The Orthodox Christian wedding ceremony is quite different from the Catholic one. First of all, it can be Greek, Russian, Ukrainian or Lebanese. They all have a lot in common with some differences as well.

Before filming in the church, find out if you are allowed to be in front of the altar, so you can see the faces of the bride and groom, or if you have to stay behind the wedding couple. There are usually some different restrictions from church to church and priest to priest, so be prepared. Discuss the range of your movement with the priest.

The altar of the Orthodox Church itself is a sanctuary decorated with icons and lights with an ornate door in the center. No one but the priest can enter. You may be allowed to stand just outside that door on either the bride or groom’s side, so you can see both the priest and the couple.

The couple does not talk much during the ceremony. In the Russian Church, the priest usually asks if the bride and groom have been baptized as Orthodox Christians, and after confirming it, he continues the questioning. In the rest of the Orthodox Churches, you can skip that first question and the priest goes on to the next one, asking if the bride and groom come of their own free will and if they have not made a commitment (or promised) to another person. This questioning can occur at the door, as soon as the couple enters the church, or in front of the altar before the ceremony. Once the priest is satisfied with the answers, the ceremony begins and the couple remain silent until it is over.

You have to shoot the priest blessing the rings and placing them on the fourth finger of the right hand of the bride and groom. It can also be the best man who places the rings on the hands of the groom and the bride, or they can help each other. The ring usually passes through the middle and remains that way until the end of the ceremony.

Another key moment is the coronation. The priest blesses two crowns, asks the bride and groom to kiss crowns, and passes the crowns to the best man or best man and maid of honor (witnesses, friends, “druzhki” could be the other names of those participants). The crowns are held above the heads of the couple being married and can then be placed on their heads as the ceremony progresses. The couple is then offered red wine similar to the Catholic tradition. The priest holds the cup in his hands and lets the couple finish the wine in a few shots.

The culmination of the coronation is a processional walk around the altar table. The priest goes first followed by the bride and groom, and then the best man and maid of honor. The ceremony includes three circles around the table and is considered the culmination of a wedding, so keep rolling through all three rounds.

At the end, the priest, standing at the door of the altar, invites the couple to come closer and speaks to them in simple language, wishing them well and welcoming them to continue coming to church.

During the ceremony, the priest would enter the altar and return outside, reading the Bible and singing. You should ask the couple before the ceremony if they want you to shoot everything he says. If this is the case, keep rolling all the time, especially if you don’t understand the language. If the couple allows you to use your own discretion, do a few beauty shots between shots of key moments: candles, icons, parents, children in the audience, reaction shots of the bridal party, wide shots from the back of the church, etc.

After the ceremony is over, the couple leaves the church in the same way they would leave the Catholic church.