The time leading up to a wedding can be stressful, but as the big day arrives and there are less and less events to plan, the bride and groom begin to think about the rehearsal dinner. With bridal showers in the past, and the Wedding Reception planned, there remains only the wedding and the rehearsal dinner to fret over.
But with a little forethought, any anxiety around planing these big occasions can be lessened. The following tips on wedding rehearsal dinner invitations should be a big help in making this a fun, relaxed evening.
Who Should Be Invited to the Wedding Rehearsal Dinner?
Of course, before deciding on invitations, the bride and groom need to decide on who to invite to their rehearsal dinner. This dinner can be small, in which case, invite:
- The bride's immediate family
- The groom's immediate family
- The Best Man
- The Maid or Matron of Honour
- The Flower Girls
- The Ring Bearer
In other words, anybody who has a role to play in the wedding. The dinner always follows the rehearsal, so all of the players will be in attendance on that day, and anybody at the rehearsal, should be invited to the rehearsal dinner. If the bride and groom would like to have a larger rehearsal dinner, they can also invite other family members and close friends. It all depends on budget (who is paying and how much are they willing to spend)? Some brides and grooms like to have their rehearsal dinner in a home, instead of a restaurant, so they can invite more people while sticking to their budget.
Wedding Rehearsal Dinner Invitations
Now that you've answered these questions:
- Who is invited to the rehearsal dinner?
- Where will the rehearsal dinner be held?
It's time to think about the invitations. In general, rehearsal dinner invites should not be sent to guests-to-be via social media: email, evites, twitter or facebook. First of all, older invitees probably won't get the invites, and secondly, this is a rather formal and special occasion and deserves to be treated as such. Use the postal system and mail the rehearsal dinner invites.
Some people prefer to make their own invitations, while others like to have them custom-made at a bridal store, but local shops offer a wide variety of inexpensive, pre-made invites that are perfect.
The invites are sent out, by mail, by the person(s) hosting the dinner. No matter which option you choose for invites, make sure you include the following information in the wedding rehearsal invitation:
- Date of the rehearsal dinner
- Address of the venue where the dinner will be held
- Time of the dinner
- Attire – what to wear – formal or informal
- Request for an RSVP to plan food and seating
Keep in mind that wedding rehearsal dinners vary depending on the wishes of the bride and groom. Some are very formal and involve speech-making, while others are casual events meant to relax the bridal party and make sure everyone is introduced before the big day. The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy an evening of great food and celebration with those closest to you.
Julie Burtinshaw - Julie is the Reading and Literature and Writing and Publishing Editor for Suite101.com. She is also the author of five books and is ...
