Orthodox church wedding in Romania: documents, godparents and costs

For an Orthodox church wedding in Romania you first need the civil marriage certificate: the law says the religious ceremony can only follow the civil one. The parish also usually asks for baptism certificates, ID, confession and two Orthodox godparents married in church. The service lasts about 30-45 minutes and each parish sets its own contribution.

This guide is for Romanian couples in the diaspora, foreign partners marrying a Romanian, and anyone trying to understand what the priest will ask for. Everything was checked on 25 October 2026 against Romanian law and church sources, most of them in Romanian, linked next to each point. One thing comes up again and again: the Romanian Orthodox Church has no single national list of documents or fees, so the parish where you marry has the final word. Amounts are in lei with a rough euro equivalent at about 5.3 lei to the euro.

Civil first, church second

In Romania the only legally binding marriage is the civil one at the city hall. Article 48(2) of the Constitution says a religious marriage may only be celebrated after the civil marriage, and Article 259(3) of the Civil Code repeats the rule. The priest will ask to see your marriage certificate before the service. A church wedding on its own has no legal effect in Romania.

The two can be on the same day: the civil ceremony in the morning and the church in the afternoon. Many couples hold the civil one days or weeks earlier so the wedding day is calmer. The city hall paperwork, including what a foreign partner needs, is in our guide to civil marriage in Romania.

Documents the parish usually asks for

You get the exact list when you book. These are the most common:

Baptism certificates are requested more and more. Fr Lucian Apopei, spokesman of the Archdiocese of Iași, explained in December 2025 that priests may ask for one to be sure the couple is Orthodox, especially when one partner is from elsewhere or the wedding is abroad (BZI). Baptism registers are kept, so the parish where you were baptised can issue it. If you were baptised abroad, ask early: post and translations take time.

Home-parish consent is a local practice. In the Archdiocese of Craiova, for example, a 2007 decision required couples from Dolj villages marrying in Craiova to pay a contribution to their home parish first and bring the receipt (Adevărul).

Pre-marriage course. We found no published rule making a marriage preparation course compulsory in any Romanian Orthodox diocese, Bucharest included. Some priests do ask to meet you once or several times before the wedding. Ask when you book.

If either of you has been married before, tell the priest straight away; he will explain which divorce papers and approvals your diocese requires.

Godparents: who can be a naș

Romanian Orthodox weddings do not happen without godparents (nași), usually a married couple who hold the candles and the crowns and become the couple's spiritual parents. Asked whether a wedding without godparents is possible, Fr Andrei Atudori answers on Doxologia: «Sorry, but it is not possible.»

The basic condition: godparents must be Orthodox and must themselves have received the sacrament of marriage (Doxologia). A couple living together without a church wedding cannot stand as godparents, and neither can a friend of another denomination, however close. Everything else (age, number of godparent couples) varies by parish, so check with the priest before you ask your friends.

Confession and communion

The bride and groom go to confession before the wedding, preferably to the same priest, and prepare for a few days up to a week with fasting and prayer, writes Fr Prof. Costel Bulgaru (Doxologia). Confession is also a conversation with the priest about married life. Your confessor decides how long you fast and whether you take communion. In a mixed marriage, ask the priest what he expects of the non-Orthodox partner.

When you can (and cannot) marry

Orthodox weddings are not held during the fasting periods, on certain days of the year and, as a rule, on Wednesdays and Fridays. In 2027 Orthodox Easter falls on 2 May, so there are no church weddings between 8 March and 9 May; other closed periods include 22-28 June, 1-15 August and 15 November to 6 January 2028 (Doxologia). All dates and the free Saturdays are in our 2027 Orthodox wedding calendar. Popular Saturdays fill up fast at sought-after city churches, so ask the church in the same week you book the venue.

The service, step by step

The service itself usually takes 30-45 minutes, closer to an hour if several couples marry together or there is more singing (BZI, January 2026). Add 15-30 minutes for congratulations and photos outside. It is in Romanian and guests usually stand. It has two parts, the betrothal and the crowning:

1. 1Betrothal and rings. The priest blesses the rings and places them on the couple's fingers; the godfather swaps them between the two three times.
2. 2Candles. The godparents hold lit candles throughout.
3. 3Prayers and crowning. The priest places crowns on the couple's heads and the godparents hold them. The heart of the service is the third prayer of blessing: «unite them in one mind; crown them in one flesh» (Doxologia).
4. 4Readings. An Epistle reading from Ephesians and the Gospel of the wedding at Cana (Doxologia).
5. 5The common cup. The couple drink in turn from the same cup of wine.
6. 6The procession. The priest leads them three times around the table while «Isaiah, dance» is sung, the couple's first steps together.
7. 7Removing the crowns. The couple touch the Gospel and the Cross, and many priests close with a short exhortation. There are no spoken vows, unlike Western weddings (Doxologia).

The customs around the service, from the candles to the money envelopes, are explained in our guide to Romanian wedding traditions.

What a church wedding costs

Officially there is no wedding «fee». Contributions given for sacraments are voluntary and the priest must give you a receipt, the Patriarchate's spokesman has explained; under a 2017 Holy Synod clarification, the parish council sets the amount (Agerpres). In practice each parish has a figure it tells you when you book. The ranges below come from Romanian wedding guides and press articles, not official tariffs:

Another guide, without a city breakdown, gives 1,000-2,500 lei (Bugetul.ro, 2025).

By tradition the godparents buy the tall decorated candles and sometimes pay the church contribution; the couple usually covers the choir and flowers. Ask exactly what the parish figure includes and whether the photographer may stand near the altar.

Mixed marriages: Orthodox and Catholic, or another faith

The Orthodox rule is strict on paper: marriage between Orthodox and non-Orthodox Christians is forbidden by the canons, but each autocephalous Church may apply oikonomia, a pastoral exception, while marriage with a non-Christian is categorically forbidden (Council of Crete, 2016).

In the Romanian Orthodox Church that exception is a dispensation that only the diocesan bishop can grant, under Article 88 of the Church's statute, as the Patriarchate stated in July 2016. Its statement also recalled the condition that children of mixed marriages be baptised Orthodox (Antena 3, in Romanian). In practice:

• Orthodox and Roman or Greek Catholic: possible, with a dispensation from the Orthodox bishop, requested through the parish where you marry. The Catholic partner also needs permission from their own Church. For Roman Catholics, the Code of Canon Law requires the express permission of the competent authority (can. 1124), treats a wedding in an Orthodox church as valid, and for it to be lawful the local ordinary usually also grants a dispensation from canonical form (can. 1127), and asks the Catholic partner to promise to do all they can to have the children baptised and raised Catholic (can. 1125). Talk this through openly with both priests beforehand.
• Orthodox and Protestant: again the Orthodox bishop decides, depending on the partner's baptism and the diocese's practice. Some priests ask for conversion first (BZI).
• Orthodox and unbaptised, or another religion: an Orthodox church wedding is not possible.
• Godparents must be Orthodox in every case.

Apply for the dispensation as early as you can: the answer comes from the diocese, not the parish, and timings vary.

A step-by-step timeline

Put these steps in your wedding task list, each with its deadline, so you can both see at a glance what is left, each from your own account.