The parents of the bride always sit in the first pew or row on the left, facing where the ceremony will be held; the groom's parents sit in the first row on the right. At same-sex marriage ceremonies, the couple might assign each family a side, and seat guests on "Bill's side" or "Kevin's side" accordingly.
From walking down the aisle first to last, the traditional order is: Mother of Bride, Mother of Groom, Grandparents of Bride, Grandparents of Groom, Groom, Officiant, the Wedding Party, Maid of Honor and Best Man, Ring Bearer, Flower Girl and lastly the Bride and her Father.
The groom's parents precede the bride's mother during the processional. Here's a rundown: After the ushers have seated all of the guests, the grandparents start up the aisle, followed by the groom's parents. Then the bride's mother takes her turn. She is the last to be seated before the bridal party procession begins.
In the most traditional Christian, heterosexual weddings, the bride's parents sit in the first row on the left side of the aisle, while the groom's parents will fill in the first row on the right side.
Traditionally speaking, your mother will be on the front as mentioned above (with her significant other if in attendance), and her immediate family will be directly behind her in the next row back. This generally would place your stepmother on the third row back in the second seat from the aisle.
If the bride has a stepmother, she would be escorted to her seat by a groomsman before the mother of the bride; the bride's mom should be the last person to be escorted down the aisle, just before the bridal party.
The mother of the bride is traditionally escorted by her son if she has one. Otherwise, any close male relative, the best man, or a groomsman walks with the mother of the bride during the procession.
Our wedding etiquette expert is here with the answer. Traditionally, the parents all sit at the same reception table, along with siblings not in the wedding party, the officiant and his or her spouse (if they attend the reception) and any grandparents.
Classically, the groom sits to the bride's right and the best man sits to her left. The maid of honor sits to the groom's right. Depending on how large the table is, the other attendants can also be seated near the couple.
As you're facing the table, the maid of honour sits at the far left, with the groom's father next to her. The bride's mother sits on the groom's father's left. The bride and groom sit in the middle, with the groom on the left as you're facing the table.
The parents of the bride always sit in the first pew or row on the left, facing where the ceremony will be held; the groom's parents sit in the first row on the right. At same-sex marriage ceremonies, the couple might assign each family a side, and seat guests on "Bill's side" or "Kevin's side" accordingly.
Traditionally speaking, though, the bride's family pays for the bulk of the wedding—venue, reception, photographer, flowers, etc. As such, the mother of the bride is typically more 'in charge' of these things (along with the bride, of course) than the mother of the groom is.
Who should be the first to stand when a bride begins walking down the aisle? The Mother of the Bride. Or her parents. They have the honor of standing first.
The groom's parents walk down the aisle together in the procession, followed by the mother of the bride (often escorted by her son(s) or ushers). In the line of procession, the only people who would walk ahead of the groom's parents are grandparents, if they will be a part of it.
5 minutes prior to ceremony: The groom's mother is escorted to her seat by the head usher, a son, or the groom. The groom's father follows and sits next to her. The wedding processional follows.
A mother of the bride is perfectly welcome to escort the bride down the aisle if the bride's father isn't able to for whatever reason. (Both parents accompany the bride in most Jewish weddings).
Traditionally, the newlyweds sit in the middle of the table, with the bride seated to the groom's right. Same-sex couples can feel free to seat themselves as they'd like. For a male/female pattern around the table, seat the best man next to the bride and the maid of honor next to the groom.
There are NO RULES! It really just depends on the couple's preference. We have some couples that choose the traditional route – bride's guests sit on the left, while the groom's sit on the right for American / Christian weddings. For Jewish weddings, the groom is on the left, and the bride is on the right.
Some people believe that the bride stands on the left of the groom, because that is the closest place to his heart. Others believe this tradition exists, because men and women used to sit in separate areas during church. The men would sit on the right side and the women would sit on the left side.
The bride and groom should be seated at the center of the head table, with their attendants flanking them. Some couples include the ushers in the wedding party table seating while others choose to reserve a table near the front of the reception for them. Flower girls and ring bearers usually sit with their parents.
A Table with Close Friends. Sometimes parents of the couple simply want to sit with their friends. "We will often find that the parents are flanking the bride and groom's tables with the parents of the bride on her side and the parents of the groom on his side," says Laura Maddox, Partner at Magnolia Celebrates.
The bride and groom are followed by their parents. If the bride's parents are hosting the wedding, they speak first, toasting the newlyweds and the groom's parents, and welcoming the guests.
The mother of the bride plays the role of hostess, meaning you should spend some time greeting guests during the reception. Although there are exceptions, other wedding-day duties may include sitting at the parents' table and dancing with the father of the bride to help warm up the dance floor.
As the wedding begins, the groom's mother will be escorted down the aisle, to the first pew, right-hand side, by the head usher or a groomsman who is a family member. A nice touch includes the groom escorting his mother down the aisle. As the groom's mother is escorted to her seat, her husband will follow along behind.
Because the mother of the groom isn't part of the bridal party, she should avoid choosing a dress in the same color as the bridesmaids' attire, the mother of the bride's dress, or the wedding gown.