The wedding ceremony processional is a very special part of the wedding. It begins with the couple's family, then the wedding party and ends with the bride beautifully and dramatically.
Table of Contents
Your Wedding Ceremony Processional: Getting Started
When you first start thinking about your wedding ceremony processional, you want to review who is in your wedding party and who you want to process into the wedding. The processional is a public display of who is a part of your wedding and gives honor to the family present. It typically begins with the officiant whether they process down the aisle or from the pastor's study which is also common. Once the pastor in is place, they act as a guide for the processional even before offering greetings or offering anything verbal.
The Purpose of a Processional
A processional is an announcement. It's the first part of the wedding program that lets everyone know that the wedding is beginning. Every wedding is different but the professional may even happen before the wedding officiant, or pastor, provides the opening invocation, or prayer. Once everyone is in place the wedding continues.
But first, the processional is a visual reminder and explanation of who is in the wedding family and who is in the wedding party. This is the opportunity for everyone to move to their places at the wedding whether it is at the altar with the bride and groom or seated with the congregation.
The processional helps everyone to know that the wedding is now beginning. If there is a buzz of anticipation leading up to the wedding, which there usually is, the processional lets everyone know that it is now officially beginning. Now it's time for everyone to be quiet and prepare for the ceremony to take place.
Who Should Process Into Wedding
Those who will process into the wedding include your officiant, family, and wedding party. For both family and your wedding party, it may be the case that not every person will process into the wedding. This is the case more so with family than the wedding party. You will usually have more family members attending the wedding than the number of people who will process.
Family members who are a part of the processional will include immediate families such as parents, grandparents, and children. Also, the ring bearer and flower girls are included as either family friends or family members.
The wedding party will almost always process in together. In more rare cases, there may be an honorary bridesmaid or wedding party member who is not able to be present with the wedding party and will remain with the congregation.
How Should They Process
It's really up to the couple how the processional should go but for the wedding ceremony, it should be respectful. The wedding is a sacred ceremony and this is a rare case where the officiant may or may not speak to begin the ceremony but instead will begin with this silent processional. The processional does not bring unnecessary attention to those whom are processing in. It does make a statement that we are now beginning with the wedding. It is the spark and again, the introduction to the entrance of the bride which demands the attention of the congregation.
Different Methods of Doing The Processional
There are different ways that the professional can be done. Many times there is a silent processional for immediate family and the wedding officiant will then do a welcome and let everyone know that it is time to stand for the processional that includes the wedding party which includes the bride and groom. The officiant can also do a welcome right at the beginning and the family can process in followed by the wedding party.
This is where there is some flexibility in how it is done and how long you want the guests to be standing. But it's not a time for too much creativity. That's more appropriate for the wedding reception after the ceremony. For this moment, it's establishing a sense of reverence for the event. Once the famil and wedding party of concluded the processional the pastor can do a welcome and invocation for the day.
Music in the Processional
The music played during the processional is a hidden but useful character in this story. The music is an indicator to the guests what they should be doing at each moment, for example whether they are looking more toward the altar or if they are standing up and waiting for the bride to enter. The music is an excellent accompaniment to this processional by giving a hint at each part of the process.
