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The Rehearsal Dinner: What to Expect and How to Prepare


Rehearsal dinners are a great opportunity to get your closest friends and relatives together the night before your wedding, and to thank them for participating or taking part in the planning process. You do not need to invite everyone that is coming to the wedding; usually it is just close family, friends, and those you’ve selected for your wedding party.  Rehearsal dinners take place after the wedding rehearsal and are traditionally paid for by the groom’s parents, but may be budgeted into the total wedding cost by the couple.

There are no set rules for rehearsal dinners as far as formality, so it is up to the rehearsal dinner planner to decide whether the event be more formal or casual (generally the rehearsal dinner planning is done by the groom’s mother). You could rent a venue, hold the dinner at a restaurant, or at someone’s house.  Traditionally, the couple and the groom’s parents (or host of the rehearsal dinner) give toasts. It is also an opportunity for the bride and groom to present thank you gifts to their bridesmaids, groomsmen, and flowers girls, ring bearer, etc. In addition to the toasts and eating, it is a great time for everyone to get to know each other better. You can facilitate this by introducing a social game, dancing, or just providing an atmosphere and space for socializing. 

Have fun spending time with the VIPs in your lives! The best is yet to come!

Source Referenced:
Callaway, Nina. “The Rehearsal Dinner: A Basic Guide to Planning a Rehearsal Dinner.” About.com. About.com. 2015. Web. 26 Oct 2015. < http://weddings.about.com/od/showersandparties/a/RehearsalDinner.htm>
“Rehearsal dinner.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 23 Aug 2014. Web. 26 Oct 2015. < https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rehearsal_dinner>

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