Wedding Ceremony Quick Tips

Ceremony Quick Tips

• In traditional Christian weddings, the bride's family and friends occupy the left side of the church, while the groom's family and friends sit on the right. The opposite seating arrangement is observed in a Jewish ceremony. In both types of ceremonies, the family of the bride and groom sit closest to the altar.
• After all the other guests have been seated, one groomsman escorts the mother of the groom to her seat, and they are followed by her husband. The mother of the bride is then escorted down the aisle by a groomsman so that she is the last person seated.
• The groom, best man, and officiant take their places at the altar. At the start of the music, the bridal party begins their processional.
• It is up to you and your fiancée to decide whether the groomsmen should escort the bridesmaids down the aisle, or just wait for them at the altar.
• The attendants should be lined up according to height, from shortest to tallest.
• The maid or matron of honor follows the rest of the wedding party, and the ring bearer and flower girl bring up the rear.
• The bride is escorted down the aisle by her father, who stands at her right when presenting his daughter's hand to the groom. The ceremony begins when the couple turns to face the officiant.
• Many couples object to the sentiment expressed in the vows that a wife should "love, honor, and obey" her husband, as though she is his property. The line that proclaims them as "man and wife" is also objectionable, since it labels women as only wives, while men are important people. These lines can easily be changed without sacrificing any of the love symbolized by the wedding vows.
• Once the ceremony has ended, the couple is announced by the clergy member, and they begin their recessional, side by side and arm in arm. They are followed by the ringbearer and flower girl, the best man and maid or matron of honor, and the paired groomsmen and bridesmaids.
• You may choose to have the flower girl and ring bearer sit with their parents after walking down the aisle, since little kids generally have a hard time keeping still.
• Remember that there are no hard and fast rules -- it is better to make sure everyone you want to include is included, instead of limiting yourself due to some tradition.