Planner Tip: The Wedding Rehearsal by Barbara Wallace

Photo Courtesy of Tiny Comet Photography

Planner Tip:

The Wedding Rehearsal

Most wedding ceremonies are best if  rehearsed- especially if you have a large wedding party and/or have special or unique elements that the participants must be aware of in advance.

Who should attend the wedding rehearsal? I recommend it be anyone who is going down the aisle- whether being escorted in (such as parents or grandparents) or as an attendant including any children.

It generally takes an hour for a rehearsal but that is once all the participants arrive and have greeted one another. Because the rehearsal is a time when the out of town guests might gather for the first time be sure to allow plenty of time for introductions and late arrivals so you can start on time. Ask participants to arrive about 15 minutes prior to the appointed rehearsal time in order to get all that out of the way.

The time for the rehearsal will largely be determined by the ceremony venue and is usually the evening before the wedding. In a hotel or church there might be a wedding taking place that evening in the location of your wedding so you will need to have your rehearsal completed in time so that wedding can begin their set up.

If you have any choice, set the time of the rehearsal for the convenience of the largest number of the wedding party. If it’s a Friday evening (which is very common) you might need to consider commuter traffic. If a key person is late in arriving you might have to repeat everything which will draw out the rehearsal and bore the people who arrived on time.

Be sure to write out in advance the order of the ceremony and procession so you do not have to figure it out when the participants are standing around and they can be lined up and run through the rehearsal quickly. Otherwise, I guarantee that you will lose their attention and not get it back.

The reward for having a quick and well organized ceremony rehearsal is the rehearsal dinner. Choose a restaurant or other fun facility near the ceremony location so it can easily be accessed via a short ride immediately following the rehearsal.

About the Author:

Barbara Wallace- Wedding Planner

Barbara Wallace is an award winning wedding planner located in California and is a Master Bridal Consultant ™. She has twice won the coveted Gala Award for Best Wedding and has been a winner or nominee of four other Galas. Her work has been featured in numerous publications and on the TV shows “Platinum Weddings” (WE) and “Extreme Weddings” (TLC). She was the real wedding planner on the Bravo TV show “The Real Housewives of Orange County” (Season 3.) Barbara is also the author of the “Wedding Vendor Handbook: Get to the Top and Stay There.”

Barbara is also the co-author of “Beautiful Bride From Every Angle: Look Great in Every Photo…and in Life”.

To get more tips, ideas & inspiration from Barbara you can order her book HERE.