Planning a wedding is no easy task, to say the least. In fact, some will go as far as to say that a wedding is the most stressful event to plan. While deciding on a location for the ceremony and reception is a major part of planning the wedding, it's the smaller details that contribute to the stress of wedding planning. Some of these details include finding the perfect wedding gown, bridal jewelry, wedding favors, and decorations. Another detail that a bride, along with her wedding coordinator, must decide on is how to arrange the bridal party during the ceremony.



Traditionally, the bride and groom will turn their backs toward the audience while the officiant faces the audiences. Some will argue that this arrangement makes it difficult for the guests to get the full effect of the bride's wedding dress and bridal jewelry. It is believed that the bride's attire is the focal point of the entire wedding ceremony. This being said, it is important that the wedding coordinator choose an appropriate arrangement for the bride and groom as well as the other members of the bridal party.

However, before the arrangement of the bridal is settled upon, the task of determining what the bride and her bridesmaids are going to wear for their wedding attire should be completed. As obvious as it may seem, many individuals do not realize that bridal attire plays an important factor in where the wedding will take place, what decorations to choose, and how to arrange the bridal party during the ceremony. While bridal jewelry may not affect the bridesmaids? position during the wedding ceremony, their dress and choice of shoes may. This is attributed to the fact that many brides choose to arrange their bridesmaids and groomsmen according to their height as well as the role that they play during the wedding ceremony.

Quite often, the maid of honor is given the privilege of wearing a slightly different dress and set of bridal jewelry from the other bridesmaids. Her dress usually varies in style or in color and her bridal jewelry may be a little more elaborate than the other bridesmaids?. Because the maid of honor and best man play an exceptional role in the bride and groom's lives, they have a stationary position in the wedding ceremony. Traditionally, the maid of honor and the best man stand next to the bride and groom, respectively, during the ceremony.

As for the other bridesmaids and groomsmen, they are usually paired together according to height for the sake of balance. On occasion, a husband and wife team may request that they walk down the aisle together and in such a case they are paired together for this reason. Depending on the size of the bridal party, the bridesmaids may stand to the left of the bride while the groomsmen stand to the right of the groom (assuming that the bride and groom's backs are toward the audience). In other cases, the wedding coordinator may choose to allow each pair to stand together. Half of the couples will stand to the left of the bride while the other half stand to the right of the groom.

There is no set rule as to how the bridal party should be arranged during the ceremony. For most brides, it's simply a matter of preference.