Wedding ceremonies are one of the major social celebrations in life and while society has done away with various rituals and conventions with the passage of time, certain customs still rule the ceremony. While weddings celebrate the union of the bride and the groom, much care also has to be taken by the hosts to ensure that the guests are entertained properly and are looked after well.

The wedding party is made up of the family members and relatives of the bride and the groom. There are certain important functions and rituals which are performed by these participants. They are integral to the wedding ceremony. In fact, it is the activities of the wedding party which adds a flavor of happiness and joy that splash the wedding reception and ceremony with the color of festivity.

The primary function of it is to lead before the bride makes her first appearance in the church aisle. The individuals comprising the wedding party move in groups preceding the bride while being observed by the guests. The male members of this group usually position themselves behind the groom.

This is followed by the bride’s entry and therefore the entrance of the wedding party is seen as the symbol of the beginning of the ceremonial celebrations. This is followed by the exchange of marriage vows and the culmination of the various wedding rites and rituals to signify the union of the couple.

After the wedding ceremony has been solemnized, everyone assembles at the wedding reception where the music band announces the wedding parties who come to the forefront and in their turn are required to introduce the newly married couple. The bride and groom also can make arrangements to acknowledge the contributions in adding festive moods to the ceremony.

The party may be requested to dance to a chosen song of the bride and groom on the dance floor. Apart from that, the wedding party is also given wonderful and innovative wedding favors by the bride and the groom and the customary presence of the wedding party fill up the ceremony with vigor.

Tags: wedding party

“What is the most interesting wedding you have ever performed?” This is the most commonly asked question I hear after revealing that I perform weddings. Quite often I leave a wedding with a good story to tell. There is such an array of people in this world, thus there is a variety of ways to enact that sacred ritual: the wedding ceremony. Stories range from heartwarming to humorous. Qualifying one wedding as the “most interesting” would be impossible, but I can share some of my more memorable stories.

Starting with the humorous…once I had a groom who was especially emotional. In actuality, grooms are far more emotional than brides. I suspect there is something to the way the whole formal procedure is designed, in that the groom waits in suspense as his beautiful bride is presented to him. This particular groom was crying so profusely during the ceremony that his nose started running, making quite a mess. Being an efficient minister, I come to weddings prepared with tissue. In the middle of the ceremony, I offered him a kleenex and said, “You might need to blow”. Looking back I realize that might not have been the best choice of words, for then the bride stated, “That’s my job!” The shocked, wide-eyed groom exclaimed, “my grandmother is in the audience!!” Of course this was all on the microphone, which had the entire audience in stitches.

Weddings on a tight budget are usually more out of the ordinary. Once I was way out in the country somewhere waiting for a ceremony to begin. Trying to be sociable as I waited, I commented on the beauty of the cow that was about 6 feet from the archway under which the marriage was to be held. The person next to me said, “Oh yeah, we are having her (the cow’s) mother for the reception dinner, will you be staying?” That was a little too real for a city girl such as myself. Then just before the procession was to begin, I asked if they had music for the bride to walk down the isle to. One of her brother’s ran to an old rusty pick up truck, started it up, screeched up to the isle, opened the car door and turned on the radio. The bride, then proceeded to walk down the isle. She was as lovely as could be! It always amazes me that every bride I have ever seen is astonishingly beautiful. This I cannot say for grooms, however.

Though nearly every groom I have encountered has been very handsome and gracious, there are a couple who have made me cringe. One particularly elegant wedding, I came to my favorite part of the ceremony, in which I get to say, “You may now kiss the bride!!” The groom proceeded to lift her veil, lean back and say, “Ugh, do I have to?” Although it was meant to be a humorous remark, I believe as a bride, I would have said, “No, you don’t” and walked away from that one. Another groom was so hung over on the day of his wedding, that when I came to the part that he had to repeat after me, I had to say one word at a time so he could follow me.

I’ve performed over 1,000 weddings, however, and every one of them has touched my heart. Some move me profoundly, when love between a couple is so strong and their souls are wide open to one another. There is a vulnerability present that is indescribably beautiful. Being present to that, is like looking into the face of God. In every story, seeing couples through all the foibles and fun to the touching and heartwarming moments of their wedding ceremony, there is a sacredness to every one.

Author: Lisa Holeman

Tags: wedding, wedding ceremony, wedding party