Breakfast, lunch, dinner and restaurants
Host a relaxed outdoor dinner with all of your cookout favorites on the menu , like burgers, hot dogs and mac and cheese. Upgrade traditional BBQ dishes and serve a gourmet version. Think: pulled-pork sliders and caprese salad kabobs. Have it in a backyard, at a local BBQ joint or even a nearby public park.
Now on to dessert . Traditionally, the groom’s cake is served during the rehearsal dinner as well. Of course, you can serve it alongside the wedding cake on your wedding day, but every good party needs something sweet!
The average cost of a rehearsal dinner is $1,330—about one -thirtieth of the price of the wedding. While some in-laws foot the bill, more couples are paying for it themselves.
Your immediate families, the bridal party (including the parents of the flower girl and ring bearer, even if they’re not in the wedding), any ceremony readers, and your officiant (plus his or her spouse, if married) should always be invited to the rehearsal dinner .
A rehearsal dinner is rather an intimate event when you have the most important people in your life around for a pre-wedding celebration. Just to appreciate their presence, involvement and show them how much they mean to your couple you should think over giving some favors .
[ Groom ,] every time I think that I could not be happier for you, something new happens to remind me how blessed I am to be your mother . Thank you for being such a wonderful son. I know that you will be a great husband and that [bride] will be a great wife to you.
Your dinner must include: all members of the wedding party (and their spouses or dates); parents of flower girls or ring bearers in the wedding, if the little ones are invited; all parents, stepparents and grandparents of the bride and groom , plus siblings who are not in the wedding party (and their spouses or
Monogram Cream Tart Cake. Banana Pudding Parfaits. Pink Champagne Truffles. Champagne Chantilly Shooters. Sprinkled Strawberry Whoopie Pies . Blackberry Wine Hand Pies . Cheese Wheel Cake With Fruit. Chocolate Stout Cake Pops.
If the bride has a stepmother, she would be escorted to her seat by a groomsman before the mother of the bride ; the bride’s mom should be the last person to be escorted down the aisle , just before the bridal party.
The bride’s parents give an average $12,000, and the groom’s , $7,000. Just 1 in 10 couples pays for the wedding entirely on their own, according to TheKnot.com.
Give the Plus – One Anyone in the wedding party or who is traveling for the wedding should be invited to the rehearsal dinner , as should their guests. That means if you’re giving your bridesmaids the opportunity to bring a date, those attendees should also have the chance to join your pre-wedding party .
about 30 to 45 minutes
Out-of-Town Guests For guests that are traveling for your big day, it’s a nice token to extend a rehearsal dinner invitation. They’re taking on the expense of time and money to celebrate you, so including them in your pre-wedding celebrations is often customary.
Parents of the groom who want to give a special wedding gift to their son and his bride should give the gift to the couple together either at the rehearsal dinner, the morning of the ceremony, or in the few days leading up the ceremony.
For casual rehearsal dinners , men should wear polos or button downs with dress pants (or slacks), and women should wear sundresses or blouses with skirts or pants.”