As most know, and many are about to find out, Christina is half Ukrainian and was baptized Ukrainian Catholic. According to Ukrainian tradition, couples that are about to be married seek the blessing of their parents and godparents for their upcoming marriage and then the blessing of the church. This ceremony is called the Zaruchyny, or the Rite of Betrothal. In ancient days the Zaruchyny would have happened anywhere from one year to one day before the wedding, but nowadays it is done on the morning of the wedding itself. Because we are having our wedding at Arthur's parish church, we chose to do ours one month ahead. It was a beautiful and intimate day for us as we sought the blessing of our families and the church surrounded by our families and wedding party.
Below is a timeline of the day and ceremonies and then an album containing the day's photos. We hope you enjoy!
(Please disregard the dates on the photos. They're just to keep the pictures in the correct order. They were all taken on May 2nd, 2025)
May 01, 2025
The day began in the morning, with Christina's family preparing the house to welcome Arthur, his family, and the groomsmen
May 02, 2025
Programs were made and set out for the guests that were about to arrive
May 03, 2025
The specially baked Korovai (Ukrainian wedding bread) was set out along with a set of icons to be gifted to the future Bride and Groom for their home.
May 04, 2025
And the Bridesmaids arrived ready to help make the day perfect for their friend
May 05, 2025
Then Arthur, his family, and the groomsmen arrived and were greeted by Christina's family and bridesmaids in the foyer while Christina waited in the living room. Arthur hasn't seen her yet at this point, and he won't until he proves his worthiness to Christina's posse
May 06, 2025
Giana (the maid of honor) and the bridesmaids confronted him to ask why he and his party were there. Arthur told them that he and Christina had decided to marry and he was there so that they could seek the blessing of both families and the church
May 07, 2025
Christina's family then took turns explaining to Arthur how special Christina is and the hole that would be left in the family when she leaves with him.
Arthur explained that he understands what Christina's family would be losing in her leaving and he gave them his commitment to honor and cherish her just as her family has done so up to this point
May 08, 2025
Then Christina's family and Bridesmaids tested Arthur's worthiness by asking a series of trivia questions about Christina that Arthur should know. Some of the highlights were;
"What is the name of Christina's favorite childhood stuffed animal?"
"What countries has Christina visited (excluding connecting flights)?"
and
"Which 3 foods can Christina not stand in their natural state?"
May 09, 2025
He got about 85% correct
May 10, 2025
The bridesmaids approved
May 11, 2025
Everyone was very amused
May 12, 2025
In an effort to sooth the pain of losing Christina, Arthur offered her parents some good alcohol and sweets. A gift that was graciously received.
After this, the next part of the ceremony began
May 13, 2025
Having shown himself worthy, Arthur was allowed to pass into the living room to greet Christina
May 14, 2025
Then both sets of parents were invited to sit while Giana handed them the Korovai and the Icons
May 15, 2025
Then, while the couple knelt on a Rushnyk (a specially embroidered cloth), Giana (taking the place of the village elder or matchmaker) speaks for them saying;
"“As these two children stand before their own mother, before their own father, before their uncles and aunts, before their godparents, before their chosen family; if they did not listen to one of you, I ask you to forgive them and bless them.”
and the parents responded;
“May Holy God forgive and bless you.”
Then they gave the Icons and bread to the couple and sang the Ukrainian blessing for a long and happy life
May 16, 2025
Then everyone went to the Ukrainian church for a special blessing for the couple
May 17, 2025
The church was beautiful
May 18, 2025
As was the service of blessing
May 19, 2025
And Father Ivan was very excited to be involved
May 20, 2025
Then it was time to head to the garden for a small reception and lunch
May 21, 2025
And it was beautiful too
May 22, 2025
Thank you so much for looking through this timeline and enjoying this beautiful cultural practice that we were all honored to take part in. We hope that you enjoyed the pictures as much as we enjoyed taking them!
