Wedding Rehearsal Make Your Own

Question: How do i manage a good and effective wedding rehearsal?

(Posted by: David M on 2009-09-10 09:25:57)

I am performing my niece's wedding in a few weeks (Disclaimer: I am not a minister, but can be licensed under California law for 24 hours to perform a wedding). We have a wonderful ceremony planned, which includes some Peruvian customs since my niece is 1/ 2 Peruvian. It just occurred to me that I have to manage the rehearsal. We want to keep some of the actual ceremony secret, particularly when we honor the mothers of the bride and groom. Do I simply walk everyone through the "action " portions? I am deeply honored to have been asked to do this and obviously want to help the ceremony flow smoothly. I haven't been to a rehearsal since I was married 32+ years ago. Thank you all very much.

Posted by: Soon to be Mrs. Moulthrop on 2009-09-10, 09:36:12

Do the basic run through. Maybe whisper to the couple "this is where we will do this for the mothers. " or "this is when this happens. " if you don't want everything known about the ceremony. Basically the party needs to know when to come in and where to go. That's it for them. You don't even have to say the vows or what will be said during the ceremony. Just "Okay, stand here. Then I'll say my thing and then this.. "

Posted by: ? on 2009-09-15, 14:21:50

You can start by telling people what to expect during the rehearsal. "We will run through the sequence of events verbally first and I'll answer any questions you have, then we'll do a walk through with music. " It's nice to have the parties walk through the venue, or down the aisle to the music as they would during the ceremony so they can get a feel for the timing. Also try to include props, as handing bouquets back and forth for ring exchange can be awkward if unexpected. You can point out any (major) differences between what you do in rehearsal and what they should expect during the ceremony so no one is thrown completely off guard. Everyone will be more relaxed on the day if they know exactly when and where they need to be, so you might want to run through the coming in, assembling, and leaving portions of the ceremony a second time. Then answer any remaining questions. Finally have fun! Congratulations to your niece!