Incorporate Greek Customs

Are you Greek Orthodox?

My family is, but my fiance and I are not.

So are you looking for religious customs or reception customs? If you have a greek ortho wedding, it's kind of cool. I had an orthodox wedding (not greek though) and it was totally different than any other wedding I've ever attended.

I'm looking for reception customs. While I wouldn't mind doing a Greek Orthodox ceremony, my fiance is completely against religion. Although I love the idea of the stefana.

The only one I can think of is the stefan and the breaking of many plates at the reception. Oddly enough, your venue may not love that one...

I have a feeling they would not be fans of the breaking of the plates. I'm looking at maybe having the bridal party do the Kalamatiano, but I don't want guests to be bored watching it, since it's the same steps over and over for like 3 1/2 minutes.

Thank you, Spazzy, I appreciate the input.

Everything I know about Greek weddings I learned from My Big Fat Greek Wedding so... spitting to ward off the devil, lots of family, and no bundt cake. :p

The wedding I just attended had a partially Greek bride, she's half Greek. They danced the Kalamatiano and toasted with Ouzo, which was my undoing at her wedding. It was a blast, her huge Greek family sure knows how to have a good time. Opa!

ETA: She also served baklava along side her wedding cake. The cake was not amazing, the baklava was. Drunk me was searching (unsuccessfully) for more.

Hi Patricia, from what you are saying you are getting married in the USA. You are going to have a civil ceremony and then a wedding reception with a touch of your mother's birthplace.

My suggestion is to include one plate of Greek food either on the buffet or if served may be the first course.

Except of the wedding cake - you could put in the middle of the table by the time the coffee is served a plate with greek sweets, (diples, balkava, kataifi) if in New York , you can find them easily in Astoria.

Add a small greek favor which is triple tulle with like 5-7 suggar alomdons inside - again you can find places in astoria where thy can prepare those for you.

and finally have some greek songs - while you are entering - you couldchoose (simera gamos ginetai) which is a traditional wedding song - when the father gives the daugher away to the groom , and may be you dance a kalamatiano.

Good luck to you

FOOD!!!!!! Baklava!!!! YUMMMMMM!

Hey guys I'm Greek from both parents. I'm having a half greek half albanian wedding, we're dominating the wedding with my family members because his family is spread all over Europe. The plate breaking thing I've only seen once at a wedding, it's more of a Greek gimic you see in movies that doesn't really happen. You can do the bread breaking ceremony where you hold one end of the bread and your FH holds the other and you break it in half where the person with the bigger half is the head of the family. Or have greek music. Honestly it's your only option most of the Greek customs are in the ceremony itself, I'm greek orthodox my FH isn't so he's getting baptized. It's important for the both of us to baptize our children and if we both arnt baptized and married in a Greek orthodox church then they won't baptize our future kids.