Christian and Jewish wedding ceremonies have different orders of procession. For a civil or non-religious ceremony, all bets are off and you can choose to have your attendants (and yourselves) enter and leave the ceremony in any order you like. And for an interfaith ceremony, you might choose whichever style makes you the most comfortable!
Protestant Processionals
In Protestant ceremonies, the groomsmen generally enter the church from the rear and wait at the altar with the groom. The bridesmaids then walk down the aisle one at a time, with the maid of honor last; then the ring bearer and flower girl enter (if child attendants are part of the ceremony). The bride then enters with her father or other close male relative.
If the ceremony is taking place outside of a church, or if for any other reason the groomsmen cannot enter from the rear, a popular option is for the groom to begin the processional by walking his mother to her seat and then taking his place at the altar, followed by each groomsman accompanying a bridesmaid down the aisle.
Catholic Processionals
Catholic ceremonies have a different processional order, which is as follows:
- The priest, groom, and best man wait at the altar
- Groomsmen then enter from the side of accompany the bridesmaids
- Bridesmaids enter, starting with the maid who will stand farthest from the bride
- Ring bearer and flower girl enter, and may be seated with their parents once they reach the altar
- The bride enters, accompanied by her father or other close male relative.
Jewish Processionals
In Jewish ceremonies, the rabbi (and cantor, if applicable) leads the procession, then the groomsmen walk down the aisle one at a time, followed by the groom who is accompanied by both of his parents. The bridesmaids follow one at a time, and are followed by the bride who is accompanied by both of her parents.
Wedding Recessional
For the recessional in all denominations, the wedding party exits in the reverse order from which they entered, with the bridesmaids and groomsmen walking in pairs. In Christian weddings, the bride and groom lead the recessional, followed by the flower girl and ring bearer, the honor attendants, and the bridesmaids and groomsmen. In Jewish weddings, the bride and groom are followed by the bride’s parents, the groom’s parents, the honor attendants, the bridesmaids and groomsmen, and the rabbi and cantor.
