With all the things to do in the few days before the wedding you can be forgiven for thinking a wedding rehearsal is not essential in your plans. Forgiven but you are crazy to forget about it.
A wedding rehearsal offers a sense of familiarity and confidence that on your wedding day can help to overcome nerves and butterflies.
In the early days of helping a couple plan their wedding ceremony I always talk about the importance of a rehearsal and not just for the bride and groom.
A wedding rehearsal helps everyone understand the flow of the ceremony from the moment guests arrive til the moment you pop that first bottle of champers after becoming Mr and Mrs.
Have you ever seen a wedding that hadn’t rehearsed beforehand? The bridesmaids have a smile on their face but slight look of panic in their eyes and the celebrant becomes more like an airline steward signalling emergency lighting.
When the bride, groom and bridal party have at least the “idea” of where to stand, whats going to happen next and how the ceremony will go they also can relax [hopefully] and enjoy the moment.
It is a great idea to make room for that wedding rehearsal in your pre-wedding plans.
But a warning, there is such a thing as over rehearsing. Trying to plan everything to the nth degree to then have something go slightly astray on the day can cause your more anxiety than not having a rehearsal at all. The idea is to be comfortable but not a perfectionist.
And my word of wisdom is “don’t time your walk in“. Having a music cue to walk into and then missing can set off all kinds of emotions that you shouldn’t be feeling on the happiest day of your life.
Just walk in, with the music playing in the background with eyes only for the man of your dreams.
Kez is a young, modern, marriage celebrant based in Newcastle. She performs weddings in Newcastle, Central Coast, Hunter Valley and Port Stephens.
