What You Need to Know About The Rehearsal Dinner

A rehearsal dinner is traditionally held the night before the wedding. It’s a time to your families and members of the wedding party to enjoy a meal and a little fun time together before the big day.

It’s often a time of laughter and tears and lots of sentiment. You don’t want the rehearsal dinner to be a bigger party than the reception, but you do want it to be a celebration.

A rehearsal dinner can be a picnic or a more formal affair, but the most important thing regardless of the budget is for it to be a nice way for everyone involved in the wedding to have some time together. The rehearsal dinner is traditionally paid for by the groom’s family. So, while the couple can offer their input, it’s only right that the groom’s parents decide what type of party to hold.

When planning for the dinner, be sure that spouses and/or dates of your attendants are included in the headcount. Also you need to decide if grandparents and other relatives such as aunts and uncles will also be invited.

Many people include their out-of-town guests at the rehearsal dinner. Whether you do or not is a personal and budget decision. One person who you want be sure to invite is the wedding officiant and their spouse or date.

If you’re worried about entertainment for the dinner, don’t. What generally happens is the sharing of stories and remembrances of good times had in the past. This makes for a fun way for guests and family to get to know a little more about the bride and the groom.