Wedding Rehearsal
Ryan Martin, Tuesday 8th October 2024
Do we need a wedding rehearsal?
Hi! my name is Ryan Martin and I have been involved in weddings for the last 12 years. I am a civil marriage celebrant, live musician, master of ceremonies and wedding DJ.
I just want to open by saying PLEASE don’t feel like you HAVE to have a wedding rehearsal just because someone told you to. They are often unnecessary, add on additional costs and additional time requiring people to travel earlier than required if they were just attending the wedding.
Why you might need a wedding rehearsal?
If you or someone involved in the wedding has anxiety. Going through the steps of what will actually happen on the day may reduce stress on the big day.
I personally don’t think wedding rehearsal are necessary. I’ve done hundreds of weddings and i’ve only done 2-3 rehearsals because the bride really really really wanted to do one. They were very anxious about how it all would go and required some additional support to get through the day comfortably.
What things shouldn’t be “rehearsed”?
You can understand why some celebrants want to do them if they haven’t done the planning of the ceremony thoroughly OR if the celebrant is inexperienced and needs to practice.
For example, I always find out prior to the ceremony, which side of the arbor each person wants to stand on, what side they want the family to sit, the order of the groomsmen, who is in the processional, if anyone is walking down the aisle to accompany, if anyone is doing a “giving away”, etc.
In my opinion, these things don’t need to be “rehearsed”, they just need to be discussed prior to the day.
What things do you do at a wedding rehearsal?
Typically a wedding rehearsal will involve having all of the bridal party present to step through the whole process.
All of the groomsmen line up at the area where the arbor will be, the groom stands there waiting for each of the people involved in the processional to walk down the aisle and take their place.
After everyone is in position, the celebrant/minister/reverend/etc. goes through the whole ceremony.
Personally, I feel this takes away from the special Occassion that it is! No-one wants to hear a whole ceremony twice!
One thing that I do think is helpful, is to have someone step out the aisle as if they were walking from where the aisle is going to start and finish so we have an idea of the time required for each person to walk down. This can be helpful when making a decision like, should the bridal party walk down to the same song or should the bridesmaids have their own song.
Stay connected! Keep up to date on social media –