First Steps to Planning Your Greek Wedding

Written by Greek Boston in Greek Wedding Traditions Comments Off on First Steps to Planning Your Greek Wedding

Have you always dreamed of what your Greek wedding would look like? Well, now that you are engaged, you have a chance to make your dreams a reality. However, there is a lot that goes into planning a wedding and there are a lot of things to take into consideration.

One thing that will make things easier is to take some time in the beginning to plan out the essentials such as setting a date and booking the reception hall. After that, the smaller details will easily fall into place. Here are the first steps everyone needs to do initially to make sure the wedding plans are a success.

Set the Date

The very first thing that needs to get done is to set the date. In the Greek Orthodox Church, there are some rules to abide by in order to determine when the wedding will be. Please consult with a Greek Orthodox Priest for guidance.

In general, weddings are not permitted on feast days, the day before feast days, and during fast periods. After you select the date you can work with your priest to secure the church.

Find the Reception Venue

Once the date is set you can also select the reception venue. You have a few choices for this. These include at a restaurant, at your house, in the church hall, and at a function hall facility.

There are positive and negative benefits of each. Be sure to select something that will accommodate your guests comfortably and have a setting that will be meaningful to you.

Greek Cultural Elements

Since this is a Greek wedding, it stands to reason that you will not only want a Greek Orthodox marriage ceremony, but that you will also bring in some Greek cultural elements, as well. Here is a rundown of some of your choices.

• Bridal party dance. If you don’t know how to dance the traditional folk dances, you should learn for the wedding. You should at least learn the Syrto, which is the dance that goes with the song “Orea pou einai nifi mas” which is danced by the bridal party.

• Bridal shoes. This is a tradition that is done in Greece where the single members of the bridal party write their names on the bride’s shoes. Whoever’s name did not rub off by the end of the night will be married next.

• To Krevati. This is a tradition where the friends and family of the bride and groom will decorate the bed with flowers, money (to symbolize prosperity), and other decorative elements such as ribbons. A baby is also placed on the bed to symbolize fertility.

• Koufeta. Koufeta, or candy covered white almonds, is an essential favor at a Greek wedding. These symbolize the bride and groom’s desire to have a “sweet life” together.

When planning a Greek wedding, there are a few essentials that need to be planned before any of the details can be worked through. Once you set the date and reception venue, you can brainstorm ideas to celebrate the Greek culture during your wedding.

Categorized in: Greek Wedding Traditions

This post was written by Greek Boston