The Westin Jersey City Newport

Rehearsal Dinner

Welcome cocktails

Wedding Day

Our Lady of Kazan Russian Orthodox Church

Ceremony

Maritime Parc

Cocktail hour

Reception

After Party

Farewell brunch

Winter

Our Wedding

Dear friends,&nbsp; We know that for some of you this may be the first Eastern Orthodox wedding ceremony you attend, so we wanted to share with you some brief information about the service, its symbolism and traditions.&nbsp;&nbsp; The Eastern Orthodox wedding ceremony is an ancient rite full of profound symbolism and meaning. The couple is led through the ceremony by their priest. Most of the following rituals are performed three times to represent the Holy Trinity – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The service is usually about one hour long and does not have a traditional walk-down-the-aisle or sit-in-pews setting. In fact, in many Eastern Orthodox churches there are no pews so seating will be very limited, mainly along the sides and back of the church for the elderly. If you should feel you require it, please arrive early to make yourself comfortable near a bench or chair. As most of the time you will be standing, please don’t hesitate to step outside for some fresh air if at any point you don’t feel well. It’s important to note that throughout the service the priest will intone many prayers in conjunction with responses and sung hymns from a 4-voice choir, in addition to scripture readings. In the tradition of this particular parish, most of the service will be served in Church Slavonic, an ancient dialect of Russian with which many spiritual texts were written and preserved throughout Russia’s Christian history dating back to 988 AD. DoxologyThe ceremony starts with&nbsp;a&nbsp;small prayer known as a Doxology (“Blessed be our God both now and ever and unto the ages of ages”). A Doxology does not request anything specifically from God, but instead serves to ask both the couple and the audience to glorify Him. Opening PetitionsFollowing the Doxology, the opening petitions are made, which are similar to prayers. These petitions are a list of requests to God and asks Him to bless everyone in attendance, to bless the couple with love and peace and to bless the couple with children in the future. This is meant to symbolize the needs of a Christian couple for marital well-being. Once the petitions are recited, two short prayers are said. These talk about the theological truths surrounding marriage. The prayers acknowledge that the couple is standing before God, with their family and friends as witnesses, pledging to enter into an “indissoluble bond of love.” Additionally, the prayers are meant to speak directly to the couple to help them understand that it is the love of God that has brought them together to be married and that He will watch over them throughout their marriage and into a oneness of mind. The BetrothalThe service starts with the betrothal ceremony in which the marriage rings are blessed. This part of the service takes place at the entry to the church, usually just inside the doorway.&nbsp;(Please note that guests are encouraged to arrive early and already be present, standing inside the church when the bridal party arrives. If you arrive late, please stay just outside the church until the betrothal has concluded.) The priest holds the rings in his hands and holds each up to the bride and groom's foreheads three times. The following prayer is said, “The servant of God Joseph, is betrothed to the servant of God Katherine, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit” and vice versa. Then, the priest (or the best man) exchanges the rings between the couple's fingers three times, signifying that the weakness of one will be compensated by the other interchangeably. Themselves, the newly betrothed are incomplete, but together they are made perfect; thus, the exchange of the rings gives expression to the fact that the spouses in marriage will continually be complimenting each other. Because the right hand has a rich and symbolic history in the Orthodox Church, the rings are usually placed on the third finger of the right hand. This action seals the commitment of the couple and is the equivalent of them saying “I do,” since the bride and groom do not speak during the wedding service. (Yes, there are no vows spoken, everyone stands and listens the entire time.) Candles&nbsp;After the rings are exchanged, the priest gives the couple each a lit candle to hold in their left hands for the remainder of the service. The burning flames symbolize the couple's spiritual willingness to receive God's light and blessings. At this time, the priest recites prayers and leads the couple from the entry of the church to the center altar where the Bible, cross, crowns and common cup lie. (And in classically Russian tradition, the walk to the center of the church is often watched closely by guests to see whose feet touch the satin mat first☺) CrowningThe Crowning is the centerpiece of the Eastern Orthodox marriage ceremony. In the Russian Orthodox Church, gold crowns are used to represent the royalty of marriage. The priest takes each crown and makes the sign of the cross in front of the bride and groom respectively, allows them to kiss the cross (or icon in some cases) on the front of the crown while intoning that “The servant of God Joseph is crowned for the servant of God Katherine, in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Then, depending on the parish custom, either places the crowns directly on the couple's heads or has the groomsmen hold the crowns over each of the bride and grooms heads alternating holding throughout the remainder of the service. After the placing of the crowns, the priest says “O, Lord our God, crown them with glory and honor.” The crowns symbolize the glory which God grants to the new family, the bride and groom as King and Queen of the household. The crowns also have another deep spiritual meaning in that they also represent the crowns of martyrdom since every true marriage involves immeasurable self-sacrifice on both sides. This will be revealed in the hymns chanted during the procession. The Common CupThe rite of crowning is followed by the reading of the Epistle and the Gospel. The Gospel reading describes the marriage at Cana of Galilee which was attended and blessed by Christ, and for which he reserved His first miracle. There He converted the water into wine and gave it to the newlyweds. In remembrance of this blessing, wine is given to the couple. This is the “common cup of life” denoting the mutual sharing of joy and sorrow, the token of a life of harmony. The drinking of wine from the common cup serves to impress upon the couple that from that moment on they will share everything in life, joys as well as sorrows. The ProcessionFollowing the common cup, the priest joins the couples right hands together and with a piece of his vestment, the “epitrachelion”, covers their joined hands and with the cross in his right hand leads the couple around the altar on which a Bible rests three times. The choir sings three hymns as the couple circles the table, one of which refers to the Holy Martyrs, reminding the newly married couple of the sacrificial love that does not seek its own, but is willing to sacrifice for the one loved. In this act, the couple takes their first steps as a married couple, with the Church (through the priest) leading them. ConclusionAt the ceremony's end, the priest recites parting blessings upon the newlyweds and brings them up to the iconostas (the wall between the main core of the church where the parish stands and the altar) to each kiss both the icon of Jesus Christ and also of the Mother of God, each flanks the altar entrance doors. At this point the bride and groom will be given the opportunity to kiss to celebrate the conclusion of the marriage ceremony.&nbsp;In the Eastern Orthodox Church, it’s important to remember that deacons and priests actually must be married (unless in the case where the cleric is a monastic) so at the end of the service, the priest may make his own remarks and guidance towards a long and healthy marriage. This especially in this case where Fr. Mark has known Katya since she was a little girl. Then the bride and groom stay at the altar to receive and be congratulated by all of their families.

