Civil Marriage

[Liudmilla]

While a civil Marriage is not encouraged and has some consequences, it is better than living in "unmarried sin". Before everyone jumps down my throat ....consider situations where there was no Orthodox priest within reasonable distance or one that came infrequently. Orthodox people used to marry civilly and then when the priest came to their town they had a church wedding. While this seems like it should not be possible nowadays, I think that many Orthodox people still find themselves in similar situations.

Also sometimes for legal purposes civil marriage may have to be done first, yes you should wait, but who of us is that sinless?

I think that this is a time when economia is used. Also while we are encouraged to marry an Orthodox believer, the Church recognizes that sometimes this does not happen. There are situations where non-Orthodox and Orthodox people are allowed to marry in Church. Very strick guidelines mind you.

I agree with Justin and Katya that you should speak to a priest or your bishop. That's what I did when I found myself in a similar situation.

Good luck!
Milla

[Natasha]

Yes, it definitely matters depending on the country you are living in..for instance, my husband and I were married in RU and the church normally would never marry anyone unless the civil ceremony was already performed. However, in our case, the Priest was kind enough to make an exception because Lent was coming up and I had to go back to the US. Thank goodness he trusted us and performed the ceremony! I just would not have felt right if I had to wait another year!

Natasha

[Nektarios]

Thanks for the imput guys it was very helpfull

In Christ
Nektarios