It’s no secret that a wedding has a rehearsal, typically the day before. But if you’ve never done this before, how do you know what to do? With these Wedding Rehearsal Basics, you’ll be ready to walk down that aisle!
First off, running your wedding rehearsal is included in all of our services, no matter what. Now, we often have couples ask if they even need one. The answer is yes, most of the time. The only time we haven’t done rehearsals is when there is no wedding party and it’s a smaller affair. We recommend having a rehearsal if you have a larger wedding party and also so you get the full wedding experience! You want to make sure that everyone involved is comfortable with what to expect for the ceremony. This includes where they are walking from, where they stand at the front of the aisle, where family sits and how to assist the bride and groom throughout it.
The first of Wedding Rehearsal Basics is who do you include? Anyone that’s directly involved in your ceremony should be there. This includes family members walking in the processional, wedding party members, flower girl, ring bearer and your officiant. We often get asked if the officiant needs to be there. Technically, we are capable of running your rehearsal without a problem, but we strongly recommend having your officiant there to rehearse with you, especially if you haven’t met them before!
We typically do not recommend running through the entire wedding ceremony at the rehearsal, word for word. This is because it’s supposed to be special the first time your guests hear it, and there might be surprises in there for your partner or family members. We work with your officiant to cover the wedding rehearsal basics that include the overall flow of the ceremony. This would be Welcome, Vows of Intent, Reading, Marriage Vows, Rings, Prayer, Conclusion (or something like that). Our biggest piece of advice to couples is to concentrate on each other the entire time and truly listen to what your officiant is saying to you and all of your guests. Although, it’s not uncommon for our couples to come back up the aisle asking “what just happened?!”!
Our favorite little detail is what to wear to your rehearsal. This depends on the venue, time of day and setting. Most of the time, rehearsals take place before your rehearsal brunch or dinner, so you should be dressed appropriately for that. Do you have to wear white?! No, but how many times do you get to be the only one wearing white and be a bride? 😉 Make sure all attending understand if there is a dress code, too. Some venues, such as country clubs, might require a certain dress code, so be sure to include that information for them!
Lastly, the biggest of the Wedding Rehearsal Basics is to try as best you can to have your rehearsal at your actual venue. We know that sounds silly, but often times, the venue might not have availability the day before your wedding if they have another event. If this is the case, we know you can’t control it, and we can talk options and backup locations with you!
We hope these Wedding Rehearsal Basics have helped you with your rehearsal planning. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered on a lot of the specifics, so all you have to do is show up, relax and have fun for your wedding celebration!
