A wedding is a solemn and important moment in the life of the whole family. Preparation for it is different from the usual one, because it is not just registration, but a divine rite, where everything is subject to strict rules. In particular, special icons are needed to bless the young.

What is a wedding

In Orthodoxy there are only 7 sacraments, including marriage between a man and a woman. You should prepare thoroughly, because this is a shared journey for life. In fact, the blessing of the newlyweds used to always take place in the church; today, the ceremony with icons often becomes a separate event before the banquet. You can do it twice - once in the temple, the other for guests, if not everyone attended the wedding.

The actual blessing is not part of the ceremony; it is a centuries-old tradition. After all, before there was no separation between the registry office and the church; the church registered births, marriages and deaths quite officially. And now this is nothing more than a tribute to fashion, in most cases. This, of course, is sad, but this is how people can gain faith.

What icons are needed for a blessing before a wedding?

For a long time, specific icons were chosen to bless children who decided to get married. This is the image of the Savior and the Mother of God (as a rule, Kazan is taken). At the end of the wedding, they remain in the family of the young, in order to then pass on to their children. Therefore, you need to buy high-quality icons, with a wide frame, under glass. Prices for such images start at 2 thousand rubles. - quite a feasible amount, considering the total costs of the celebration. For the wedding you will need something else:

• Special candles (long and curly).
• Rings (regular gold ones are fine).
• Towels (two for icons, one for a loaf, one for a ritual).

It is also required to first register the marriage; both young people must have crosses and be baptized in the Orthodox Church.

Icon of the Virgin Mary

The Kazan image is one of the most famous; it is believed that it was he who defended Russia during the Polish invasion. This is a shoulder-length image of the Mother of God and the Child. Before the image, they pray for childbearing, protection of the home, and contact in case of any difficulties. The Kazan Mother of God is considered miraculous.

Savior Almighty

The Savior, depicted half-length, holds the Gospel and blesses the believers with his right hand. Jesus Christ is the merciful intercessor of all believers. A quotation from the Bible is usually written on an open book. You can read any prayers before it. The image of the Savior is usually used to bless the groom, and the Mother of God - to the bride.

Today folding ones are sold, the so-called wedding couple - these are two icons together that can be folded.

Blessing with icons before the wedding

Such a ritual also exists, it is performed at will. In the groom's house he is blessed with the image of the Savior, the bride - with the icon of the Virgin Mary. With this, the parents give their consent to the marriage and call upon God’s help for the new family. There are also other rituals, but they repeat part of the church wedding, so they are not at all necessary.

The young man and woman must accept the blessing by bowing their heads or kneeling, then cross themselves and venerate the edge of the icon. You cannot kiss faces, only the hand or just the edge of the image.

Today, for many, these are simply meaningless actions, a tribute to traditions or a desire to please believing parents. In fact, the blessing of the father and mother plays a huge role. After all, God has entrusted them with responsibility for their children and given them certain authority over them. Therefore, the prayer of parents has great power and is valued before the Lord.

Before registration

The blessing can be carried out several times, it depends on the wishes of the couple, on local and family traditions. In the presence of all guests, as well as godparents, this can be done in front of the registry office.

One of the parents reads a prayer, then an icon is taken for a wedding blessing, and the bride and groom are blessed with it three times. The young people stand face to face and pray together with everyone else. Then they should express gratitude for the constant care, for agreeing to their union. After this, the guests also give a good farewell and throw in grain and small coins.

How does the ceremony take place?

If it is decided to meet the newlyweds at the entrance to the banquet hall, you need to decide on the roles in advance. There are no hard and fast rules, there may be different options:

• The groom's father holds an icon, the bride's father holds a loaf.
• Icons (one at a time) can be held by either fathers or mothers on both sides.
• One of the parents is holding the image, another is holding a loaf, the other two are holding a glass of champagne.

