Planning a wedding means making sure that all the decorations and details are in place before the big day. If you're helping the bride with the decor for the chapel or church, it's important to know how to use the wedding aisle runner properly; a certain amount of etiquette should be maintained to ensure that the ceremony goes smoothly.

The ushers are responsible for rolling out the wedding aisle runner. The runner should be rolled out from the front of the church to the back, and the roll does not have to be cut, as long the roll is not large enough for the wedding party to trip over. If the roll is going to be in the way, a utility knife and tape should be placed at the back of the church so that the ushers can cut the runner and tape it in place.

Technically, the bridal party is permitted to walk on the runner in order to get to the front of the church. The runner should be rolled out before the wedding party starts to enter, since the flower girls, ring bearer, bridesmaids and groomsmen should walk down the runner to make for good pictures during the ceremony. However, some brides prefer to have the runner rolled out right before they enter, and this is acceptable as well.

Wedding aisle runners can be made from plastic or paper. However, it is usually in keeping with wedding runner etiquette to have a paper runner. The look of the runner is often more pleasing to the eye than plastic varieties, and having a paper wedding aisle runner reduces the chances of the bridesmaids getting their heels caught in the runner.

Brides who have chosen to have a custom painted aisle runner for their wedding should have the runner laid down after the flower decorations are complete. Sectioning off the center aisle with elegant material like chiffon or satin will help to keep the runner intact, since it will let guests know to access seats from the side aisles.

After the wedding, the entire wedding party will walk on the runner, and guests will walk on the runner as well, since everyone will most likely be walking out of the church via the center aisle. The bride and groom walking out of the church on a custom-designed runner makes for great wedding pictures, but if ushers need to roll the runner back up, this should be noted in the wedding program.