FI and I were originally planning on paying for our RD (we're paying for the wedding ourselves.)
His mother and father have now offered to pay for the RD. I'm super grateful they want to help out like this, but his mother insists that we do a rehearsal brunch the day of the wedding instead of a dinner the night before. She thinks it would be easier for everyone. Not sure why exactly.
I really feel like it's going to cause more stress because the wedding is in their yard, and we're going to spend the morning decorating. FI and I want to do a first look, and I figured I would need around five hours to get ready and take pictures (is this a gross over estimation?). If this is the case, we would have to have the rehearsal at 830 in the morning. Both of us have a ton of family who are out of town guests, and our bridal party is travelling an hour and a half to be there. We were planning on if the bridal party wanted to, putting them up in a hotel the night before so they didn't have to travel twice.
Isn't it kind of rude to ask our bridal party to show up for a rehearsal at 830 in the morning? Not to mention I'm afraid that I'm going to be super stressed trying to get through the rehearsal, brunch, decorating, and getting ready the same day as the wedding.
Did anyone else do a rehearsal the day of? FI told his father that we would really rather have the dinner the night before, host all the out of town guests, (something they don't want to do. Before they even offered to pay she said I was silly for wanting to host our out of town guests and she'd never heard of that) and relax the night before the wedding with them on our own dime, though we really appreciate the gesture.
He understands but said his wife would be really upset if she didn't get to plan some aspect of the wedding. Advice? Will we be fine doing the rehearsal the day of? Another problem I was having is when I told her how early we would have to do things she replied, "no we can do the rehearsal at 11, and you can leave brunch at one to get ready."
The ceremony is at five and I don't feel like that's enough time. Does anyone have any advice on hosting the RD ourselves without hurting her feelings? She's already done a lot for us in terms of planning the wedding so I don't want to upset her. Or, as I mentioned before, is it no big deal to do the rehearsal the day of?
Thanks!