Then the parents take turns saying parting words - here everyone focuses on what they consider the most important. Then the parents should bless the newlyweds with the icon. To do this, the sign of the cross is drawn in the air with the icon, only in a mirror image. If you are not sure, you can watch the video of how the priests bless you in the temple.

May God's mercy be upon the young!

Wedding blessing text

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother
Hear me, Thy sinful and unworthy servant.
Lord, in the mercy of Your power my children (names), have mercy and save them for Your name’s sake.
Lord, forgive them all the sins, voluntary and involuntary, that they committed before You.
Lord, guide them on the true path of Your commandments and enlighten them and enlighten them with Your light of Christ, for the salvation of the soul and the healing of the body.
Lord, bless them in the house, around the house, at school, in the field, at work and on the road, and in every place of Your possession.
Lord, protect them under the shelter of Your Saints from a flying bullet, arrow, knife, sword, poison, fire, flood, from a deadly plague (atomic rays) and from vain death.
Lord, protect them from visible and invisible enemies, from all troubles, evils and misfortunes. Lord, heal them from all diseases, cleanse them from all filth (wine, tobacco, drugs) and ease their mental suffering and sorrow.
Lord, grant them the grace of Your Holy Spirit for many years of life, health and chastity.
Lord, increase and strengthen their mental abilities and physical strength.
Lord, give them Your blessing for a pious family life and
godly childbearing.
Lord, grant me, Thy unworthy and sinful servant, a parental blessing on my child at this time of morning, day, evening and night for the sake of Thy name, for Thy Kingdom is eternal, omnipotent and omnipotent.
Amen.

Icons for blessing the newlyweds before the wedding was last modified: July 7th, 2017 by Bogolub

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Dear children, as we bid you farewell to your new life, we wish you love, happiness, and family well-being. Live in the name of goodness and love. We bless you for a happy marriage and a strong family!

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Dear children, (name of the groom) and (name of the bride)! We bless you for a strong marriage, for a friendly family. Live in peace and friendship, love and harmony, for your own happiness and for the joy of people! Let the children in your family laugh, let there be peace and prosperity in your home!

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Today we wish you happiness, May the Lord protect you from storms and bad weather,
Human language, from pain and illness, From hard years, from a vicious circle.
And may the Lord give you a lot of passion, enthusiasm, ardor and love! And a lot of happiness!

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Dear children! We are ready to wish you everything that you would wish for yourself:
Health, joy, happy days and many smart children!
May the sun always shine pleasantly on you, May the blessed rain pour over your head,
We wish you with all our hearts, with all our soul: Prosperity, harmony, love, peace!

Words of blessing at a wedding

Congratulations on your wedding day, we wish you happiness, health, goodness.
Let misfortune not touch you, Let trouble not notice you -
Congratulating you on this bright day, We wish you a long and happy life,
I wish you passionate and beautiful love, so that the shadows do not cover misfortunes.
We wish you only success in your worries, so that the house rings with songs, joyful laughter,
So that a child’s smile warms your heart, So that nothing hurts you,
And so that adversity does not touch you, It seems like minutes for many years!

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We wish you health, a lot of happiness, May joy and dreams be nearby,
May good luck accompany you, and may kindness never leave your home!

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We wish the young: If there is land, then more,
If the garden is rich, If the hut is good,
If the cow is fair, if the daughter is beautiful,
If the son is strong, If the grief is small,
If happiness is eternal!

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Two doves, our dear children! All the best to you, all earthly happiness, prosperity and tranquility to your home, strong prosperity, strong family.
We wish you happiness young
And health and good luck -
Be a good housewife
And a beautiful young woman.
To the young groom -
Happiness, joy in the house,
So that the family does not become poor,
So that the work is in full swing,
So that the wife gives birth to seven heroes on time -
Seven handsome sons.
And the girls don’t interfere -
They run the whole household!
Take care and respect each other, happiness and love to you!

