Rehearsal Dinner

A rehearsal dinner is when the bride, groom, officiant, bridal party and their families all get together to run through the wedding ceremony usually the day before the wedding (but it doesn't have to be). It is typically in the evening and dinner is served following the rehearsal. It also gives a chance for families and friends to celebrate and come together in honor of the bride and groom in a more relaxed atmosphere.

It is customary that the groom's family host the rehearsal dinner but it is not obligatory. You will need to talk with the vendor about coming to use the site for the rehearsal. After the rehearsal you can go to a restaurant for the dinner or someone's home. Again, it is up to the groom's family or whoever is paying. Depending how many people you are inviting to the rehearsal dinner you can send out an invite or you can call or e-mail the guests. Besides the bridal party, family and the officiant it is also nice to invite the out of town guests and close friends. It is polite that the bride and groom introduce everyone as it maybe the first time that the parents or family are meeting each other. If the Maid of Honor and Best Man have gifts for the couple they can present them at the rehearsal. This is also where the bride and groom give their gifts to the bridesmaids and groomsmen. The main purpose of the rehearsal dinner is to relieve pre-wedding tension and make everyone feel included and comfortable without the stress of the next day.

You can choose to have a casual or formal event as long as you don't overshadow what's to come. Since the rehearsal dinner is more relaxed the food should complement that. You don't have to even have a dinner if you don't want to you can just have hors d'oeuvres, drinks or a BBQ. If you want a more intimate setting that's fine but you should do something for the out of town guests that are coming even if it's just a large dessert party the night before following the rehearsal dinner.

I had a "rehearsal dinner" if you want to call it that the night before my wedding. I didn't have an actual rehearsal but all my out of town family on my side and the groom's side got together and we all went out to dinner. Everyone paid their own way since it was very informal A rehearsal dinner is when the bride, groom, officiant, bridal party and their families all get together to run through the wedding ceremony usually the day before the wedding (but it doesn't have to be). It is typically in the evening and dinner is served following the rehearsal. It also gives a chance for families and friends to celebrate and come together in honor of the bride and groom in a more relaxed atmosphere.

It is customary that the groom's family host the rehearsal dinner but it is not obligatory. You will need to talk with the vendor about coming to use the site for the rehearsal. After the rehearsal you can go to a restaurant for the dinner or someone's home it is up to the groom's family or whoever is paying. Depending how many people you are inviting to the rehearsal dinner you can send out an invite or you can call or e-mail the guests. Besides the bridal party, family and the officiant it is also nice to invite the out of town guests and close friends. It is polite that the bride and groom introduce everyone as it maybe the first time that the parents or family are meeting each other. If the Maid of Honor and Best Man have gifts for the couple they can present them at the rehearsal. This is also where the bride and groom give their gifts to the bridesmaids and groomsmen. The main purpose of the rehearsal dinner is to relieve pre-wedding tension and make everyone feel included and comfortable without the stress of the next day.

You can choose to have a casual or formal event as long as you don't overshadow what's to come. Since the rehearsal dinner is more relaxed the food should compliment that. You don't have to even have a dinner if you don't want to you can just have hors d'oeuvres, drinks or a BBQ. If you want a more intimate setting that's fine but you should do something for the out of town guests that are coming whether it be just a large dessert party the night before following the rehearsal dinner.

I had a "rehearsal dinner" if you want to call it that the night before my wedding. I didn't have an actual rehearsal but all my out of town family on my side and the groom's side got together and we all went out to dinner. Everyone paid their own way since it was very informal and since we were having a luncheon the next day that Ty's family was paying for.

Having a rehearsal dinner is just one more occasion you get to spend with family and friends. The wedding weekend should be a non-stop party so you might as well have a rehearsal dinner.

Ty & I at our Rehearsal Dinner. As you can see very casual just at Fuddruckers.