Rehearsal Dinner Ideas, Make Your Rehearsal a Dinner to Remember

The wedding rehearsal and following dinner are a very important of the wedding planning process. You need to make sure everyone knows where to stand, when to sit, and when to speak. The rehearsal gives you one last chance to make sure everyone knows what they are doing before the actual wedding. It’s also the kick-off to your wedding celebration! After everyone has done a run through of the wedding, it’s time to sit down and enjoy your friends and family one last time before you officially become part of a married couple. Instead of just having a regular dinner at a restaurant, why not make it a little more special? We’ve found some great ideas to incorporate into the rehearsal dinner to make this special day even better.
Pick some place that means something to you, whether it be your favorite restaurant or the spot of a fond memory. Sometimes it is more convenient to host the dinner in a nearby location or a big enough venue, but if it can work, try to make it a little meaningful. Maybe it’s the spot of your first date, favorite anniversary dinner, special occasion dining choice, or your favorite Friday night date-night spot. If the restaurant has special meaning, the dinner will be that much more special.
If you can’t have the dinner in your favorite restaurant due to size or location, try to have your favorite food on the menu. Tomorrow, at the wedding, guests will most likely be sitting down to a fancy dinner, but the rehearsal dinner can be a little less formal. If you love Italian food, have a spaghetti dinner. Maybe you love Mexican food, create a taco bar so guests can enjoy a Mexican food feast. If you want a more casual, personal touch, throw a backyard BBQ. There aren’t as many rules to follow with rehearsal dinners so you can really use your imagination.
Add a video or photo montage. While guests are settling in, have a video or photo montage playing in the background with photos of the bride and groom. Most of the guests will be familiar with the bride and groom, but its a great time for them to relive all the special memories the bride and groom have shared. Check out our great photo montage packages here.
The rehearsal dinner is great time to mingle with guests. During the wedding you may not have a chance to talk to everyone so take this time to say hi, reconnect with guests you haven’t seen in awhile and thank everyone for being a part of your special day.