All About the Wedding Dinner Rehearsal

Getting married? You have landed on the right platform. Get to know about one of essential elements of the wedding – the wedding rehearsal dinner. What it is all about, who are the attendees when to send the invitations, how does it happen, etc – learn everything about this pre-wedding event in detail.

What It Is

According to Wikipedia, “A rehearsal dinner is a pre-wedding ceremony in the United States tradition, usually held after the wedding rehearsal and the night before the wedding ceremony.” The main purpose of this rehearsal is to provide a platform where relatives and friends can sit together for a dinner and know each other. This is the occasion wherein the bride and the groom thank everyone for their efforts and willingness to participate in their wedding planning. This generally includes raising the toast, saying thank you to those who have helped the couple to get all the things organized, and giving a small gift to selected guests who have made a significant contribution for the wedding planning.

When Does It Happen

Traditionally, the rehearsal dinner is held one night before the wedding ceremony. Nowadays the weddings are getting more casual and less formal, one can see these rehearsal dinners held even two nights before the wedding day. However, if the couple is planning a holiday or a destination wedding, the rehearsal dinner may shift a bit early than it is supposed to be. In short, it’s all up to the soon-to-be-married couple when they want their wedding rehearsal to happen – a night or two nights before the wedding ceremony. In today’s world, wedding trends are changing with the speed of the light. Traditions like wedding rehearsal dinner have become more of a celebration than just a formality.

What’s the Motive

The rehearsal dinner gives an opportunity for both the families (from the groom and the bride side) to sit together and spend a quality time. This is the best time when both the families can sit in a not-so-hectic environment and talk about good things. They can know each other and share their feelings and wishes for the soon-to-be-married couple. The ultimate goal of this rehearsal dinner is to keep the pre-wedding tension and stress at bay and make everyone feel comfortable with the upcoming wedding ceremony.

Who Hosts the Rehearsal Dinner

If you go by the folklore, the rehearsal dinners are supposed to be hosted by the groom’s family. All the expenses and the event should be organized by the groom side. What if you want to share the responsibility? Yes, you can. You can definitely take matters into your own hands by sharing the responsibility of some of the rehearsal dinner activities.

Whom to Send the Invitation

The ideal wedding rehearsal dinner invitation lists the name of the immediate family members along with their spouses or significant others from both sides. You should also not forget to send the invitation to the parents of any child attendant. You may skip inviting your officiant for the wedding rehearsal dinner but it would look very polite and generous if you send the invite to the officiant and his/her spouse too.

Where to Have It

There is no hard and fast rule that you need to adhere while throwing the wedding rehearsal dinner. You can have it in the backyard or the barbecue of your farmhouse or even get it arranged at a hotel, art gallery, and a beach. It’s completely up to you. The whole idea is to make you and your guests feel comfortable with the venue. If you think your backyard would be best for the rehearsal dinner, just go for it. However, make sure you put it on the invitation. Your guests should be well informed about the rehearsal dinner venue and about the dress code they are supposed to carry ( if any) for the dinner.

When to Send the Invitations

If you want all the important guests to arrive at the rehearsal dinner, send the rehearsal dinner invitations soon after your wedding invitation. This will give them enough time to schedule their busy day and keep a time slot booked for your big celebration day as well. Make sure you get them enough time to book a flight or apply for a leave application in advance.

Hope this works for you.