Wedding Ceremony Processional: The Only Guide You Need

A smiling bride with bright bouquet is escorted by her father over a bridge during her wedding processional.

Ali walked in traditional style, with her father accompanying her. Photo: Grace Gatto

The Best Processional Order Based On My Years Of Officiant Experience

With twelve years as an interfaith officiant and more than 900 ceremonies under my belt spanning all religious, spiritual and non-religious traditions, here’s my modern answer to the question “What is the correct wedding processional lineup order?”

It is the processional order that is most meaningful to you, the couple.

A search on the internet will quickly show you that everyone’s recommended “traditional” processional order is slightly different from everyone else’s. It can be a bit confusing - which one is correct? Really, there are so many slight variations because there is no longer one central authority mandating a “correct” order.

Traditionally, the wedding ceremony processional order includes any Grandparents, Groom Parents and/or Mother Of The Bride walking first, then Officiant, Groom, Bridesmaids & Groomsmen, Maid of Honor & Best Man, Ring Bearer, Flower Girl, then Bride with her father.

But really, these days anything goes! You can walk in any order, and you can have anyone walk. I’ve seen it all. Grooms often walk with their mom or parents now. And brides still walk with fathers, but also sometimes with just with their mother or with both parents or just the bride. Plus there are same-sex and non-binary scenarios too where the traditional “bride and groom” language doesn’t apply.

A cheerful bridesmaid and groomsmen walk during a wedding processional followed by several other bridesmaids and groomsmen.

This processional had seven pairs of bridesmaids & groomsmen! Photo: Grace Gatto

So… below I’ve provided my tried-and-true wedding processional order template as a foundation for you, plus all kinds of wedding processional order examples - from the traditional lineups we’ve come to expect, to the creative and unique. Over the years I’ve seen that the most memorable + significant experience you can have during your processional is to drop any worry about what you’re “supposed” to do, and pick an order that will feel really great to both of you as those loved ones come down the aisle.

The only exception:

If you have a family member who really cares that the processional order unfolds in a specific way, and you want that person’s opinion to play a role in your processional decision-making.

For them, there might be a proper or required way to walk down the aisle, perhaps based on a Christian, Jewish or other religious tradition that is near and dear to them. The template below will address this as well…

How to Use My Wedding Processional Template, Guiding Questions & Tons Of Real-Life Examples Below

A father of the bride hugs his daughter as they end their wedding processional walk.

If walking with a father or other loved one, there is that sweet moment for an emotional hug. Photo: Be Boulder Photography

Below you’ll find my tried-and-true template for a typical wedding processional order, plus a typical order for the recessional too. Use the template as a starting point, and adjust according to what feels best to you. If you’ve got in the mix one of those family members (like I mentioned above) who cares about the order, this template works fine too. Just start with the template, then get any input they might want to weave in.

Then I’ll guide you through a few key questions to make your processional order decisions. Just follow my lead, and by the end of this page, you’ll know your processional order!

Last but not least, I’ve provided several processional examples with photos from my real-life weddings so that you can be inspired by different ideas.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

  1. Quick look template (click on image to the right or below)

  2. Who walks down the aisle in a wedding?

  3. My standard wedding ceremony processional template

  4. My standard wedding recessional template

  5. Guiding questions to decide your processional order

  6. Processional order examples from my real weddings

  7. There’s a full wedding ceremony script at this link here too

Who Walks Down The Aisle In A Wedding?

Two playful young ring bearers walk in a wedding processional followed by a flower girl and their parents.

Ring Bearers never fail to bring the ridiculous cuteness. Photo: Meraki Weddings

Deciding Who Will Walk Down The Aisle On The Big Day

Below is a packed list full of all the people (and animals!) I’ve seen walk down the aisle over the years. You’ll have some or none or all of these depending on what feels most meaningful to you, and there are some you may very well have multiples of, like more than one bridesmaid, more than one ring bearer, more than one Best Man, etc.

Several bridesmaids in rust-colored silk dresses walk in single file during a wedding processional.

The wedding party can walk single file instead of paired if that’s your style. Photo: Meraki Weddings

I’ve used the typical “maid” and “man” for the wedding party titles below, but of course you can call your wedding party members whatever you want based on your style and their own pronouns/identifications.

Same goes for the couple - it can be two brides or two grooms or non-binary, whatever fits for you.

