Orthodox wedding calendar
When weddings are held in 2026
The days the Romanian Orthodox Church marries people in 2026, day by day: the fasts, the feasts and the weekly fast days. A civil ceremony can take place at any time.
Orthodox Easter in 2026: 12 April
How to read the ring
- Free Saturday or Sunday
- Free Monday, Tuesday or Thursday
- Wednesday or Friday with a dispensation
- Wednesday or Friday
- Fast or feast
- Orthodox Easter
- free Saturdays
- 27
- free Sundays
- 26
- free weekend days, June to September
- 21
- longest stretch with no fast or feast
- 60 days15 September – 13 November
Check your wedding date
Pick a day and see whether a church wedding can be held.
Pick a date between 2026 and 2028.
Weekend by weekend
Every row is a weekend. A hatched day is a day with no church weddings.
January
7 free days
- 3Satnot available: Christmas to Epiphany4Sunnot available: Christmas to Epiphany
Christmas to Epiphany
- 10Satfree11Sunfree
- 17Satfree18Sunfree
- 24Satfree25Sunfree
- 31Satfree1Sunnot available: Presentation of the Lord
Presentation of the Lord
February
3 free days
- 7Satfree8Sunfree
- 14Satfree15Sunnot available: Meat-fare week
Meat-fare week
- 21Satnot available: Meat-fare week22Sunnot available: Great Lent
Meat-fare week · Great Lent
- 28Satnot available: Great Lent1Sunnot available: Great Lent
Great Lent
March
0 free days
- 7Satnot available: Great Lent8Sunnot available: Great Lent
Great Lent
- 14Satnot available: Great Lent15Sunnot available: Great Lent
Great Lent
- 21Satnot available: Great Lent22Sunnot available: Great Lent
Great Lent
- 28Satnot available: Great Lent29Sunnot available: Great Lent
Great Lent
April
2 free days
- 4Satnot available: Great Lent5Sunnot available: Great Lent
Great Lent
- 11Satnot available: Great Lent12Sunnot available: Easter and Bright Week
Great Lent · Easter and Bright Week
- 18Satnot available: Easter and Bright Week19Sunnot available: Easter and Bright Week
Easter and Bright Week
- 25Satfree26Sunfree
May
8 free days
- 2Satfree3Sunfree
- 9Satfree10Sunfree
- 16Satfree17Sunfree
- 23Satfree24Sunfree
- 30Satnot available: Pentecost31Sunnot available: Pentecost
Pentecost
June
2 free days
- 6Satfree7Sunfree
- 13Satnot available: Fast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul14Sunnot available: Fast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul
Fast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul
- 20Satnot available: Fast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul21Sunnot available: Fast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul
Fast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul
- 27Satnot available: Fast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul28Sunnot available: Fast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul
Fast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul
July
8 free days
- 4Satfree5Sunfree
- 11Satfree12Sunfree
- 18Satfree19Sunfree
- 25Satfree26Sunfree
August
4 free days
- 1Satnot available: Dormition Fast2Sunnot available: Dormition Fast
Dormition Fast
- 8Satnot available: Dormition Fast9Sunnot available: Dormition Fast
Dormition Fast
- 15Satnot available: Dormition Fast16Sunfree
Dormition Fast
- 22Satfree23Sunfree
- 29Satnot available: Beheading of St John the Baptist30Sunfree
Beheading of St John the Baptist
September
7 free days
- 5Satfree6Sunfree
- 12Satfree13Sunnot available: Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Exaltation of the Holy Cross
- 19Satfree20Sunfree
- 26Satfree27Sunfree
October
10 free days
- 3Satfree4Sunfree
- 10Satfree11Sunfree
- 17Satfree18Sunfree
- 24Satfree25Sunfree
- 31Satfree1Sunfree
November
2 free days
- 7Satfree8Sunfree
- 14Satnot available: Nativity Fast15Sunnot available: Nativity Fast
Nativity Fast
- 21Satnot available: Nativity Fast22Sunnot available: Nativity Fast
Nativity Fast
- 28Satnot available: Nativity Fast29Sunnot available: Nativity Fast
Nativity Fast
December
0 free days
- 5Satnot available: Nativity Fast6Sunnot available: Nativity Fast
Nativity Fast
- 12Satnot available: Nativity Fast13Sunnot available: Nativity Fast
Nativity Fast
- 19Satnot available: Nativity Fast20Sunnot available: Nativity Fast
Nativity Fast
- 26Satnot available: Christmas to Epiphany27Sunnot available: Christmas to Epiphany
Christmas to Epiphany
Stretches with no fast or feast
The periods with no fast and no great feast in them. Pick your date from here.
7 January – 31 January
25 days · 7 free weekend days
3 February – 14 February
12 days · 3 free weekend days
20 April – 19 May
30 days · 8 free weekend days
29 June – 31 July
33 days · 8 free weekend days
16 August – 28 August
13 days · 3 free weekend days
15 September – 13 November
60 days · 16 free weekend days
Fasts and feasts in 2026
The periods with no church weddings. Some of them move with Easter from one year to the next.
- Feast
Christmas to Epiphany
1 January – 6 January · continues from 2025
- Feast
Presentation of the Lord
1 February – 2 February
- Fast
Meat-fare week
15 February – 21 February
- Fast
Great Lent
22 February – 11 April
- Feast
Easter and Bright Week
12 April – 19 April
- Feast
Ascension
20 May – 21 May
- Feast
Pentecost
30 May – 1 June
- Fast
Fast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul
8 June – 28 June
- Fast
Dormition Fast
1 August – 15 August
- Fast
Beheading of St John the Baptist
29 August
- Feast
Nativity of the Theotokos
7 September – 8 September
- Feast
Exaltation of the Holy Cross
13 September – 14 September
- Fast
Nativity Fast
14 November – 24 December
- Feast
Christmas to Epiphany
25 December – 31 December · continues into 2027
The rules in short
Wednesdays and Fridays are fast days all year round, so as a rule no weddings are held on them. The fast-free weeks are the exception, but many priests do not marry then either.
No weddings are held in the four fasts: Great Lent, the fast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, the Dormition fast and the Nativity fast.
None are held in Bright Week, on the eve and the day of the great feasts, or from Christmas to Epiphany.
Easter moves some of these periods from one year to the next, which is why the calendar does not repeat.
A civil ceremony has no church restrictions.
Frequently asked questions
Can weddings be held during a fast?
No. A church wedding is not held in the four great fasts. A civil ceremony can take place at any time.
Why are there no weddings on Wednesdays and Fridays?
They are fast days all year round: Wednesday recalls the betrayal by Judas, Friday the Crucifixion. Some weeks have a dispensation, and the calendar marks those as "with a dispensation": ask the priest.
Which months are best for a wedding in 2026?
The classic season is summer and early autumn. In 2026 there are 21 free weekend days between June and September, and autumn stays open until the Nativity fast, which starts on 14 November.
Why do the dates change from year to year?
Orthodox Easter falls on different days, and Great Lent, Bright Week, the Ascension, Pentecost and the start of the Apostles' fast move with it. The Nativity and Dormition fasts and the fixed feasts stay on the same dates.
How exact is the calendar?
It is a guide and follows the usual practice of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Some parishes are stricter or give dispensations, so ask the priest to confirm before you book the venue.
The calendar is a guide and does not replace the word of the parish priest. Confirm the date before you make any bookings.
Found your date? Plan the rest here.
Guests, RSVP, seating plan, budget and a wedding website, all in one place. Start for free.
Start for free