From feeling overly excited to calming some nervous jitters, the day before your wedding, emotions will no doubt be running high! Your rehearsal is the perfect time to button up any loose ends and make sure everyone knows what they should be doing when the ceremony begins!
So what are some things you should discuss at your rehearsal?
The Processional Order of the Wedding Party.
In case you don’t know all the wedding lingo, the processional is the start of the ceremony when everyone from grandparents, to the bride herself walk down the aisle. During your rehearsal you will no doubt practice this at least a few times, so take this opportunity to let all of your bridal members and family who are walking in know who is walking with who, and the order in which they will walk in!
Hand Placement for the groomsmen, and bouquet placement for the bridesmaids!
The one question I hear throughout the day is “what do I do with my hands?” (thanks Ricky Bobby.) Uniformity is key. For the groomsmen, decide whether it will be right over left, left over right, or even hands in pockets works too! So long as all of your guys are standing the same. For the ladies, holding bouquets at belly button height is most ideal to keep things look uniform, and to make sure those bouquets don’t creep up and block anyones face.
Walking down the aisle.
Every wedding is different, and you may choose to walk solo, have just one parent walk you down, or both parents walk by your side. Whichever the case, two questions come to mind; how should we walk? and what to do with your bouquet!
You can interlock arms, or have your parent “Escort you”, but you are also more than welcome to just simply hold hands as you walk. If having both parents join, having dad escort on one side, and having mom hold your hand on the other while she carries your bouquet for you, would be the easiest! Regardless keep that bouquet at belly button height as to not block any faces. And when you get to the end, after the officiant asks who is giving you away, be sure to share a kiss or a hug with your parents, and have them do the same with your future spouse before they have a seat!
Maid of Honor Duties.
The Maid of Honor has a long list of to-dos on the day of the wedding; but during the ceremony, she’s got a few more to add to her list. Once you’ve been passed off from mom or dad, have her be sure to give your dress a good fluff, (and straighten your veil!) and then pass your bouquet off to her so you can join hands with your partner!
Presenting the rings.
On the evening of your rehearsal be sure to delegate who will be holding the rings during the ceremony and have them practice passing them off to the officiant when asked. In the same manner, take this moment after practicing the hand off, to practice and go over with your officiate HOW you will be putting on the rings. (Who will go first, what they will be doing etc!)
Being pronounced husband and wife.
Ask your officiant how they will announce you as husband and wife, and be sure to ask them to step aside after doing so (or, stand to the side WHILE doing so), so they are out of the way of your first kiss! (Speaking of the kiss, this is IT! the big moment, and it should be BIG! Linger a few extra seconds longer than you normally would for photos!)
Recessional order, and timing.
Just like we started, the “recessional” is the conclusion of the ceremony when the bridal party exits down the aisle. Take this time at your rehearsal to practice a mid-aisle kiss, any order changes for those walking, and reminding everyone to give enough time between each person coming down the aisle. (A good note would be to wait until the last couple or group has got to the end of the aisle before having the next one start walking!)
If you liked these tips, be sure to check out the wedding tips section, or jump to the posts below for more!
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