Rehearsal Dinner Ideas
The wedding weekend is here! After months spent planning the wedding, you can now look forward to events like the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Luckily for you, these events are usually planned by someone other than the bride, so you can sit back and enjoy your pre-wedding celebration. The rehearsal dinner usually involves presenting your wedding party with their bridal party gifts, as well as thanking everyone who has helped you along on your wedding planning.
The Hosts
A rehearsal dinner is typically hosted by the parents of the groom. Since the bride's parents traditionally pay for all wedding expenses, it is only fair that the groom's parents pitch in for the rehearsal dinner. However, modern weddings can be paid for by the couple, or either set of parents, or a combination of the three, so the rehearsal dinner can be hosted by anyone.
The Guests
The rehearsal dinner is meant to be a casual get together—although the dress may be a bit more formal depending on the location—for the bride and her closest family and friends to enjoy some time together before the wedding. Typically, the guests include anybody who will be taking part in the wedding rehearsal, their spouses or significant others, and the couple's parents, grandparents, and siblings.
The Place
The rehearsal dinner can take place anywhere. Some families choose to hold the dinner at an elegant restaurant, particularly if it matches the tone of the wedding, it could be hosted as a brunch or tea party at a quaint café, or it could even be held at the home of the hosts as a potluck dinner or home-cooked meal. A picnic or barbecue at a nearby park or beach might also be a great way to keep the theme casual and also make it child-friendly. Don't forget to match your favors to your venue. Personalized tea sachets
make a great tea party favor and personalized hot sauce
is perfect for a BBQ.
Activities
The rehearsal dinner is all about the speeches or "toasts." These are great to do during dessert when everyone is full and ready to have a good time. You could start things off with some mini cheesecakes
for each guest, along with a handwritten card that talks about a specific topic or memory that is relevant to that person. During this time, the members of the bridal party and the parents of the couple will share their wishes for the couple and they may even share funny or poignant stories. These speeches differ from the wedding speeches in the sense that the guests of this event are usually the couple's nearest and dearest. Therefore, any stories can include inside jokes and even slightly embarrassing anecdotes, such as childhood stories shared by the parents. After the members of the bridal party and parents give their speeches, other family members may wish to say something and then the couple will give their own speeches of gratitude and hand out the wedding party gifts.
Videos are also commonplace at rehearsal dinners. These might include a photo montage of the couple through the years, or maybe a narrative of the couple's love story. This can be a great way to break up the speeches a bit, and can also be a nice end to the meal.
Whatever you decide to do, enjoy this last event before the wedding and spend as much time as possible interacting with your loved ones.