| The rehearsal dinner is becoming a part
of the wedding that is almost as important as the wedding ceremony
and the wedding reception. The idea of a rehearsal dinner is
relatively new and many people still do not fully understand
the etiquette involved when planning a rehearsal dinner. There
are many unanswered questions such as who to invite, how extravagant
the event should be and when should the event be held. Although
there are no right or wrong answers to these questions, there
are many protocols that have come to be accepted by many.
The question of who to invite to the rehearsal
dinner is one that is particularly perplexing to a couple
and their family as they plan their own rehearsal dinner.
The reason this issue tends to get so clouded is that many
people have different ideas about who should be invited and
as a result each rehearsal dinner that you attend tends to
have a different group of wedding participants. The idea of
a rehearsal dinner is to treat those who will be participating
in your wedding after you rehearse the proceedings. This leads
to the logical conclusion that you should only invite those
who are participating in the wedding to the rehearsal dinner.
While this may seem logical, it is rarely the case. In most
cases the minimum guests include the immediate families of
the bride and the groom and the members of the bridal party.
The rehearsal dinner, however, does not have to be limited
to these guests. Many soon to be wed couples expand their
guest list to include out of town guests. This is a wonderful
gesture especially since many of your guests may have traveled
great distances to be with you on your wedding day. You do
not have to invite the out of town guests to the actual rehearsal
but you could have them meet you at the restaurant for the
dinner portion of the rehearsal dinner.
Another question that is not so easy to answer
is how extravagant the wedding should be. Many couples like
to throw a rehearsal dinner that is in contrast to their reception
so that the two events are distinguishable. If you are planning
an opulent wedding reception you might want to consider having
a casual rehearsal dinner. Conversely if your wedding reception
plans are on the casual side, you could consider making the
rehearsal dinner more of a formal event. The rehearsal dinner
can range anywhere from a backyard barbeque to a multi-course
meal at an elegant restaurant.
Finally, the question of when to hold the rehearsal
dinner is one that many couples need answered before they
begin their plans. Conventional wisdom holds that the rehearsal
dinner takes place the night before the wedding but this does
not have to be the case. If the majority of the guests are
local and it would not be a burden on them, you might consider
holding the rehearsal dinner a few days before the event.
This gives the couple more of a chance to relax on the night
before their wedding instead of having to worry about entertaining
guests.
Since the rehearsal dinner is relatively
new, many couples do not fully understand the etiquette involved
with this tradition. Wondering who to invite, when to hold
the rehearsal dinner and how formal to make the rehearsal
dinner are just a few of the questions that many couples struggle
with when planning their rehearsal dinner. Fortunately, the
traditions of the rehearsal dinner are not deeply rooted and
therefore there is a great deal of flexibility in how you
plan your rehearsal dinner.
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