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SETTING THE WEDDING DATE
A
couple desiring to be married should first contact the church office to
schedule an appointment with the parish priest. It is preferable to
schedule both your wedding date and meetings with the parish priest at
least six months prior to the desired date so
that scheduling conflicts can be avoided. Weddings may not be celebrated during the fasting
seasons or the major feast days of our Church:
o
During Great Lent and Holy Week
o
August 1-15 ( Dormition of Blessed
Virgin Mary
o
August 29 (Beheading of St. John the
Baptist)
o
September 14 (Exaltation of the Holy
Cross)
o
December 13-25 (Christmas Advent)
Nor are marriages celebrated on the day before and the day
of a Great Feast of the Lord, including Theophany (January 5 and 6),
Pascha, Pentecost, and Christmas (December 24 and 25).
NUPTIAL REQUIREMENTS
1. At
least one of the couple to be married is an Orthodox Christian baptized
and or chrismated in the Orthodox Church and committed to Christ and as a
steward.
2. The
intended spouse, if not Orthodox, be a Christian baptized in the name of
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as commanded by the Lord (Matthew 28:19)
because of the sacramental nature of the marriage bond (in which a couple
not only pledge their love for each other but also their love for Christ)
a wedding between an Orthodox Christian and a non-Christian may not be
celebrated in the Church.
3. No
person may marry more than three times in the Church, with permission for
a third marriage granted only with extreme cases.
NECESSARY PAPERS AND DOCUMENTS
The following documentation
is needed to insure that your wedding will meet the criteria established
by the Church and local civil authorities:
1. Verification
of the baptism and stewardship commitment of
the Orthodox spouse(s);
2. Verification
of the baptism of the non-Orthodox spouse in a Christian community that
baptizes in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (for example, the
Roman Catholic and, traditionally, mainline Protestant churches such as
the Lutheran and Episcopalian communities);
3. An
ecclesiastical marriage license (Download the Ecclesiastical Marriage License);
and
4. A
civil marriage license.
Note:
Please note that
because of the separation of Church and state, two marriage licenses are
necessary, one for the Church and one for the state.
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