10:00am
The Ceremony begins with the bride and groom walking into the church together. This represents their willingness to marry and them entering the marriage as equal partners.
Upon entering the church the "Betrothal" happens. This is when the rings are blessed and kissed by the couple before being exchanged. We wear them on our right hands. Sometimes the betrothal can happen at home beforehand rather than part of the service but we wanted it as part of the ceremony!
After this we walk up to the front of the church to a small table called the "tetrapod" which sits at the front of the church but outside the "iconostas" which looks like a big ornate gate hiding the altar.
One bridesmaid and the best man step forward and place an embroidered cloth on the floor which we stand on during the ceremony. Superstition has it that the first of the couple to step on the mat will run the household! Some couples fight to step on it first. We didn't care but have fun rewinding the video to see who did it! It's impossible to tell with Alex's big dress where her feet are BUT the hem of her dress crosses before Andrew's feet!
When it's time for the vows, the best man and bridsmaid move the cloth closer to the iconostas and we stand on it. The priest binds our right wrists together with another embroidered cloth and places it on the Gospel and then places a cross on our wrists as we make our vows. We decided to say them in English.
We both said the following with the appropriate names:
"I, Andrew, take you, Alexandra, to be my wife to love and to cherish. I will be faithful and honest, be committed to our growth and respect you for all the days of my life. So help me God."
At this point we are each given a candle to hold during the readings - the Epistle which was Corinthians 13 and the Gospel which was the Wedding At Cana. Both were read in English.
After more prayers and blessings, the candles are put out and we walk 3 times around the tetrapod. Very symbolic as the tetrapod is the symbol of Christ and we take our first steps as a married couple.
Our crowns are then removed and the priest makes the homily. The final blessings are made and the choir sings "many happy years" We have our first married kiss which many people say is the longest they've seen in the church but it wasn't tastless and pornographic...just nice!
