At the beginning

At a typical wedding, the Groom sits in front of the altar on the South side (the right-hand side of the church if you are facing the altar). He faces North, so he has the altar on his right. The Best Man sits to the left of the Groom, and the other Groom’s Men sit behind the Groom and Best Man, all facing North.

The Bride sits in front of the altar on the North side (the left-hand side of the church if you are facing the altar). She faces her Groom, so she has the altar on her left. The Maid of Honour sits to the right of the Bride, and the other Bridesmaids sit behind the Bride and her Maid of Honour, all facing South.

After the pastor’s speech, the Bride, Groom, Maid of Honour, Best Man, Bridesmaids, and Groom’s Men come up to the altar. There are two steps up from the chairs to the altar. You are to stand by the railing surrounding the altar.

Return to the wedding service.

After signing the documents

After signing the documents, the Bride, Groom, and Best Man sit in new places:

The Bride sits in front of the altar on the South side (the right-hand side if you are facing the altar); that is, she sits opposite her previous chair where the Groom used to be.

The Groom sits to the left of his Bride; that is, he moves one seat to the left to where the Best Man used to be.

The Best Man sits in front of the altar on the North side (the left-hand side if you are facing the altar); that is, he sits where the Bride used to be and where she hopefully left her bouquet of flowers. The Best Man passes the flowers to the Bride.

The Maid of Honour, the other Bridesmaids, and the Groom’s Men return to where they sat before.

Return to the wedding service.