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The
Procession
Confused about who walks down
the aisle when and with whom? The following is
an example of a typical processional order. You
may, of course wish to alter it in conjunction with your
officiant so that it is right for your ceremony.
1. The
Mothers & Grandmothers
Just before the ceremony
is scheduled to start and the guests have arrived
and been seated, the mothers and grandmothers should
be
seated in the following manner.
First the grandmothers of the groom are seated—escorted
by an usher and followed by their husbands. Then
an usher escorts the grandmothers of the bride.
The ushers for the grandmothers should be a member
of their family if possible—sons, grandsons,
etc.
Next the mother of the groom
is ushered to her seat and is followed by her husband,
if he is not in the wedding party.
Finally
the mother of the bride is seated. The mothers
should be escorted by one of their sons or another
family member who is an usher
or by the best man. The seating
of the bride's mother signals that the ceremony
is starting. At this point the ushers may roll
out an aisle runner if one is being used.
2. The
Officiant & Groom
After the bride's mother
is seated and the wedding procession is formed in
the vestibule, the officiant and the groom enter. They
should walk in from the side and stand at the front, facing
the guests. If the best man
will not be escorting the maid of honor down the aisle, then he should enter
with the groom. Traditionally the groom stands
on the right side of the aisle
with his best man slightly behind him and to his left.
3.
The Attendants
There are many possibilities as to how the attendants
can make their way to the front of the church.
If the ushers are walking
separate from the bridesmaids or if you have more
ushers than bridesmaids...
Consider having the shortest
attendants walk down the aisle first—at
the front of the church they should line up with the
men on the right and the women on the left and tallest
to
shortest with the shortest being farthest from the bride
and groom.
Note: The
hesitation step is a trend of the past. The
attendants should simply walk down the aisle slowly
and steadily!
4. The Flower Girl & Ring
Bearer
Who comes first? This is
one place where the wedding experts do not agree! Some
think that the ring bearer should follow the flower
girl
and visa versa. This decision we will leave
up to you!
If
you are having one flower girl and one ring bearer,
you could always have them walk
together. Another nice alternative is to have
two flower girls and one ring bearer; let the girls
walk side by side followed by the ring bearer.
The flower girl typically
takes her place on the left side of the church
next to
the maid of honor. The ring bearer typically takes
his place on the right side of the church next
to the
best
man. Other arrangements may be made for the
children to sit with their parents during the ceremony
depending on the child's age and level of maturity.
5. The
Bride
Finally the time has
come...cue the music—"Here's
Comes the Bride"!
At this point the congregation should stand
and turn
to watch the bride and her father
their walk down the aisle. This is your time
to shine.
Remember
to walk slowly and take in the oohs and aahs! Take a moment to make
eye contact with your groom as you proceed down
the aisle; you don't want to miss his reaction
when he sees you for the first time in your wedding
gown!
In
Christian ceremonies the bride should walk on her
father's left. When she
reaches the groom's side, her father lets go of
her arm and gives her hand to the groom. The congregation
remains standing until the father sits down.
Tip: If
you are having programs for your wedding, consider
indicating the places where the guests should stand
and sit.
Otherwise your officiant should announce or motion
to your guests when to stand and when to be seated. So
many weddings are different and it is hard for
the
guests to know exactly what to
do.
Make it
easy—spell it out!!
