Serbian weddings are full day festivities that start with a Skup, which is a pre-ceremony party where food, drink, music, dancing and conversation are shared. It ends with the bridal party departure after a round of dancing and flag waving. The grooms side travels to the bride and barters for her hand with her brother. Sometimes guests dance traditional Serbian kolo on the streets outside of the house while coins are being tossed to promise luck and financial prosperity of the wedding couple.

When the groom comes for his future wife, the father-in-law places an apple on the tallest tree in the yard. Groom has to shoot and hit an apple with a rifle, and prove he is а man worthy of his future bride’s hand

The brother of the bride will carry a canteen of Rakija (Brandy) and offer you a drink. It is considered a blessing to the couple to accept, but not required.

Guests attending the wedding will be given a sprig of rosemary wrapped in Serbian flag colors on a pin to symbolize their attendance in the wedding as well as fertility for the couple to bear children. The flower girls will go around and hand out the rosemary upon guest arrival. Tradition is to give the flower girls money when they hand you the rosemary (this is any amount and is optional, not expected).

Holy Matrimony is the Mystery of the Holy Orthodox Church through which a man and woman are united forever by the Holy Trinity. In this Sacrament, a man and a woman are given the possibility to become one spirit and one flesh in a way that no human love can achieve by it-self. Marriage in Christ allows our human love to become divine and unending. There is no until death do us part.

The point is just the opposite. Christ comes to our human love, frees it from sin and grants it everlasting joy in His Kingdom. There are no vows since the success of marriage cannot depend on mutual human promises, but on the blessings of God.

We appreciate your presence with us today. In attending this Mystery, we ask you not only to witness the marriage of two people but also to add your prayers to ours that God may bless our life together.

Unless the Lord build the house, those who build it labor in vain. (Psalm 127:1)

Many of our guests today are unfamiliar with Orthodoxy and may also have questions about the ethnic traditions of Serbia. ORTHODOXY is the second largest communion of Christians in the world. The Orthodox Church is the first Christian Church in history, the Church founded by the Lord Jesus Christ and described in the pages of the New Testament.
Her history can be traced in unbroken continuity all the way back to Christ and His Twelve Apostles. For two thousand years the Orthodox Church has, by Gods mercy, kept the faith delivered to the saints.
Within her walls is the fullness of the salvation which was realized when God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
should
not perish but have everlasting
life. (John 3:16)
Most people know of the Orthodox Church from the various ethnic immigrant communities within
United States, such as Greeks or Russians. The ethnic festivals are usually well-attended events and many enjoy the ethnic traditions and food. However, the ethnic tradition is a mere reflection of the greater Tradition found within the Church. The most valuable traditions are those which draw us closer to a deeper understanding of and love for God.

SERBIA is a small country in southeastern Europe via. The Slavs who settled in that area were converted to Orthodoxy during the 7th and 8th centuries...
The efforts of their first bishop, a monk named SAVA, was instrumental in establishing the Serbian Orthodox Church during the 14th century. The icon of St. Sava is before you on the far left; he is venerated as the protector of the Serbian Orthodox people. The Orthodox Church has been the refuge and hope of the Serbian people as they endured profound sufferings. For exam-ple, over 1 million Serbs were killed between 1941 and 1945 in concentration camps by allies of Nazi Germany.

Icons are the most visible element of the church, but they are more than painted pictures. Orthodox Christians honor and venerate icons, but never worship them, for worship is due God alone. The honor given to the icon passes on to the one represented.
Icons are considered to be windows through which the faithful gaze into the world beyond time and space and are reassured that this earthly pilgrimage is only the beginning of another fuller life.

A Serbian Orthodox priest officiates the wedding ceremony, leading the couple through the religious rituals and offering blessings for their marriage. The priest is regarded with reverence and respect, guiding the couple on their spiritual journey together. Our wedding will be officiated by Otac Radomir.

The groom’s party, known as the “kumovi,” play a significant role in Serbian weddings. They are chosen as honorary witnesses and hold great responsibilities throughout the wedding, including escorting the bride and groom to the ceremony and participating in various rituals.

Crowns symbolize the honor and reward that are bestowed upon the wedded pair for the purity of their lives and for their citizenship in the Kingdom of God. During this Sacrament, God crowns the couple with glory and honor. The Bride and Groom are crowned king and queen of their own domestic kingdom. But unlike so many earthly crowns, these crowns do not represent power and influence. Rather, these are crowns of love and self-sacrifice,
From this moment forward, they are now husband and wife.

Following the ceremony, the bride will lift a male child three times, this is to ensure that their first born child is a male. This old custom is called "dizanje nakonjceta".

The flower girls/ young nephews steal the bride's shoe and the Kum has to pay the kid to get it back.