(Wedding) March to Your Own Beat!
Often I stand at the wedding rehearsal and although we have already planned the order of the processinal, there is always some jockeying for positions down the aisle. Here is a simple guide for getting everyone down the aisle so that the ceremony can begin!
Here is The Main Event’s twist on the traditional wedding march order:
Once all the guests have been seated, have the Grandparents be the last guests to walk down the aisle to the prelude music. It gives them a place of honor during the ceremony without being part of the actual processional. If you have single Grandmothers then an usher can escort them to their seat.
If the Mother of the Groom is not part of the processional, then she can be seated right after the Grandparents at the end of the prelude music as well.
Once all the guests are seated, have the musicians pause (your wedding planner should coordinate this). At this point, I like to have the Officiant take his/her place either coming in from the side or walking down the aisle. I like to have the Officiants walk in silence to alert guests that both the ceremony is about to begin as well as give some solemnity to the moment.
Next, the processional song should begin. Most often, I will have the Best Man walk first, followed by the parents of the Groom, and then the Groom. You can switch this up anyway you like, and sometimes the Parents of the Groom walk on either side of the Groom, which I always find touching. You can also start with the Grooms parents, or have them seated along with the Grandparents during the prelude.
Groom and Parents walking down the aisle
The Groomsmen can come down the aisle or in from the side lead by the Best Man. Most often if they come down the aisle, they will be paired with a Bridesmaid, but not always. If you have a small wedding party then you may want them to each walk individually. If you have a large wedding party or an uneven number of Bridesmaids to Groomsmen, then you can have a Groomsmen loop back or two women can walk together or a Groomsman can have a Bridesmaid on each arm.
The Maid or Matron of Honor should come next down the aisle, she will take her place closest to the Bride and hold her flowers during the vows portion of the ceremony.
Once all of the Bridesmaids and Groomsmen are in place by the alter, next comes the Ring Bearer and Flower Girl. You can have them walk together or separately. The Ring Bearer can carry a pillow or secure the rings in a pretty box. (You can have decoy rings on the pillow or in the box if your Ring Bearer is too little to be trusted with the real thing!) The Flower Girl can toss petals or simply hold a small bouquet. Once the children are down the aisle they can hand off the rings to the Best Man and be seated with their parents in the first or second row.
And now, here comes the bride! First, wait for the processional song to end. Ask your musicians to wait a few moments before beginning the Bridal March song. Most often the song is a classical piece such as Pachelbel’s Canon in D, but I love when Brides’ really personalize the march and pick a song that resonates with them. We’ve had everything from The Beatles to Stevie Wonder and those types of songs really make your guests smile and set the tone for the ceremony.
You may want to be escorted by your father, which still remains the tradition. You can, also take a cue from Jewish ceremonies and have both parents escort you down the aisle. I think this is preferred and a bit more modern since both parents have likely been an important part of your life and should have the honor of giving you away. Sometimes another family member, like a brother, uncle or cousin, may give the Bride away if the father is deceased or if the Bride does not have a relationship with her father.
Bride escorted by her Mother and close Family Friend
Once down the aisle the Father of the Bride or whoever is her escort will place the hand of the Bride in the Grooms’ hand, formally giving consent and “giving her away.”
From there, the Officiant will take over and begin the ceremony. Don’t forget to enjoy every moment and be present as you walk down the aisle and see all the important people who came to share this very special day with you!