Who's invited to the Rehearsal Dinner?

Re: Who's invited to the Rehearsal Dinner?

• Jen4948 member

  

  June 2014

  The only people who have to be invited to a rehearsal dinner are the couple, wedding party members and their SOs, and the immediate family members of the couple and their SOs.  Inviting anyone else is optional.  It is not uncommon to invite out-of-towners, but it's not required, especially if doing so would essentially turn the rehearsal dinner into another reception.  But if you don't invite them, it would be courteous to provide them with a hospitality suite or information on available local restaurants and entertainment, especially for guests who aren't familiar with what's available in your area.

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• SomethingBeautiful08 member

  

  June 2014

  I agree with the above, sort of.  The only people that need to be invited to the RD are those expected to be at the rehursal + their significant others - vendors. To me the next circle of people that should be invited are parents, siblings, grandparents or other very close family of the couple.  After that generally comes out of town guests, but in your case I would tend to stop there... maybe go to friends that are like family, but then stop.  Personally I think that smaller is generally better for RDs.
  

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• theartistformerlyknownas member

  

  June 2014

  If you're not having a wedding party, do you even need to have a rehearsal? SomethingBeautiful is right that the bare minimum who should be invited is anyone in the rehearsal... but if you're having a simple ceremony, the rehearsal is unnecessary and then so is the dinner. 

  
  

  If you do need/want the rehearsal, you can limit it to those rehearsing (readers?) and your immediate family/their SOs. Your other guests are perfectly capable of fending for themselves for dinner the night before your wedding. You shouldn't feel obligated to host them all; your wedding is ONE day.

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• RebeccaFlower member

  

  June 2014

  I'm also wondering why you need a rehearsal. Could you skip it and use that money for a hosted cocktail hour or welcome party? 

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• JCbride2015 member

  

  June 2014

  It sounds like if you don't have a wedding party, you don't really need the rehearsal (or the dinner, therefore).  If you skip the rehearsal and RD, just don't worry about it.

  
  

  Or you can invite your immediate family.  Or your immediate family plus grandparents, aunts/uncles, and best friends.  Whatever circles make sense to you are fine.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  "I'm not a rude bitch.  I'm ten rude bitches in a large coat."

  
  

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• lilacck28 member

  

  June 2014

  We have a similar situation. Most people will be driving at least 2+ hours. Besides immediate family/ wedding party (and maybe one of the groomsman's family, as he is a close cousin and his family are close cousins/close aunt and uncle)I think we're going to be defining "out of town" as "plane flight" for the purposes of our rehearsal dinner (we have just started talking about it though).

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• [Deleted User] member

  

  June 2014

  Maybe instead of having a rehearsal dinner, order several pizzas and have a casual hotel party for people in from out of town. You can chat with people you don't often get to see, but it will cost less than a sit-down meal for a ton of people.

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• bekt14 member

  

  June 2014 edited August 2014

  
  

  
  
  

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