Wedding Times

The rehearsal dinner is a big night for the couple and for everyone else involved in the wedding. Generally it’s held the night before the couple gets married and so, it’s bound to be an emotional evening as well! It’s a great time to be close to the people that you love and take a step back from the wedding planning and enjoy the work that’s been done. After all, the planning will mostly be done at this point so there’s no better time to just enjoy each other’s company! But as with any wedding event, there are certain etiquette rules to keep in mind.

Who Pays?

Traditionally it is the groom’s parents that pay for the rehearsal dinner however many couples are starting to choose to pay for this themselves as a token of thanks for all of their parent’s hard work and support. If this is something that you are considering, you must ask the groom’s parents before making any decisions regarding the rehearsal dinner. They may really want to pay for the dinner and if that’s the case, you should let them. They only want to help in the celebration too and you can certainly find another nice way to thank them.

Who and When

The rehearsal dinner is generally one of the smaller parties related to wedding planning. Generally the only people invited are the bride and groom’s parents, the wedding party, the officiate, and any other close friends or family that the bride and groom feel should be there.

The rehearsal dinner is usually held the night before the actual wedding and after the rehearsal ceremony. Doing it this way makes it easier to get everyone together, especially if people in the wedding party are coming from out of town, because they will already be there for the wedding. If you hold the rehearsal dinner immediately after the rehearsal ceremony, it’s a nice idea to have a cocktail hour first. This will give your guests a chance to relax and mingle before going straight to more festivities. Some couples choose to have a reception afterwards, especially if their rehearsal dinner is quite large, but make sure it won’t run too late. Everyone has a big day the next day!

Toasting and Thank you’s

The bride and groom should take time after dinner to make separate toasts to their parents. During the toast they should thank them for all of their love, support, and help, as well as anything else that they want to say. The couple should also toast the wedding party in a separate toast. The wedding party has many responsibilities during the course of planning the wedding and the wedding itself so it’s important to make special mention of it.

The rehearsal dinner is when the bride and groom will bring gifts for their parents as well as the wedding party to the rehearsal dinner. This is again a nice way to thank them for helping make the big day happen! It also allows them to wear things such as cufflinks and earrings to the wedding, should the gifts be wedding jewelry, which is also quite common.