Where to put my father's wife in the ceremony?

ria5584 · April 2012

I have been looking online for the proper wedding etiquette about stepmothers and have been finding some contradictory things. So my question is does the stepmother have part in the wedding precession, and where does she sit during the ceremony? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

em01092 · April 2012

She does not have to be formally escorted in by an usher and/or as a part of the processional, but it is a nice gesture if you wish to do so. Are you guys close? My dad's wife and I are not close, so she will just go to her seat normally.

No matter what, she should 100% be seated by her husband, your father. Your mother and stepfather (if applicable) should also be together. Do not split up couples and make your stepparents sit on a separate pew/row. Seat a sibling, aunt, or other relative in between them if you think they can't behave.

jagore08 · April 2012

You can have a GM or usher escort her to her seat at the beginning of the processional or have her seated before the processional starts. I think it depends on what kind of relationship you two have. She should be seated next to your father in the front row.

JaxInBlue · April 2012

Ditto PPs. Whether or not she is escorted in during the processional is up to you and your FI, although it's a nice gesture to include her. She should sit with your father with the first row; we used my grandmother as a barrier between my two sets of parents and it worked well for us.

ria5584 · April 2012

Thank you ladies!! I was seeing all these website articles that were saying that she should sit in the second row away from my father and that just sounded weird. She has been married to my father since I was 9, but we have never been close at all, so she was never really going to have a large part, but I don't want to be rude either. I am just glad that it seems that other people are in the same situation as I.