Planning Your Wedding Rehearsal Dinner Without the Brain Damage

A rehearsal dinner is essentially a meal following a wedding rehearsal-there are usually no formalities attached concerning the dinner itself. But traditionally the meal is given the night before the wedding. This is the perfect time for the wedding participants to familiarize themselves with each other and for the bride and groom to extend their thanks to the family members and others who helped to plan the wedding.

Although it is typical for the groom's parents to pay for the wedding rehearsal, it is also a fair idea for both the bride and groom's parents to split the cost-I'm sure this seems more fair to the groom's parents than the bride's parents!

The groom's mother usually plans the rehearsal dinner but if both parents are paying then both should plan.

The guest list usually includes, of course, the bride and groom and all members of their wedding party ,the close family of the bride and groom, their close friends and possibly out-of-town guests and the officiate.

The location of a wedding rehearsal dinner can be a private home or restaurant. If you want the dinner to be formal, that is your choice. But more often, the event is not formal. So long it is a sufficiently controlled environment that all eyes remain on the special occasion (the marriage), the bride and the groom will be the two most important people present.

There is also the option of a semi-formal rehearsal-one in which the wedding members do not wear the same attire that will be worn at the wedding, but similar gowns and suits that have been worn to another formal occasion.

Sometimes when a wedding rehearsal dinner is held at a private home, the dinner is catered and often instead of catering there are pool parties and cookouts-this may make the rehearsal dinner more unforgettable and more fun for the guests.

Naturally, you are going to want a photographer and video taping even at this part of the wedding planning. It's a one-time special event that can never be duplicated.

Wedding rehearsal dinner invitations need to be sent out several days after the wedding invitations. When inviting out-of-town guests, make it as informal as possible. Just drop them a line letting them know the time and place of the rehearsal dinner. Also let them know that you would enjoy seeing them at the dinner or would like them to drop by if they are anywhere near town at the time of the dinner. Be very polite about requesting their company but not too pushy since they are coming from out of town.

Some folks think they can not afford the expenditures of a wedding rehearsal dinner-but you can. This is especially true if you choose to have the dinner in your own back yard rather than hiring costly caterers. You can set up some simple but enjoyable games to play at the rehearsal and have the most exciting wedding rehearsal ever-without spending a lot of money.

Matt Murren operates a lens on Wedding Tips and Ideas at http://www.squidoo.com/ideas_for_planning_your_own_wedding

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