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Dear bride and groom! On this happy day you stand on the threshold of a new life. Just a little more and you will become husband and wife! Before starting your family life, please accept our parental instructions and congratulations!
Live together
Peaceful, okay!
Take care of love,
Strengthen your family
Give birth to children
Keep it good!
I wish you great happiness, great love, considerable prosperity. Prosperity and joy to your family!

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You will need

• icon of the Kazan Mother of God (for the bride’s parents);
• icon of the Savior (for the groom's parents);
• long towel.

Instructions

The bride’s parents are the first to bless the newlyweds, “releasing her from her father’s house to a new family. This is done directly by leaving home for the wedding ceremony. The blessing is a sacrament, so it is not performed in public. The bride's parents and newlyweds should leave the guests for a while and go to another room.

The blessing is performed in the image of the Kazan Mother of God. If the family does not have one, you can purchase the icon in advance from the church. You will also need a towel - it is not customary to take icons naked.

Take a towel in your hands, then, with its help, take the icon, turning the image towards the bride and groom. The bride is blessed first. There is no strict formula - just from the bottom of your heart wish her happiness, prosperity, and love in her family life. Cross the bride with the icon and present the image so that she can kiss it. Give the same advice to the groom. The icon with which the blessing was performed must be taken with you to the church for the wedding ceremony.

The groom's parents bless the newlyweds when they return after the wedding - as a sign that they are being accepted into their family, into their home. The ritual occurs in exactly the same way, but instead of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God the Savior is taken. After the ceremony is completed, bread and salt are presented to the young people on a towel.

The icons with which parents blessed their children for marriage are placed on the festive table, and after the end of the celebration they take pride of place in the newlyweds’ house - they are considered the guardians of the young family.

Video on the topic

note

The absence of parental blessing is not an obstacle to the wedding ceremony, but is considered very undesirable. If the parents of the newlyweds are atheists and do not welcome the registration of marriage according to church rites, the parental parting words can be replaced by a priestly one.

Sources:

• when to bless the newlyweds

Typically, a wedding in Russia involves three stages: the official one in the registry office or the Wedding Palace, a walk and a feast. The official part is the most responsible, because this is where the actual marriage takes place. Young people entered the registry office as a bride and groom, and left as husband and wife.

You will need

• rice, small coins, rose petals

Instructions

Guests are located at the entrance in a semicircle or form a road, standing in two ranks. Place the children in the first rows. Rice, small coins, and rose petals must be prepared in advance, which symbolize the wealth and prosperity of the future.

You don’t have to collect rose petals yourself; many companies that help organize rose petals offer such kits for meeting newlyweds. In addition, rose petals can be ordered from large flower shops.

The remaining traditional actions usually continue after the walk before the feast. For example, the groom is greeted with a loaf of bread on a towel, but this can also be done after the registry office, especially if the continuation of the holiday is not expected to be long or not everyone is invited to continue.

Sources:

• Wedding Directory
• meeting of young people from the registry office

Previously, getting married without parental blessing was considered unacceptable for the bride. Only girls who ran away from their family and went against the will of their parents did this. Today, the blessing of the newlyweds does not always happen, and many people do not know how to perform the ceremony correctly.

Instructions

Both her parents and the groom's parents bless her. The first - as a sign that they are letting her go to another family, the second - showing their readiness to accept the girl in a new family. In order to carry out the ceremony, buy an icon (unless, of course, you are going to pass on to your young people the one that your parents once passed on to you). Most often they use the icons of the Kazan Mother of God and Jesus Christ, although it does not give specific instructions in this regard. You can choose an image of any saint.

Say parting words and cross the bride, after which she allows her to kiss the image. Repeat the same procedure for the groom. Then cross both children, wishing them to create a friendly, strong family, as befits a real one. It is important that the parting words you say are sincere, otherwise they will lose their power, or rather, never gain it. It is better to refuse to perform the sacrament if you are not sure of its necessity or do not believe in the Lord.

