Are you thinking traditional or original? There are no rules about how the stars of the show should enter the ceremony area.
A lot of people like the traditional approach with one person waiting at the end of the aisle and the other making an entrance right at the start. That can be absolutely beautiful. If you choose to do it this way, here are some of my tips and some suggestions for mixing things up a bit:
Music...
Choose the piece of music you want to hear as you walk down the aisle. Think about the rhythm (is it too fast, too slow?) and think about the point at which you want to make your entrance. Some pieces of music are beautiful but take a long time to get to the key part – make sure you work out when you want the bridal party to enter, and when you’ll make your grand entrance so that the music adds to the whole spectacle (this might be as simple as cueing the music up to start at a mid-point rather than at the beginning of the track)
You might even have one piece of music for the bridal party entrance, and a different piece for the bride – it’s entirely up to you
Didsbury String Quartet
Photo courtesy of loveandbloom.co.uk
Bridal Party Practicalities...
Work out the running order of the bridesmaids; maid of honour; flower girls/dudes; page boys; (i.e. who goes first) BEFORE the day - there's way too much going on to sort this out on the day
Brief the people in your bridal party to take their time walking down the aisle and tell them where their seats will be
Tell your celebrant who is in your bridal party as they can make sure there are enough seats in the right places for everyone and discreetly show folks where to go, if needed. Your wedding organiser should be all over this, but it doesn’t do any harm for the person who’s at the business end of things up front to be in the know! This comes from the bitter experience of finding out (way too late) that not enough chairs had been allocated by the venue and some not-so-discreet scuttling had to be done to find enough chairs for everyone...
Person accompanying the bride...
Work out which side the person accompanying you should be on. Traditionally, if the bride is being accompanied by someone, they would be on the bride’s left hand side - this means that they’re not standing in between the couple when the bride arrives at the front
Alternatively, sometimes more than one person accompanies the person making their grand entrance (it can be children, both parents, siblings, other close relatives, etc.). This can be absolutely beautiful and a genuine honour for the people accompanying you. Just check that physically, there will be enough room for everyone to walk down the aisle together. I’ve seen awkward shuffling when the bride’s dress plus two people accompanying her proved to be too much of a squash and a squeeze as she walked down the aisle....
Be practical...
Be realistic - what you would really like just might not work within the space available at your venue.
For example, think twice about using naked flames - flickering candles lining the aisle do look stunning, but think about any young guests or anyone with restricted mobilty, or distracted people who might well kick them over, or worse. My record for guests smashing lit hurricane lamps in an aisle stands at three... Battery operated lights can recreate the effect, but much more safely!
A good celebrant and venue organiser will spot any potential problems and will advise you.
And then you enter...
As you get to the top of the aisle when you enter the ceremony area, pause just for the count of 1, 2, 3. That’s a great photo opportunity, lets your guests all get a really good look at you (they'll be looking at your back or side for most of the ceremony...) and it lets you take in the surroundings - your carefully-chosen decor, all the faces of your loved ones and of course, your special person who will be waiting for you at the front
Take your time walking down the aisle - it might feel unnatural but looks great
When you arrive by your partner's side, take a moment to greet each other - a hug, a kiss, exchange a few words - this helps to relax you both.
Don't feel rushed by the person conducting your ceremony. This is YOUR moment!
And then, when everyone is settled, the celebrant will begin...
Mixing things up a bit....
However, if you want to do things a little bit differently, how about:
- making separate entrances, each person supported by their own gang, to their own choice of music?
- entering the ceremony room together?
- walking down the aisle alone (this looks stunning, confident and elegant)?
- having your bridesmaids and groomsmen perform a dance routine down the aisle?
- having your pet walk down the aisle or make a surprise entrance after you?
I've seen all of these - every single one was done brilliantly!
Finally.... brief your photographer...
Whatever your plans, make sure to tell your photographer so that they are poised to capture these once-in-a-lifetime moments. Great photographers I know instinctively do this anyway, but it doesn’t do any harm to let them know if there is something unusual happening...
