Rehearsal Dinner

Wedding Articles

Basics of the Rehearsal Dinner

Who Should Host a Rehearsal Dinner?

It is custom, but not obligatory, for the rehearsal dinner to be the responsibility of the groom’s parents. The host of the dinner should be the groom’s father.

If for any reason the groom’s parents won’t or can’t host the rehearsal dinner, it then can be done by the bride’s parents. Today, many couples choose to host their own rehearsal dinner or not host one at all to save on expenses. The ultimate choice is up to the bride and groom.

When and Where Should the Rehearsal Dinner Take Place?

The rehearsal dinner takes place in the evening the day before the wedding.

The rehearsal dinner can be anything from a picnic, buffet, restaurant gathering, or even a formal party at a banquet hall. The type and size of the rehearsal dinner will usually depend on the size of the group taking part in the rehearsal of the wedding ceremony, size of wedding, and budget.

Do the Guests Pay for their Meals?

NO. You should never expect anyone attending the rehearsal dinner to pay for their meal. The rehearsal is not an optional event. It is something that needs to be attended to make sure the wedding goes as planned and the guests won’t have a choice in deciding to skip the rehearsal if they feel they are strapped financially.

If money is a concern, the rehearsal dinner does not have to be held in a restaurant or banquet hall. It can be something as simple as a bbq or pizza get together at your house or the house of the person(s) hosting the rehearsal dinner. You may even ask the guests to bring their own food dishes which they can spend on as much as they can afford.

Who Should Attend the Rehearsal Dinner?

Anyone in the bridal party. The bridal party’s wifes, husbands, fiancées, finaces, and live-in companions should be invited, but not necesarilly boyfriends or girlfriends.
The officiant.
The bride and grooms parents, grandparents, and any siblings of the bride and groom (even if they are not part of the bridal party).
The bride and/or grooms stepparents. They should be invited with their spouses even if they remarried, but should not be seated next to their previous spouses.
The bridal party’s wifes, husbands, fiancées, finaces, and live-in companions should be invited, but not necessarily boyfriends or girlfriends.
The bride and grooms children from previous marriages unless they are too young.
Anyone that is helping with setting up the wedding should definitely be invited to the wedding rehearsal dinner.

Formal Invitations?

Unless you’re having a huge and fancy rehearsal dinner, formal invitations are not a must. If the rehearsal dinner only consists of close family, friends, and bridal party, you may inform them personally or over the phone. If you are inviting any out of town guests, you may want to send them a small note with the contact numbers, date, time, and location of the rehearsal dinner.

If you’d like to have some sort of invitations for the rehearsal dinner but don’t want to spend a lot of money, you can try creating small and simple invites on the computer. Microsoft word has a lot of great fonts for you to choose from clipart to add borders and images. Simple, nice, and it will keep your costs to a minimum.

You can also purchase fill-in invites at a local special occasion card store or even the dollar store.

Follow up article: What Happens At the Rehearsal Dinner?

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