Rehearsal

(includes excepts from younghipandmarried.com)

​

Do we really need to have a wedding rehearsal?

Although it may seem like added stress and one more thing you have to organize, the rehearsal will actually help to ease the stress and set you up for an awesome ceremony.

Unless you’re getting married just the two of you and the officiant, with no wedding party and no aisle, then we say a wedding rehearsal is important.

​​

What is a wedding rehearsal?

A wedding rehearsal is a walk-through of the wedding ceremony. It usually takes place a few days before the wedding and allows everyone involved in the ceremony to know where they will stand, how and when to enter and exit the ceremony. It’s the perfect time to answer questions like;

• Who will be holding the wedding rings? When are they presented?

• What do I do with my bouquet?

• Where does my immediate family sit?

We will take the lead at the wedding rehearsal and help everyone to know what to expect on the big day so that they can be relaxed and fully enjoy the experience. 

​​

Why have a rehearsal?

To put the focus where it should be; 

The whole point of your wedding is to celebrate your marriage.

It can be really easy to get lost in all the details of outfit fittings, cake tastings and venue visits. But at the end of the day, the whole reason for the party is the ceremony when you become a married couple. If any part of the day deserves some more attention, it’s the ceremony.

​

To help the couple know where to go, sit and stand;

You may think you know how to walk down an aisle, but a wedding rehearsal is about way more than that. Here are a few things you’ll need to think about as the couple of the hour:

• Are you both coming down the aisle or will one person be waiting at the front?

• If you are coming down the aisle, are you walking alone, together or with other people?

• Are there music cues you are waiting for?

• When & where will you sign your marriage licence?

​

To help the wedding party know where to go, sit and stand;

There’s quite a bit for the wedding party to practice;

• What order is the processional? Who in your wedding party is walking first, second, etc.?

• What will their pacing and spacing look like coming down the aisle?

• Where do they stand during the ceremony? Are they in a straight line, diagonal or other arrangement?

• Or will they be sitting?

• If they’re holding flowers, how should they hold them? If they have pants with pockets, would you prefer they keep their hands out of their pockets?

• What order is the recessional?

To plan how the rings will make it to you;

Who is carrying your rings? If you don’t have a ring bearer, is a member of the wedding party responsible for them? When do they get handed to you?

​

Tip: If you do have small children and/or pets in the wedding party, their participation at the rehearsal is optional. The beauty of having little beings involved in the ceremony is that they will do whatever they want in the moment and parents or grandparents are there on the wedding day to try and aim them in the right direction.

How long will the rehearsal take?

Although this will be impacted by the size of your wedding party and the number of people involved in the ceremony, we strive to keeps things simple. We will not be reading through the entire ceremony (that would ruin the moment!)

• We start by getting everyone in the wedding party standing or sitting in the spots that they will occupy on the wedding day.

• We then briefly review the parts of the ceremony; exchange of vows, exchange of rings, first kiss, license signing (IF being done during the ceremony) and any additional “mini-ceremonies” you may wish to include.

• Then we practice the recessional – timing, spacing, and where to go.

• Finally, we go back to the beginning and practice the entrance including any friends/family members that will be involved in the procession.

You should plan for the rehearsal to take approximately 30 minutes.

What about the rehearsal dinner?

A lot of the talk these days is around the rehearsal dinner, totally forgetting about the actual wedding rehearsal. But the wedding rehearsal is the important part. The dinner is totally optional! If you want to make it an event, a rehearsal dinner is a great way to enjoy the company of your wedding party right before the big day when everyone is excited. It’s also a nice chance to connect with in-laws and even hear some toasts you won’t have time for on the wedding day.

But if you’d rather just host a pizza party back at your place after the rehearsal, that’s fine too!