Page 74 - Panama City Living July-August 2019

For Christina Patronis and Dylan Singletary, January 26, 2019, was the most beautiful day of their lives, a day steeped in family history and tradition. The couple
said “I do” at the altar of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Panama City, the exact same location where Christina’s parents, along with her entire family on her father’s side, have held wedding ceremonies for generations. The special place and venue brought back sweet memories for many of the guests and it is certain that Christina and Dylan’s special day will be cherished for many years to come.
Christina recalls her favorite memory of her wedding day with a smile. “When I walked the very first step down the aisle towards the love of my life, all I could think about was becoming Dylan’s wife,” she says. “I was also very aware that the same step I took on that aisle is the same step the women in my family have taken before me. Many of my hopes and dreams had become reality. Marrying Dylan, I felt so much love knowing that the women in our family had been here before me.”
The day held many more special moments for the bride and groom. With its roots in Greece, the Patronis family upholds and celebrates Greek wedding traditions to honor their ancestors. One of these traditions is the betrothal service. The priest asks God with several meaningful prayers to grant the betrothed perfect and peaceful love, salvation, and to bless them with fair children. Another Greek tradition the couple included is the ceremonial walk. Here, the priest leads the couple around a table on which are placed the Gospel and the cross, Christ’s symbols of hope and redemption. These first steps as partners emphasize the focus of their “life’s walk” together. During the walk around the table, a hymn is sung reminding the newly married couple of the sacrificial love they are to have for each other in marriage—a love that seeks not its own, but is willing to sacrifice all for the one loved.
74 • July–August 2019 • www.PanamaCityLiving.com