In a traditional wedding ceremony, the processional begins with the bride's mother before the groom, best man, wedding party, flower girl, and ring bearer follow. The bride, who is escorted by her father, is the last to make her way down the aisle.
The Officiant, Groom, Best Man, and Groomsmen enter first, typically from the side of the ceremony site but sometimes up the aisle depending on preference. Following them are the grandparents, the parents of the Groom, and the Mother of the Bride. Finally, the Bridesmaids, Maid of Honor, and Flower Girl enter.
Traditionally, the flower girl and page boys walk down the aisle first, scattering petals if they have them. Next the Bride and the Father of the Bride walk down the aisle. They are followed by the bridesmaids; the maid of honour or chief bridesmaid being the closest to the bride.
Traditionally, the groom would say his vows first, followed by the bride, according to Nathan. However, there are no rules for that wedding tradition, and many couples now choose other ways to determine who goes first, particularly at LGBTQIA+ and nondenominational weddings.
NOTE: Traditionally, a woman's name preceded a man's on an envelope address, and his first and surname were not separated (Jane and John Kelly). Nowadays, the order of the names—whether his name or hers comes first—does not matter and either way is acceptable.
The groom's parents precede the bride's mother during the processional. Here's a rundown: After the ushers have seated all of the guests, the grandparents start up the aisle, followed by the groom's parents. Then the bride's mother takes her turn.
Aside from a grand newlywed entrance, a lot of the time couples will include the wedding party, and sometimes even parents, as part of the introductions so your guests know who they are.
The mother of the bride is traditionally escorted by her son if she has one. Otherwise, any close male relative, the best man, or a groomsman walks with the mother of the bride during the procession.
5 minutes prior to ceremony: The groom's mother is escorted to her seat by the head usher, a son, or the groom. The groom's father follows and sits next to her. The wedding processional follows. Read more about the wedding processional order here.
After those people take their places, the best man and the groomsmen traditionally walk down the aisle, in order to protect the groom from evil spirits or attackers. Then the bridesmaids make their way down the aisle, followed by the maid of honor.
From walking down the aisle first to last, the traditional order is: Mother of Bride, Mother of Groom, Grandparents of Bride, Grandparents of Groom, Groom, Officiant, the Wedding Party, Maid of Honor and Best Man, Ring Bearer, Flower Girl and lastly the Bride and her Father.
The bride and groom will dance first. This is the usual format. Then the parent dances with the couple - the father with the bride and the mother with the groom. The groom's father will then dance with the bride and the groom with the mother-in-law.
Who gives a toast at a wedding? Your parents/parent figures, wedding party members, best friends, or close relatives are generally the ones who give speeches or readings throughout your wedding celebration, but ultimately, you can ask whoever you want if it will mean something to you.
Bride and Groom Seating at Reception
Typically, the bride sits on the groom's left, with the best man on the bride's right and the maid of honor on the groom's right. Head table seating is traditionally boy-girl, but you don't have to follow this tradition.
The groom must not open the car door when he arrives to fetch his bride. He has to wait patiently for the bride's younger brother to open the bridal car door for him. The younger brother will open the door and pass him two oranges.
Most couples have a grand entrance, also known as a grand march, to introduce themselves as the newly-wed couple, introduce their wedding party, and let their guests know that the party can begin.
What is referred to as the traditional order of vows is simply the way wedding ceremonies have been performed in a patriarchal religious society for centuries; the groom says his wedding vows first.
Answer: Traditionally, guests are expected to stay until after the cutting of the cake. This was usually the last thing the couple did before making their getaway.
As a rule of thumb, wedding ceremonies typically last 30 minutes to an hour—although short and sweet wedding programs are okay, too—and most wedding receptions typically last four to five hours.
The mother-son dance is a popular tradition for the groom during wedding reception celebrations. The groom will take his mother out on the dance floor for a special dance together for this tradition. It is a time for the groom to focus on his mother and create a special moment together one-on-one.
The Groom: The groom proceeds to walk down the aisle accompanied by their parents, with his father on the left and his mother on the right. The Bridesmaids: The bridesmaids then proceed in pairs, starting with those standing farthest from the bride. The Maid or Matron of Honor: The bride's right-hand woman walks alone.