Wedding Rehearsals and Order of Service
A rehearsal is almost a must to all churches, so that everyone will know what to do, where to stand, which positions they should be at the appointed time, during the wedding day itself.

Everyone is expected to bring the floor plan of the church, time schedule, and mock ups of the flower bouquets or flower baskets. And everyone is expected to be present during the rehearsal. If the bride’s wedding gown has a long train, it will be wise to bring a similar-length cloth for the wedding rehearsal for practice!

Floral decorations or any form of decorations should be consulted with the clergyman first hand. As almost all churches will never allow nails to be hammered to the pews or elsewhere and adhesive tape may leave a mark on the surface. Some churches may have their own florist taking care of the wedding deco, but if you are not satisfied with the proposed floral designs, you can always engage an external florist to help you with the explicit flower arrangements you have dreamed of.

The ideas of wedding flowers arrangements are limitless, it can be as simple as small corsages along the pews to a wide spread of exotic flowers shipped-in to compliment the church settings with flower stands and arches. But again, the final say lies with the clergyman, and it is important to ask the florist to arrange a meeting with him.

Order of Service
Having all said, an Order of Service has to be written before you can go any further. The bride has to choose the hymns and songs or music to be played in the wedding service. The bride has to choose something that is acceptable for the church, you can be certain trance music are never allowed to be played in church! While the clergyman has the final say, it is still the bride’s prerogative to choose the music, hymns and praises during her wedding. An advance notice must be given to the pianist and the choir, as they must know how to play the music or hymns you have chosen. You may consult the clergyman for advice on popular wedding march or some may call wedding music for the particular moment, but you can also get some ideas from the following:

F.Schubert: Ave Maria
J.Pachelbel: Canon in D and Gigue
J.S.Bach: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
C.Franck: Panis Angelicus
J.S.Bach: Sheep May Safely Graze
H.Purcell: Trumpet Voluntary and Hornpipe
G.F.Handel: Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
G.F.Handel: Air from Water Music
J.S.Bach: Air on a G String

After that , the bride may review the wedding vows and scripture versus to be read from the bible. And if the bride wishes to include additional scriptures or totally change to another verse, the clergyman’s advice should be consulted in advance, especially if the bride wants to add in her own poem that could mean a lot to her.

Once all the details of the music and prayers are finalized, it will be printed on a sheet of paper, which is called the ‘Order Of Service’. The Order of Service may be printed out and distributed to everyone before the wedding ceremony starts. Readings of the scriptures may also be printed with it.