To begin with, I want to say that “there is no such thing as a ‘generic’ Jewish wedding — no matter what the rabbi tells you, no matter what your mother tells you, and no matter what the caterer tells you”.

That’s not my quote, that’s Anita Diamant’s, from her wonderful book, The New Jewish Wedding. And I start with it, as it’s important to know that just like all other aspects of a Jewish wedding, the processional order will vary with how religious you are, and your local practices, but it will still follow this basic order:

The wedding party enters in this order:

• Rabbi and/or chazan (cantor) on Rabbi’s right.
• Bride’s grandparents (or they can choose to be seated beforehand)
• Groom’s grandparents (or they can choose to be seated beforehand)
• Ushers in pairs (shortest to tallest)
• Best man and / or Best woman
• The groom, escorted by his parents (father on his left, mother on his right)
• Bridesmaids (individually or in pairs)
• The bride, escorted by her parents (father on her left, mother on her right)

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