Wedding
Planning your wedding
There are some dates in the church calendar when marriage services cannot take place: from 12th December until Christmas; during Lent; from 1st to 15th August; on 5th and 6th January; on 29th August and on 14th September. The marriage can only take place with the formal permission of the Archbishop in the form of an episcopal marriage permit. When you book your wedding date the priest will explain the process of application to the Archdiocese for the required permit. The application should preferably be made at least 6 months before the wedding date.
For Orthodox Christians each candidate will require a certificate of no impediment. This is usually obtained from the parish of the candidate’s baptism. In the case of a second marriage in the Orthodox Church the person concerned should produce a ecclesiastical certificate of divorce, or if a widow/er, a death certificate. The 2 persons standing as witnesses to the man and woman being married must be Orthodox Christians.
MARRIAGE with a non orthodox Christian
It is normally possible for an Orthodox Christian to be married in the Orthodox church with a Christian of another denomination who is baptised in the name of the Holy Trinity. However, it is not possible for the sacrament of marriage to take place for an Orthodox Christian with a person of no faith or of a faith other than Christian. Baptismal certificates will need to be produced for Christians of other denominations.
THE CIVIL CEREMONY OF MARRIAGE
The Civil Ceremony can take place before or at the same time as the Orthodox service of the sacrament of marriage. If the Civil Ceremony takes place before the Orthodox marriage service, it cannot take place at the church. The couple must make the arrangements for this at their local registry office/s as early as possible in the 12 months prior to their wedding day.