Frequently Asked Questions

What are wedding crowns?
Simply put, wedding crowns (also known in Greek as Stefana, Stepahana, or Stephania) are actual crowns that the bride and groom wear for a certain portion of the Orthodox Wedding ceremony. These crowns are steeped in tradition and meaning. There are many wonderful websites that outline the sacrament of marriage in the Orthodox Church and the significance of the wedding crowns. Here is a list of a couple of specific site that offer great explanations
http://oca.org/QAindex-sacramentmarriage.asp?SID=3
http://www.antiochian.org/1285?keywords=marriage



Will you be giving anything back to the Church?
At the end of the year,I donate 10% of my profits back to the Church...or rather to IOCC. This is my way of saying "Thank-You" to all of my customers for allowing me to take part in their special day.

 


What forms of payment do you accept?
All major credit cards are accepted in the Paypal shipping cart. I no longer accept personal checks or cashiers checks/money orders.


How far in advance should I order my crowns?
The earlier the better.....but I often have many, many crowns that will ship out the next day, so emergencies can definitely be accommodated.

 


What materials do you use?
I love experimenting will all different types of materials, and you will find a wide variety in the crowns on this site. Anything from satin and brocade to vintage kimono fabric, lace to pearls, rhinestones, crystals, porcelain, and metals, and even acrylics.


What size are your crowns?
My standard crown size is a round crown whose diameter is just slightly larger than 7". From having been in business for so long, I have found this size crown to be a great fit for nearly everyone. If you're concerned about this size crown being too small or too big, don't be. The crowns can be placed in a variety of positions for secure fit. Your priest knows what he is doing and will ensure that your crown isn't teetering off of your head.

 

Additional, I do really like oval shaped crowns, as they feel a little more secure than a round crown (but both round and oval crowns are equally secure and stable on one's head). But oval crowns are not as popular. So I have some of those sprinkled throughout the collections. Read crown descriptions to find out if a crown is round or oval.

 

 

The price listed--is that for one crown, or for the set?
Prices listed are ALWAYS for the set of 2 crowns, (or set of 2 candles, set of 2 mini crowns). Crowns will always be joined with a ribbon, unless you send me an email (or indicate in the comments section during checkout) that you do not need/want a connecting ribbon

 

 

Can you use a different ribbon color to join our crowns?
Yes. I have a few different ribbon colors from which you may choose. Please visit http://orthodoxweddingcrowns.com/ribbon.php to see your options. If you don't like any of those options, you are always welcome to purchase some ribbon from a local craft store and replace the ribbon yourself. If no specific ribbon color is requested (via email or in the comments section during checkout), then the set you order will be shipped with the 'stock' ribbon color indicated in the crown description.

 

 

Can you make us a set of custom crowns?
For years and years, I had the time and passion for making really custom crown sets for couples around the world. I still have the passion...but no longer the time. Between raising a family and an ever increasing work load (for which I am thankful), I simply am not able to do custom crowns while also keeping up with the usual demand. At the start of 2012, I re-vamped some things on the website to allow for this change. I still offer engraved crowns...but no personal engravings for the time being. Just because I'm not currently accepting any orders for custom crowns, doesn't mean that I won't ever do it again. You never know what the future holds! I just need to have time to also focus on my family right now.

 

Will you engrave our crowns?
While it's true that I used to add names, dates, prayers, etc to the interior of crowns upon request (at an additional fee, of course), I stopped doing that in 2012. Once I start finding myself with a little more time, I will happily open this service back up to customers. Until then, you are always welcome to take your crown set to a local engraving shop. They shoudl have the capability to engrave the crowns (or tray) for you.

 

How are the crowns shipped? Do they come in a keepsake box?
All crowns are carefully wrapped in tissue paper and tucked into a white liner box. This box is an excellet way to store the crowns to keep them out of harms way both before and after the wedding. But this is not really a presentation box. To display your crowns, you'll need a case.white liner box
Cases can be gotten at any Greek import store, or you're welcome to puruse my line of custom designed cases. My cases are different front the typical imported case. These quality constructed (solid oak, with hand applied finishes) cases have the space for all the attention to go where it should: your beautiful crowns.

 

Most of your crowns are the 'wreath' style. Do you make any traditional Serbian styled crowns?
Yes and no....While the wreath styled crowns are much simpler to make, they are not a traditional style for all Archdioces. In the past, I have made dozens of these sets on an on-demand/custom basis. But since I'm not currently accepting custom orders, I realize I'm ignoring a whole group of couples who want this kind of crown. I don't keep a set of these crowns made/in stock as they not nearly as popular as the other crowns, they're very difficult and time consuming to make and therefore they're much more expensive. From a business perspective, it makes sense to just keep those crowns to the sidelines.

I get several emails a month asking about this kind of crown. So I am going to make it a goal for 2012, to start making these crowns styles more readily available. I need to work on getting ahead on the other, more popular crowns first, before I can dedicate my time to building up a supply of these. But I promise I will do it. Please don't email me to ask, as my answer will be "I don't know". If you don't see the crowns on the site, then they're not yet available. I promise to make them available ASAP.