Rehearsal? Small ceremony & reception - all at restaurant venue

Re: Rehearsal? Small ceremony & reception - all at restaurant venue

• ernursej member

  

  April 2016

  I'm having my wedding and reception in a restaurant and we won't be doing a rehearsal. I'm not having a bridal party, but generally, I don't think rehearsals are necessary. Every time I've been in a wedding party (I think I'm up to 8), my role was literally to walk down the aisle and stand next to the bride or next bridesmaid. After the ceremony, walk back down, this time paired up with a groomsman. Even with readings, if you have a jp/priest that can follow a plan of service, you should be fine without. It also decreases costs as if you have a rehearsal, you need to have a rehearsal dinner or some sort of thank you for those that came. A rehearsal is also not mandatory for your wedding party to attend so you may not even have everyone there. Questions - Is there room for everyone to stand up next to you?

  **If you are set on having a rehearsal, you may be able to get into a restaurant around 4pm. I know that the restaurant I'm using gave us this option because it is after lunch and before supper service starts.

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• ernursej member

  

  April 2016

  scribe95 said:

  You could still have a rehearsal. It doesn't have to be in the same space. The idea is just who walks with who, when etc.

  
  Excellent point @scribe95!

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• JediElizabeth member

  

  April 2016

  I don't think you need a rehearsal either.
  
  I also think it may be almost as involved as the reception itself if you do - having 16 WP members, plus the two of you, plus parents will be around 18-22 of your 40 wedding guests. And that's without counting SOs! At that rate, you may as well invite the entire wedding guest list to the RD.
  
  I'd personally skip it, just for that.

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• CMGragain member

  

  April 2016 edited April 2016

  When I was a church organist, I played quite a few weddings that skipped the rehearsal and the dinner.  Since they were small wedding parties, there was no problem, and I cut them a break on my fee.
  I love small weddings!
  

  

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• TeamAwesomeJ&J member

  

  April 2016

  Thanks everyone. Great points.  
  
  We also have 2 5yo flower girls that are going to walk with one 4yo ring bearer. The size of the wp kind of snowballed. The parents of the ring bearer are both in the wp (his dad is my brother, and his mom is one of my bridesmaids). The mother of one flower girl is my MoH, and the other is the daughter of another brother. I am close to all three of them and would love to have them be a part of it. Plus, I figured that they could stand with their father/mother during the ceremony instead of alone with other family.
  
  I really want to do the rehearsal for them. So, that they could practice what to do. Everyone else has been in a wedding party before and know the drill. 
  
  I am thinking that skipping the whole WP idea with such a small guest list would have been easier. But... Too late for that now.   I am probably overthinking it.  Maybe earlier that day we could just get the 3 of them to practice with their parents.

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• [Deleted User] member

  

  April 2016

  If you aren't seeing your FI prior to the ceremony, can you go earlier that day or a different day say maybe with your MOH or someone else & go through the set up plan with them & then they can have a quick meeting with everyone involved before guests arrive & get everyone else up to speed? If you will see FI before the wedding, just ask everyone to get there before guests will arrive (if possible) and just give a quick run down of the plan.

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• thisismynickname2 member

  

  April 2016

  Even with the kids, I think you can skip it. Just decide how you want everyone to walk in and communicate it in writing to the entire party in advance. With that many people and kids, I would suggest doubling up as much as possible (i.e. have the groom's side already standing and send the BMs down two-by-two). If the kids are that age, have their parents explain to them what's going to happen, practice at home, and perhaps even have the parents escort their own children. There's no rule about walking down an aisle; you could be creative here.
  As long as everyone knows to walk from Point A to Point B and where to sit, no rehearsal needed.
  I had a 70 person wedding, 3 attendants on each side, and no rehearsal. Worked out just fine!  

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