St. HermanS of Alaska
St. Herman’s Orthodox Church is our church in Port Townsend. The parish was established in the 1990s and was built by its founding priest. We love the community there. Everyone is generous & tight-knit; always looking to help each other. Our priest, Fr. Josef, is very kind and knowledgeable. The building is cozy and cabin-like, tucked into a quiet neighborhood. On entering the church, you will see lots of saints’ likenesses on the walls beside decorations.
For anyone unfamiliar with the Orthodox Church: the wedding service might be strange! We won’t have a wedding party, or say vows, or have a song to walk down the aisle to. Someone once mentioned that, in the Orthodox service, the couple does not “get married” – it is more that the marriage happens to them. We will be married in front of the altar, which is behind the eastern wall. There will be a procession around the church, many prayers will be read, and we will be literally crowned. It is very traditional, and a beautiful celebration.
There are many verses read aloud, and much of the reading is chanted in a traditional tone. Sometimes, it is hard to understand what is being said. If you want to read the wedding service beforehand, here is a link to a PDF. There may be some differences in the service according to our parish, but that document should get you most of the way there!
We would also like to mention that our church is smaller and standing-room-only (except a few seats for those who need it). If you need to step outside during the service, or only attend part of it, that is ok!
Port townsend
Port Townsend is a cool little city on the easternmost tip of the Olympic Peninsula, across the water north of Seattle. The downtown is classic – lots of coffee shops, bookstores, galleries, & other touristy things. Miles of beautiful rural country cushion it between other cities & the coastline. To Port Townsends’s west is Olympic National Park.
Fort townsend
Our reception will be at Fort Townsend, a state park just a few miles from St. Herman’s. It will be outdoors, under firs & cedars, right by a pretty beach! We’ll have lawn games & hopefully a couple campfires.
Getting There
Fly into the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). From there, it’s a two hour drive to St. Herman’s. The simplest route is taking the Bainbridge Island ferry and driving north. Here is a link to Google Maps directions, and here is a link to Apple Maps directions. (Aunt Laura, here is a link to Waze.)
Here is a link to track ferry times.
Reach out to us if you have any questions!!