Anxiously awaiting his bride, the groom stands at the altar along with the officiant and all the attendants. The song changes and the bride enters arm in arm with her father. They walk down the aisle at a steady pace as the bride’s train flows beautifully behind. Arriving at the front of the church where the groom steps down to receive his bride, the officiant asks, “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?” The father answers, “Her mother and I.” The groom shakes the father’s hand, the father and bride exchange a kiss, and the groom takes his bride’s hand. The bride and groom take steps toward the altar, while at the same moment the father takes a step towards his seat. As her father steps, he inadvertently steps on her train pulling her backwards and her strapless dress down. Way down. Embarrassingly down. If this was on live TV they would have had to take advantage of the 7 second delay to protect innocent viewers. To those in attendance at the wedding, well, they got an eyeful.
This scenario can easily be avoided. No, not by nixing the train. HAVE A REHEARSAL led by a knowledgeable officiant or wedding planner. Any experienced officiant or planner knows that the father needs a little guidance for his daughter’s big day. He needs to know where to stop (at the front row next to his wife), how to hand off the bride to her groom (put her hand into his arm) and how important it is to wait for the train to leave the station before walking to his seat.
Yes, wedding rehearsals are important. Especially if you have a train on your strapless gown.
*This story was inspired by actual events, though it was a grandpa walking the bride.