FAQ

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. Below are links to just a few that offer much better explaination than I ever could.

http://www.antiochian.org/mystery-marriage
https://oca.org/questions/sacramentmarriage
https://oca.org/reflections/berzonsky/the-crown-of-life
https://oca.org/reflections/berzonsky/the-crown-of-glory

My standard crown size is a circular with a diameter just slightly larger than 7". Having been in this business for over a decade now, I have found this size crown to be a great fit for nearly everyone. Some of you may be concerned about this size being too small or too large, please 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 slipping off your head during the ceremony.

For the best fit, I really like oval shaped crowns as they feel a little more secure than a round crown (even though both round and oval crowns are equally secure and stable once they've been placed on your 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.

Prices are ALWAYS for the set of 2 crowns, (or 2 candles, or 2 mini-crowns). Crowns will always be joined with a ribbon, unless you send select the "No Ribbon" attachment option when adding them to your shopping cart.

The ribbon joining the wedding crowns symbolizes the joining of the Bride and Groom together as one. In some Orthodox Christian cultures, such as the Romanian Orthodox Church, the tradition is not to tie the crowns together, but to tie the Bride and Groom's wrists together for their walk about the table. In my experience, nearly all Brides and Grooms have a ribbon attaching the crowns, rather than their wrists. As such, all of the crowns that I sell will normally include a ribbon. If your Church does not use ribbon to attach the crowns, please let me know and I will leave it off. If you are unsure of your Church's preference, talk to your priest

Currently shipping packaging may vary, but will be similarly double boxed with paper and filler to protect your crowns during shipping. We will likely continue the method of packing described by Ann below soon.

All crowns are carefully wrapped in tissue paper and tucked into a white liner box before being packed in a standard cardboard shipping box. This liner box is an excelent way to store the crowns and keep them out of harms way both before and after the wedding, but it is not really a presentation box.

To display and protect your wedding crowns, you can get a crown case, which can be found at most Greek import stores. At one point, I tried to sell my own line of custom-built display cases... but my supplier retired and I have long since phased those out.

If you are reading this, then we still have not updated prices on the website from when Ann was actively making crowns years ago. The price of materials, especially metals, has gone up significantly since then. For now, we will honor any orders or requests for "available" crowns at the current listed prices until we can get a stable sample of the material costs and labor involved in a variety of styles. Eventually we will update the prices. We will not change prices in the middle of discussing a request with you except in the case of precious metals like gold-filled and silver crowns, which we don’t keep stocked and would need to order and factor in current metal prices (at the time of writing it looks like some of the raw gold/silver exceeds the list price for some of the finished crowns). Otherwise, we will generally keep to Ann’s policy written below. Essentially: we don’t do sales but keep our prices fair, and may offer “clearance” style final price changes when clearing out stock. Additionally, as we are experimenting with some styles we may also include “second quality” pricing for crowns that are usable but not quite up to the standard we are willing to ship out at full price (for example, the material is overlapping a bit where it shouldn’t, or there is a scuff mark that we can’t buff out). These will be listed as separate products and described explicitly on the website.

I am often asked if I offer sales or if the price listed is the best price possible. Simply put, I don't do sales, coupons or discount codes. In over a decade in business I haven't yet, and I don't intend to start anytime soon. Every item you see for sale on my site is hand made-- and 95% of it is made by me (I don't make the trays or bare candles 😃)!

At some point, I would like to create a discount for “packages" with a certain crown set, candle, and tray combination, but I as far as sales go, I just don't do that.

I will occasionally mark down the prices of specific items to clear out my stock when a supplier discountinues a certain material or I'm trying to make room for a new style. But that markdown is permanent and will continue until my stock is gone, so it really isn't a "sale," per se.

In general, I try to keep prices as low as possible and will revise my pricing a few times a year to keep up with the ever-chancing metals market. Lately that has meant several price descreases for you! Please trust that I really do my very best to keep prices fair so that crown shopping is as pleasant an experience as possible!

All major credit cards are accepted by my "Shopify" payment processor. I do not accept personal checks, cashiers checks, money orders, etc.

The earlier the better, just in case anthing should happen during shipping or the crowns don't look as expected. That way you have plenty of time to get those matters resolved without putting yourself in a time crunch.

Currently, we are making crowns to order. We may need anywhere from 3 weeks up to 3 months lead time before expected shipping date. (It may not take that long, but it may….we have a newborn…and multiple orders often overlap) After that, it will arrive based on shipping carrier timelines.

Once your order ships you will be emailed a tracking number. I think both UPS and USPS give ETAs on their online tracking pages, so that can be a useful tool in predicting what day your crowns/other items will be on your doorstep. All orders are fully insured.

I have shipped to just about every country you can think of. Please see the next question below for more details about shipping options, rates, and more.

DOMESTIC

UPS and USPS are both available shipping options. Both UPS and USPS mail rates are the same.

****DOMESTIC SHIPPING FREE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE for orders $130+. This applies to USPS Priority and UPS Ground only. If you select free shipping, we will choose between these two options. You may select and pay for a different listed shipping option if you prefer. ****

INTERNATIONAL

International shipping options are calculated automatically at checkout. We offer to use USPS Priority International and UPS International Expedited. You, the customer, are responsible to pay any brokerage fees that may be incurred by using the UPS option. USPS does not charge brokerage fees. Please factor this in when selecting between shipping options. 

We pay for the initial shipping, but please remember that you are responsible for any other duties that your country may impose in order to pick up your package. This varies by country so check with your postal delivery system for questions regarding duties.

