The Orthodox Church has set guidelines regarding the celebration of weddings. According to the Canons marriages are not to be performed:
- On the Eves of Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year
- On the Eves of Sunday throughout the year
- On the Eves of the Twelve Great Feasts and the Patronal Feast of a Church
- In all of the Fasts (Great Lent, Apostles’ Fast, Dormition Fast, and the Nativity Fast (Advent)
- From the nativity of Christ (Dec. 25) through the Synaxis of St. John (Jan. 7)
- During the course of Cheesefare Week
- During the course of Bright Week
- On the Day and the Eve of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist (Aug. 29) and the Elevation of the Cross (Sept. 14)
Although these are indeed the guideposts set forth by our Church and every effort should be made to uphold this tradition, we do not enjoy the luxury of living in an Orthodox Country (e.g. Greece, Russia, Romania, Serbia, etc) where such practices are the cultural norm. Therefore, a type of dispensation or economia is often necessary and practiced as a pastoral discretion in America.
Archbishop Job, of blessed memory, tried very hard to institute a reform to this issue of Saturday weddings throughout the diocese, while at the same time giving some parishes (including our own) a blessing to continue performing marriages on Saturday. Bishop Matthias, on the other hand, has conveyed through our Diocesan Chancellor, Archpriest John Zdinak, and our Dean, Archpriest Andrew Clements, that he does not consider this to be an issue and will allow Saturday weddings to take place within the Diocese of the Midwest.
Historically, one of the main reasons why the Sacrament of Marriage was not to be performed on Saturdays was due to the wedding celebrations which interfered/conflicted with preparations for the next day’s Eucharist (i.e. the reception and dancing); and in the small village parishes where everyone would be invited to a wedding, this often meant that the church would be pretty empty for Sunday services!
