How to ‘I do’ SETTING UP THE CEREMONY Getting married means so much more than perusing Pinterest to find gorgeous centerpieces or hiring vendors to help you execute the wedding of your dreams. It’s a union between you and your best friend, joining you together for a life- time. Your ceremony is where the magic of marriage happens, so make sure you do it right! Use these tips to outline your ceremony procession and timeline. Order of Events To make your wedding day run as smoothly as possi- ble, we have broken down the order of events to help you when trying to figure out what should happen and when. Guests should arrive a half an hour before the bride’s entrance. Mingling between guests is permitted and encouraged, and soft music should be playing in the background. If you plan on having an unplugged cere- mony, it is acceptable to have your officiant remind your guests of this once he or she has entered and taken their position. After the processional, the officiant will make some opening remarks welcoming the guests and speak- ing about the beauty of shared love. When you break down a wedding to its basic foundations, the order is to be as follows: processional, opening remarks, vow exchange, ring exchange, pronouncement of marriage, first kiss, closing remarks, recessional. A lot of engaged couples, though, like to supplement this timeline with meaningful additions. Readings (from scripture, po- ems, or literature selections), musical performances, unity ceremonies, or other supplements can be added to your ceremony. Typically, they are placed between the officiant’s remarks and the vows, or after the ring exchange but before the pronouncement of marriage. One timeline of your ceremony, for example, could read like this: processional, opening remarks, reading, vows, ring exchange, unity custom with musical performance, 1 42 | TODAY’S BRIDE READ MORE AT TODAYSBRIDE.COM