7 reasons to have a wedding rehearsal

“It all went by in a blur”

Getting married is for some is a once in a lifetime event. If you have been married before the ceremony is most likely a blurred memory now. Couples will say it all went by sooooo quickly and it went by in a flash in a flurry of chaos because, something was forgotten or left behind and only noticed at the last minute.

So how can you make the ceremony a part of your wedding day where you are relaxed and able to take it all in?

A wedding rehearsal or a pre-wedding run is organised for various reasons. The main one being that everyone in the wedding party gets to know what to do and when to do it and why they are doing it. With so many moving parts dependant on everyone doing their thing at the right time, this leaves the chance of so much can go wrong if they are not rehearsed.

You wedding party can impact the memories of your wedding day.

They can either make the first presentation of you to your guests one they will be memorable for all the right reasons or for all the wrong reasons.

Wedding rehearsals are not a totally new idea when it comes to weddings here in Ireland. It was in the past more common to have a rehearsal for church weddings. These rehearsals generally covered the religious elements that are core the wedding ceremony, with some practise of where to stand to deliver a  reading, the offertory procession and the like that is central to the religious service as opposed to the sentiment or atmosphere you are trying to create for your big day.

Is that enough to fill you full of confidence that you will make a beautiful entrance to walk down the aisle? Do you think you will be reassured that all your wedding party will know when to do their part so that they help you make your ceremony ‘about you’.  And does it feel sufficient enough to capture that magic moment of walking down the aisle with whoever is giving you away?

So here are the Top 7 reasons to have a wedding rehearsal for your big day so you don’t end up on You Tube Wedding Fails videos!

1 Emotions Run High – It’s not something you do or think about doing on a regular basis in your everyday life, and now you have more people to coordinate trying to create a lovely atmosphere in an intense short period of time. No pressure!!!!

It is advisable to have a person who is extremely organised and can elicit the meaning behind what you are doing so that it is felt in the way you want. An external person maybe just what you need to direct your wedding party if they don’t take a family member seriously.

2 The panicked wedding party – Your wedding party can be more conscious about how they look, walking down the aisle instead of paving the way for you to make your big entrance. Will you spend more time calming them down instead of soaking up the atmosphere yourself? The rehearsal sun through will land firmly what their role is on the day.

3 Blink and they are gone – Your wedding party can walk down that aisle like they are champion sprinters and all end up at the end of the all bunched up not knowing where to go and sit. The rehearsal shows how this will look and it is my experience they once people understand what to do and why they need to do it in that way, they will do their best for you.

Beautiful moments can be created if the pace down the aisle is just right that can be captured by the photographer and videographer that will be moments to treasure.

4 Being given away? – There is a little ‘choreography’ at the end of the aisle – get it right and it is meaningful. This is a HUGE moment.  A life changing moment as the giver away lets accompanies the bride or groom as they walk towards their significant other to form a deep meaningful bond. Ultimately the person who is being given away and they person they are marrying are at the precipice of stepping into the next life milestone of their lives. One so important is witnessed by others and celebrated with a group of nearest and dearest. Get it wrong and you may be the star of a ‘wedding fail’ You Tube Video.

5 Good timing is invisible, bad timing sticks out like sore thumb – You get to time your music to your entrance, especially if it is being played through an iPod. The music may be controlled from another room so you will need to get a sense of the chain of direction to stop and start the music. Entrances can be clunky if the cues are not right and exits can be marred by standing too long waiting on the music to start. Stand for too long and your guests will leave before you walk down the aisle!

6 Will your music enhance the emotion or completely embarrass you? – Should one of your guests be appointed ‘Temporary DJ’ for the ceremony music, they will need to practise the fading the music at just the right time. Easier said than done if the person is not ‘in tune’ with the flow of things. The danger of playing the wrong piece of music for the wrong element of your ceremony is higher when only list of songs is given and no other instruction. Music has the capacity to add real value and emotion, music helps us connect to what is happening around us and the sentiment to it all. Get it right and you will create lovely memories for yourselves.

7 Magic Photo Moments. A wedding rehearsal lets you see the photo opportunities you want to create. Ensuring that the moving parts of your day are coordinated so that the special moments of your day are captured uncluttered, facial expressions are clearly seen and space is created around the most important moments. For photographers there is probably only one moment to get the shot so give them that opportunity by knowing where those moments will happen.

Final words

If you are not doing a wedding rehearsal then my advice to don’t wait until the wedding day itself and live off HOPE that it will all go swimmingly well. Get the rehearsal in, practice with your wedding party and show them what you want to create. Help them understand the atmosphere and feeling that is your dream day. And then enjoy it all the more because it flowed the way you always dreamed it would be on your big day.