this is the code for the render ad
Community› Local Wedding Boards› Ohio-Cincinnati
Ohio-Cincinnati
New Discussion

Who to invite to the rehersal dinner!?

drakehjdrakehj member
10 Comments
in Ohio-Cincinnati
FI and I were recently discussing our rehersal dinner options and the topic of who is invited has stumped us. We plan to invite all BM and GM, parents, grandparents, and pastor. We also plan to invite the spouses of our bridal party. What is the norm for "dates" of bridal party members? What constitutes Significant Other if we chose to do this? What about the guest book attendent, are they invited? Do the pastors typically show up if they're not close with the family? What's the typical budget you're alotting for your dinner? Our wedding party is quite large (7 BM and & GM), and could become a lot larger if we choose to invite all unmarried significant others. We don't want to come across as cheap, but might need to consider a cheaper restaurant than we would like to be able to invite all "dates." Thanks girls!
imageAnniversary BabyFruit Ticker BabyName Ticker
Report Reply to Post

Re: Who to invite to the rehersal dinner!?

  • Future.Mrs.ShawtyFuture.Mrs.Shawty
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We are inviting dates of the BP even if they aren't spouses.  Now - let's say for example one of your bridesmaid's guests is a girlfriend of hers (assuming she's straight), then I'd say that "date" is not part of the RD.  I would just do whichever would NOT cause drama. We don't really have a budget set up.  We are doing a low-key dinner at the FIL's house.  Grilling burgers and having several sides (and alcohol).  We've invited BP and their dates/spouses, parents, preacher and his wife, and siblings.  Some people go all out and invite all OOT guests, but we just didn't feel the need to go all out.
    The Rockin' Bio - updated 12.23.09

    Photobucket
    Report Reply
  • Emily2meEmily2me
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We invited all of the dates to our rehearsal dinner. We have 7 bridesmaids and 8 groomsmen, so also a large wedding party! As far as what constitutes a signficant other... we asked each individual bridal party member whether or not they would be bringing a date. We didn't invite guest book attendents or our 3 cousins who are passing out programs.We invited our priest, not sure if he'll show up or not but I do think you're supposed to invite them.Since our wedding is out of town, you're supposed to invite out of town guests. Since we'd end up having over 100 people we decided to only include out of town close family- like aunts and uncles.We ended up with 50 people total at our rehearsal dinner. Our budget is $2500. The food is going to be $1500, so the rest will be for alcohol. Hopefully we won't spend $1000 on alcohol! So we'll have some left over :)
    Lilypie First Birthday tickers image
    Report Reply
  • hrparkerhrparker
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Yes, you should invite everyone with a date, but especially your wedding party.  A significant other in this instance is the person your guests have chosen to bring as their guest to the wedding.  You shouldn't be making the call as to who is "significant" enough - your wedding party should.  And yes, invite the guestbook attendant and their date.  You're asking them to do something for you on your wedding day - the least you can do is invite them to the RD to thank them properly.Our officiant was a family friend, so she came, but I've heard that most "for hire" officiants don't - definitely still invite them, though.Our budget for the RD was actually really low, so we opted not to do the restaurant route and held it at ILs church.  We lucked out, though, in that one of the guys who attends the church is a chef - as in a real chef - who agreed to do the catering for cost, so I can't give you a real figure on the actual cost.  I know when we were looking into restaurants, we were thinking of spending somewhere around $1000 to $1500 for a nicer sit-down dinner for 35 people or so, though I've heard some great suggestions from posters here about less expensive RD options.
    Report Reply
  • megzies7777megzies7777
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We had a hard time with this as well, and I checked several sources... turns out, there are no rules! Do what you want, but it's recommended to always put guests' comfort first - which probably means inviting dates for bridal party. They've given up time and money to be there, and they will have more fun if their significant other can come. I'd go with a cheaper dinner option before cutting dates.
    Report Reply
  • centrefrenchiecentrefrenchie
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Have it at home! We decided that because of the cost we would have it at home, and I have to say, it's the best decision. Everybody has said how much more comfortable and relaxing it's going to be, which makes me happy. You could always have it catered for home, too, if you don't have a master chef at home like I do :-)
    Report Reply
  • jeremy.teresajeremy.teresa
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We originally were going to invite the OOT guests, but decided against it.  FIL's are paying for our RD, and we want to keep it as small as simple as possible so we can help keep the costs down for them.  We only invited the people in the wedding party, both sets of parents, our officiant, and our hostess.  The only person who is invited that is not in the wedding is our best man's wife.  Everyone else is in the wedding.  Our officiant will probably decline (they usually do if they don't know you pretty well) but we expect everyone else will be there.  Since FIL's are tight on money, it helped us make this an easy thing for them.  It really just depends on what you want.  I personally don't think that its necessary to invite most of the people that some do, but that's just me.  GL!
    Report Reply
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards