Today we bring you the 2nd part of our series about Wedding Etiquette. In this blog we’ll look at wedding etiquette for your ceremony along with the latest views. If you missed the previous blog about Stationery you can catch that here.
Walking Down The Aisle
Traditionally the bride’s father walks her down the aisle. This dates back to when women were seen as the property of their father until they were married. So the bride was literally given away in exchange for a dowry.
Thankfully things have moved on! But most brides still ask their father/step father to walk them down the aisle. Indeed, the wording in the ceremony still asks who is giving the bride away (unless you ask for this wording to be excluded).
But what if this isn’t an option or not the best option for you?
Then choose the person who has supported you most in your life. Or maybe choose to walk alone? There are no hard and fast rules for this.
The Order for Walking Down The Aisle
Traditional church weddings would see the ‘procession’ in this order:
– Priest/Vicar
– Bride
– Bridesmaids
Many couples switch this around a lot now and will have the bridesmaids walking down first. This is a nice way of building the anticipation for your guests and the groom.
It also gives the bride a few precious minutes with whoever is walking her down the aisle and to gather her thoughts.
Seating
In a Christian church ceremony, wedding etiquette states the Bride’s family were seated on the left and groom’s family on the right (when looking at the church from the back). Ushers would escort guests to their seats, offering their right arm to women.
The tradition of which side to sit on seems to have followed us to civil ceremonies. Guests will often ask where they should sit when they arrive.
So it’s worth having someone available to help them. Signs encouraging guests to sit where they like are popular too if you’re not bothered about people being on a particular side.
Most guests will still leave space near the front so that the immediate family of the couple can sit there.
It’s quite a nice idea to reserve some seats for important family members, especially if you have a large family.
Leaving the Ceremony
Traditionally the bride and groom would leave the ceremony first. The best man and chief bridesmaid would be next to leave. Then bride’s mother with the groom’s father followed by groom’s mother with the bride’s father.
Again you can mix this up how you like to suit your own families. However, it’s still usually the happy couple who leave first.
This allows all the guests to see the couple together immediately after they’re married. It also gives the couple chance to grab a few minutes together while their guests exit and gather for photos and/or the drinks reception.
Confetti Shot
The tradition of throwing confetti stems from Italy. Flowers, petals or rice would be thrown to bestow fertility and prosperity on the newly married couple.
This is still a very popular tradition with paper confetti or dried flower petals and lends itself well to a few great photos!
Do make sure you check your venue allows confetti though as many places don’t. And watch out for kids thinking it’s great to scoop up pebbles and throw them!! (true story!)
If you need help with a certain aspect of your wedding planning, why not book a few hours consultancy with me? Get in touch if this is something that you think could be helpful to you, I’d love to hear from you.
Louise
