Ceremony Processional Guide
One of the most confusing (and easily overlooked) aspects of planning your wedding can be, without a doubt, determining your ceremony processional order. Understanding what is considered “traditional” gives you a starting point to flex and adjust as needed to fit your family dynamics, relationships, and wedding party. It’s important to note, too, that there is no one right way to lay out your ceremony processional. As with many aspects of your ceremony, it is super customizable, and should be customized to best reflect you, your partner, and your relationships to the people you love most! So, step-parents can be added in, family order can be swapped, the groom can opt to walk in with the best man instead, etc. It’s ultimately up to you to lay out the order how it makes the most sense to you, and this can be an area where a planner or coordinator’s guidance can go a long way to help you feel confident and ready for this important part of your wedding festivities!
So with all that being said, let’s dive in to what’s typically considered “traditional” for an American wedding ceremony.
Officiant
The officiant would typically take the lead up to the ceremony altar to set the stage for the ceremony to come. In some cases, the officiant will enter along the same processional pathway as the families and bridal party; in other cases, the officiant will enter from the side and take their spot up front to signal that the wedding is about to begin.
Groom
The benefit of sending the groom down the aisle immediately following the officiant is two-fold - it guarantees that the groom will not be standing alone at the ceremony altar, and it allows the groom to watch the rest of the processional rather than being further back in the line and missing the moment of family and bridal party members walking down the aisle.
Grandparents
If either partner has living grandparents they would like to honor and the grandparents are willing to participate, it can be a very sweet moment to include grandparents in the ceremony processional. Once they reach the front of the ceremony space, grandparents will simply take their seats in the front row.
Groom’s Parents
The parents of the groom will typically follow the grandparents, and will take their seats in the front row as well once they reach the front of the ceremony space. The groom’s mother would traditionally take the aisle seat on the groom’s side of the ceremony seating, and his father would take the second seat in from the aisle.
Mother of the Bride (and her escort)
Assuming (based on the traditional American wedding processional) that the bride’s father will be walking her down the aisle, the mother of the bride will enter the ceremony solo or with another escort. It is common for a son or brother to fill this role so that the mother of the bride does not have to enter the ceremony alone, but if she prefers to walk in by herself that is common as well.
Wedding Party
Following the families, the wedding party members will enter the ceremony. There are a number of different ways to send the wedding party down the aisle - the most traditional would be for members of the groom’s party and members of the bride’s party to enter in pairs, but it is becoming increasingly common for groomsmen and then bridesmaids to enter individually. When planning out wedding party processional order, it is important to remember that the first wedding party members to walk will be the farthest from the bride and groom during the ceremony, so the maid of honor and best man should walk out last.
Ring Bearer and/or Flower Girl
If a ring bearer and/or flower girl are to be included in the ceremony, they will be the last wedding attendants to enter before the bride and her escort. In some cases (depending on the ages of the children and the relationships to the bride and groom), the ring bearer and flower girl will find their families in the ceremony seats, or they may stand at the front with the bridesmaids and groomsmen.
Bride and Father of the Bride
The bride will be the last to enter the ceremony, typically escorted by her father. It has also become increasingly common for the bride to enter with both of her parents, or with another family member if there is someone else she would like to honor by having them enter the wedding ceremony alongside her. Once the bride has taken her place at the front of the ceremony space and her escort has taken their seat, the wedding ceremony can begin!
This outline gives you a starting place for how to organize your wedding ceremony processional, but again, it should be very personal to you and how you want to honor the relationships that brought you to your partner, and ultimately, to your wedding day! Have fun determining how you would most like to honor your loved ones, and remember to consult a planner or coordinator for any processional questions specific to your circumstances.