Explanation of the Service

Q + A

Uber vouchers will be available for rides between the hotels, church, and venue from 12pm on 2/16/25 to 3am on 2/17/25.         <a href="https:" />https://r.uber.com/rcpHJQ8VaEL</a>         Code: rcpHJQ8VaEL

Uber Vouchers

Registry

Katya and Joe met in 2019 during a two-week-long work training in Albuquerque, New Mexico when Katya walked up to Joe during a group hangout and asked him for some of his whiskey and Joe happily obliged. They would become friends over the course of two more two-week-long training stints that took place in early 2020 in Southern New Mexico. Once the third round of training concluded, Joe decided that he would take a huge chance and move from Dickinson, North Dakota to Norman, Oklahoma for work (and maybe to date Katya 😉) and they have been together ever since. In the three plus years that they have been together, Katya and Joe have been on numerous adventures and adopted their husky, Nikita together. Katya has even made friends with Joe’s overprotective cat, Chaos! Joe proposed romantically at their home on October 25, 2023. Joe is originally from Ashburn, Virginia and Katya is originally from Glen Ridge, New Jersey.

Our Story

Photos

Nora Hartop

Alex Iglesias

Madison Ellis

Peter Waters

Kelly Waters

Fernando Melendez

Sara Thompson

Mitch Maguire

Wedding Party

The closest airport to the church and venue is Newark Liberty International airport. Guests can also choose to fly into New York’s LaGuardia or JFK airports.    We have reserved two blocks of rooms for our guests at The Westin and Hilton DoubleTree. At this time the blocks have expired. Please call either hotel or book online through the hotels’ main websites.  We will have Uber vouchers available for our guests to travel between the hotels, church and venue. More information will be available at a later date.

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Suites Jersey City

Travel

New York City is just a path train or ferry ride away! It is also about a 25 minute drive into Manhattan.  Attractions near the hotel include Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, The Liberty Science Center, and downtown Hoboken. Maritime Parc is located in Liberty State Park. The venue is also home to a restaurant and bar on the first floor where guests can wait if they arrive to the venue before cocktail hour starts.

Things to Do

Katya & Joe

Katya & Joe

Q + A

What is the dress code?

What about transportation?

What is the ceremony like?

What are some of the differences between a Russian Orthodox ceremony and other wedding ceremonies?

Is there parking at the venue?

What if I get to the venue before cocktail hour starts?

Are kids allowed?

What is the rsvp date?