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.
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.
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.
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 priest and the ministers walk to the altar first. Only then do the rest of the members of the processional enter, in the following order: groom, best man, groomsmen, maids of honor, bridesmaids, ring bearer, flower girl, and the bride and her father.
Church ceremonies traditionally the bridesmaids follow the bride down the aisle because the bride has to turn to give her bouquet to her maid of honour to hold during the ceremony and vows.
In a Catholic wedding processional, the bridesmaids and groomsmen walk down the aisle in pairs, with the groomsman on the right and the bridesmaid on the left, starting with the attendants who will stand farthest from the bride and groom. Once the pair reaches the end of the aisle, they part ways.
The list of bridesmaids' responsibilities includes: Emotionally supporting the bride at all times throughout the wedding planning and ceremony. Assisting the Maid of Honor in planning and paying for the bridal shower and bachelorette party, and of course, assisting the Maid of Honor throughout the wedding day.
Most often, bridesmaids cover the cost of their dress and undergarments, shoes, accessories, and hair and makeup for the wedding day. The bride may opt to cover any of the aforementioned costs if she deems it appropriate.
The maid of honor, along with the rest of the bridal party, is expected to cover all wedding attire costs. This includes the dress (plus any necessary alterations), shoes, and any jewelry you'll be wearing the day of. Occasionally, the bride will gift her bridesmaids with whatever accessories she wants them to wear.
Many wedding parties have the rehearsal dinner the evening before the wedding, so you may all be dressed up, hair and makeup done, and ready for some fun! Going out for drinks or dessert with just the girls is a great way to spend some quality time together before the wedding ceremony.
The wedding party members can walk down the aisle individually or in pairs. The person or people standing farthest away from the couple would enter first.
The bride takes her father's right arm, holds her bouquet in her left hand and the bridesmaids, flower girls and page boys take their places behind the bride in pairs, usually with the youngest directly behind the bride. They process down the aisle towards the groom who takes a step forward to greet the bride.
The mother of the bride is the last person seated before the officiant, groom and best man take their places at the altar. She can walk alone or be escorted by her son, son-in-law or another relative.
This exclusive group, often referred to as maids of honor and bridesmaids, is cherished because they spend special time with you before you tie the knot. They are all responsible for so many other pieces that go into planning and executing the bride's dream wedding. So it is apt that they get ready with the bride-you.
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.
Officiant stands at the altar. Groom and best man enter from a side door and stand at the altar. Bridesmaids and ushers walk in pairs (if there are uneven numbers, the odd person can walk alone, or two maids or groomsmen can walk together). The maid or matron of honor walks alone.
The maid of honor usually stands closest to the bride and holds the bride's bouquet. If one of your besties is a matron of honor, you can ask her to stand in the second spot.
Most couples choose to have their bridesmaids and groomsmen walk separately during the procession and then pair up after the ceremony is done. A traditional ceremony procession begins with the officiant, the groom and his groomsmen walking up from the side of the ceremony.
As well as the bridesmaids walking down the aisle first, they also stand throughout the ceremony rather than sitting in the front row. The idea behind this is that their role is to support you, so they stand with you during the ceremony itself.
Doing a first look with your bridesmaids also lends itself to candid photos since your photographer will capture everyone's reactions in real time—whether it's excitement or tears of happiness. If you're looking for another way to make your wedding even more meaningful, a first look with your bridal party will deliver.
Stay Over with the Groom
Traditionally, the best man may stays with the groom the night before the wedding. Prepare for this with drinks and lots of snacks, but make sure the groom doesn't drink too much or eat anything that could cause an issue the next day.
A rehearsal dinner is typically held the night before a wedding, and like the name suggests, is a rehearsal to the following day's events. This dinner is a great opportunity for both the bride and groom's family and friends to mingle and spend some quality time with the couple before the actual wedding.
The Groomsmen Then Bridesmaids: The bridesmaids and the groomsmen will typically walk in pairs, starting from those who will stand farthest from the couple. The Maid or Matron of Honor: The maid or matron of honor will walk alone after other bridal party members.
We'd say there's a fairly solid consensus that the couple should pay for anything beauty-related for bridesmaids, like hair, makeup, tans or nails. Basically, anything that affects the way the girls look that the bride has specifically requested.