Do you have to have a ceremony Rehearsal?

I'd save that $300 if it were me!

My advice to you...have a rehearsal at someplace else that's comparable to your ceremony venue, but will offer it to you cheaper (or even free). For example, if you're having an outdoor ceremony, find a local park that has an area that looks close to what your venue looks like.

Rehearsals are kind of a necessary evil, especially if you have small children in your ceremony like a FG or RB. They really need the time to learn and understand where they need to be and what is expected of them.

Only if you know beyond the shadow of a doubt that EVERYONE involved in your wedding will know what's up and where they need to be would I ever suggest anyone skip a rehearsal.

Our wedding is super small only 30 people total. Our wedding party is just my sister (moh) and my BM (my bff) and my FS best man just the 5 of us and no children in the wp. So I think for the most part we just need to get everyone together and just get at least a general game plan, that everyone understands. Hopefully that will work out. I mean the officiant will take care of everything once I get up there but it's the placing, who stands where (they pretty much all know that). I do have a coordinator who will be there before and during the ceremony so I'm sure she could guide us where needed. But I'm just nervous I guess.

In that case, from a coordinator to a bride, save your $300 and enjoy it on your honeymoon! lol

The coordinator will definitely be able to tell everyone where they need to stand right before the ceremony. She can pull your gals aside and show them then show the Best Man where he needs to be. I don't think you should have any issues.

Thanks, MelloJean!

and thank you Kristina I think I will stick with no rehearsal. We want to stay within budget, we're a smart crowd I think we can deal haha.

I've never known of vendors coming to the rehearsal. I always thought it was more for the wedding party and officiant. Save your money.

Well it's mainly my officiant who hasn't been there yet, so yeah I think we'll just skip it!

I would have a rehearsal, but not at the venue. What you are trying to do at a rehearsal is let everyone know when to walk in, how fast to walk, who to walk with, and practice the ceremony itself.

You could even do it in your own home....very informal.

Well, you're right, part of the reason for a rehearsal is to make sure everyone knows how to ge there. But good directions (that you have checked - sometimes mapquest et al are wrong) can help you there.

A rehearsal at home can work fine & it helps to have everyone walk through it a couple of times. You'll be less nervous having done so.

I would at least have a run through, trust me it helps to make things so smoothly on the actual day...

I would do a run through, too. You never know how something will turn out until you try it. My FS & I met with our Priest last weekend and he gave us a quick run through of the ceremony. It was VASTLY different than what I saw in my head, lol. That - to me - is the other point of the rehearsal: to get everyone on the same page.

Yep, the run-through is great. My daughter, during rehearsal, stumbled over one word..."hardship." She kept saying "hardshit." True.

We realized that we needed to shorten the verbiage that the Mayor asked her to repeat. Once it was shortened, she did not stumble on that word.

LOL!

The rehearsal is for the benefit of the wedding party, not the vendors. So I'm not sure why you're vendors would need to be involved with the rehearsal or see the ceremony site beforehand. You definitely should save your money and just have the rehearsal somewhere else. I have had brides do their rehearsal in their backyards and even in public courtyards. So just find a place that works for you, gather your wedding party, and have your rehearsal there. Best of luck!

You don't HAVE to do anything :-) Especially with your small wedding party. We had a rehearsal that was at the site and we had 6 people per side and it went really well but would have been fine just to wing it since everyone was so comfortable. It was more so for our pastor's sake because he wanted to be comfortable where everyone was standing, etc.

WOW! Thats alot of $$$. No you don't NEED to have a rehearsal. Every minister we had met with actually tried talking us out of doing it. But I really would feel better doing one rather than winging it. But then again, there is no charge from the venue and the minister only charges $50 to be there for it. I agree with others who say have it some where else. Or what about getting your wedding party together to just go take a look at the site? Surely they couldn't charge you for "taking a look" at the place! Knowing that we didnt want to take too long at our rehearsal - FS, Me and MOH went to the venue a couple times and actually worked out where everyone would be walking from and the spacing and timing. The wedding party and myself are all walking in to the same song because the song I wanted to use for myself is 4 1/2 minutes long so that was the only way to work it all out. so now we just basically have to to a run through with the minister

There are venues around here that only allow 15-30 minutes for the rehearsal, so I conduct a rehearsal at someone's home...usually it's the MOB...we walk down the sidewalk or up the driveway. It makes it fun, but everyone gets a feel for the elements and the order. On the day of the wedding, we all arrive 60-90 minutes ahead, and have everyone (except the bride, unless she wants to) run through the processional, passing of bouquet and rings, unity candle(or whatever), and recessional. I have also had weddings with no rehearsal, wedding party arriving late day-of, and trying to at least get the guys to know where to stand, and hope the women will just land opposite. And I am referring to parties the same size as Greyash, or maybe with one more person.

Defintely, you need to at least have everyone sit down and talk about the sequence of events, and the possible problems (fingers that swell due to heat or nerves and the rings don't fit; trains and veils that are long and dad steps on them or they get caught in the turns you have to make. etc etc). AND...the parents have a gazillion questions! I have to say, I spend so much time with the parents when I coordinate a rehearsal---I see other coordinators and officiants blow them off. They want to move smoothly, too, and stand up at the right time, and on & on. so, either have everyone arrive EARLY, or just meet somewhere the day before.

A free run through would be nice....but yeah they can go ahead with that $300!

Hmm I think maybe we'll have our officiant maybe come to my moms house or something that way we can just run through it, get a feel for everything. Yeah our budget just doesn't allow for such an extra expense. Thanks everyone for your help!

I officiate a lot of small weddings without a rehearsal. But the more people in the wedding party the more confusion so then I recommend a rehearsal. I can usually run thru the processional, hi-lites of the ceremony, and recessional twice in a half-hour.