Who attends wedding rehearsals?
A question I see all the time is who attends wedding rehearsals? To be honest you’ll get as many answers as there are celebrants! Every celebrant has different views on rehearsals:
- whether they should take place at all
- where they should be held
- who should attend.
All I can do is tell you what I personally think and you can take it or leave it!
The more the merrier!
Personally, as a celebrant, I want as many people involved in the ceremony to attend rehearsal as humanly possible. I want:
- me
- the couple
- all of the wedding party: bridesmaids, groomsmen, groomsmaids, bridesmen, flower girls, page boys
- ring bearer/s
- aisle escort/s
- anyone giving a reading
- anyone involved in a symbolic ritual
- literally anyone with any involvement in the ceremony whatsoever 🙂
Why do all these people need to be there?
A wedding ceremony is not a stage production. It doesn’t have to be perfect. A wedding rehearsal is not designed to iron out all the flaws like a performance rehearsal is.
My wedding rehearsals are designed to familiarise the participants with their roles so that on the big day they’ve got some idea what’s happening. I don’t need everyone to remember every detail. I actually don’t need them to remember ANY details. They’re not required to be perfect in any way, shape or form. I’m still going to be there on the day directing the traffic and telling people what to do – yes, I’m very bossy!
But if we’ve had a rehearsal and everyone has participated, at least they have SOME idea what’s expected. They’re not going to feel like they’re being thrown in the deep end without a life jacket. When they’re walking the aisle they’re going to go oh yeah, I remember this, I know where to go. When it’s time to deliver the rings, the ring bearer is going to feel more comfortable because they’ve done it before. The whole ceremony is going to be somewhat familiar and not at all scary. And weddings are better when everyone is as relaxed as possible!
So who attends wedding rehearsals? Everyone!