It happens at almost every Wedding. We start to line up the Bridal Party for the formal introductions, and I hear one of the bridesmaids ask “What side are the girls on?”. When following traditional wedding formats the man is on the right, and the woman is on the left, except traditional Jewish Weddings. In reality though, there is really no simple answers to this, as I have had parents, bridal party members, and the Bride & Groom give various reasons to be on either side. Today we are going to share some of the reasons argued to line up with the girls on either the left or the right side.
- Chivalry: This is where the traditional method of having the ladies line up on the man’s left arm started. It goes back to medieval times. The story goes that the lady is always on the man’s left arm, this keeps his sword hand free to defend her.
- The Girls Are ALWAYS Right: As you may already have guessed. This argues that the ladies should be on the right side, because they are always right. This is almost always proposed by one of the bridesmaids, and it is hard for me to argue the logic behind it.
- From the Recessional: This is the method that we typically recommend, if the Bride & Groom do not have a preference. We ask the bridal party to line up on the same side they were on when they walked out of the ceremony. This keeps things simple, and also uniform throughout the day.
There are many other reasons why the girls should be on one side and the men on another, some we have heard, and some I am sure we have not. If you have a story or theory for which side to stand on, please feel free to share below in the comments.
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