Please remember that, while I am always the person who performs your ceremony, I occasionally must send a fellow wedding professional (always another officiant or a wedding planner that I have trained personally) to run your rehearsal for you. I strive to attend as many rehearsals as I can, but I will occasionally run into a scheduling conflict with a ceremony or another rehearsal.
The likelihood that I'll be available for your rehearsal increases dramatically if you:
- Schedule it as far in advance as your venue will allow, or schedule it immediately if you're having it at a private residence or public space
- Avoid scheduling on a Friday or Saturday
- Try to schedule as early in the week as possible - most couples schedule rehearsals on Thursday, but almost none Monday through Wednesday
- Avoid scheduling around 5pm, which is my primetime wedding hour - before 3pm or after 6:30pm are best
- You can rehearse in the morning the same day as your ceremony if you have your venue for the whole day
- Remember that having your rehearsal dinner before your actual rehearsal is always an option
One final tip: you don't need to rehearse at your actual venue! Unless your ceremony space is unusual or complicated in some way, it's extremely easy to "copy and paste" your rehearsal from one space to another.