Using Your Rehearsal Dinner To Kick Off Your Celebrations
The rehearsal dinner is important when it comes to the final days of planning a wedding. This is the opportunity to run through the layout of the event and ensure every member of the party is on the same page. However, couples have taken to using the dinner for more than simply rehearsing. In fact, plenty of people use this event as an excuse to get hyped for the wedding itself. Since the rehearsal dinner usually happens the night before the wedding, this is a great opportunity to celebrate with those closest to you before your big day.
Think About the Rehearsal Dinner Music
Music sets the mood for any event. If you want to make the dinner feel less formal, consider hiring a band to play some tunes. Unlike hiring live entertainment for your wedding, which can cost a small fortune, bringing a band to play for an hour or two is a more manageable expense. Plus, it is a nice way to treat your family members and friends to a bit of fun after all the work they put in to make your big day come to fruition.
The entertainment doesn’t have to be passive, either. Use the band as an excuse to get up and dance. While you’re definitely going to get down during your actual wedding, hyping up your crew by busting out some early moves can make for some truly remarkable memories.
Create Some Special Decor
The guest list for the rehearsal dinner is short. Typically, the only people invited are the immediate family members of the couple and anyone involved in the events of the day, such as the wedding party. As a way of saying thanks, you might find that creating some personalized decor can be a great solution. Print out some of your favorite photos of you and the people who will be in attendance and create a collage. Whatever you decide to do with your DIY decor, make it simple and personal.
Take the Party Elsewhere
While you need to be in the venue in some capacity for the rehearsal, you don’t need to limit the festivities of the evening to one location. In fact, many couples these days are opting for rehearsal dinners that allow the group to have an enjoyable experience. This can be something very basic like going to grab drinks at a local bar or an activity that is a bit more involved, like a trip to a vineyard or a cruise around the harbor. Try to be reasonable with whatever you do, especially if the wedding is the next morning.
If you don’t have access to the venue, you may wish to just have people over to your house for a preliminary meetup. This makes it a lot easier to create a fun and easy experience for the crowd. Whether you break out a karaoke machine for some crooning from your crew or heat up the competition with some board games, a rehearsal held at home can be the kind of relaxed celebration you need to feel the excitement for your nuptials.
Make an Unforgettable Rehearsal Dinner Menu
Offering food during the rehearsal dinner is a given, as the name of the event itself implies a meal. You can make the experience a bit more exciting by creating a menu that your guests will adore. Unlike the wedding menu, which needs to appeal to a larger crowd, the food you serve during the rehearsal can be crafted to the tastes of the few people you’re feeding. Whether this means a menu of comfort foods or an international selection of dishes for a crowd of adventurous eaters, put some thought behind your final spread.
The rehearsal dinner doesn’t need to be an involved affair, but you should definitely think about how to make the most of it. Play your cards right and you’ll be able to use this event as a way of launching right into the wedding festivities.