to meet the bridegroom: This image points to the coming of the Messiah (see Mark 2:19–20).
We do not know the exact wedding customs of that time. Some believe the bridesmaids led the bride to the bridegroom's home. He stayed away until the wedding feast began. The bridesmaids would wait for his arrival and then escort him to the feast (Matthew 25:10).
Others think the bridegroom might have arrived late at night at the bride’s home, where they announced him. After celebrating with the bride’s guests, the groom would take his bride to his home under torches or lamps.