Priest: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. John the Evangelist.      (John 2:1-11)

Response: Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You!

Priest: Let us be attentive.

On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there;
2          Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples.
3          When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine."
4          And Jesus said to her, "O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come."
5          His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
6          Now six stone jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.
7          Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim.
8          He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the steward of the feast." So they took it.
9          When the steward of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward of the feast called the bridegroom [10] and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now."
11        This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

Response: Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You!

Priest: And make us worthy, Master, to dare with confidence and without condemnation to call You Father, O God of heaven and to say:

People: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Priest: For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the
Holy Spirit, now and always and for ever and ever.
Response: Amen.

Priest: Peace to all.

Response: And to your spirit.

Priest: Let us bow our heads to the Lord.

Response: To You, O Lord.

THE BLESSING OF WINE & PROCESSION

The priest blesses the glass of wine with the following prayer:

Priest: Almighty God and Maker of all things, who arranged the universe in an orderly way and adorned all your creation with dignity. Bless now, with a spiritual blessing, this common cup

which you give to those who are now joined together in the partnership of marriage.

For blessed is your name and glorified is your kingdom, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever.

Response: Amen.

Then the priest offers the common cup, first to the groom and then to the bride. Likewise, to the best man and the maid of honour, while the choir chants the following koinonikon:

Choir I will take the chalice of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord.

Now, led by the priest, they make a procession around the tetrapod three times, while the choir chants the following hymns:

Fifth Tone

Choir Rejoice, O Isaiah, for the Virgin has conceived in her womb, and has given birth to a Son, Emmanuel, both God and man. His name is Orient, magnifying Him, we praise the Virgin.

Seventh Tone

- O holy martyrs, who fought well and were crowned, intercede with the Lord, to have mercy on our souls.

- Glory to You, O Christ God, glory of the apostles and delight of the martyrs, who preached the consubstantial Trinity.

The priest then removes the crown from the head of the bridegroom, saying:

Priest: May God exalt you, O Bride groom, like Abraham, and bless you like Isaac, and multiply you like Jacob. Walk in peace and be faithful to the commandments of God.

He removes the crown from the head of the bride, saying:

Priest: And you, O Bride, may God exalt you like Sarah, and gladden you like Rebecca and multiply you like Rachel. Rejoice in your husband and keep the precepts of the law, for in this is God pleased.

THIRD PART: PRAYER FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE CROWNS

Priest; Let us pray to the Lord.

Response: Lord, have mercy.

Priest: O Lord our God, you blessed the crown of the year, and allowed these crowns to be placed on the heads of those who were joined together by the law of marriage, and imparted to them as it were a reward of purity, because chaste are they whom you have joined together in a lawful marriage; also, in the removal of these crowns, bless + those who were joined to each other and protect their indissoluble union, so that they may always give thanks to your all holy name, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever.

Priest: O Lord, these your servants who have come together in union and fulfilled the covenant of marriage, and contracted the pledges thereof just as in Cana of Galilee, give glory to You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever.

Response: Amen.

Priest: Glory to You, O Christ God, our hope, Glory to You!

May Christ our true God who through his presence at Cana in Galilee proclaimed marriage worthy of special honour, have mercy on us and save us, through the prayers of his all pure Mother of his holy and glorious Apostles who are worthy of all praise, of the holy crowned kings and saints equal to the Apostles, Constantine and Helen, of the holy and great martyr, Procopius, and of all the saints, for He is good and loves mankind.

Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us.

Response: Amen.