Step One — Everyone in Place:
- Line up the wedding party where they will be standing for the wedding ceremony.
- Groom and his attendants on Officiant‘s left
- Bride and her attendants on Officiant’s right
- The Bride and Groom face each other
- The Ring Bearer in front of the Groom’s attendants
- Flower Girl(s) in front of the Bride’s attendants
Step Two — Practice the Recessional:
- Who is leaving first, who is going where.
Step Three — Seating the Guests:
- The ushers seat the family and honored guests at the announced time of the wedding.
- Suggested order for special guests:
- Grandparents of the groom
- Grandparents of the bride
- Parents of the groom
- Mother of the bride
Step Four – Processional:
- Now the bridal party goes to the places from where they will enter on the wedding day. Groom and his attendants go to the side (stage left, Officiant’s left side). The Bride and her attendants go to the back of the hall.
- Wedding party enters and takes places where they were in Step One.
Step Five – Ceremony:
- Officiant may ask “Who brings her here on this happy day of her life?” or “Who brings this woman to marry this man?” The person or persons escorting the bride usually say: “I do”, …
- “We do”, or “On behalf of all who love her, I do”.
- Bride’s escort takes seat in first row
- Officiant Performs the Ceremony
- The rings should be either on the Ring bearer’s pillow or in the custody of the Best Man and Maid/Matron of Honor.
Step Six — Practice Recessional again:
If you follow these guidelines, even print them out for the wedding party, everyone will know what they have to do and it saves confusion on the day of the wedding.
Practicing takes the stress out for all involved, and hopefully helps your wedding go smoother.
Rev Deborah Ashe 