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Rehearsal dinner planning pointers

METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION Rehearsal dinners tend to be less formal than wedding receptions, but couples should still prioritize planning to ensure their dinner goes off without a hitch.

Rehearsal dinners customarily are held after couples and their bridal parties walk through the wedding ceremony. Rehearsals may occur one or two nights before the actual wedding, depending on the availability of the wedding venue.

Rehearsal dinners tend to be less formal than wedding receptions, but couples should still prioritize planning to ensure their dinner goes off without a hitch.

Confirm who is paying for dinner. Tradition once suggested that the groom’s parents pay for the rehearsal dinner while the bride’s parents foot the bill for the wedding. But perhaps due to the rising cost of weddings, many couples no longer feel beholden to such traditions. If couples are financing their own weddings, parents of both the bride and groom may want to pay for the rehearsal dinner. If parents are splitting the cost of the wedding, then couples themselves may want to pay for the rehearsal dinner. Confirm who is paying and if there is a budget to work with before booking a restaurant. This way there is no confusion once the bill is brought to the table.

Give consideration to bridal party members’ dietary restrictions. Couples may not want to book a seafood restaurant if a handful of guests have shellfish allergies. So before booking a restaurant for the rehearsal dinner, couples can ask members of their bridal party and other attendees if they have any food allergies.

Emphasize location. Couples whose bridal party includes out-of-towners should look for a restaurant that’s close to the wedding hotel and-or the ceremony site to host their rehearsal dinner. Ideally, one that’s within walking distance of both makes getting to and from a lot easier. Regardless of where the restaurant is located, make sure to arrange for transportation for any out-of-town guests who are not planning to drive to the wedding.

Inform guests about the dress code. Rehearsal dinners tend to be laid back affairs, but members of the bridal party may be uncertain about what to wear. Couples should inform rehearsal dinner guests well in advance of the wedding if the dinner will be casual, semiformal or formal. This gives guests the time to shop for and pack their attire for the night, and saves couples the trouble of answering wardrobe inquiries in the busy final days before the wedding.

Toast the guests. Brides and grooms are toasted at their wedding receptions, but rehearsal dinners afford happy couples the chance to thank their closest friends and family members for their love and support. Plan to give a brief toast to loved ones at the dinner. Grooms may also want to use this opportunity to toast their brides-to-be, thanking them for all their efforts planning the wedding.

Rehearsal dinners typically are fun, less formal affairs. But even the least formal dinners require some planning.

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