Weddings can be a complicated affair. Each element has its own procedures and traditions. People learn a lot about dealing with guests when planning a wedding. The rehearsal dinner is an important element of a wedding, and rehearsal dinner etiquette can be pretty complex. Knowing the ins and outs can be the difference between enjoyable and disastrous.
Here’re some wedding rehearsal dinner etiquette tips. The groom’s parents get the task of running the rehearsal dinner. That means the organization and decisions should be left to them. For couples who prefer to host the dinner themselves as a thanks to the families and wedding guests, make sure to explain the reasoning to the grooms parents so as not to insult them. If the groom’s parents insist, let them do it. Why start a fight because you want to do more work?
The dinner should take place the day before the wedding, directly after the wedding rehearsal. This ensures that all the guests and family are in town, available to attend. It’s very bad form to hold the rehearsal dinner too far in advance of the wedding. It potentially excludes some people. The last thing needed from a wedding is hurt feelings in either family. Remember, for the bride and groom both families are soon to become their family.
It’s a must to invite the immediate relatives of both the bride and groom. Include close friends as well as the entire bridal party. Make sure to invite the priest or minister or person who administers the vows. Take care with these invitations. Failing to invite someone could lead to years of bad feelings, do you want that?
Include a social time before the dinner so people can relax and talk. It’s important to consider the feelings of all the guests and to provide a pleasant atmosphere. Keep this dinner in line with the budget of the overall wedding. If it’s a million dollar wedding then the rehearsal dinner should reflect this. By the same token a budget wedding should have too fancy of a rehearsal dinner. Finally, make sure the dinner ends fairly early so people can be well rested for the next day’s festivities.
Here’s a rehearsal dinner etiquette tip for wedding toasts. Toasts go to all the people helping with the wedding. This includes both the bride’s and groom’s parents, and anyone else who has helped. This toast takes place after the main meal, delivered by the couple to be. Other toasts, for example the best man’s toast, happen at the reception.
Don’t ruin a nice wedding by stepping on toes at the rehearsal dinner. Keep rehearsal dinner etiquette in mind.
↑ Back to Top