When you are planning your wedding ceremony, you might want to consider the time it takes for you to walk down the aisle. This is because you need time to processional with the music you have chosen.
In simple terms, it should take no longer than about 3-4 minutes for the whole wedding party to walk down the aisle and the bride should take around 30-45 seconds of this.
The length of the aisle and how you time the processional with the music will alter the timing but as a guideline, 4 minutes should be enough.
In this article, we take a look at how long it takes for a wedding party to walk down the aisle, including the bride’s great entrance. Let’s jump in.
How Long Does The Bride Need?
There are a few variables that determine how long the bride takes to walk down the aisle. There is no one-time frame and every venue will have a different length aisle.
The length of the aisle will play a big part in the time the bride takes. The shorter the aisle is at your venue, the shorter the walk and vice versa.
You should try and stop at the venue beforehand to test and time how long it takes you to walk down the aisle before the big day.
Personal pace will also come into play and you might want to try some different paces and speeds.
Use the time on your phone and track the time it takes you to walk down the aisle. You could also ask a friend or family member to help.
The length of your song will also hinder the time and if you want to walk down the aisle where your favorite lyrics align, you need to time this right.
An instrumental song will have less of an effect on timing.
These timings can be determined at the rehearsal but if your venue allows you to pop by before this, you can work it all out before the rehearsal too.
Ultimately, it’s your big day and you are going to want to slow down and treasure the moment forever. Don’t rush the walk and stay calm throughout.
How Long Does The Wedding Party Need?
The wedding party will not need any longer than 2-3 minutes to walk down the aisle and you can decide how they do so.
Each way might take a different length of time and the size of your wedding party will also alter timings.
If you choose your part to walk down individually, this is perfect for smaller weddings. You could only have two or three attendants on each side and have the person walk the aisle on their own.
You could then have the Groom, groomsmen, and best man walk from the side, and the maid of honor and bridesmaids walk down the aisle.
You could also choose a couples walk which is perfect for larger wedding parties.
You could have four or more attendants on each side, having the groomsmen and bridesmaids walk down the aisle at the time and the maid of honor and best man walk as a couple.
Group walks are great for big weddings and you can have groups of two walking down the aisle at the same time.
All the groom’s side could walk in from the side and the bridesmaids could walk down the aisle, but staying in groups of two. You could still have the maid of honor or best man walk alone.
If you are still unsure, you can try a few different ways in your rehearsal and see which matches your music choice best.
It also gives your wedding party a chance to walk up and down the aisle so they are ready and comfortable for the big day.
The Song Choice
When it comes to song choice, you need to think about its length, according to how long it takes to walk down the aisle of your venue.
If the song drags on, guests might become bored but if it is too short, the moment will not be as memorable.
You need to decide if you want to change the song when the wedding party walks down after the bride too and these songs might need to vary in length, depending on the size of the wedding party.
If you are wondering how long the song should be, as a rough guide, a song that lasts between 2- 3 minutes should be fine, but again, this will depend on the size of the wedding party.
For the bride, a song between 1 and 2 minutes will be sufficient.
Order Of Who Walks Down The Aisle
When you are practicing, either ahead of time or at the rehearsal, you might want to know who should walk down the aisle and in what order.
There are ways to do it depending on personal preferences but as a guide, you should have the officiant walk down first, followed by the bride and groom’s grandparents escorted by ushers.
You should then have the parents of the groom and the mother of the bride escorted by an usher. You should then have the groom followed by all of the groomsmen and bridesmaids.
The maid of honor with the best man comes next as a pair, who are followed by the ring bearer and flower girl. Finally, you should have the bride with the father of the bride by her side.
Final Thoughts
We hope you have enjoyed this article on how long it takes to walk down the aisle and realize that it all comes down to personal preference and venue.
On average, it should take around 3-4 minutes, but you need to make sure this is enough time for the bride and wedding party to make their way down the aisle and that it matches up with your song choice.
Our best advice would be to ask your venue if you can pop by before the rehearsal to get a rough idea and ensure you are prepared for the big day!
My husband proposed to me in spring and it was a very lowkey setting, in our backyard without anyone else around to see it. It was a perfect proposal. But then everything got real, and I was suddenly thrust into planning mode.
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