What is the arrangement for walking down the aisle at a wedding?

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Planning a wedding ceremony is all about the details, from choosing the flowers and decorations for the venue to deciding on the vows you’-ll make to each other. One important detail that some couples overlook is the processional, or the order in which the wedding party will enter the ceremony. While there is a traditional wedding processional order, modern couples often design their own entrance plans.

1. Women in the Wedding Party

   • Traditionally, the first people to walk down the aisle in any wedding are the junior bridesmaids, if the bride has younger girls as part of her bridal party. The remaining bridesmaids then enter the ceremony, followed by the maid of honor or matron of honor. If the bridal party includes a flower girl or ring bearer, these children enter just before the bride and her escort. While the bride's father customarily escorts her down the aisle, she can choose anyone she wants to walk with her -- or no one at all. For example, in traditional Jewish weddings, both of the bride’-s parents walk her down the aisle, a custom that brides of other faiths are adopting.

   Men in the Wedding Party

   • In traditional Christian weddings, the groomsmen and the groom wait at the altar for the bride and her attendants to enter the ceremony, after escorting guests to their seats. In some weddings, the groomsmen escort the bridesmaids down the aisle. In traditional Jewish weddings, the groomsmen walk down the aisle in pairs, followed by the best man and the groom and his parents. However, as weddings become more personalized, couples are designing their own entrance plans for the men of the wedding party. For example, in some weddings, the parents or grandparents of the bride and groom are escorted to their seats by groomsmen as part of the wedding processional. The groomsmen then take their places at the altar. And some couples opt for a unique entrance, with all of the attendants dancing together down the aisle or making some other type of grand entrance.

   Leaving the Ceremony

   • In most weddings, when the ceremony ends, the wedding party leaves in the reverse order of how they came in. The bride and groom exit first, followed by the officiant. The youngest members of the party follow- junior bridesmaids can escort the flower girl and ring bearer. The bridesmaids and groomsmen pair off to leave the ceremony. If there are more bridesmaids than groomsmen, then groomsmen can escort two bridesmaids each. The parents and grandparents of the couple follow the wedding party, then other guests file out.

   Personalization

   • While many couples choose to follow tradition for their wedding processional, others personalize the wedding to fit their style and individual circumstances. For example, if the wedding is a second marriage, the bride or groom may choose to enter the ceremony escorted by their children. Cultural and religious customs also influence who enters the wedding ceremony when. Depending on where your ceremony takes place, you can incorporate unusual aspects to the processional as well. For example, at a farm wedding, the bride and groom can enter on horseback.

Source: www.ehow.com

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