One round of both the processional and the recessional should be sufficient as a run-through. Just make sure that whoever is running the nonreligious part of the rehearsal goes over these details as well:
• Schedule the prelude music to begin when guests start arriving, 15 minutes to a half hour before the ceremony. After the ceremony, the music should continue until the last person leaves the ceremony area, or as soon as the reception music starts, if the reception is adjacent.
• Ushers should be welcoming and friendly to the guests, not stand in a clump. They should know where the nearest restrooms are, and they should have extra directions to the reception.
• During the rehearsal, go over seating with the ushers, telling them to escort guests to rows directly behind the reserved ones because people are shy and deserted front rows can be disconcerting to a bride and groom gazing out at the guests.
• If children are in the ceremony, escort them to the bathroom before the processional.
• Reserved seating, aside from the first two or three rows for close friends or relatives, is rare these days. Because most couples are joining their family and friends together, having the ushers ask, “Bride’s side or groom’s side?” isn’t necessary.
• When the bride arrives at the altar or bimah, she should hand her bouquet to her maid of honor so that her hands are free. If she’s wearing gloves, she should remove these before the ring portion of the ceremony and hand them to an attendant. The attendant should remember to give these items back to the bride before the recessional.
• All who are standing should keep their knees relaxed. If your knees lock at the altar for a prolonged period of time, the flow of blood is constricted and you may faint.
• For a Christian ceremony, the bride’s mother is the last to be seated. Designate at the rehearsal who will escort her.
• If you have an aisle runner, two ushers have the job of unfurling it after the bride’s mother is seated and before the ceremony begins.
• Ushers and bridesmaids should attempt to look happy and relaxed when walking down the aisle.
• Many churches and synagogues have heavy doors at the entranceway. Make sure that someone (usually a sexton or person in charge of the facility) is posted to open the doors and prop them open when the recessional music begins. We hate to see a just-married couple have to stop and wrench the doors open, and then wait for someone to hold them.
• If you’re getting married in a private home or other space where there is a phone, silence the ringer or disconnect the line for the duration of the ceremony.
• If you don’t have a wedding coordinator and you have several cars or limos going to the reception, appoint an usher-and-bridesmaid-traffic-team to serve as ground control.
