Thursday, August 20, 2009

Aisle Fleet

- collective noun
a wedding processional/recessional comprised of many people -- including a combination of bridal party and family members -- with specific roles in the ceremony

Grabbing an aisle seat gives you the best view of the aisle fleet during the processional and recessional.


Yes, I have a tiny family. And yes, our wedding party is small-to-medium-ish. But our processional? That bad boy's gonna be pretty big!

As part of our Nuptial Mass, we're required to have processional that includes all the liturgical ministers. So, initially, our wedding processional will look and feel very much like a "normal" mass. We've designated family members to serve as Cross and Bible Bearers, and our readers and eucharistic minister will join in as well.

After our presider processes down the aisle, the more "conventional" wedding procession will begin. First, the three bridal attendants will walk individually to the front of the church. Next, each bridesmaid will be escorted by a groomsman. (We're honoring our oldest friendships by ordering these three pairs from the duo we became close to most recently to the friends we've known the longest.) My sister and Mr. Bruschetta's brother -- MOH and Best Man, respectively -- will come next.

Where's Mr. Bruschetta, you might wonder? Well, our church believes that since the bride and groom are actually the ministers of the liturgy -- and the priest is simply a witness -- he, like every other minister, must make his way down the aisle. My groom will be next in line, escorting his mother to her seat. And Mama Bruschetta will follow, on BIL Bruschetta's arm.

Then (finally!) Daddy Bruschetta and I will enter the church. Throughout this entire processional, our organist will be playing the same piece -- the Prince of Denmark's March -- but when the double doors open immediately prior to my entrance, he'll "pull out all the stops," elevating the music to a full, rich fortissimo.



Our rehearsal's going to be very important, as we have so many moving parts to keep straight! (And especially since we're not exactly sure yet how the recessional should be organized.)

How are you organizing your processional? To what song will you walk down the aisle?

No comments:

Post a Comment