Wedding Planning | How the Bridal Party Moves through the Ceremony

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Wedding planning is not all color schemes and floral arrangements. As you consider the logistics of your wedding ceremony, you will determine how your bridal party will move through the sanctuary and share in the day as primary witnesses of your vows. 

Whether your vows are embedded within a full Mass or not, think through the order of the ceremony with your bridal party in mind. How can their presence and movement make the invisible reality of two becoming one more visible for all in attendance? 

Some decisions may carry more significance and intention than others. Throughout these decisions and dialogues, your priest and the wedding coordinator from your church may offer input and perspective to help you make choices. 

The Procession 

Do bridesmaids and groomsmen process into the sanctuary together or separate?

Do men await the procession of women at the front of the aisle? 

There are many ways to think about the bridal party’s procession. If men and women process into the church together, they represent--from the start--the joining of two lives in a fruitful communion. If men and women process into the church individually, they mirror the procession of the groom and bride, who come into the sanctuary alone yet leave arm-in-arm. When men await the women near the front of the altar, they bring to life a quality of receptivity and patient respect for the woman to open her heart, her garden, as professed through aching desire in The Song of Songs. 

The Welcome 

Does the bridal party immediately go to their seats or do they stand near the altar for the bride’s procession?

Whether the bridal party awaits the bride from their seats or surrounding the groom and celebrant, this movement requires some planning and choreography. As a couple, visualize this moment and imagine your surroundings as you approach the altar together for the first time on this solemn day. The bridal party will have a “front row seat” from either perspective. The choice is yours. 

The Celebration of Matrimony 

Where does the wedding party stand during the Marriage Rite?

As you and your beloved exchange vows, does the bridal party remain at their seats or standing alongside the bride and groom?

During the Marriage Rite, the bride and groom will face each other at the foot of the altar. The priest will join them as he facilitates the exchange of consent and the exchange of rings. In addition, the Maid of Honor and Best Man will stand alongside the bride and groom as primary witnesses--and a second set of hands to offer the rings and hold the bride’s floral bouquet. 

There are options concerning the remainder of the bridal party. In most churches, the bridal party is invited to stand alongside the bride and groom in a horseshoe shape towards the wedding guests. While imagining your church’s environment, the side of your bridal party, and your own desires, should your dear friends and family members stand near the bride and groom, stand at the front of the altar but distanced from the center, or remain seated throughout the Marriage Rite? 

The Recessional 

You’re married! How will the bridal party leave the sanctuary? Will they be arm-in-arm in pairs or walk individually?

Would it help to have a conversation about facial expressions and body language? 

This point of the ceremony may be the simplest decision to make regarding the bridal party’s movement. Most often, the bridal party exits in pairs as they joyfully walk down the aisle behind the new Mr. and Mrs. Nonetheless, it’s important to take the recessional into consideration within the context of the ceremony in order to have a full picture of how the bridesmaids and groomsmen represent the coming together of man and woman in the sacrament. 

Are you married or planning a wedding? Did you consider an option for your bridal party that is not included here? Share it with our community on Facebook or Instagram.