The Prayers Before the Altar

Priest:

Now, since you have been present at this blessed hour, before the Sanctuary of the Lord of hosts and His holy altar in this orthodox celebration, you have been united by this blessed marriage and holy crowning.

[We remind both of you that] on this rite and commandment, our forefathers, the believers, were married in purity for procreation, following the rule of monogamy [and fulfilling the divine command].

So you too must know each other’s rights and submit to one another. Let each of you be faithful toward the other, according to the saying of our teacher Paul the Apostle: “The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does” (1 Corinthians 7:4).