WEDDINGS

A great mystery is being celebrated. How is it a mystery? They come together, and the two are made one. They have not become the image of anything earthly, but of God Himself. They come in order to be made one body; behold the mystery of love!

— St. John Chrysostom, Homily 12 on Colossians

Marriage is much more than a mere private transaction between two individuals; it is an event in which Jesus Christ Himself participates through the presence of the sacramental minister, the priest, and that of the praying community, the church. In view of this "ecclesial" dimension of marriage, therefore, a wedding must be performed within the context of the Orthodox Christian Church in order for the Church to recognize and affirm the validity and authenticity of the marriage. To be in proper canonical and spiritual standing, an Orthodox Christian must be married in the Orthodox Christian Church. An Orthodox Christian who has been married outside the Orthodox Christian Church is no longer in good standing with the Church and consequently does not have the right to receive the sacraments of the Church, including Holy Communion, or to become a sponsor at an Orthodox wedding, baptism or chrismation or to be buried in the Orthodox Christian Church.