de takes her bouquet from
her maid of honor (who removes the veil if she wore one over her face).
She then turns toward her husband--her bouquet in her right hand--and puts
her left hand through his right arm, and they descend the steps.

The maid of honor, handing her own bouquet to a second bridesmaid, follows
a short distance after the bride, at the same time stooping and
straightening out the long train and veil. The bride and groom go on down
the aisle. The best man disappears into the vestry room. At a perfectly
conducted wedding he does not walk down the aisle with the maid of honor.
The maid of honor recovers her bouquet and walks alone. If a bridesmaid
performs the office of maid of honor, she takes her place among her
companion bridesmaids who go next; and the ushers go last.

The best man has meanwhile collected the groom's belongings and dashed out
of the side entrance and around to the front to give the groom his hat and
stick. Sometimes the sexton takes charge of the groom's hat and stick and
hands them to him at the church door as he goes out. But in either case
the best man always hurries around to see the bride and groom into their
carriage, which has been standing at the entrance to the awning since she
and her father alighted from it.

All the other conveyances are drawn up in the reverse order from that in
which they arrived. The bride's carriage leaves first, next come those of
the bridesmaids, next the bride's mother and father, next the groom's
mother and father, then the nearest members of both families, and finally
all the other guests in the order of their being able to find their
conveyances.

The best man goes back to the vestry, where he gives the fee to the
clergyman, collects his own hat, and coat if he has one, and goes to the
bride's house.

As soon as the recessional is over, the ushers hurry back and escort to
the door all the ladies who were in the first pews, according to the order
of precedence; the bride's mother first, then the groom's mother, then the
other occupants of the first pew on either side, then the second and third
pews, until all members of the immediate families have left the church.
Meanwhile it is a breach of etiquette for other guests to leave their
places. At some weddings, just before the bride's arrival, the ushers run
ribbons down the whole length of the center aisle, fencing the
congregation in. As soon as the occupants of the first pews have left, the
ri