When you are planning your wedding, it is important to think about the smaller details as well as the big choices you need to make. One of the smaller details to consider is your wedding processional when you are having your ceremony. This just means the order of the people walking down the aisle during your wedding. There are no hard and fast rules for how your processional should be ordered. The choice is yours. We just wanted to show you some options that you can consider.
Traditional
The traditional processional down the aisle includes the officiant, grandparents, parents, mother of the bride, groom, wedding party, ring bearer, flower girl, and bride. The bride is traditionally escorted by her father, who gives her away. The ring bearer will have some type of pillow or object that holds the rings for the couple. The flower girl will walk down the aisle while scattering flowers along the way for the bride to come.
Another traditional processional order is officiant, groom, best man, groomsmen, bridesmaids, maid/matron of honor, ring bearer, flower girl, bride and father of the bride. The ring bearer and flower girl can either walk down the aisle together or have the ring bearer go first.
Yet another order is officiant, groom, best man, groomsmen paired with bridesmaids, maid/matron of honor, ring bearer, flower girl, bride and father of the bride.
Same-Sex Ceremony
When the couples are the same sex, the processional is outlined in a different manner. The idea is the same, but the names of the participants are different. A suggested order is the officiant, the wedding party – Partner 1’s attendants proceed on the left and Partner 2’s attendants proceed on the right (if everyone walks down the aisle together), the best people are next, the ring bearer, the flower person, Partner 1 and their parents, and then Partner 2 and their parents. Again, the wedding party does not need to all walk down the aisle together. There could be one half walking down the aisle and the other half waiting at the end of the aisle.
Non-Traditional
While we’ve previously detailed the traditional form of processional, you have any number of options on how you would like to walk down the aisle. Both people can walk down the aisle with their parents, there can be a meeting halfway down the aisle with everyone involved, and there can also be no processional at all. Either people can enter from the side, or they can just assemble in place without a processional. Music could be played while the wedding party assembles, the ceremony can begin with a reading, or anyway that you can think of to signal the ceremony will begin.
Additionally, there is no set rule that anyone needs to be accompanied down the aisle by a parent or parents. The couple can choose anyone they want or walk down by themselves. Another way to walk down the aisle is to have several people accompany the person or the couple. There can be someone to accompany them when they begin walking and then someone else takes over as they progress down the aisle, and then more if they have more than two people they want.
The processional for your wedding is something that needs to be decided among all the other decisions that come up while you are planning your special day. Take some time to seriously consider how you want your ceremony to begin.
