Wedding rehearsals are the practice of your wedding ceremony for you and your wedding party. It’s held the day (or two) before the wedding day followed by a rehearsal dinner. More on that later. If you’re currently in my Wedding Planning Team Experience, we’ve covered your Wedding Day through the morning and into cocktail hour. This is the perfect time to talk about Wedding Rehearsals and how you need to practice everything we’ve covered up to now. You’re basically practicing all of Project Block 4 and Project Block 6, together as you will on the wedding day.

What do you do at a wedding rehearsal?

Wedding Rehearsals are specifically meant for practicing the “mechanics” of your ceremony. You’ll go through your processional, the order of events, ceremony outline, and the recessional.

I’ve written and recorded videos that will walk you through exactly how to run your own rehearsal. If you are a wedding coordinator reading this, you’re welcome to watch too. In this workshop I provide a Rehearsal Checklist and Agenda:

WORKSHOP | How to have a Wedding Rehearsal

Who comes to the wedding rehearsal?

The rehearsal should include anyone participating in the wedding ceremony, including the couple, their parents, the wedding party (including child attendants), readers, and the officiant. Only those who will actually take part in the ceremony need to attend.

Do grandparents go to the wedding rehearsal?

If your grandparents are a part of the processional they can be included in the rehearsal or not. They’ll know what to do, it’s likely not their first rodeo… In my experience, most grandparents, walking the aisle or not, want to attend. I say let them, of course. If your grandparents are not walking down the aisle, they do not need to attend unless they want to do so. Depending on age and ability you can decide. If your grandmothers are your flower girls though, you’ll definitely want them there to practice 😉

Do you need a wedding rehearsal?

A wedding rehearsal is a run-through of the ceremony, to catch any glitches, bumbles, and rewrites. It’s like the dress rehearsal for a drama performance which is very much necessary. The wedding officiant, venue manager, or wedding planner/coordinator will go over each aspect of the ceremony, from the processional to the recessional. While doing this we check script flow, mechanical flow, and moving pieces. For example, we’ll answer questions like, How does the Officiant read the script and hand you the rings? Who will say their vows first? Should the Officiant step out of the background for the kiss pictures? How will you both DO your Kiss? Whose nose will face the crowd? Will you dip the bride?

Having gone through it once before the Big Day will calm your nerves and help you relax before you’re standing in front of your guests.

It is possible to have a rehearsal outside of your actual venue. I know that several venue don’t offer rehearsal windows simply because they’re too booked. You can set up an aisle in your backyard to do a run through if you feel you need it. I strongly recommend doing a walk through even if you can’t be at your own venue.

Make sure you’ve reviewed your venue contract and they’ve scheduled in for a rehearsal on the night before the wedding.

READ: Wedding Contracts | Everything You Need to Know

What do you wear to a wedding rehearsal?

For rehearsals I suggest wearing clothes similar to what you’ll wear at the wedding {assuming it’s the same time of day} so the temperature is the same. Bridesmaids should wear cocktail dresses and the same shoes. This way they’ll know how to walk in them, especially if your aisle is a grass lawn. You should wear your wedding shoes too. For semi-formal rehearsals, men should wear jackets, suit pants (or slacks), and ties. There will very likely be a lot of pictures taken at the rehearsal and you’ll want to look your best. Rehearsal attendants will also go directly to the Rehearsal Dinner after, so they’ll want to be dressed for that.

*If your wedding party is helping to set up the wedding decorations before the rehearsal make sure you give them enough time to go home and change.

Can you wear jeans to a wedding rehearsal?

If the rehearsal is less formal, feel free to skip the tie. For something a little less dressy, you can wear a nice pair of pants and a dress shirt. For a super casual rehearsal dinner, like a barbecue, jeans are totally acceptable. Especially if you’ve been setting up at a farm venue all day.

How long do wedding rehearsals last?

The rehearsal is traditionally held the night before the wedding, most often on a Friday. It lasts about 30 to 45 minutes. Just enough time to run through all the mechanics. The less talking and better listening, the faster it goes. Regardless of your ceremony time on the wedding day, the rehearsal typically begins around 5:30 p.m. giving wedding party members enough time to get out of work and head to the venue. Very rarely will you have all wedding party members, able to get the Friday morning/afternoon off work. Out of courtesy, schedule your rehearsal for after work, and then have the dinner scheduled to follow.

---

Join The GEG Team Experience!

Award-Winning Online Wedding Planning with Green-Eyed Girl Productions:

Join my FREE Facebook Group right now!

Hi there! I’m Kandice, Owner of Green-Eyed Girl Productions and engineer of The Project Block System. Thank you so much for stopping in on this blog post! Join hundreds of Bride who have worked through The Project Block System while planning their Wedding. Our Team Experience is now FREE to everyone planning a wedding during this chaotic and confusing time.

Watch the IGTV Videos for WHAT BRIDES ARE SAYING

Like what you read?

Follow us on | Facebook | Instagram  | Twitter | Pinterest  | Etsy

For more Wedding Inspirations, How-To Articles, Vendor Advice and DIY Projects join our Inspired Coordination Newsletter by subscribing below. You’ll get informational posts just like this in your inbox on Wedding Wednesdays. PLUS! I’ll email you a FREE Checklist!