Rehearsal Dinners
Most weddings still have rehearsal dinners. This
is a chance for the family to congregate before the big day and
tie up any loose ends. The rehearsal dinner is the responsibility
of the groom's family and it can be a very fun time (even the planning
of it) if a few key factors are kept in mind.
The main focus of rehearsal dinners is to just relax and spend
some time with everyone before the hectic running around of the
wedding day.
Rehearsal dinners can be held on the same day as the church rehearsal
where everyone meets at the ceremony location and rehearses how
the ceremony will happen, but this is not necessary. Sometimes it
is nice to have a nice dinner after this chaos but some prefer to
just go to their own homes and relax.
Rehearsal dinners should be kept small with just a few close friends
and family. The only people who absolutely have to be invited to
the rehearsal dinner is the bride and groom, both sets of parents,
the wedding party, and any other family members that may not be
in the wedding. Also by keeping the dinner small, everyone can sit
at the same table and interact with each other. If the wedding is
going to be very small, a rehearsal dinner may not even be necessary.
Be sure to set a budget for the rehearsal dinner and stick to it.
Rehearsal dinners can get out of hand quite quickly when it comes
to costs so know what you can spend and how you want to spend it.
If the budget is small, a barbecue at the groom's home or a buffet
at the family's favourite restaurant are perfectly acceptable.
Small invitations are usually considered good etiquette for rehearsal
dinners even though it will mainly just be family. These invitations
should be prepared and sent out by the groom's parents.
It is customary for the bride and groom to take the opportunity
at the rehearsal dinner to thank their parents and everyone who
has helped make this day so important and special to them.
Any gifts for the wedding party are also usually handed out at
this time. This is especially useful if the gifts are part of the
outfits (such as bridesmaid's earrings) that the bride and groom
want them to wear at the wedding.
Rehearsal dinners can have a theme to make it a little more fun
for everyone. Some themes include Mexican Fiesta, Western Barbecue,
or Hawaiian Luau although if the planners have a great imagination
and want to really go all-out with the planning of the dinner, themes
are only limited by their own imagination!
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