The Wedding Procession

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!!