This may seem like a little thing, but it is something I see so often in church weddings and it drives me crazy…the need to have the narthex doors shut after the flower girl starts processing and then open right before the bride goes down the aisle.
This seems to be something that the church wedding planners like to do because it gives a “grand reveal” of the bride, and most brides just shrug and do it. There is supposed to be this seamless transition…the music changes to “Here Comes the Bride”, the doors open, and it is your Cinderella moment right? Well, it rarely happens that way. You need two people to shut and then re-open the doors in unison. Guess how many times that actually goes off without a hitch ; )
Usually, one usher lets go of the door early and it closes with a BANG, or there is so much whispering between the involved parties that the congregation can hear it, or it takes SO LONG to do that it gets a little silly, or the doors bunch up the aisle runner when they close. And to open the doors, the ushers need to be right at the door handles…and that sometimes involves having to step or reach around the bride and her dad. Then there are the times (and I’ve seen it more than once) where there aren’t people to man the doors and an overzealous church coordinator thinks she can open both doors by herself.
I firmly believe in eliminating elements on your wedding that don’t need to be there. First, the aisle runner is SO not needed. It just bunches up and doesn’t roll out correctly and trips people. Second, do you REALLY need the doors to close and then open again? Won’t your guests get the same wow factor if you just turn the corner and walk down the aisle?
I believe one reason people think they need this door closed moment because in that split second, someone can be behind the bride and fluff out their dress so it falls perfectly behind the bride when she walks down the aisle. But guess what? The moment you start walking, the train folds under itself anyway. All that fluffing is only seen by the fluffer.
Rather than adding this last minute of hurry and whispered stress, why not just let the music transition and walk down the aisle? As you’re planning your wedding, think through the decisions you make. Don’t agree to something just because another person says you should do it. Do you want a garter toss? Or are you doing it because you impulse bought a $40 garter when you got your dress? Do you need a veil? White shoes? Cake cutting ceremony? Four hours of formal photography? As each decision comes up, think through it before agreeing…and make sure you give yourself enough planning time so these little decisions don’t make you go crazy.
Aaaaand, off soap box ; )
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