This is a short clip of our wedding highlights created by the amazing Lauchie from Net Productions!

We were married at the Greek Orthodox Church of St George and the reception was at The Greek Club.

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This picture is sourced from Los Angeles Wedding Photography.

Before you read this post you should know that:

Koumbaros refers to the male sponsor (sort of like the best man) and the Koumbara refers to the female sponsor (sort of like the maid of honour).

In my experience at Greek weddings, there has never been a fuss as to what the Koumbaros should wear or weather it should be different to the other grooms men. However when a Koumbara is chosen to be the sponsor of the Bride and Groom there is often a bit more discussion as to what she should wear and where she should stand.

If the Bride and Groom choose a Koumbara to be their sponsor (and there is only one sponsor), then the Koumbara should stand next to the Groom.

If both a Koumbara and Koumbaros are chosen to be sponsors (this is two Koumbari), then the Koumbara will stand next to the Bride and the Koumbaros will stand next to the Groom.

However if the Koumbara and the Koumbaros are already married then they will both stand next to the Groom.

On the occasions when the Koumbara is standing next to the Groom, it is common to see the Koumbara wearing a different outfit to the bridesmaids.

However when the Koumbara is standing next to the Bride, then it is common to see the Koumbara wearing the same outfit as the other bridesmaids.

It is important to note that there are no specific rules associated with what the Koumbara should wear. The decision should be a mutual agreement between the Koumbari and the Bride & Groom.

The Koumbara who wears a different outfit to the Bridesmaids:

• Is often the only sponsor or Koumbari
• Is already married to the Koumbaros
• Will normally stand next to the Groom
• Will want to show the guests (through dress and stance) that she has the honour of being a Koumbara
• Has been asked by the Bride & Groom to ‘stand out’ so that she is different to the Bridesmaids

The Koumbara who wears the same outfit as the Bridesmaids:

• Will often stand next to the Bride
• Is usually a second sponsor (i.e. there is also a Koumbaro)
• Will want to dress the same as the Bridesmaids
• Does not want to stand out or look different in front of the wedding guests

 Do you think that the Koumbara should wear the same as the Bridesmaids? Please share your comments.

Related topics that you might like:

• Koumbari  Combinations
• Is the Koumbara the same as the maid of honour?
• What should the Koumbari Pay for?

This image of Vasilopita the Greek New Years Bread was sourced from Irene Tamara’s Blog and the following information has been sourced from wikipedia:

Vasilopita is a New Year’s Day bread or cake in Greece. It contains a hidden coin or trinket which gives good luck to the receiver. It is made of a variety of doughs, depending on regional and family tradition, including tsoureki.

The tradition of vasilopita is associated with a legend of Saint Basil. According to the legend St. Basil called on the citizens of Caesarea to raise a ransom payment to stop the siege of the city. Each member of the city gave whatever they had in gold and jewelery. When the ransom was raised, the enemy was so embarrassed by the act of collective giving that he called off the siege without collecting payment. St. Basil was then tasked with returning the unpaid ransom, but had no way to know which items belonged to which family. So he baked all of the jewelery into loaves of bread and distributed the loaves to the city, and by a miracle each citizen received their exact share, the legend goes. In some tellings the sieging chieftain is replaced with an evil emperor levying a tax, or simply with St. Basil attempting to give charity to the poor without embarrassing them.

The traditions surrounding vasilopita are very similar to western European celebrations of the Twelfth Night and Epiphany: the Provençal Gâteau des Rois and the Northern French galette des rois, the Catalonian tortell, and the Louisiana king cake. Hasluck (1927) connects both the western and the eastern celebrations to the Roman Saturnalia and the ancient Greek Kronia, the festival of King Cronus, which involved selecting a “king” by lot.

The name “βασιλόπιτα” comes from βασιλεύς ‘king’ + πίτα ‘pie’, but was reinterpreted as Saint Basil’s (Βασίλειος) cake.

Related topics that you might like:

• Vasilopita – The Greek New Year’s Bread
• Pastelli
• Recipe for Pastelli