Wedding Rehearsal Guide: Planning the Perfect Pre-Wedding Dinner
Photo Credit: Captured Perspective Photography
If you’re like most couples, you’ll want to host a wedding rehearsal dinner party before your big day. It’s a great way to celebrate with friends and family prior to the wedding. It can also be a valuable opportunity to go over last-minute details with your wedding party. To help make your rehearsal dinner planning as stress-free as possible, read through our wedding rehearsal guide to planning the perfect pre-wedding bash.
What is a Wedding Rehearsal?
Before we dive into our wedding rehearsal guide, let’s briefly cover what a wedding rehearsal actually is. There are two parts to a rehearsal: the part where you rehearse the ceremony and the part where you have dinner. Typically, the practice ceremony is first, followed by a time of eating and toasting with a handful of guests the night before your wedding. Rehearsing your ceremony ensures everyone knows the plan for the next day, from when to walk down the aisle to who goes first to where to sit or stand once you make it down.
Once the logistics are taken care of, the rest of the event is designed for both sides of the family to share an intimate, enjoyable evening together. The next day, everyone becomes family, so it’s important that there is a dedicated time to gather and become acquainted. Now that you know the purpose of a wedding rehearsal and pre-wedding dinner, let’s dive into the wedding rehearsal guide to start planning your event.
Wedding Rehearsal Guide: Where to Host
The wedding rehearsal typically takes place at the ceremony site. That way, you can rehearse the ceremony exactly where it will be the following day. Because of this, the first venue to consider for your rehearsal dinner is your wedding venue. If you’re having your wedding at a hotel or another establishment with multiple event spaces, consider renting one of the smaller venues for your dinner. Perhaps the hotel has a fancy bar or restaurant or a BBQ area around the pool. Another common option for a wedding rehearsal dinner location is a family member’s home. It creates an intimate setting for loved ones to connect.
Wedding Rehearsal Guide: Who to Invite
When choosing your wedding rehearsal guest list, there are two ways to go about it: the traditional way and the invite-whoever-you-want way. An easy place to start is to consider everyone who is in the wedding and will attend the ceremony rehearsal, such as your wedding party, ushers, and readers. All those people should be invited to the dinner. Next, consider your closest family members, like grandparents, who might not be in the actual wedding but are VIP guests. Traditionally, that’s who is invited to the wedding rehearsal dinner.
Nowadays, however, couples have branched out and expanded their dinner guest list to include a few more key people. Some couples invite out-of-town guests who must travel to attend the wedding. It is a kind gesture because they may arrive in town early but not have anything to do the night before the wedding. If you want to care for your out-of-town guests but want to keep your rehearsal dinner small, consider having a welcome party earlier in the day. And don’t forget to include a list of things to do in Colorado on your wedding website for people who don’t know the area.
Wedding Rehearsal Guide: What to Wear
The wedding rehearsal is the formal kick-off to your wedding festivities, so you should choose an outfit that matches the excitement of the days ahead. When deciding what to wear to your wedding rehearsal evening, first consider the event’s vibe. Do you want it to be a formal or casual occasion? Often, couples will choose the opposite of their wedding. For example, if you’re having a more laid-back wedding, go all-out for your wedding rehearsal with formal attire, or vice versa. Your wedding rehearsal attire also depends on the event venue. If you’re hosting the rehearsal dinner at a fancy restaurant, casual wear is likely not suitable.
Now, you may have heard that it’s tradition for the bride to wear a white dress for the wedding rehearsal. While that’s true, it’s not a tradition you have to keep. Instead, you can let your rehearsal dinner be the time to add a splash of color to the festivities with a bright red jumpsuit or floral patterned sundress. Consider choosing a matching outfit with your fiancé or setting a theme for the dinner that every guest should follow. Have a backyard Hawaiian luau, for example, and ask everyone to wear their best beachy attire.
Wedding Rehearsal Guide: How to Decorate
You can go with a specific theme for your wedding rehearsal dinner or let the event be an extension of your wedding by using the same colors and decor. While you likely won’t do much with the ceremony location since it needs to be ready for the wedding the next day, you can choose a unique theme for the dinner portion of the evening. Remember, this is intended to be a fun, relaxing evening, and decorations play a role in creating a comfortable environment. One way to ensure your wedding rehearsal space is well decorated is to use professional wedding planning services for the event. Although not required, having your wedding planner also plan and coordinate the rehearsal ensures the highest quality for you and your guests.
Wedding Rehearsal Guide: What to Serve
While most rehearsal dinners include dinner (hence the name), what you serve depends on the event venue, theme, and whether or not the food and drinks are catered. For example, if you host your wedding rehearsal dinner at a restaurant, you’ll order food or catering services accordingly. If, however, you host your event at a family member’s house, you’ll need to ask someone to cook for the guests or hire a private chef to prepare dinner. One of our favorite wedding caterers in Colorado is Juli Y Juan’s Kitchen! Consider asking your wedding caterer the cost of adding the rehearsal dinner to your package. Most importantly, clearly communicate with your guests about the type and amount of food you’re serving. That way, nobody comes full or leaves hungry!
Photo Credit: Elliott Marsh Photography from Juli Y Juan’s Kitchen
Wedding Rehearsal Guide: What to Do
Once you make it through the practice ceremony, what’s next? While eating a meal together is a central part of a wedding rehearsal, there are also a few other things that take place throughout the evening. We consider wedding rehearsals a “semi-structured” event. All-in-all a wedding rehearsal should take around three hours. Here are some activities to do during that time:
Spend a personal moment with each guest–you’ll likely have a lot more people to greet the following day at your wedding. Spending time with each guest the night before ensures they get a special moment with you before you’re busy the next day.
Ask specific people to make a speech–the rehearsal dinner is a time to hear from your loved ones. Ask a few people to prepare some words, and leave additional time for impromptu toasts from your friends and family.
Prepare a slideshow of photos–you can ask your parents or other family members or friends to prepare a slideshow of pictures of you and your finacé. This is a sweet way to watch your story unfold from childhood to finding the love of your life.
Present gifts to your family members and wedding party–if you have special gifts to give people who’ve helped make your day come together, the rehearsal is a great time to give them.
Remember, your rehearsal dinner typically takes place the night before your wedding. It should be a relaxing and joyous occasion that calms your nerves and gets you excited for the day ahead. Regardless of what you wear or the food you serve, it should be a personal, comfortable evening that leaves you feeling refreshed. If having a wedding planner coordinate the event will make it more relaxing for you, contact us today to learn about our weekend wedding planning package.