About Rehearsal Dinner Etiquette

Sep 29, 2009

Weddings can be a complicated affair. Every step has rules of behavior that must be followed. Families preparing for a wedding often receive a crash course in party planning and guest accommodations. The rehearsal dinner is an important element of a wedding, and rehearsal dinner etiquette can be pretty complex. But if the rules are understood, there's no reason for it to be anything but an enjoyable element of an overall enjoyable wedding experience.

Here're some wedding rehearsal dinner etiquette tips. The rehearsal dinner is often hosted by the groom's parents. That means the organization and decisions should be left to them. Some couples hold this task for themselves as their way of thanking the wedding party, but should always be careful to console the groom's parents with this news. And if they take it hard, include them in some way. 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. It's best then so people can easily attend. It's very bad form to hold the rehearsal dinner too far in advance of the wedding. It potentially excludes some people. Avoid hurting people's feelings or making their attendance more difficult . Remember, for the bride and groom both families are soon to become their family.

Make sure to invite the immediate relatives on both sides of the wedding. Also invite the whole bridal party and any other close friends or family of the soon to be married. The preacher or whoever officiates the wedding, offers the vows, should also be invited. Don't be too hasty when it comes to planning the invites. Aunt Myrtle may be a little loud, but is a whole life of anger worth the snub?

Give people a little time to relax before eating. Be aware of the pressure people face at a wedding, so lighten the mood. Make sure the dinner isn't out of whack with the cost of the remainder of the wedding. An extravagant wedding gets a extravagant rehearsal dinner. Make the dinner less involved when the wedding is simpler. Plan for an early end so people can rest before the next busy day.

Here's a rehearsal dinner etiquette tip for wedding toasts. Toasts are generally made to everyone involved in making the wedding a success. This includes both the bride's and groom's parents, and anyone else who has helped. The toast follows the main course and should be made by the bride and groom. The best man and maid of honor toasts are appropriate at the reception, not during the rehearsal dinner.

A pleasant rehearsal dinner can set the stage for a nice wedding. Pay attention to rehearsal dinner etiquette.