Here are some out-of-the-box thoughts about rehearsals…
There are a large variety of ways to help prepare, so you can relax, feel confident and enjoy your Wedding Day.
To have a wonderful wedding, there are only three or four people who need to know exactly what is going to happen.
If these Key persons can gather for a few minutes ahead of time, your wedding will be flawless. These people would be both of you, whoever is giving you away (Dad or Mom & Dad) and me 🙂 I would call this a Pre-Rehearsal, because it happens at a place and Time earlier, than a more “traditional” rehearsal slot. I consider it a rehearsal, but it may be a rehearsal-before-the-rehearsal, for you and your complete Bridal Party.
Other than walking in and out, the main activity/ choreography happens when the Father/ Parents “give” the Bride and the “Gift” is accepted! That’s where we spend most of our time, during the actual rehearsal. If you can gather these key people together ahead of time, to practice the “giving of the bride,” all will be well! I whisper to both of you, what to do next, anytime you need to move, during your ceremony.
Many times, we’ve had Pre-Rehearsals with the key Players (Bride, Groom, parents and maybe a sharp groomsman or Bridesmaid) and then, the Groomsman/ Bridesmaid brief the others in the bridal party. Sometimes this meeting happens early afternoon, the day before the wedding, two days before, the Sunday before, or even weeks before the wedding.
Occasionally, the rehearsal happens the hour before the Ceremony and everything turns out just fine. I’m not suggesting you do that, but I mention that as a frame of reference.
I was honored to Officiate a wedding recently with one of the Chicago Bears and they couldn’t get into their wedding Venue, the evening before their wedding. So, we all met at their favorite Restaurant and imagined where the aisle would be, practiced several times and sat down to a great rehearsal dinner!
In a pinch, when couples choose not to have a rehearsal, I work with their Bridal party anyway, in the minutes before your ceremony, to clarify exactly when they come in, where they walk and where they stand. The bridal party is usually standing around, watching the Clock, until the Wedding begins anyway. Clarifying when everyone walks and where, helps everyone relax and feel better.
Many people in the bridal party have seen enough weddings, or been in enough weddings, to have a good idea what to do, with a minimal amount of coaching. The route to the “Altar” is a little different in every situation, but each couple basically follows the couple before them.
If you don’t have friends who have been in a lot of weddings and you don’t want to have to run the Rehearsal yourself, I would recommend finding a time to have a Pre-Rehearsal with me. Please see more on Pre-Rehearsals on the adjacent Tab.
Yours truly,
Pastor Rich Rubietta
chicagopastor.com
847. 363. 5737
Top 1% -The Knot, since 2014