The part of the wedding ceremony that requires the most careful planning, from a musical/logistical standpoint, is the processional. It is during this time when the mothers are seated, the attendants process up the isle, followed by the bride making her grand entrance. While the primary responsibility falls on the musicians that all of this goes smoothly, there are a few simple steps you can take to avoid any mishaps and ensure that the processional comes off smoothly.
In my experience, the primary way to insure that the processional is seamless is to establish a "Cue Person". If you are the bride or groom, feel free to print out this web page and give it to your Cue Person. Whomever you have play for your wedding, here are some planning guidelines we hope are useful to you.
Establishing a Cue Person
This is probably the single most important thing you can do to avoid processional mishaps and ensure that the timings go smoothly. Essentially, the Cue Person acts as a liaison between those who will be processing and the musicians. Think of the Cue Person as directing traffic. If you have a wedding planner, most likely she or he will be giving the cues. If you do not have a wedding planner, make sure the Cue Person attends the wedding rehearsal (important!).
While the job of the Cue Person isn't difficult, we find those who are detail oriented often do the best job.
Check in with the Musicians
Besides attending the wedding rehearsal, the first duty of the Cue Person is to check in with the musicians before the prelude music begins. The prelude often starts 20 to 30 minutes before the ceremony so the Cue Person will need to arrive early. The Cue Person and musicians can go over what cues are needed and how they will communicate. Normally, there is a head musician whom the Cue Person will communicate with.
Giving the Cues
In order to direct traffic, the Cue Person usually will be stationed where the bridal party will be entering for the processional. The only cue signals needed are,
1) a hand wave in the air for "Yes"
and
2) a forward finger circle for “Delay! Keep Playing!”
Simple as that!
Seating of the Mothers
If you have special music for the seating of the mothers, the first cue is to inform the musicians that the mothers are ready to be seated. The Cue Person should wave a hand in the air over the head. The lead musician will nod "yes" to confirm the hand signal was seen. Make sure that the mothers do not process until the prelude music stops and the new music begins. This may be a minute or so as the musicians need to find a suitable place to stop and not abruptly cut off the music.
Processional of the Attendants
We recommend that the processional for the attendants can begin immediately after the mothers are seated. For indoor weddings, the mothers sometimes light the two candles used for the unity candle before sitting down.
1) If you want the processional to begin right after the mothers are seated, have the Cue Person check that everyone is ready before
the mothers process. This is especially important for large wedding parties or processionals that include flower girls and ring bearers.
2) After the mothers are seated, the Cue Person will give another a hand wave over the head to the musicians that everyone is ready to process. The lead musician will nod "yes" to confirm the hand signal was seen.
If there is an unexpected delay, such as your maid of honor's shoe strap breaks (!), the Cue Person will give a forward finger circle in the air to signify, "there is a delay, keep going." That way, the musicians know if they need to provide some filler music. So an important responsibility of the Cue person is to deal with delay issues as they come up.
3) The Cue Person should remember that the music for the procession of the Mothers will stop and new music will begin for the attendants.
Processional of the Bride
Once the processional of the attendants is finished - seamlessly, of course, because you followed our advice and established a Cue Person! - it is time for the bride's grand entrance. Usually the person officiating gives a signal for the guests to stand. Another wave of the hand by the Cue Person is a good idea to signal the bride is ready to process. So if you are the bride, just take a deep breath and when the music changes begin your processional. There's no need to rush. Take your time and enjoy the moment. You will never be so close to being treated as royalty!
As you can see, the often overlooked but important Cue Person can be the solution to avoid processional mishaps and mistakes. It can ensure that your ceremony proceeds smoothly as planned through the processional music. And that is one less problem to worry about on your special day!