Potential Processional Participants (Just The Potential People, Not In Order Yet)

  • Core Participants: Officiant, Bride, Groom, Mother Of The Bride, Father Of The Bride, Any Step-Parents

  • Wedding Party: Bridesmaid, Bridesman, Groomsman, Groomswoman, Maid Of Honor, Matron Of Honor, Best Man

  • The Cute Factor: Flower Girl, Ring Bearer, Babies, Dogs

  • Pre-Processional: Grandmother, Grandfather, Favorite Relative, Mentor, Ushers escorting any of the above

Processional Participants: Special Scenarios

Before we get into the standard processional template below, here are a few options to know about if they fit your style…

The Couple Walk In Together: In this case, the couple walks in last and the officiant says, “Please all stand for our couple” rather than “Please all stand for our bride”. Sometimes same-sex couples love this, and I’ve seen it increasingly with brides and grooms as well. A couple might choose this because having someone escorted in after a “please all stand” may not resonate with either partner. Some couples love the idea of walking in together because it puts even more emphasis on their partnership even before the exchange of vows and rings.

The Wedding Party Walks, Then Sits: I’ve seen a trend lately where the couple wants bridesmaids and groomsmen to walk the aisle, but then instead of standing during the ceremony, they sit in the rows just behind immediate family. Throwing that in there as an option in case that resonates with you.

No Wedding Party: I’ve also had some couples who simply didn’t want to have a wedding party. Sometimes this is for social ease (you don’t have a situation where someone might feel left out), and sometimes this is because the couple most naturally envisions it being just the two of them standing up there with the officiant.

Unequal Number Of Bridesmaids & Groomsmen: No worries! Just pair two bridesmaids with a groomsman or two groomsmen with a bridesmaid and you should be set. Or have them all walk single file.


My Tried-And-True Wedding Ceremony Processional Template

An exuberant groom walks in his wedding processional with his parents while guests clap and cheer.

Grooms, you can walk with both your parents if you want. Photo: Be Boulder Photography

Use my wedding processional template here as a starting point, then add in any additional people or delete any listed who aren’t relevant, plus change up the order in any way you want. It’s your processional - if you find yourself unsure as to a decision, notice what will feel most meaningful to you and that’s your answer!

Optional Pre-Processional

Any grandparents, parents or other significant family members who are not walking during the processional can walk now if you still want to highlight them. They can be ushered or just walk themselves, and this often happens before the processional music starts.

Standard Wedding Ceremony Processional Order

Note: I’ve used “bride” and “groom” here, but this processional works for same-sex couples and non-binary scenarios as well. Just decide which fits for each of you regarding when and how you want to walk in.

  • Officiant walks in from the side or down the aisle.

  • Groom walks the aisle alone or with any relatives he wants on his arm.

  • Bridesmaids & Groomsmen walk the aisle, paired.

  • Maid of Honor & Best Man walk, paired.

    • Or the wedding party can go single file, first Groomsmen & Best Man, then Bridesmaids & Maid Of Honor.

  • Ring Bearer(s) walk.

  • Flower Girl(s) walk.

    • Sometimes Ring Bearers & Flower Girls walk together

    • If there are any dogs or babies, they are great to pair with a wedding party member or with an older ring bearer or flower girl.

  • Officiant says: “Please all stand for our bride!” as guests stand.

    • Or sometimes the couple walks in together, so it would be “Please all stand for our couple!”

    • Often this is the “big reveal” as it’s the first time that guests see the bride or couple.

  • Music change: If there’s a song change, it happens now.

  • If a bride is walking alone or with someone (parent/two parents/relative/friend), now is the time.

    • Or if you are walking in together as a couple, this is when you walk.

  • Sometimes a parent/relative/friend will give a bride away, although many couples forego this nowadays, it just depends on your style. If so, typically the bride & parent stop at the front row of seats, then the Officiant says, “Who gives this bride away!” and the parent says, “I do!” Or “I and her father/mother do” if there are two parents, or whatever is appropriate.

  • Officiant sends groom to hug or shake the hand of anyone accompanying bride, such as a father and/or mother or any other special person who is walking the bride.

    • This same kind of exchange can happen with same-sex couples too, if you want, just decide which of you wants to play which role.

  • Bride hugs the person who walked her down the aisle.

