Wedding Customs & Traditions Forum

Rehearsal Dinner

I was wondering how necessary is a RD and what do you do there, who to invite and all that.  Thanks.

Re: Rehearsal Dinner

  • You don't have to but its a nice way to say thank you to the wedding party, parents, and out of town guests.  You also get to visit with friends/family that you may not get to see all the time because they live out of town.  Usually this is when you give your bridal party and parents their thank you gift. 
  • Are we responsible for paying for the dinner?
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_customs-traditions_rehearsal-dinner-10?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:36Discussion:a3234dca-e460-45ee-ab39-f6565958043dPost:d3c86e22-5f99-4f5f-86d8-d21b8887a4a8">Re: Rehearsal Dinner</a>:
    [QUOTE]Are we responsible for paying for the dinner?
    Posted by ChristinaJoey2012[/QUOTE]<div>
    </div><div>You are unless someone else offers to pay, which traditionally is the groom's family

    </div>

    May 2013 February Siggy: Invitations

    image

    Wedding Countdown Ticker

  • rlavachrlavach member
    5 Love Its First Anniversary First Comment
    If you have a rehearsal, then you have to have a rehearsal dinner. You are responsible to pay, unless like PP said, someone else offers. It doesn't have to be something fancy. Me & my mom cooked food and we got some chicken from a local Italian restaurant for our RD. We hosted it in our small apartment for 15 people. It was a nice way for everyone to meet each other since 10/15 people had just flown in & I had never met them. 

    Everyone at the rehearsal should be invited to the dinner. The ones at the rehearsal would be anyone participating in the ceremony. So, obviously the bridal party, ushers, parents and officiant (and their SO). Some also extend it to OOT guests who flew in. Clearly, that makes it a much larger event and way more expensive. It's nice, but not necessary. 
  • pkontkpkontk member
    First Comment
    If you have a wedding rehearsal you must host something afterwards.  It is traditionally a dinner because the rehearsal is normally just after 'work hours' the Friday night before a Saturday wedding, but if yours is on a different day you could have the rehearsal early and do a lunch if you're worried about costs.
  • Cooking the dinner doesn't sound like a bad idea :)  We will have some sort of rehearsal.  Thanks for the info!
  • If you are having a rehearsal, it is necessary to host the people who attend it. But because rehearsals aren't necessary, neither are rehearsal dinners.
  • mia888mia888 member
    First Comment
    i find rehearsal dinner a good avenue to make the 2 families met and get even closer with each other before the wedding day - i think it would be a little harder to do that after the wedding - i mean, gather most of the family members on both sides and make them know each other better. it would also be a great venue to thank each of those in your wedding party for taking part in your special day. it makes a big difference to thank them personally than just sending them thank you notes after the wedding.

    rehearsal dinners are usually simple and not as formal as that in the wedding reception -it can be as simple as a backyard barbeque - tradition says that the cost of the rehearsal dinner is shouldered by groom's family but as wedding traditions have evolved a lot in these modern times - you can shoulder the cost of the rehearsal dinner or your MIL may also offer - that depends on how you want it to be.
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards