Marrying in Another Christian Church

Question

My fiance and I want to get married in Spring next year. His family is [...] Orthodox, but we are getting married in my church, the Lutheran Church.

My question: I’d like to pick a date for the wedding that will not be offensive to his Orthodox family (Lent, etc…). With that in mind, would we be able to get married the weekend after [Orthodox] Easter.


Answer

I would strongly suggest that you speak directly to the pastor of your fiance’s Orthodox parish about your plans. Orthodox Christians may not be married in non-Orthodox ceremonies and remain “in good standing” with the Orthodox Church.

Thus, it would seem that before one selects a date, one should determine the possible ramifications involved in getting married in a non-Orthodox ceremony in the first place.

Hence, it is best to speak with your fiance’s pastor about all of this, assuming that he is active in the Orthodox Church and that he wishes to remain an active, practising Orthodox Christian.