Day #20: Rehearsal Tips To Save The Day

From Erik Michaels and June Hoffman of Megasound

Wow, here we are almost to Christmas!! Today, we will focus on tips to help you avoid troubles during your wedding rehearsal. “Practice makes perfect”, as they say. Rehearsals are all about practicing; and proper planning ahead of time will eliminate potential issues the day of both your rehearsal AND your wedding. Here are the top ten tips for your rehearsal:

1. Ask all attending the rehearsal to arrive on time. This would include all members of the wedding party. It is helpful to have the musician(s) or DJ to attend as well as any readers, ushers, and parents so cues and timing can be coordinated for the event.

2. Know in advance of the rehearsal any logistical obstacles (wedding arch, planters, urns, bodies of water).

3. If possible, have a few chairs to represent the front row. This will show the amount of space needed as well as give a chance for your Ushers to practice seating mothers for the ceremony.

4. Bring a mock bouquet and veil/train (if wearing them) to the rehearsal. This will help showing the girls all about carrying a bouquet as well as how things will look for the ceremony.

5. If there is to be an aisle runner, decide ahead of time who will put out the runner as well as when. Traditionally, the aisle runner is for the Bride’s walk down the aisle. Be sure to note if tape is needed (or some other type of adhesive or fasteners) to secure the runner to the ground. You never know when a strong gust of wind will happen during an outdoor wedding.

6. Decide if you want the groomsmen to enter with the Groom or with the Bridesmaids. If the wedding party is to walk in pairs, try to pair couples for height as well.

7. Consider practicing the lighting of the Unity candle. Each Unity candle and holders are configured slightly differently. Having the wicks pre-lit reduces the wick size and, in turn, the amount of time to actually light the Unity candle during the ceremony. If you are using an alternate “Unity” tradition (sand or others), know where placement will be for this part of the ceremony. Knowing where other traditions will take place is also important in case your Officiant has to step out of the way for you to get to the setup.

8. You will generally want to go through the steps of the ceremony two or three times. This will give everyone a good feel for the actual ceremony. It should only take two times with an all adult wedding party and possibly three times with younger children involved in the ceremony.

9. If you are including any special presentations that are a surprise for the recipient(s), plan on just the Bride and Groom remaining after all others have left to practice that part of the ceremony. One example is a presentation of a rose to the Mothers.

10. If you haven’t already given your Officiant your marriage license, bring your marriage license to the rehearsal. Traditionally, the Best Man is responsible for remembering this detail.

Feel free to contact us with any questions on your wedding rehearsal.