  • Bride & Groom take hands and walk to their ceremony spots.

  • Officiant says: “Please all be seated”.

  • Guests take their seats and ceremony begins.

Typical Wedding Ceremony Recessional Template

Two ecstatic smiling grooms walk the recessional together after their wedding ceremony.

Don’t forget that great photo that happens at the end of the aisle after you’re married. Photo: Allison Ragsdale

Use this typical recessional as a starting point. This is how everyone goes walking back down the aisle after the ceremony is done. Note that it’s typical for those who walked during the processional to be the first to recess out after the bride and groom, with the exception of small children who often just stay seated with their parents during the recessional.

  • Officiant presents the Bride & Groom to guests: “I now present to you ______!” Fill in with Mr. & Mrs. or “our newlyweds” or however you want to be presented)

  • Bride & Groom walk down the aisle hand in hand.

  • Wedding party recess out in the reverse order of how they came in.

  • Officiant releases the front row of main relatives, like parents & grandparents.

  • Officiant makes announcement to guests about what to do next.

  • Officiant recesses down aisle.

Key Questions To Guide Your Decisions About Processional Order

Two brides each hug their fathers after being walked down the aisle by them while the officiant and wedding party watch smiling.

The best thing about two brides- two dads… and two hugs! Photo: Sharee Davenport

Here Are the 9 Key Questions That I Find Help My Couples Most

  1. How does it feel to the groom (or first partner down the aisle) to escort someone down the aisle with him, like a mom or a mom & dad or a grandma? Or would he rather walk alone? Either option is totally fine. It all comes down to what feels most meaningful on your wedding day. Or sometimes a groom can go either way, but knows that his mom or a loved one would love that experience so he walks with that person.

  2. What do you most naturally picture - having a wedding party and having them walk the aisle? Or maybe not. If not, then that's okay! It’s totally fine to not have a wedding party if you’re not feeling strongly about having one.

  3. If you’re having a wedding party walk, then what do you most naturally picture - them standing up with you during the ceremony, or having them take their seats for the ceremony? Again, either option works. What feels best to you?

  4. If you’re having ring bearers and/or flower girls, are they old enough to make their way down the aisle or would it be better to have them walk with a parent, or have a parent at the end of the aisle to coax them?

  5. If you’re thinking about having your dog walk the aisle, what’s his/her personality? Mellow dogs are of course great, or if your dog has a more high energy personality but you really want them to walk the aisle, you can think about designating someone to be your dog’s handler to attend to him/her during the ceremony and take them for a walk if needed.

  6. If you’re the bride (or last one walking in), what feels most meaningful to you - walking in alone or walking in with someone?

  7. Or… you might find upon reflection that you’re a couple who loves the idea of walking in together.

  8. If you’re being walked in by someone, you might like the tradition of being given away. Or, you may not like that tradition at all. What fits your style?

  9. How about grandparents or more peripheral family members who feel important to you? You can have them walk during the pre-processional either with each other or each escorted by an usher. No requirement to have anyone in the pre-processional, so see if there’s anyone obvious or if not, then you don’t need a pre-processional.



    Several Different Examples of Wedding Ceremony Processional Order

A sweet smiling flower girl drops petals from her basket as she walks a wedding processional.

I’ve seen hundreds of processionals over the years! There are SO many different orders for lining your processional participants up. Below I’ve picked some examples that highlight unique choices, while also providing the entire processional lineup order for each example.

Have fun taking a look and see what inspires you. Remember, the correct processional order is the one that will feel most meaningful to you and your fiancé as you watch your loved ones walk down the aisle.

Ali & Dakota’s Wedding Processional Order

A groom walks with his grandmother on the way to his ceremony.

A pre-processional is a great time to walk with grandma. Photo: Grace Gatto

A smiling groom walks with two mothers in his wedding processional.

Grooms can walk the aisle twice if there are a lot of special ladies to escort :) Photo: Grace Gatto

I chose Ali & Dakota’s processional as an example because it closely resembles the classic lineup we tend to think of when it comes to wedding processionals. Plus there’s a fun twist that I think is one of the sweetest things - groom Dakota shuttled up and down the aisle twice so that he could walk his grandma and then both moms down the aisle.

