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.

(You know I think turtles are the cutest --
but they're really not as slow as everyone thinks!)

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.

Prince of Denmark's March - Mi...

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?

Lofty Ambitions

Stand. Sit. Stand. Sit. Stand again. Kneel. Sit. Stand. For anyone unfamiliar with the Catholic faith, attending or participating in a church wedding can be confusing -- for some, boring.

(source)

And, as we learned upon reserving our date and time, it can also be overwhelming. A few weeks after securing our spot with parish wedding coordinator, we received a large envelope in the mail, reminiscent of college acceptance packets. Inside, a reference booklet explained every aspect of our upcoming marriage -- from information about the Pre-Cana program to the required documents we'd need to complete prior to the wedding.

At first, this guide seemed like a great way to stay organized, with all the key dates, deadlines and phone numbers in one location. A few pages in, however, we found the six "environmental guidelines," which place certain limitations on the decorations permitted within and immediately outside the church. I was particularly concerned about numbers three and six:

3) St. Thomas of Villanova parish will provide the flowers in the church for your wedding. The flowers will be coordinated with the church environment. We provide this as a service to our wedding couples and to ensure a quality liturgical environment for all the many services that take place in the Church. No additional flowers or decorations are to be brought into the church.

6) Out of respect for the church building: rice, birdseed, confetti, rose petals, balloon launches are not permitted anywhere on the grounds.

Of course, I realize these details are merely that -- small decorative elements to enhance the beauty of the wedding day -- and the real focus can and will be on our committing to one another for the rest of our lives. But I can't help and worry that, with up to two other weddings scheduled in the church on our date, the flowers that are selected for us (and not at all by us) won't match all the carefully coordinated attire, accessories and, yes, bouquets. And I'm seriously stumped as to how we could have a celebratory exit from the church if tossing anything at the newlyweds is prohibited. (Would bubbles have the same effect?)

Flip a couple more pages, and ten panic-inducing rules restricting wedding photographers and videographers will be staring back up at you. Again, I'd like to preface this diatribe with a disclaimer: I understand some of the restrictions, and would never want our vendors to disrupt the dignity and sacredness of our nuptial mass. That being said, I really think there is a middle ground between being disruptive and disrespectful, and the constraints with which we'll be forced to comply:

3) Once the ceremony begins, photographers are asked to stand at the back of the church in the center aisle and take all photographs from that site.

4) For the video cameras, there is only one site permitted. The videographer must remain at that location throughout the ceremony. Please check with the Sacristan regarding this location.

7) Due to time limitations, group photos of the couple and/or wedding party are not permitted in the Church.

9) No photography is allowed from the choir loft.

The "Sacristan" referenced in item four will be an (uninvited) guest at our wedding, ensuring our pros follow each of the rules before, during and after the mass. I've shared all this information with our photographer and videographer -- these policies are one of the reasons we wanted two photographers (so neither will have to move [much] to get great shots), and why we hired our videographer (who has experience working in the St. Thomas of Villanova Church, and is familiar with the locations and angles that produce great footage of the ceremony) -- but still worry we might miss capturing important moments.

Reading through this booklet didn't make me want to have our wedding at the St. Thomas of Villanova Church any less; it did, however, lead me to wonder why the coordinator set such firm restrictions, and what must have happened (one or more seriously disrupted weddings?) to necessitate such a document. And it's made me wistful for the days when I used to coordinate student masses in this church, with possession of a skeleton key that allowed me to climb to the bell tower in the church spires, and enjoy the view from the choir loft. Part of me wishes I'd made a copy of that key, and that I were brave enough to blatantly disregard the rules keeping our pros from capturing footage in the choir loft -- then, of course, part of me feels badly for even thinking of this!

Does your ceremony location come with a laundry list of specifications?

A Tale of Two Cities: Part I

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

Hmmm, maybe Dickens knew something about wedding planning? Or perhaps we were subconsciously inspired by his novel -- or at least its title?

Our summer celebration will carry from the suburbs to the city, so we wanted to provide a bit of background about why we chose two (very different) areas for our wedding day.

(source)

The Saint Thomas of Villanova Church is located on Lancaster Avenue, as part of the Villanova University campus (which is my alma mater); however, it provides a place of worship for both an outside congregation and the student population. Parishioners from the surrounding neighborhoods attend mass on Sunday mornings, while the students gather at masses on Sunday evenings (at 6:00, 8:00 or 10:00 p.m.). Mr. Bruschetta would often drive up to Villanova on the weekends, for movie dates, study dates -- or sometimes, just to attend mass with me (uh...church dates?).

And during my junior year, I was selected to serve as one of two "mass coordinators" for the 6:00 p.m. mass. Since each of the masses were student-run, my principal responsibilities included checking in each week's volunteer ministers (and filling in as needed when a one failed to show up on time), and ensuring the uninterrupted flow of the mass. Basically, I was church stage crew.

On a weekly basis, this was relatively straightforward -- measuring out hosts and wine before the mass, making sure the celebration started on time, etc. -- but the larger masses throughout the year (including the third Sunday in Advent and Palm Sunday), meant extensive preparation and dress rehearsals. I held this position through the senior year, and in so doing, became intimately familiar with all aspects of the church.

Climbed up the twin spires to the bell towers? Been there. Crept through the capacious depths of the church's (decidedly scary, dirt-floored) basement? Done that.

Once I forged this connection with the Villanova church -- and helped Mr. Bruschetta establish a link as well -- I don't think either of us questioned that we would eventually marry there. So during our Pre-Cana weekend in November, we selected music for our nuptial mass (more to come on this later!) that is unique to the church, and reminds us of the Sunday evening masses we used to attend there together.

The biggest challenge of planning this part of the wedding? Reserving the church! It's no secret among alumni and parishioners that, because the church is so beautiful -- just wait until you see the inside of this Gothic church -- there is usually a lengthy wait list to marry here. And in order to accommodate so many couples, the wedding coordinator can schedule up to three masses (11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m for alumni, 3:30 p.m. for parishioners) on any given Saturday.

I decided to take no chances. A midnight voice message on March 1 (the first day I could reserve the church for our wedding day) secured us the 1:30 time slot.

Backwards though it may seem, Mr. Bruschetta and I began searching for our reception venue in January 2008 -- and had it booked before we had even reserved the church.

Wait, what?

Oh yeah, but that's a story for another post, my friends.