Rehearsal Dinner Venues

Ophelia0326 · July 2012

Hey gals - so it looks like we're going to have a rehearsal dinner of up to 100 people (aghhhhh), but probably closer to 70. I literally have no idea where to start looking to put 70 people for a RD that's not going to wind up costing as much as the reception! Nor do I want to - I told my FI that if his mother is hosting this, and she wants to invite that many people, then she's certainly welcome to, but I'm not planning it. I simply cannot plan a whole other event on top of the wedding - and it's not mine to plan in the first place. That being said, FMIL doesn't really know where to look either as she's not terribly familiar with the area, so I do need to help out a bit here. Really, we'd just like a restaurant, or even a great space where we could bring in catering. The wedding is at Addison Oaks, so in theory, I'm looking for a place somewhere in the Romeo/Lake Orion/Rochester/Auburn Hills region. Any ideas?

kikirst33 · July 2012

Not sure what type of venu you are looking for but Rochester Mills Brewery could hold a group that big. Food is good and shouldn't be outrageously expensive.

Good luck!

sopraffina · July 2012

Have you asked your caterer at Addison Oaks if they do Rehearsal dinners? They might give you a deal since you're having your wedding there already. I can't imagine any way of feeding 70 people cheaply, unless they would allow you to rent one of their pavillions and bring your own food.

Ophelia0326 · July 2012

Rochester Mills was at the top of our list! Unfortunately, their private room is pretty small and really only seats 40 comfortably. We had thought about doing Addison Oaks as well, but we were pretty sure that the pavillions would close after sunset, and FMIL is against it for god knows what other reasons. Something LIKE Rochester Mills would be perfect...does anyone know if Paint Creek Tavern has a space?

sopraffina · July 2012

The two places that come to mind in that area are LaSala and The Myth.

http://www.lasalabanquet.com/social-occasions.php

http://www.golfthemyth.com/banquet-hall/reunions-banquets.html

They may be able to offer a deal if you're having it on a Friday.

kd1986 · July 2012

La Sala is very nice!

I know this isn't in the area you mentioned, but we're doing ours at Xochimilco in Mexican Town in Detroit. They can accommodate large groups, and the food is cheap too.

kd1986 · July 2012

Or Camp Ticonderoga in Troy - not too far south of Rochester!

sopraffina · July 2012

I don't know why I keep thinking abou tthis post, but I remembered there's a Rochester Community House that allows you to make your own food or bring in your own caterer. It seemed like they had a lot of rules, though.

entropicbeauty · July 2012

You're blowing my mind with SEVENTY people at a rehearsal dinner. I would sooner argue that that number needs to be cut down than worry about accommodating that many people at a restaurant. The people your FMIL wants there will be able to see you ACTUALLY get married the next day. Seriously that is utterly ridiculous and you should stand your ground on that.

sparkles776 · July 2012

I agree with entropic. I am sorry, but thats a little ridiculous. There is no way that your going to feed 70 people in a restaurant setting cheaply. RDs are really supposed to be your immediate family, bridal party members and their SOs, and OOT guests, I would definitely stand my ground on that.

Ophelia0326 · July 2012

I know...trust me, I know. And I have tried. If we have only the wedding party plus their dates, along with FI's brothers, we're already at 40. Which is already huge! And then they want to invite all of the OOT guests on top of that, which realistically takes us to 70, but the invite list will be well over 100 - simply because we have that many OOT guests. In my circle, OOT guests aren't typically invited to the RD, but I understand that this is done in other circles.

We've tried to talk FMIL down on this, and she says "Well, whatever you guys want...", but then she'll go into how we HAVE to invite so-and-so to the rehearsal dinner! They're really all about making sure the OOT guests have an event to go to at every single moment of the wedding weekend...which FI and I disagree with them on. They are really adamant on inviting all - or at least a good chunk - of the OOT guests to the rehearsal dinner. And ultimately? I don't really give a crap what happens at our rehearsal dinner. I'm sure it will be lovely, but it's not mine to plan. I sent her three possible guest lists: just the wedding party and immediate family (40), wedding party, immediate family, some OOT guests that are aunts and uncles (70), and the wedding party, immediate family, and all OOT guests (120?). If she's paying, she gets to pick. We've already made our stance clear, and I just don't care enough to get in a huge fight about something that ultimately does not matter.

MrsGilliatt · July 2012

I mean; yeah; if she is paying she has a lot of leg to stand on...but if you have to rent a stadium to fit the crowd it might be getting out of control

Wish I had better insight for locale - sorry!!

Rehearsal Dinner Venues

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