What’s the correct processional order for a Jewish wedding ceremony?

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)

 At a traditional Jewish wedding, the bride’s side is on the right (if you’re facing the chuppah) and the groom’s is on the left. Both sets of parents stand under the chuppah during the ceremony, alongside the bride, groom, and rabbi., whilst the grandparents take their seats right after the processional.

Music for the ceremony

Whenever I interview brides and grooms for my Real Jewish Weddings I always am curious to know, “what song did you walk down the aisle to, and how was the song choice significant to you?”. I get so many varying answers and incredible choices that I created a Spotify playlist below) that is constantly updated with the top song choices. And if you’re after something a little bit more contemporary check out another awesome Smashing The Glass post:  The Top 10 Coolest Chuppah Entrance Songs for 2015.