Sonya & Christian

The church is a sacred place, so we want everyone to be fully present. To that end, please: Turn off your cell phone No photography or video Also, while a wedding is a joyous occasion, it is also a sacrament, and should be treated with solemnity and respect. As such, please remember: • No clapping or cheering • Remain quiet in the church • No food or drink in the church **If you need a snack or a drink, no worries! Just step out of the main room of the church and go to the entrance or the basement or outside.

You have probably seen women from Eastern Europe wearing head kerchiefs, both to church and in daily life. In the Orthodox Church, head coverings are still required for women in the church. However, in the Catholic Church, such head coverings are no longer required, and wearing scarves is not widely practiced anymore, so please feel no pressure to wear a hat or other covering. Men should remove hats in the church as a sign of respect.

Yes, yes, and yes! All of this is very common (and nowadays, more women wear pants to church than skirts and dresses), so please do whatever you’ll be the most comfortable with.

There will be a paper guide to the actual service, that will say when to sit/stand/kneel* and the prayers, songs, and responses. You can follow along and sing the songs and say the prayers and responses, but it’s also perfectly fine to just follow along quietly. *Please don’t feel compelled to kneel if you can’t, we want this to be a comfortable experience for everyone. If you cannot kneel, sitting is just fine!

Since the first days of Christianity in Ukraine, people believed that musical instruments were great for celebrating and entertaining, but that only the human voice should be used in worship. So, in Ukrainian churches, all music comes from the singing of the choir and parishioners.

The order of the procession is somewhat different to a typical North American wedding. The families of the bride and groom enter first, followed by the bridal party. Then, the priest and altar servers come inside. Finally, the bride and groom walk down the aisle together. Traditionally, the father does not “give the bride away”, because the marriage is a sacrament for the bride and groom only, and so both of them must approach the altar together.

In the Catholic Church, the Eucharist is believed to not be simply symbolic of Christ, but to literally become the body and blood of Jesus. Because the Eucharist is so sacred, we only partake in communion when we have been baptized, completed our First Holy Communion, and have undergone the sacrament of reconciliation. If you are not Catholic, you are invited to come up with your hands crossed over your chest to receive a blessing. You can also remain seated if you would prefer. If you are Catholic and want to partake in communion, go up to the priest and make the sign of the cross. Then fold your hands over your chest, open your mouth, and tilt your head back slightly (there is no need to kneel, but if you are very tall you may have to crouch a bit). The priest will place the eucharist into your mouth with a disposable spoon. In the Ukrainian church, the eucharist is not a wafer, but is a small piece of bread soaked in wine, which is why a spoon is needed. Once you have received the eucharist, step to the side to make way for the next person, cross yourself again, and then make your way back to your seat.

The bride and groom are crowned to represent the blessings of their marriage, and then the couple walk around the table which holds the Gospel and a cross, ensuring that their first steps as a married couple are blessed.