Let’s talk about rehearsals!
Updated: Jun 30, 2022
Did you know our venue allows you to schedule a free 1 hour for your rehearsal walk through the week of your wedding? We strongly encourage a rehearsal walk through for several reasons. Here’s why, along with a few added tips:
Rehearsals allow your bridal party to do a run through of how the walking order will go both before and after the ceremony. If you are doing multiple songs for each section of your processional, (ie; family members, then any bridal party members) it also helps everyone to recognize which songs they should be walking out to, if you play it on your phone. Bonus- if you will have family members escorted down the aisle, they can practice the hand off and where they will be seated afterwards. This really helps everyone involved to be more comfortable and more confident on your BIG day, which is one less thing to stress about!
Rehearsals give you the opportunity to help stage where your bridal party members will be standing. Ever been to a wedding and the bridal party was kind of staggered on each side and everyone looked out of place? Well by taking a few extra minutes during your rehearsal to step back and make sure you neatly align your bridal party members, and practicing it once more, you can breathe easier knowing that your photos will turn out with everyone looking like rockstars! PRO TIP: During rehearsal, if your venue will allow it, use masking tape to make a small little mark where each bridal party member should stand... Trust us, your photographer will thank you for it, when they are able to more easily capture some amazing ceremony shots!
We know everyone typically loves to bring their significant others along with them to a rehearsal, as you usually head to dinner afterwards. BUT, in order to make your rehearsal walk through the most time efficient, we recommend making an announcement at the start of your rehearsal, that those who are NOT walking, please take a seat and just watch, as those who ARE walking, gather and begin practicing.
If you will be doing any special activity during your ceremony, (ie; knot tying, sand ceremony, ect.) this would make a great time to practice how it will work, and to verify if you will need any last minute items such as a small table to hold the items, or where those items will be placed before the ceremony.
If your officiant can not make it for your rehearsal walk through (some charge extra for this service as they are required to travel and schedule time for it) it’s OK! You will be in contact with your officiant leading up to your big day while you discuss your vows and other key elements, as they will be your guide and leading the way during your ceremony. We love seeing officiants during the rehearsal, but if they can not attend, don’t fret! We recommend providing them with your walking order and song selections, so they can read through it the night before or morning of, just to help better familiarize themselves with how the processional and recessional orders will go.
During your last run through, take just a moment before you end- to look around, take a deep breath, recognize all of those who came out to be a part of this and support you, and take it all in. Your big day will FLY by and this is one of the last group events, before the wedding day, so you will want to enjoy every last minute of it!
Of course... if you have a coordinator, they most likely will be in attendance and can help take the lead during your rehearsal to assist with all of the items we mentioned above, which is why we HIGHLY recommend having a coordinator! Be sure to check out next week’s blog as we highlight the importance of a coordinator! Stay tuned!
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