Your rehearsal dinner is one of the last pre-wedding events you’ll plan. Typically held the evening before your wedding day, the rehearsal dinner serves as a kick-off to your wedding weekend festivities. But do you know what the rehearsal dinner entails? Who pays for it? How many people should attend? You’ve got questions, and we have the answers!
Who hosts the rehearsal dinner? Traditionally, if the bride’s parents were paying for the wedding, the groom’s parents would host the rehearsal dinner. However, customs have changed, and now it’s acceptable for anyone to host the dinner, including the couple themselves. If this is the case, you'll need to figure out how this fits into your wedding budget. There are many great tips in this Who Pays for Your Big Day article. Also download this Free Wedding Budget Planning Worksheet to help if you are paying yourself. What do you do at the dinner? The rehearsal dinner is a chance to bring family and friends together to meet each other and socialize before the wedding. It takes place right after your wedding rehearsal, and the event can be formal, like at a restaurant or country club, or informal – think a pizza party or BBQ. When planning your rehearsal dinner, don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Wouldn’t an evening of bowling, sitting around a beach bonfire, or going to a ballgame be a great way to let your hair down for awhile during all of the wedding preparation craziness?! You could even use ideas from the I Do BBQ Couples Shower Theme. These Winery Rehearsal Dinner Ideas are also fun and make for a classy night. Elements like this Silver Dollar Eucalyptus Garland and these Funny Sayings Wine Tags are perfect for a winery themed dinner rehearsal. If you or a family member is hosting the dinner, nobody will want to worry about doing dishes afterwards. These White Elegance Premium Plastic Dinner Plates are durable and would work amazing for the event. Snacks can be served in these Medium and Large Copper Foil Polka Dot Trays. Who do you invite? The guest list should include immediate family and your wedding party, plus their spouses and dates. Whether you choose to invite additional guests largely depends on your budget. It’s also common to invite out-of-town guests as a way to thank them for traveling, and it’s also customary to invite the wedding officiant and his or her family. How do you invite people? If you’re having a small rehearsal dinner with only the family and wedding party, a verbal invitation or electronic invitation should suffice. If you’re having a larger rehearsal dinner, invitations should be sent so that you can keep track of RSVPs. These invitations should be sent around the same time as the wedding invitations so guests will have plenty of time to make travel arrangements and know to save the date. What happens at the rehearsal dinner? There really are no rules about what should happen at the rehearsal dinner. Other than it being a chance for family and friends to mingle and unwind, some people may choose to gives toasts. The father of the bride, best man, and maid of honor usually give a toast at the wedding reception, but anyone who feels like speaking can give a toast at the rehearsal dinner. While the bride and groom do not necessarily have to give a toast, they should offer a response when someone toasts them. The couple can also give thanks to everyone for being there and toast each other. This is also a good opportunity to make any last-minute announcements or give reminders about your wedding. There are no hard and fast rules about how to host a rehearsal dinner. Use it as an opportunity to do some early celebrating with family and close friends as you kick off your wedding weekend.
Now that you’re planning your rehearsal dinner, it’s time to start looking at wedding cakes! And do you want to use a calligrapher for your invitations or signage? Find one now! And before you mail your invitations, make sure you’ve read these tips.
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Article written by: Heather Clark
