switching sides at the wedding ceremony
all images: amy shepherd photography
So here is something crazy to consider, because you KNOW we like to shake things up.
You know at the ceremony (if facing the altar), the Christian and non-religious tradition is to have the Bride’s family and friends on the left side and the Groom’s respective family and friends on the right side.
At one of our weddings at the beautiful West Baden hotel, something happen seconds before the families walked down the aisle. There was some confusion and gathering of a large processional. So when the mother of the bride and father of the groom were escorted, they accidently went to the “wrong sides”. The bride’s mother was sitting on the right side (front row) and the groom’s father was sitting on the left side (front row). However, like tradition, the bride stood at the “altar” on the left and the groom stood on the right.
Standing in the back, immediately I saw this and thought, DOH! I still had a ring dog and three wiggly flower girls and ring bearer to contain.
Oh well, that is how weddings go. No such thing as perfection … just roll with it.
But wait, as the ceremony began I realized, this mishap is kinda brilliant. You see, the bride’s mom can now watch her baby’s face during the ceremony instead of seeing the back of her head. The same for the groom’s dad.
There are many speculations as to how this tradition started with having the bride on the left and groom on the right. My feeling it really comes from the right side traditionally being reserved for men as it is considered a position of privilege and power, (think Jesus is “seated” at the right side of God”. ) Perhaps that is why in Jewish ceremonies it is opposite.
I suggest, for keeping the tradition, but for the families, switching it up. Who cares where the parent’s sit? For us, the most important part is being part of the ceremony, the emotion and enjoying it. And as a mother, I would rather watch my son’s face while he takes his vows (15 years from now) than watch his new wife. Call me crazy.
What do you think? Love for you to weigh in … if you’re getting married, will you consider this shake up of this tradition?
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wedding sayings worth pinning no. 8
Feel free to share this with your loved ones! Or pin it!
Read More »what to do when a fire burns your venue…
This week we had a horrible fire at First Christian Church Disciples of Christ Church in Owensboro, Kentucky. Make no mistake, I’m not comparing this home of faith to a “venue”. It’s a place of worship and a community landmark. My heart goes out to the congregation and their loss.
Like with all things in wedding planning, there are always situations that you cannot plan for. Unforeseen expenses, family members who get ill, bad weather, natural disasters and unfortunately, fire. One wedding we planned years ago, the DJ lost their building the night before the wedding. I’ll never forget that phone call at 9pm on that Friday night. All ended well. Everyone was safe and their equipment had already been loaded in their trailer so they were able to perform as planned.
If you have lost your ceremony location or reception venue before your wedding, here are a few tips to consider:
1. Do not panic. Everything is doable.
2. If it is a church, most likely, other churches may be able to accommodate you. Contact your parish and see if they have had time to make any arrangements in their community.
3. Wedding Insurance. This is why many people are now looking into investing into wedding insurance. This will help you recoup costs for site rental fee, rentals, decor, and any other expenses. Consider if it was your reception? That is where 50% of your budget is invested!
4. Send out change of venue cards to your guests. If there is enough time between the disaster and your wedding date, send out updated information as soon as you have a new place selected. This is especially important for out of town guests and even local guests.
5. Often in communities, people will pull together to make this happen. We’ve seen a lot of wedding mishaps in the past 10 years. One thing we know that most often, vendors and community pull together to help each other. There is something about a “wedding” that makes people happy and want to help.
Again, our thoughts and prayers for the people in Owensboro who have lost their place of worship. We’re confident that you will be able to rebuild your beautiful church to be even bigger and better. Keep the faith.
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