It happens way too often. A bride selects 6:30pm for her ceremony and sends out invitations. On the invitation it will say ceremony start time 6:30. Now the bride actually expects to walk down the aisle at that time, but wait…….. where are the guests? People are usually late by nature, and in fact if you put down a specific time on your invitation and actually plan to enter at that exact moment you may be disappointed.
The best plan is to build in a 30 minute prelude before your ceremony begins. The majority of your guests will show up 5-10 minutes late. A small percentage will even show up 15 minutes or more late. To combat this issue, the prelude is a perfect time for guests to congregate, reunite and prepare for the BIG moment.
So if you put down 6:00pm on the wedding invitations, it’s a guarantee that you can walk the aisle in style to a full house at 6:30pm. It is advisable to start your live music or recorded music promptly at the beginning of prelude. For musicians, this is their personal concert for your wedding guests. Otherwise, they will only be performing 3 songs at your wedding. Bridesmaid processional, Bride’s processional and the Bride & Groom recessional. Let the mood be set and guests get settled so you now have the perfect setting for that perfect moment. Remember that time is precious. Manage it well.