Fit to Be Crowned

Image via ErinHeartsCourt

Growing up, I had the chance to witness the wedding of many of my cousins in Greece.  And as a little girl, I would stand (as is customary) at the weddings of our relatives that were married in the Greek Orthodox church and just marvel at the beautiful customs.  The ceremony itself is full of symbolism and is, without a doubt, the most gorgeous religious service I have ever witnessed.  

My favorite part of the ceremony are the Stefana, or crowns.  The crowns are a symbol of the union between husband and wife, and their symbolism is best described by the Antiochian Archdioces of America's website:

Image via LusterStudios.com

We witness the groom and bride being crowned (visibly proclaimed) as the king and queen, respectively, of a new family, entrusted by God with the authority to rule their family in faith and love and harmony with Christ. They both share in this responsibility and privilege as a newly married couple...The crowns are then switched back and forth between the groom and bride’s head, signifying that they completely share their lives together. 

And I wished as a little girl that I could be married in a ceremony like that, if I ever got married, but um...I'm not Eastern Orthodox.   

Once we started to plan our wedding, the wheels started to turn.  I really wanted to include a bit of my mom's Greek culture in a way that felt authentic to me.  And that's where the crowns, or Stefana, came into play. 

Image via LusterStudios.com

So I asked my aunt if she'd ever seen a crowning ceremony performed in a Greek Protestant wedding, and she said yes!  Some of the rituals carried over from one denomination to the other, because religion is tied so closely to the culture. So instead of a unity candle or hand-binding ceremony, we incorporated the Stefana.  We asked my uncle, who is a pastor, to perform the ceremony in whatever way he felt comfortable. 

The ceremony has fallen out of favor, and isn't performed very often in my mom's church, so we had to do some digging!

Image via ChristineMeintjes.com

My aunt helped me out on the research, since I have the reading skills of a 2nd grader when it comes to Greek.  And a little birdie told me that my mom had purchased the crowns to surprise me at my shower. And by little birdie, I mean my mom (she's terrible at keeping secrets).  

Image via KristianLevinPhotography

I was so extremely excited about this.  I'll admit that I worried if it was going to be too weird after getting a couple side-eyes from relatives and family friends.  But this just felt so perfect for us!  

Have you looked to your family's background or culture for ceremony inspiration?  Are there any traditions you are incorporating into your wedding?

I Made It Rain

At Cuz's wedding.  

The idea of throwing money on a bride and groom during their first dance might sound appalling to some people.  But in our family, it's a tradition.  Well, if we're being technical the tradition looks more like this:

(source for all)

Yes, guests would pin money onto the couple's clothing during their first dance.  Here's where I begin to take issue with tradition--there is no way in hell I would let anyone come near my wedding dress with a pin, unless that person is my seamstress.  

But this is something that we looked forward to!  It's a symbolic gesture; we're starting them off on the right foot, financially speaking, and quite literally showering them with "blessings."

Of course, the kids of our family (twenty and thirty-something 'kids') decided to have fun with the tradition.  We decided to "make it rain."  Which, according to Urban Dictionary means "When you're in da club with a stack [of cash], and you throw the money up in the air at the strippers. The effect is that it seems to be raining money." Hrmm...

Okay, so I don't like the part in the definition that mentions strippers.  But inappropriate connotation aside--this was so much fun!  And I laughed until I thought I might pass out when I saw the older guests mimicking our method of showering them with bills. My method, in case you're wondering, was to take the stack of singles in the open palm of my left hand, and slide the bills onto their heads with the right.  It sounds more shocking that it was, you're supposed to shower their heads--I just had a little fun with it. 

So if you ever find yourself at a Greek wedding, here are some pointers:

- This happens during the first dance.  It can and often does continue through the night, but the first dance is a safe bet.

- There is an order to who gets to do this.  Family of the bride is always first, then relatives, and finally friends. 

- This is not required for all guests, in any way.  You are not paying to dance with the bride. 

- You don't have to be a baller (or whatever the kids are calling it these days).  We throw $1 bills.  Typically, people throw what they have.  Ten, twenty, and even fifty.  It looks like a whole lot more than it is.

How about you?  Will your family take part in any cultural traditions at your wedding that are a little outside the norm?