If there are designated wedding sponsors (acting as stand-in parents for the groom and bride), they must greet the newlyweds at the entrance of the home after the wedding ceremony. The sponsor father holds an icon, while the sponsor mother offers bread and salt. According to tradition, the sponsor father must be married, and the sponsor mother must be a married woman.
As for the best man, he must be unmarried. There may be multiple best men, both on the groom’s and the bride’s side.
Before leaving for the church, the groom’s best man presents the bride with a bouquet on behalf of the groom. For a maiden bride, the bouquet should consist of orange blossoms and myrtle; for a widow (or a bride marrying for a second time), the bouquet should consist of white roses and lilies of the valley.
Upon entering the church, according to custom, a boy aged five to eight walks ahead of the bride, carrying an icon.
During the wedding ceremony, the primary duty of the best man and maid of honor is to hold the wedding crowns above the heads of the groom and bride. This can be quite challenging, as they must hold the crowns aloft for a considerable time. Therefore, best men may take turns during the ceremony. In the church, the groom’s relatives and friends stand on the right side (behind the groom), while the bride’s relatives and friends stand on the left side (behind the bride). Leaving the church before the wedding ceremony is completed is considered highly inappropriate.
The best man is the main coordinator of the wedding. Along with a close friend of the bride, he goes around collecting monetary gifts from guests, which are then donated to the church for charitable purposes.
Toasts and well-wishes at weddings in religious families should primarily have a spiritual meaning. People recall the purpose of Christian marriage, the church’s understanding of love, the responsibilities of a husband and wife according to the Gospel, and how to build a family as a “domestic church.” Weddings of church-going people are conducted with dignity and moderation.
