On the wedding day, parents of newlyweds read prayers, bless with icons of their children, and they, in turn, receive God's blessing. For an Orthodox wedding, the newlyweds go to the temple, according to tradition, the bridegroom is the first to enter the door. He is accompanied by friends (best man) and one of the children. The groom, being in the temple, must move to the right and wait until the bride arrives. She arrives a little later, and, entering the doors of the temple, together with her best man, occupies the left side. After this, the ceremony begins directly.
Orthodox wedding consists of engagement and the wedding itself. The rings, specially designed for the betrothal of the young, are made by the deacon on a small tray, and the priest, holding two lighted candles in his hands, approaches the newlyweds and gives them the candles. After that, the priest puts one ring on the bridegroom on the ring finger of his right hand, the other ring puts on the bride in the same way. Then, in agreement and unanimity, the young people exchange rings with each other three times. After this change, one ring remains with the bride, the other with the groom.
The main point of the Orthodox wedding is that when the priest crosswise marks the bridegroom. Having blessed the bride in the same way, the priest crowns her. The next step is a common chalice filled with red wine, which the priest presents to the bride and groom. Alternately, the young must drink all the wine in three meals, since this cup is the common fate of the young. Then the priest joins the right hands of the bride and groom and three times leads them around the lectern. This walk signifies the endless procession that began for them today.
The Orthodox wedding, according to custom, ends at the stage when at the royal gate the bride kisses the icon with the image of the Mother of God, and the bridegroom kisses the icon of the Savior. Then the young ones change places and kiss the corresponding icons again. After that, the priest gives the young people a kiss on the cross and hands over two icons that relatives brought in advance from the house or purchased in the church. As a result, the newlyweds are proclaimed many years, and those present at the wedding ceremony can congratulate the young.
From this day, the newlyweds have one common life, and from that moment they are before God a single whole.
