6 Ways to Enter Your Ceremony and Reception, from a Perth Marriage Celebrant and Wedding DJ
Both your wedding ceremony and reception are a chance for you and your bridal party to make an entrance in way that aligns with your vibe as a couple. You can go for the dramatic and traditional, something fun and modern, or somewhere in-between. As a full-time marriage celebrant and wedding DJ, I've seen couples make their entrance in a whole bunch of different ways, but these are my favourites. Just keep in mind, there's no right or wrong way, only your way!
THE CEREMONY
THE TRADITIONAL
This is the default for wedding ceremonies, but don't let that put you off - it's part of a ritual that's stood the test of time and there's a reason it's still so popular. The groom, their wedding party, and your marriage celebrant arrive just before the guests. They'll take their positions at the altar a few minutes before the bride and their wedding party are due to arrive - the marriage celebrant in the centre, with the groom and their party to the right of the marriage celebrant.
The bride, whoever's walking them down the aisle, and their bridal party will arrive at the wedding ceremony location together. Once the bride is ready for the wedding ceremony to commence, each member of the bridal party will walk down the aisle individually to a song chosen by the bride, each taking a position opposite to the members of the groom's party, on the other side of the marriage celebrant.
Once all the bridal party are in place, the bride enters with whoever is walking them down the aisle, again to a song of their choosing. Once the bride arrives at the altar, whoever's walked them shakes the hand of the groom, gives the bride a kiss, takes a seat, and the wedding ceremony continues.
2. IT’S A (BRIDAL) PARTY!
There's still a nod to tradition here, with the groom still awaiting the arrival of the bride. But the rest is pure party!
The bride, whoever's walking them down the aisle, plus the entire bridal party (bride and groom's minus the groom) arrive together to the ceremony. Once the bride is ready for the ceremony to start, members of the bride and groom's party will move down the aisle as couples, not walking this time, but dancing, skipping, jumping to high-energy music, with each couple raucously introduced by the marriage celebrant. Once everyone is in place, with the groom's party to the right of the marriage celebrant and the bride's to the left, the music changes to something slower and more dramatic, and the bride moves slowly down the aisle with whoever's walking them.
Once the bride arrives at the altar whoever's walked them down shakes the hand of the groom, gives the bride a kiss, takes a seat, and the wedding ceremony continues.
3. THE WHOLE SHEBANG
As modern and energetic as the start of a wedding ceremony gets! It's the same as number 2 above, however this time, only the marriage celebrant is waiting at the altar. The groom also arrives with everyone else, and when it's time for the bride to enter, the bride and groom groove their way down the aisle together just like the rest of their party.
THE RECEPTION
While all aspects of your wedding ceremony entry will be co-ordinated with your marriage celebrant, your entry will be co-ordinated with your wedding DJ and your MC. Here's what they'll definitely need to know:
Full names (and pronunciations if necessary) of each member of the bridal party
The order in which they'll be entering
The song(s) they'll be entering to
4. THE CLASSIC
This is the usual way it's done - again, nothing wrong with keeping it old-school! It's simple, fun, and you really can't go wrong.
The bride and groom pick a song, ideally something high-energy that's a favourite for both of them. Once they and their party are done with photos and ready to enter the wedding reception, they'll gather at the main doors, in order of entry - this is typically with the bride and groom entering last, the best man & maid of honour entering before them, and any other couples entering before them, in pairs.
Once they're ready to go, the MC will get the attention of the guests, and announce each couple in order entry, as the wedding DJ hits the music. Each couple enters dancing to the music, maybe even busting out a few custom dance moves as they move towards the bridal table.
The MC should put extra energy into announcing the bride and groom, to get the crowd going and add more excitement to the moment. Ideally your wedding DJ will know the part of the entry song that kicks the hardest, and make sure that's what's playing when the couple enter!
5. THE TITLE FIGHT
Each bridal party couple gets their own song - these can be chosen by the couples themselves, or picked by the bride and groom. Either way, it's definitely a chance to have some fun with it! Each couple enters to their own song, and the MC introduces each person with their own brief intro and funny nickname, like a boxing announcer, eg:
"She loves Harry Potter, one too many chardonnays, and the occasional outburst of road rage, he loves his road bike, craft beers, and for some reason the Collingwood Football club everyone give it up for Kirsty "The Slytherin" Smith, and Adam "The Cyclopath" Johnston!"
If your wedding DJ is also your MC, they probably won't know enough about your couples to come up with these off the cuff, so if you're going down this path be sure to give them as much material as you can, whether it's you writing it yourselves, or just telling your MC a bit about each of them.
When it comes to announcing the bride and groom, there's less call for the nicknames and intros - your guests will have already heard quite a bit about you both at the ceremony so you don't want to double up or distract from the big news - you're officially married!!
6. THE DANCE-OFF
The most ambitious option, ideal if your couples can either really cut a rug or better yet, don't even care they can't dance. Again, each couple gets their own track, and feel free to go with the intros and nicknames as well if you like. But this time, once they've entered the room, they move straight over to the dancefloor for a 15 second dance-off, no holds barred! Once each couple finishes, they take their spots at the bridal party and the next couple is introduced.
Once it's time to announce the bride and groom, you can either join in the fun and have a dance-off of your own, or you can take the chance to have your first dance at this point. While this is a smooth (and fun) way to transition into your first dance, as a wedding DJ my recommendation is to have your first dance as the final formality before we get all your guests on the dancefloor, as it's a really effective way to get everyone up and dancing!
These are all great options to customise both your wedding ceremony and reception, SO feel free to mix and match elements and come up with your own twists. Your marriage celebrant and wedding DJ should be flexible, accommodating and open to new ways of you guys having the best day ever!
