Any Episcopalians out there? Have a ceremony question.

saacjw

So, we are doing the traditional first form ceremony with communion- meaning, it's going to be a long service, we're thinking an hour or so. My mother was just at a (Catholic) wedding where the bridal party sat during the parts of the wedding they aren't needed for (the readings, etc). Has anyone seen this? Is anyone doing this? I'm trying to decide if it'd be strange or not, but it seems to be a less cruel way of having my bridal party involved. 

Alcyone1

Not Episcopalian, but I was BM/MOH for my SIL at my brother's Catholic wedding several years ago, and we (the party) did indeed sit down for the parts we weren't needed for.  Saw this happen at my good friend's Catholic wedding, too.  It's really quite common.    You can also ask your priest what he/she suggests--chances are, they've done several weddings and can give you some input. 

RyansBelovedBride

I'm Episcopalian!

Unfortunately I haven't really been to any communion weddings. (If we were getting married here, though, we'd totally have one. Unfortunately, we're getting married in India and Ryan's not Episcopalian, and I admit I'm sad about giving that up.) 

But as I understand it, yes, the bridesmaids and groomsmen etc usually have a pew reserved and sit down during that part. While the BCP is standardized though, each church's customs can vary so you should ask your priest.

Ash61612

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_christian-weddings_any-episcopalians-out-there-have-a-ceremony-question?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:464687ae-7bc1-4360-9aea-999e11f1e1adDiscussion:06fede4a-f570-4ce1-b8d2-3c2d1e7d78f4Post:2dcb3c81-76bc-4512-83aa-ac1d4060f355">Re: Any Episcopalians out there? Have a ceremony question.</a>:
[QUOTE]Not Episcopalian, but I was BM/MOH for my SIL at my brother's Catholic wedding several years ago, <strong>and we (the party) did indeed sit down for the parts we weren't needed for</strong>.  Saw this happen at my good friend's Catholic wedding, too.  It's really quite common.  :)  You can also ask your priest what he/she suggests--chances are, they've done several weddings and can give you some input. 
Posted by Alcyone1[/QUOTE]
this is how I saw it done for my FBIL's wedding. The wedding party sat when they weren't needed. They sat in the very front pew, the row before the family

saacjw

Awesome!  Most of my family and friends are Catholic (and I've only ever seen them stand the whole time), so the last Episcopalian wedding I went to was my Aunt's and she did things a bit differently, so needed to ask. Thanks!!

Bett2012

I'm protestant and we're probably having our BP sit during most of the ceremony. Our church's platform has these slanted stairs going up on either side of the mini outjutting part of the platform that I think we will be standing on (if we go further back I think I'd feel too far away!)... anyways, I definitely wouldn't want to have to stand on those little stairs for any length of time, so I'm not making our BP do it. That's mostly about our location though.

My mom is a fainter, so she and dad sat facing the congregation during their ceremony (stood for their vows only, I think)... as a result, the BP also sat since it would look weird with them standing and not the bride and groom.

sorry i'm not much help!