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Q&A Home > C > Crowning Ceremony > Location of Crowning Ceremony Does a marriage have to take place at a Coptic Orthodox Church. Is it possible to get married at a resort or at another spot? The Crowning Ceremony is one of the seven Holy Mysteries of the Church and should always take place at the church. This holy sacrament was established by God and has a strong visual and spiritual meaning, especially when the veil of the sanctuary is open, and the couple kneel before the holy altar in full view of the Pantocrator in the bosom of the Father in the nave of the church. The church is a piece of heaven and the place of prayer. God Himself officiated the first wedding in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2). This was Paradise, God's holy abode. This is an awesome experience for a bride and groom to be side by side kneeling before the holy altar and surrounded by the icons of angels and saints. The church is sanctified by prayers and praises and for prayers and praises only, unlike other venues that once the ceremony is over, return to a dance hall, a beach, a resort, and other nonspiritual functions or even worse. It is always preferred that the wedding is held at a Coptic Orthodox Church, but there are circumstances that sometimes mandate a different location. Thank God, there are now many churches in the diaspora that can accommodate few to many guests. However, if the circumstances require that the Crowning ceremony be officiated at a location other than at the church, the couple must explain the necessity and obtain permission. Understandably, these situations are rare and due only to special circumstances. Of course, a venue other than at the church is not preferred, but should the circumstances require this, it does not diminish any part of the rite in any way if the ceremony is performed by clergy from the Oriental Orthodox Church.
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