How Should The Bridal Party Enter?

So this might be something that slipped your mind as you were wedding planning. How the heck should my bridal party enter the ceremony? There’s a few different ways to do this especially if you’re outdoors and not in a traditional or Catholic Church ceremony. So let’s talk.

The Common Options

The first way, which happens to be our favorite and preferred way, is to have the groom walk down first with his parents and stand at the front. Then the groomsmen and bridesmaids come down paired and split off at the front. We like this the best because we can get a clear photo of each bridal party member/pair walking down together.

The second way which tends to be most common is for all the groomsmen to enter first. They typically walk around the sides of the ceremony and then stand at the front. Then the bridesmaids walk down one by one. This often results in us not being able to get great shots of the groomsmen and we only get good photos of the bridesmaids.

A third way your bridal party could enter is the have the guys walk down the aisle one by one followed by the bridesmaids coming down one by one. This way we’d get more photos the groomsman as they enter the ceremony space.

The last way we see the bridal party enter the space is really only common in churches. The groomsmen enter and stand in reverse order at the front of the church. This means the groom is at the end the line at the front. As the bridesmaids walk down the aisle, the next guy in line meets the first bridesmaid about 75% of the way down the aisle. They link arms and walk to the front and often bow before going into the pews. This pattern continues until the groom is the only guy left at the front. This option really only works well when there are pews or seats the bridal party will be sitting in.

You Do You

So those are a few ways that your party can enter the ceremony. A few years ago there was a viral video with the bridal party doing a dancing entrance. Not gonna lie, as cheesy as that might be now, I am still so down for it because it is a lot more exciting than a normal walk in. The most important thing to remember is that you do you and be yourselves. Whatever feels the most natural for you and your group of friends is what should happen, but don’t be afraid to think outside the box and have fun with it.

For Brides