Wedding Rehearsals
The day before your wedding, you may be focused on your rehearsal dinner - but don’t forget about the ceremony rehearsal itself! A well-run rehearsal ensures everyone knows their role and helps your wedding day flow smoothly. Read on to learn who should attend and what to cover.
Who should be at the rehearsal?
Short answer: anyone who’s in the ceremony!
Long answer:
The couple - obviously
Officiant
The wedding party
Anyone else who’s walking in the processional - parents, ringbearer(s), flower girl(s), and the parents of the little ones
Anyone participating in the ceremony - readers, musicians, or anyone performing a song or prayer
Including everyone who has a role ensures a smooth, stress-free rehearsal.
What should we practice?
Practice the key elements of the ceremony, without needing to go through the entire script. Focus on:
Where everyone is standing or sitting
How to walk down the aisle and hold hands or bouquets
Processional and recessional
Bride hand off
Important ceremony pieces (readings, prayers, songs, unity ceremony, vows, rings) - again, you don’t have to do the full length of these, you just want an idea of the order of everything
Pronouncement and first kiss - the fun part!
Practicing these key points helps everyone feel confident and prepared.
What order should we practice it in?
I usually recommend starting with where everyone will stand or sit, since this is where participants will spend most of the ceremony. It’s easier than starting with the processional because you can focus on positioning and spacing before moving.
Here’s the general order I usually conduct rehearsals in:
Start with where everyone is standing (wedding party, couple, officiant) - Confirm spacing and placement for parents, ring bearer(s), flower girl(s), and family members. The maid/matron of honor and best man are generally closest to the couple, and the line expands outward depending on altar space.
Talk about how to stand. Bridesmaids hold bouquets at belly-button height with both hands, facing the opposite front row. Groomsmen maintain uniform arm placement and direction of feet. The officiant stands centered with the backdrop and aisle, slightly behind the wedding party. The couple faces each other holding hands.
Get ready to practice the recessional. The bride retrieves her bouquet from the maid/matron of honor, adjusts her train or veil, and joins the groom. They walk together down the aisle, pausing for a kiss in the middle (perfect for a dip kiss if you’ve been practicing), while the wedding party exits one pair at a time following the same flow. Guests participating in the recessional leave after the last wedding party member. The officiant may then make announcements about cocktail hour or photos.
Practice the processional. It should be pretty easy to get everyone lined up for the processional because most will enter in the opposite order to how they exited - i.e., the maid/matron of honor and best man exited first (after the couple) and they will enter last (before the bride and little ones). Get everyone in the right order; generally the groom and officiant go first or the officiant starts at the altar and the groom walks solo or escorts his parents in, then the wedding wedding party, ring bearer(s), flower girl(s), and lastly the bride and her escort. Feel free to add in people (like mother of the bride, grandparents etc.) as you like!
For walking, have everyone (except the bride and her escort) walk at a slow pace but not too slow. Timing wise, if you have someone leading, they will tell people when to walk, but generally speaking, the groom (whether by himself, with the officiant, or with his parents) will start and once he gets to the altar, the first wedding party member/pair (depending on what you’re doing) should start walking down the aisle - the rest of the members/pairs should wait until the member/pair in front of them gets halfway down the aisle to start walking (just like the recessional); when they get to the top of the aisle, they will split and go to the spots they practiced. If you’re having a ringbearer(s), they should walk next, and if he/they are actually carrying the rings, he/they will walk up to the best man, who will take the rings and pocket them, then the boy(s) will sit in their designated seats with their parent(s). After that, if you’re having a flower girl(s), she/they should walk next and sprinkle her/their flowers and then go to her/their seat
Then, the officiant will ask everyone to rise for the bride, and then the bride and her escort will walk down the aisle as slowly as possible so she can soak in the moment. Once she gets to the altar, practice the handoff, whether there are any words exchanged or just a hug, practice this. The groom will reach out his hand and grab the bride’s hand (the one not holding the bouquet) and bring her up to her spot facing him. Once the bride is placed, the maid/matron of honor will hand her bouquet off to the bridesmaid next to her, fix the bride’s train/veil, the bride will turn towards the chairs and hand her bouquet to her maid/matron of honor, then the couple should grasp hands and the officiant will ask everyone to be seated
Go through the ceremony highlights. All participants except the bride walk at a steady, controlled pace. The bride and her escort should walk deliberately, savoring the moment. Ring bearer(s) should deliver the rings to the best man before the altar. Flower girl(s) wait until the end of the aisle to scatter petals.
Once you’ve run through the ceremony once, feel free to practice parts again until everyone feels comfortable.
Bonus Tips for your Wedding Ceremony Rehearsal
Sketch out the standing/seating arrangements so your planner/coordinator or whoever is running the rehearsal (shouldn’t be you or someone involved in the ceremony!) can see a diagram. Everyone who is (supposed to be!) at the rehearsal needs an assigned place, whether they are in the processional or not so everyone is clear and there are no delays (i.e., your uncle sitting in the middle of the second row who’s supposed to be reading a poem)
If groomsmen are escorting family members, assign them strategically so they have time to return to the wedding party line before their entrance.
Make sure the bride holds the bouquet in her outside hand during handoffs for efficiency.
Remind everyone not to lock their knees - a slight bend is safest.
Walking pace: everyone except the bride - walk like you’re wading through a pool; bride and her escort - think graduation walk with step together
Tell the flower girl to wait to start throwing flower petals until she reaches the back of the chairs so she doesn’t run out of petals before she gets down the aisle
If your ring bearer is young or is a little chaotic (aren’t we all), I suggest not giving him the real rings or waiting until he’s about to walk down the aisle to give him the rings - unless you’re getting married outside and then you should definitely pre-give the rings to the best man - you do not want him to lose the rings in grass, dirt, etc.
If the rings drop, only the best man should be the one to find and pick them up. Trust me, you don’t want to see a bunch of people diving around!
When putting on the rings, if you are saying something while you are putting it on, slide the ring up with each part that you say; at the end, shove the ring the rest of the way on. This gives your photographer plenty of time to get those shots!
Ask the moms to stand/sit if the officiant forgets to ask people to rise/sit down - the rest of the guests will follow suit
When it’s time for your first kiss, wait until the officiant moves out of the way, then hold the kiss for 3 seconds so your photographer can get a perfect photo - any shorter and they might not get a clean shot, any longer and it’s starts to get awkward for everyone lol
Wedding ceremony rehearsals are critical for ensuring your day runs smoothly. Practicing the processional, recessional, and key ceremony elements alleviates nerves and helps everyone feel confident, so you can enjoy a flawless and memorable wedding day.
Vendor Credits
Photo – Mary Mosley Photography
Planner – SC Signature Celebrations
Beauty - NYNC Bridal
Venue – Carolina Country Weddings
