On the big day

Get ready for one of the most hectic days of your life!

Doing a trial run

The week, or even the day, before a church wedding, you’ll probably be expected to go to the wedding rehearsal which will be attended by the bridal party and possibly the groom’s parents too.

At the rehearsal, the minister will run through the service, everyone will be shown where to stand before and during the service, and the rough timings will be finalised. 

As well as being a practice run for the service, the rehearsal also serves as a meeting time for any members of the wedding party who have yet to meet. The bride and groom often take the opportunity to take the wedding party out for dinner as a token of their appreciation. In the US, these ‘rehearsal dinners’ are the norm.

The day begins

This is going to be one of the most hectic days of your life, so make sure you’ve double-checked everything the night before. Go over the final version of your speech, and give a copy to your wife or other relative in case of disaster! 

Call the car in advance to check there are no hold ups. Reassure your daughter you’ve done this, then see to your own nerves with a (small) glass of champagne.

Getting there

Your most important task on the morning of the day is to support your daughter, calm her nerves and, above all, get her to the ceremony on time!
You also need to make sure the cars arrive to take the bridesmaids, mother of the bride and other members of the family to the ceremony.

When helping your daughter into the bridal car, make sure that her fabulous dress is not crushed. This will probably be the only time you have alone together today, so if you want to say anything to her, now’s the time. Most brides are very nervous at this point, so a few words of support will be appreciated. Make sure you’ve got a few tissues in case her feelings get the better of her.

Wedding drill

If the marriage is taking place in church, a hymn is usually sung once you have walked your daughter up the aisle. The vicar then states the reason for the gathering and asks if anyone knows of any reason why the marriage should not take place.

Having received the couple's agreement to be married, the vicar asks who is giving the bride away. The bride hands her bouquet to the chief bridesmaid and you place her right hand in that of the vicar, who gives it to the groom.

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