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Rehearsal dinner time gap..

anniecm5anniecm5 member
First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment
in Pre-wedding Parties
Help!! I was planning to have my rehearsal and dinner the evening before my wedding, but I just heard from my venue manager that they have another wedding booked the night before (Friday). So we'll have to hold the rehearsal earlier in the day at 1 pm. Any ideas of what I should do between the rehearsal and dinner? Some kind of group activity? Just extended cocktail/appetizer time? Have a casual rehearsal, everyone just go do their own thing and meet back for a more formal dinner, not concerning myself with what they do in between? I figure the earliest we'd want to sit down for a real dinner is 4:30-5 and even that is kinda early and still leaves about 2.5 hours between the end of the rehearsal and the start of dinner. 
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Re: Rehearsal dinner time gap..

  • Jen4948Jen4948 member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    I'd move up the rehearsal if possible.  If it's not, then I'd do the extended cocktail/appetizer time you suggest.
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  • artbyallieartbyallie mod
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited May 2015
    Have lunch after your rehearsal instead. The whole point of a rehearsal 'dinner' is to feed the people who were so kind to take time out of their day to rehearse your wedding, so you should never have a gap between the rehearsal and the meal.

    ETA: And there is no way your rehearsal should take an entire hour. 15-30 minutes is plenty. You don't have to actually speak every word or do everything full out. Walk in like so, stand here, walk out thus, boom bang done.
    image
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  • CasadenaCasadena member
    First Comment First Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    There's really not a whole lot that goes into the rehearsal, especially if it is not a full mass church wedding, they are pretty simple. Could you just do the rehearsal at the hotel or your home (if your local)? Then just do it at whatever time you want so you could have dinner right after. If you don't want to do that then either have lunch right after, or have a rehearsal just you and your FI and meet everyone for dinner later.
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  • Maggie0829Maggie0829 member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    Why not just move the entire thing to Thursday night?  If some people can't make it because they are coming in from OOT that is fine.  You or your DOC or another person in the wedding can just fill them in on how to walk down the aisle in a straight line before your ceremony.

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  • MyNameIsNotMyNameIsNot member
    First Comment First Anniversary First Answer 5 Love Its
    I would move the rehearsal to another space. You can rehearse in a park, your backyard, or even the parking lot of the rehearsal dinner. Then you could do it at whatever time works for you.

    Otherwise, have a rehearsal lunch, immediately following the rehearsal. 
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  • lembasloverlembaslover member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment First Answer
    I have the same problem with my venue needing the rehearsal to be at 1 and personally I don't like the idea of a rehearsal dinner. I posted about this a while back and the best advice that I got (which I am taking) is just to do the rehearsal with my fiance so we can drop off decorations and stuff and get the general layout of what is going to happen day of. I mean it's not like walking down an aisle is going to be a challenge and even if it were our venue has coordinators who will tell people when to walk. Some people say that the rehearsal dinner isn't necessary then but we're still doing it because it will be nice for everyone to meet as I don't think everyone will have by that point.
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  • poodledoodleooopoodledoodleooo member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer Name Dropper
    I agree to moving to a Thursday eve - especially if most people who would attend are local. I absolutely hate taking time off work for weddings and would probably skip your rehearsal all together if it were at 1 p.m.
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  • anniecm5anniecm5 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment
    Thanks everyone for the feedback! Everyone's travel is at least 1.5 - 2 hours to the venue so it can't be done Thursday really without being an even bigger hassle and requiring another night in the hotel, etc. And the venue said that 1 pm on Friday was the latest they could do it. I think our best option sounds like having a regular evening rehearsal on Friday and just holding it in our hotel instead of the venue. The ceremony setting is a little unique, but if we discuss at the rehearsal there should be no issues translating it to the actual venue.. 

    What a curveball for them to throw me.. ugh. I think this will be our best option and the most convenient for everyone. 
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