Here you are only months from your wedding, a day you’ve been looking forward to your whole life, and cash is flying out the door! Who knew getting married would be so expensive? All those details – from the $$$-dollar gown to the $$$-dollar venue and everything in between…. Cha- Ching!!

So where can you cut corners? Well, if you are like some less-than-prudent brides and grooms, the first place you look is the marriage officiant.  How about shaving off that extra $100 she is charging to attend the rehearsal? That’s $100 you can put towards something more important, like the champagne for your limo drive! Right?

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. If you want the perfect wedding, then do not skimp on a Justice of the Peace or a rehearsal. Many experts believe there is no more important step in the wedding planning process than the rehearsal of your wedding ceremony.

Here are the top three reasons why:

1. Practice makes perfect. A rehearsal enables all the participants of the wedding party to practice their roles and get a feeling for the layout of the venue. It’s an opportunity to iron out all the kinks, to polish the choreography of the processionals and recessionals and figure out where everyone should stand and sit, who will hold the rings, the vows, the bouquets, etc.

2. Make last-minute changes. The rehearsal is the first time you “hear” your wedding. Maybe you’ve read it and visualized it, but you haven’t heard it until this moment. So that lovely opening speech the JP and you worked so hard writing may sound like a major yawner when actually recited. Aren’t you glad you have a chance to revise it?

3. Work out your nerves. It may sound foolish but sometimes the best reason for a wedding rehearsal is so all the participants can shake off nervous energy. A walk- and read-through of your wedding ceremony a day or two before the “real thing” allows everyone to make those wrong moves and gaffes without undermining the decorum and sacredness of the actual event.

With the kind of investment – both in dollars and in ‘blood, sweat and tears’ – that your wedding represents, why cheat yourself out of an essential detail like the wedding rehearsal? A rehearsal can make a real difference in the pageantry and emotional impact of your wedding. And your JP will thank you for helping her to perform at her best, which is her ultimate goal. Isn’t your wedding day worth it?

Find your perfect JP at findaJP.com