Ceremony Processional - which parents walk?

Seems followers are ready to have a nice long walk down the aisle with you. Maybe make it a slow relay walking laps with all the family members LOL. Seriously though, say no if you're not wanting the walk. You can say I appreciate thought and if I say yes to you and yes to mom, then everyone will just get up and walk too. Its best to leave it to just me alone do the walk and have no parents or arguments.

My mum walked me down the aisle but everyone else was already seated at that point. I don't see why they all need to walk down the aisle ahead of the wedding party. It seems like a bit of an attention grab to be honest.

View quoted message Thanks! We’re going to organize something.

View quoted message Thank you! I agree, our parents initially made it seem like it was this huge deal. Maybe I’m wrong in thinking that, it’s just the impression we get whenever it’s brought up. I’ve never seen it before in my limited experience so I had no idea how to organize it!

View quoted message Thank you!

View quoted message I’ve never seen them announced. Just kind of sat last as the officiant and groom are taking their place at the front.

View quoted message Thank you, I like this idea since I know FH wants the parents there with him and they can greet the guests as they enter. Does the officiant announce them or do they just walk down and take their seat?

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I hear ya... you give people an inch and they run a mile. If you like the song your mom wants, you can play it, otherwise just nicely tell her you'll be picking the processional music so it all flows.

Yes, you would play something while they walk in, however they don't need to be announced or anything. The only time an officiant says anything is maybe if people are standing around, say "we are about to begin", and if you want, say "Please stand for the bride".

Your FMIL is not the bride... haha... no one cares about seeing her before the ceremony. And if she's all about tradition, then the parents (minus your dad) are actually supposed to be the ones greeting the guests... I'm pretty sure. I'm trying to think of nice way to say that to her... lol... maybe just say it's really important to you and your FH that they are there to greet the guests...?

It's kind of funny, not so much "haha" but just funny... All of that processional will take less than a minute, and yet they (the parents) can make it seem like such a huge deal. People didn't come to your wedding to see your parents come down the aisle, lol, just try and make one plan your comfortable with, and make sure you and your FH stick to your guns and don't change it after the fact. Good luck!

View quoted message We dabbled with the idea of having my mom and step-mother escorted down by my brother, then have his mom and step-father walk, then his father and step-mother followed by the bridal party who will be escorted by the groomsmen. FH and I aren’t traditional to begin with, but every time we concede someone asks for something else. If we say yes, you’re all walking, it will be a question of who gets to walk first. Our parents haven’t made it easy for us and everyone has a different idea of how it’s supposed to be. For instance, FMIL initially didn’t want anyone seeing her before she walked down the aisle, my mom wants a specific song, etc. I’m reading that parents are last to be seated, I don’t know if that includes music and requires them to wait outside and officially be announced by the officiant or if they just walk down the aisle and sit.

My parents are divorced, his are not. Our processional is going to be:

His dad walks in the moms, both mine and his wife.

Groom and groomsmen enter from side.

Both my dad & stepdad are walking me down the aisle.

For you, if your mom and step mom get along, they could walk in together, if not, then just in line, with your mom first... (if your step mom doesn't care about walking down the aisle then she can just be in her seat already). Your dad will be waiting with you to walk down the aisle... and your FH's parents (mom & stepdad, dad & stepmom) can walk down before the bridesmaids/flower girl/ring bearer/you...

Your FH doesn't have to walk down the aisle, him and his groomsmen can enter from the side.

It's not a circus... it's a wedding... lol. It's not that excessive, and it is traditional. If it's important to your parents, and it doesn't negatively effect your day, I'd go with it. If it would cause undue stress, or a fight, then just explain to everyone that due to the enormous size of your lovely family, you're going to opt to not include it.

I would say that if it really is a big deal to the parents that they get to make a big deal of walking down the aisle then let them. If it's more of a big deal to you and your FH that they don't then it's your wedding and you make the rules! (example: my FH has two best men instead of one)

Just don't worry about the whole "looking like a circus" though - families nowadays are almost always big and patched together through divorce and remarriage.

You can do it however you want. But I do usually see the parents being sat last. Usually the moms are sat by ushers just before the processional starts. They can be there greeting guests, they just go to their seats last.

For us we are having some of our kids seat the grandparents. My step son will seat his grandma, my step daughter will seat her grandpa, my oldest son will seat my mom (I’m walking with my dad).

In your case, you could have all the parents walk down as couples, and your mom with a groomsman, just before your processional starts. Really all they are doing is taking their seats after everyone else.