Greek Orthodox Wedding
If you’ve attended a Greek Orthodox wedding ceremony, you know these weddings are very significant. In fact, the ceremony is an important sacrament for the couple and goes beyond the standard wedding vows. The traditional ceremony in this case was at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church.
The procession is a little different than Western weddings. Typically, the exchange rings happens at the beginning of the ceremony. The priest blesses both rings before placing them on the third finger of their right hands. Next, the wedding sponsor swaps the rings between the bride and groom to symbolize their future connection.
The bride and groom are each given one white candle to hold for the remainder of the ceremony. When they light these candles, it signals the Sacrament of Marriage. The crowns symbolize the couple’s marriage as a blessing from God. Similar to the rings, they swap crowns between the bride and groom three times as well. The significance behind performing these rituals three times is the holy trinity. So the couple sips wine three times, and walk around the altar three times. Making circles around the wedding altar is a symbol of infinity and the couple’s eternity together. Finally, the officiant removes the Stefana crowns and says a prayer for the newly married couple.
If there is a first kiss, it’s often quick and unannounced. In fact, the highlight is after the ceremony when rice is thrown at couples as they exit. It means to wish fertility and wealth on the new family.
Reception
After the ceremony, we headed to The Vue and Clubhouse EventSpace for the reception. While the venue is associated with the adjacent golf course, we weren’t allowed to take any photos on the actual green. So instead we utilize the gold course as an open concept backdrop of the wedding photos. We used the same area later that night for the dancing that closed out this Greek Orthodox wedding.
Premium Package
This is a relatively new service I offer. It gives you the benefit of two photographers for your morning prep/portrait sessions. You get photo/video coverage of the ceremony and reception. And a photo booth is available for your guests once the dance floor opens. It a little bit of everything, but only requires 2 shooters throughout the day. I am a trained on photographer and videographer. This just allows me to transition between the two throughout the day. Video coverage of this event is at the bottom of the page. It includes a full runthrough of the wedding ceremony and the scheduled highlights of the evening wedding reception. All speeches and vows are uncut so you remember every word
The second shooter for this wedding was Raspal Singh
