Wedding Attendant Formations
Among the first decisions you will make for your wedding will be the makeup of your wedding party. When you watch a wedding (whether it is in a movie, on television or even in person) wedding attendant formations seem like a simple idea: a best man, a maid (or matron) of honor and then some bridesmaids and groomsmen. At first glace it seems that the only decision to make about your wedding attendant formation is deciding who will take part in it.
Would it surprise you to learn that many religions and churches have very strict rules about wedding attendant formations? It's true! There is a lot more to it than deciding who will be walking and what they will be wearing. A lot of thought will go into the order of your attendants, whether they will walk alone or in pairs and whether or not you want to follow the rules that dictate traditional ceremonies.
In traditional civil ceremonies, Christian and Jewish weddings, the rules dictate that the wedding attendants walk down the aisle either by themselves or in pairs of the same sex. This can be tricky if the bride has a male friend that she wants to be part of the wedding party or the groom has a female friend that he would like to take part in the wedding party, though it is often "got around" by having those friends stand with wedding party members of the same gender.
Of course, before you start to worry about what kind of rules you will need to follow for wedding attendant formations, you should first decide where you are going to get married and who you want to be the officiator of your wedding ceremony. Some churches or civic halls have very strict rules on wedding attendant formations and some officiators might have very specific ideas as to the order of your wedding processional.
Obviously, not all wedding ceremonies have to be traditional civil ceremonies or traditional religious services. If you can find an officiator and a wedding location that don't have strict rules about your wedding attendant formations, your wedding processional is up to you! Remember, your wedding is about what you want!