If television and movies are to be believed, every North American wedding (at least among English-speaking people) begins with the tune popularly known as "Here Comes the Bride." As all eyes turn to gaze admiringly on the bride walking down the aisle, the groom slips unnoticed into his place at the head of the aisle. In reality, though, this stereotype is beginning to break down.

 "Here Comes the Bride," which is actually the Bridal Chorus from Wagner's opera Lohengrin, has been eclipsed in popularity by other processionals, such as Purcell's Trumpet Time and Clarke's Trumpet Voluntary. The major limitation of "Here Comes the Bride" is that it is associated with just the bride, whereas the Roman Catholic Rite of Marriage addresses bride and groom as equal partners who together undertake the covenant of marriage.  

The entrance procession as envisioned by the church includes both the bride and the groom, who "may be escorted by at least their parents and the two witnesses." (Rite of Marriage, #20). During the wedding liturgy, the bride and groom together serve as the ministers of the sacrament of marriage. Even apart from the liturgy, many of the wedding preparations that had been the domain of the bride and her mother are increasingly being shared by the groom.

The participation of the groom in the entrance procession does not eliminate the bride's father from his place in the procession, just as the involvement of the groom in preparations for the wedding does not mean that the couple won't need the assistance of the bride's mother. The bride's parents and the groom's parents as well, have played an important role in bringing their son or daughter to this point in their lives. By including both sets of parents in the entrance procession, the wedding liturgy honors the families that have shaped the bride and groom as they come together to establish a new family.