We do not have access to any shipping specifics once your package leaves the US! Please contact your local shipping services for questions about package tracking beyond that point.

Fortunately, returns are rare, but in the unfortunate event that you need to return a crown set, please email or call me first (using the contact info that was packaged with your crowns.)

For crowns that were damaged in shipping, or that you're concerned about the quality of, I will accept returns within 14 days of your receiving them. I will email you a pre-paid shipping label, and then you will receive a refund, minus the original shipping fees, as soon as I receive the returned crowns. I will not issue a refund for crowns received past the 14 day cut-off.

If you would like to return a set because you changed your mind, you are responsible for the cost of return postage. Again, I require crowns to be returned within 14 days. You'll receive a refund, less postage, as soon as I receive the returned crowns. I will not issue a refund for crowns received past the 14 day cut-off.

Returns are absolutely NOT accepted on custom crowns and custom engraved crowns. If you have a customized crown that needs some additional attention, please let me know and I'll make all the necessary repairs ASAP.

YES! Many of my crown designs are eligible for engravings - you will know because I will specifically mention engraving in the listing. If the design you're looking at does not mention engraving in the description then it's just a set that I can't engrave. I really try to make this an option for as many crowns as possible. 

I have some "stock" fonts from which you may choose, but I can usually accomodate specific font requests...just ask! See below for a few examples.

Yes, I offer several colors and styles from which you may choose. Please select the desired ribbon color and attachment style using the drop-down boxes before adding a crown set to your shopping cart. See below for examples of the ribbon colors.

This is a case where a picture is definitely worth 1000 words - see below for an illustration. A note about the "no ribbon" option... Some crowns have soldered back joints, others have rivets. Please be aware that if you order a crown without ribbon, some sort of back joint will be visible. I make the joints as neat and clean and inconspicuous as possible, but it is not possible to make them entirely seamless. The example below shows a typical riveted seam.

We can do some amount of customization depending on what you want and how far in advance you order. There will always be additional costs associated with custom crowns.

Right now, the easiest way to get a custom design is to sort of mix and match between existing elements from crowns in our catalog. 

If you're looking for something completely new and different... well it never hurts to ask and we'll see what we can work out. We may even already be working on an idea that overlaps with what you want!

We will need more advance notice for any custom crowns, and the more new/unique the design is, the longer we will need to source materials and work out the design. 

Yes and no.... I have made many Serbian styled sets on an on-demand/custom basis in the past, but never more than a few such sets a year. This crown style is more labor- and material-intensive to make than my other crowns, so they tend to be priced significantly higher than a "wreath" set made from comparable materials. With the low volume, high complexity, and higher cost to make, it has not been practical for me to keep a selection of them in stock.

While the wreath styled crowns are much simpler to make, I know that they are not a traditional style for all Archdiocese. And I realize I'm neglecting a portion of the Orthodox population who may want this kind of crown by not keeping this in stock. Also, I enjoy the challenge and opportunity for creativity that this style of crown provides. So I have a goal of eventually keeping few of these sets in stock for those of you interested. Until then, please feel free to contact me to inquire about availability. 

Currently, we have some ability to make items in the “May Consider Requests” section but will need extra time to make sure we have the materials and know-how to make them —- and to make them well! Items may be moved around between available and MCR as supplies change or our experience expands. However, all crowns are made to order.

Many couples choose to display their crowns in their home. You might hang them in your bedroom simply on hooks, display them on a flat high surface such as a shelf or dresser, or display them somewhere in a shadow box. This special purpose shadow box is called a stephanothiki/stefanothiki in the Greek tradition, as the crowns are typically referred to as stephana/stefana, but other traditions may do things differently. You may also store them in the white box that you receive them in until wedding day or longer. Ultimately, you just want to make sure that the crowns are in a relatively dry place and that they are cleaned if they accumulate dust.

We do not currently make any kinds of display cases, but you can find nice ones on other sites.

Here are a couple of links to get your started. We do not make any commission from recommending these stores. I'm just adding them because they might not be obvious options from a google search. Peter Jansen takes custom orders on his Etsy shop. Blessed Celebration imports stephanothiki from Greece. 

We recommend leaving the ribbons attached. While most couples keep their crowns attached for symbolic reasons, there is also a practical element. Your ribbon may or may not be adhered to the crowns when they arrive, especially for metal crowns to prevent the ribbon from slipping around during the ceremony. If there is an adhesive and you choose to remove the ribbons for storage or display, please be aware that this may remove any protective finish (incl. gold/silver-tone enamel) from your crowns in that spot and make them more susceptible to tarnishing. 

We make and ship all of our products from Denver, CO (in the United States). 

Not at this time, but if you are local to the area you can reach out about meeting at our church to chat or see some of our work. 

We have intentions of doing something similar, if not exactly the same, as to what Ann wrote below:

In addition to our family tithe (or actually before it), my business also makes a donation to the Church...or rather to IOCC. This is my way of saying "Thank-You" to all of my customers and the Orthodox Church for allowing me to take part in their special day.

In recent years, I have also frequently donated crowns and/or candles as part of silent auctions for the annual festival at my home church, as well as others upon request. If you are interested in arranging a donation for a similar event at your church, please contact me directly to discuss.

The best way to ask Destiny a question is through email.

Please keep in mind, though, that I have an infant that keeps me pretty busy during the day. That said, I do check email regularly and make every effort to respond to your questions within 1 working day.