If you are the groom's parents, bless the newlyweds after they register their relationship. Previously, weddings were celebrated in the husband's house, now more often - in a banquet hall, so you can hold the ceremony not traditionally at the threshold of your home, but right in the restaurant. The main thing is not the place where God is approached, but how one turns to God.

Bless the newlyweds, and then offer them a taste of bread and salt, that is, serve a wedding loaf. After this is done, place the loaf on the table, and next to it the icon. When it ends, the newlyweds go to their home so that it protects their family from misfortunes. And how their lives turn out depends not only on the icons, but on whether the husband and wife can follow their parents’ instructions.

And then the day has come - your children are going to get married. In addition, they not only want to get married in one of the registry offices, they also intend to get married in a church. And this, you see, is a very responsible step - to enter into marriage before the face of the Lord. There are a lot of signs and traditions associated with this event. A lot in this case depends on the parents. groom and the bride - this sacrament cannot be done without them. After all, it is the parents who must bless their children for marriage.

Instructions

So the parents bless groom. For this they need an icon of the Savior. Parents stand next to each other. The father holds the icon and crosses the icon three times, which stands in front of him. After this, he gives the icon to his mother, who does the same. The groom must cross himself and kiss the icon.

After the parents' blessing, everyone goes to church. The parents stand behind the newlyweds. They should be the first among all guests. Parents groom, as a rule, stand on the right, that is, on his side groom. The bride's parents are standing on her side.

After the wedding comes to an end and the newlyweds arrive home, their parents greet them with bread and salt. They bless the newlyweds once again, and, as a rule, the father holds it groom. And the treat is in the hands of the mother groom. This is how blessings and weddings happen in church. If you want the newlyweds to be happy, the entire blessing process must follow all the canons and traditions.

note

They bless with icons of Jesus Christ and the Kazan Mother of God. These icons are considered the guardians of the new family and are placed in a holy corner in the newlyweds’ home.

Helpful advice

Icon shops or churches sell special sets of icons for blessing newlyweds during their wedding. You will also need small towels, since icons cannot be handled with bare hands.

The blessing of the parents of the bride and groom before the wedding in Rus' has always been considered one of the important events on this day. Today it is not mandatory, but most couples adhere to Russian traditions.

Instructions

According to the ancient custom, parents must have the Savior and the Mother of God; the oldest icon in the house will do. The bride and groom should kneel as a sign of respect and admiration for their parents on a special rug or carpet. Parents cross the newlyweds three times in the air and say parting words, wishing them a happy family life and long years together. This blessing is considered to be the permission of the bride's parents for marriage, and also implies the voluntary consent of the bride herself to enter into marriage.

The groom's parents should also bless the young couple on their wedding day. This moment comes after the painting in the registry office in the house of the groom's parents. Sometimes the blessing takes place before entering the banquet hall, where the wedding day is planned to be celebrated. In this case, the groom and entering the building must walk along a specially laid carpet, it is also called “carpet”. The groom's mother holds a loaf of salt, and his father holds an icon. Words of blessing from the parents are said. They may be similar to the parting words of the bride’s parents, or they may also be heard at the request of the parents.

At the end of the words of blessing, all the guests, together with their parents, loudly shout to the young people: “Bitter!”

Video on the topic

note

All parents and young people themselves must be baptized.

Helpful advice

There are families within which their traditions and relics are rooted. During the blessing of the newlyweds, parents should certainly take advantage of this opportunity and pass on an item or family farewell message to the bride and groom in order to preserve the traditions of the family and pass it on to the next generation.

Sources:

• Blessing of parents at a wedding
• parents' words at blessing

In former times, when only church marriages took place, there could be no question of marriage without parental blessing. Even if the bride and groom got engaged secretly without the consent of their parents, they later tried to earn their forgiveness and at least retroactively receive a blessing for the marriage. It was believed that only in this case would their marriage be truly pleasing to God. Now marriages are registered not in the church, but in the registry offices. However, in Orthodox families there is still a ritual of parental blessing.