A checklist of everything you need to do at your wedding ceremony rehearsal
Your wedding ceremony is just around the corner and you're madly trying to organise your tribe to be at your wedding venue on the same day at the same time. Sometimes it isn't possible for your marriage celebrant to make it to the wedding rehearsal and when that happens to be me, I have been sending a step by step guide on what to remember to rehearse! I think that others may find some value in it so here is the Daniel Delby Wedding Ceremony Rehearsal Checklist!
Who do you need: The non negotiables are the Bride and Groom obviously, the bridesmaids and whoever is walking the bride down the aisle. The rest of the bridal party are not essential but for your peace of mind they can attend. If you have an overbearing parent or person in the bridal party attending the wedding rehearsal, I would suggest letting them know that the marriage celebrant is going to run things. They are the professional and you have hired them for a reason. This way you can have a smooth wedding rehearsal that doesn't drag on and you can all have a feed and drink after.
Waiting with the Groomsmen
To be 100% honest the groomsmen are not necessary at the rehearsal. All of the things they are involved in can be sorted on the day of the wedding while we wait for the bride but if they are attending then the first thing you can practice is their positioning, then they can go have a beer and wait!
What part of the Ceremony | What to Practice | Who is involved |
Positioning of the Groomsmen | On the day I will usually check with the photographer but in general you want them to be on an angle and ensure they are all doing the same thing with their hands. Usually, left hand over right especially when wearing watches. Also, SUNNIES OFF! | The Groomsmen. |
When the groomsmen are in position, the bridesmaids have one less thing to think about as they can simply mirror them.
The arrival and walk down the aisle
I will always check up on the bride when she arrives. So I organise to have someone let me know when she gets there. I rehearse this so it is the same as the day. The first bridesmaid down is the person that is going to be furthest to the left of the bride. See the image above. Then go in cascading order until finally the bride and whoever is walking her down. The aim of rehearsing this section is to either find a physical marker or an audio point in the song where each bridesmaid leaves to begin their walk. We want to leave plenty of time for the bride to bask in all her glory!
What part of the ceremony? | What to practice | Who is involved |
The arrival and walk down the aisle | Timing of the bridal party walks DANIEL DELBY SUPER TIP: If the song is too short, assign the bridal party a different song | Bridesmaids, Bride and Person walking the bride down the aisle |
End of the aisle/ The handover
This is the one part of the ceremony that I make sure we rehearse as usually I am not near this part. Make sure whoever is walking the bride down the aisle knows exactly what they're going to do once they reach the end. I often see the father look like a lost toddler so I make sure that he knows it's going to be a handshake to the groom (or hug or bullet or whatever you decide!) then hug the daughter! So many Dad's panic, shake the grooms hand as in she's all yours now and bail on the bride.
What part of the ceremony? | What to practice | Who is involved |
End of aisle | What the person walking the bride down the aisle is going to do with the groom and to remember to give the bride a hug! Bride to hand over bouquet to Maid of Honour either during the above or just after How are you going to stand together? I usually ask my couples to hold hands | Bride, Groom, M.O.H and person walking the bride down |
Vows, Voice and the Rings
It's good to practice microphone technique so you can project your "vow vocals" clearly. The simple rule is a fist away from your mouth but I go one further and tell my couples to rest the mic on their chin so there is no confusion. I usually try duck off out of frame so you can get some nice photos together without the celebrant in it! See below
When I ask for the rings, I get the best man to stand where I was standing. The simplest thing to do is have both rings in one box that way your best man doesn't have to think and you can get the correct ring out to place on the left hand ring finger. In my weddings this occurs twice (after each person's vows, however I practice with the best man on the day while we wait for the bride to arrive)
What part of the ceremony? | What to practice | Who is involved |
Vows voice | Hold the microphone on your chin so the crowd can hear you. I will tap your elbow up on the day if need be! | Bridge and Groom |
Best man handing over rings | Usually best man has rings. If someone else has, use this Is the point where they hand over, or just before doing the vows. Best man to step in and replace where Celebrant is standing at end of vows. Hold ring box open. Bride/Groom chooses the other persons ring Place on left finger | Bride + Groom + person with rings (usually best man) |
Signing and the Kiss
After the vows are done I like to head over and sign the certificates so the first kiss can be as an officially married couple. Once we have signed everything I give any instructions for the reception at this point before we do the kiss. When we are ready for the kiss, I make sure that I am not in your photo or video as you can see below. Any marriage celebrant that doesn't do this should provide you a refund!
What part of the ceremony? | What to practice | Who is involved |
Signing and Kiss | Any instructions to give the crowd is done here before bringing back for kiss Practice what kind of kiss you’re going to do so it’s not awkward! Wait for celebrant to say kiss the bride. It’s nice to plan another kiss upon the exit halfway down aisle | Celebrant. Bride and Groom |
The exit
Once the kiss is complete, the celebrant will announce you as officially married. The bridesmaids and groomsmen can practice how they are going to exit. The most common way is to match up in the middle and walk down after the bride and groom, but other ways is to have all the girls leave and all the guys. There are no rules!
What part of the ceremony? | What to practice | Who is involved |
The exit | Wait for celebrant to announce as husband and wife Walk down aisle, stop halfway and kiss again Groomsmen and Bridesmaids can follow after this kiss. Meet each other in the middle, pair up and walk down aisle behind B n G | Whole Bridal Party |
Different celebrants have different methods but for me these are what I find to be the parts that should be covered.
To download a summarised version feel free to download my word document below.
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