The highlight of our trip to Ohio this summer was my little brother's wedding. His fiance is such a doll and I am so extremely happy that he found such a gem.I had the honor of being their koumbara and Ace and Lucky were delighted to carry the rings and stefana tray. Their special day was even more special because Svetlana's brother was married in Russia the weekend before (she was born and raised there) and was in the States with his new wife on their honeymoon.I love the Orthodox wedding service. Like all of the mysteries of the Church, it is so rich in symbolism and the prayers touch your innermost being.After the wedding, some of our non-Orthodox family (most of my father's side is Byzantine Catholic), asked why we wear our wedding bands on the right hand. I thought that might be a good thing to mention on this blog in case some of you may wonder the same thing. The reason I've been told is because of the symbolism of the right. Christ sits at the right hand of the Father, He blesses with His right hand (as does the priest who is the image of Christ), Moses parted the sea with his right hand, the portion of the saved will stand on the right, etc.The service was held at St. Demetrios Church in Warren, where my uncle and brother's godfather, Fr. Kosta, performed the service.The happy couple after the ceremony. Yes, that's me running down the stairs in the background, lol. I wanted grab her train because I was afraid she was going to trip over it! :)I love this photo of them. The bridal party met at a local park for pictures before heading to the reception. The bride's sister-in-law is a photographer and took all the photos.

This is one of my favorites...

photos copyright of Anna Granik

It was such a great day. The reception was a total blast. It had been a long time since I was there for a function that included the w h o l e family. It was awesome.I even bought a tux for my brother's childhood friend Henry the monkey. I kept teasing him before the wedding, telling him that someone he used to be very close with was coming to surprise him. He kept trying to ask questions like where is he from and where does he live now? I told him he was from Ohio originally but he hasn't been seen much lately and he's just sort of hanging around. I know, I have a strange sense of humor, I get in from my father. But we amuse each other so it works out just fine.Here they are after their reunion:After everyone ate and we did the traditional Greek bridal dance, the newlyweds played Russian wedding games. They were so much fun! In the photo below, the bride was blindfolded and had to feel the ears of all the men sitting in a row. The object of the game was to guess which one was her groom.At the end of the night the young kids (man, that makes me feel old) went out for breakfast and we old folks went home with our kiddos. And complained about our aching feet.Please keep Albert (baptismal name Emmanuel) and Svetlana in your prayers.