Here’s the full wedding processional order for Ali & Dakota’s wedding:

  • Officiant

  • Groom with grandmother

  • Groom with Bride’s mom and Groom’s mom

  • 5 Bridesmaids and 5 Groomsmen, paired

  • Maid of Honor & Best Man

  • Ring Bearer and Flower Girl

  • “Please all stand for our bride!”

  • Bride with her father

Reesa & TerriLynn’s Wedding Processional Order

Two brides walk their wedding processional together with sparkling cafe lights overhead.

You can walk your processional together! Photo: Jenna Noelle

I chose Reesa & TerriLynn’s processional because they walked in together as a couple. In this case, just before the walked in, I announced “Please all stand for our couple!”

Here’s the full wedding processional order for Ali & Dakota’s wedding:

  • Officiant

  • Reesa’s parents escorting her grandmother

  • TerriLynn’s parents

  • 5 Bridesmaids

  • Maid of Honor

  • Best Man

  • 2 Ring Bearers and a Flower Girl

  • “Please all stand for our brides!”

  • Bride & Bride


Ashley & Ryan’s Wedding Processional Order

A bride is escorted by her mother during her wedding processional on a path next to a barn.

You can have your mom walk you down the aisle. Photo: Meg White

I chose Ashley & Ryan’s processional because it’s an example of a bride being walked in by her mother.

Here’s the full wedding processional order for Ashley & Ryan’s wedding:

  • Groom’s parents

  • Officiant and Groom

  • 6 Groomsmen and 6 Bridesmaids, paired

  • “Please all stand for our bride!”

  • Bride walking with her Mom

Kat & Nicole’s Wedding Processional Order

A brightly smiling bride is escorted by two friends during her wedding processional.

You can have close friends walk you down the aisle! Photo: Erin Witt

A happy brides is escorted by her parents down the aisle.

Being walked by both parents is a trend these days. Photo: Erin Witt

I chose Kat & Nicole’s processional because each bride was walked in separately (Kat by her two friends and Nicole by her parents), and there were two “Please all stand for our brides!” Plus there were many extended family members in the pre-processional, plus a bridesmaid carrying a dog…

Here’s the full wedding processional order for Kat & Nicole’s wedding:

  • Officiant Lisa

  • Bride’s Kat’s grandma escorted by an uncle

  • Bride’s Nicole’s grandma escorted by a cousin

  • Kat’s Maid of Honor carrying a big fluffy lap dog :)

  • Nicole’s Maid of Honor

  • “Please all stand for our brides!”

  • Bride Kat with her parents

  • Bride Nicole with her parents


Lenore & Justin’s Wedding Processional Order

I chose Lenore & Justin’s processional because it’s an example of a bride walking herself in!

Here’s the full wedding processional order for Lenore & Justin’s wedding:

  • Officiant

  • Bride’s two moms

  • Groom’s mom

  • 4 Bridesmaids & 4 Groomsmen, paired

  • Maid of Honor & Best Man

  • “Please all stand for our bride!”

  • Bride

Nikki & Scott’s Wedding Processional Order

A sweet baby flower girl in a red wagon being pulled down the aisle with three young flower girls waiting to walk next.

A baby being pulled in a red wagon never goes out of style ;) Photo: Tommy Tompkins

Nemo the dog walks the processional aisle while wearing a necklace of pink wedding flowers.

Having your dog walk is an excellent reason to buy a flower dog necklace. Photo: Tommy Tompkins

I chose Nikki & Scotts’s processional because their Maid of Honor was Nikki’s daughter and the Best Man was Nikki’s son, plus their flower girl was their baby daughter in a wagon and their flower girl was their dog Nemo making for a full-on nuclear family processional!

Here’s the full wedding processional order for Nikki & Scott’s wedding:

  • Officiant

  • Groom

  • Maid of Honor with Nemo the Dog

  • Best Man

  • Flower Baby in wagon

  • 3 Flower Girls & a Ring Bearer

  • “Please all stand for our bride!”

  • Bride with her father

And there you have it - everything you need to know about wedding processional order from my very experienced officiant brain :)

With love, Officiant Lisa

If you’re looking for help with more elements of the ceremony, head on over to my wedding ceremony script page here which is a complete ceremony outline with all of the elements typically included in a ceremony - particularly great for friend or family members who are officiating for the first time, and for couples who want to understand how a typical ceremony unfolds!

Lisa Hunter