When planning a wedding, lot of attention goes into the big day, although the evening before the wedding will also stay in your memories. A rehearsal dinner can be a heartfelt beginning to a wedding. There is excitement about the special day and all kinds of thoughts take over as it usually happens before major life events. What better way to spend this evening, if not with your closest ones, sharing emotions and gratitude and discussing the upcoming event?

What is a rehearsal dinner?

Rehearsal dinner is a social event that takes place on the evening before the wedding. Sometimes couples rehearse their wedding ceremony and this rehearsal is followed by a dinner with a small group of guests. That’s where the rehearsal dinner got its name. It's a tendency that appeared in the middle of the last century as the wedding industry developed and weddings became a grand and carefully planned event. There was a need to discuss the final details of the scenario the night before the wedding, to review the roles of the wedding guests as well as simply spending time with your loved ones as an increasing number of guests were invited to the wedding. Although, you don’t have to plan a grand scale wedding to have a small social gathering in the evening before the wedding.

Introducing and welcoming wedding guests

This dinner aims to show hospitality, introduce guests to each other and express your gratitude. The couple invites the guests who usually are the closest relatives and friends and those who were most involved in the wedding planning, helped and provided their support. It is a great opportunity for those who only know each other from a distance to get to know each other so that there will be a cordial atmosphere on the wedding day from the very beginning. The guests first meet at the ceremony, but for most of the day, all attention focuses on the couple, and the evening has already come, when the guests have the opportunity to get to know each other and talk in an informal atmosphere. Therefore, a rehearsal dinner helps to break the ice early and establish friendly relations between the guests.

If guests from abroad are coming to the wedding, they are likely to arrive early, at least a day in advance, and in that case, the rehearsal dinner is also an opportunity to welcome the guests who have travelled a long way. This way, a rehearsal dinner can be combined with an improvised welcome party. The wedding day will be emotional and full of impressions for the bride and groom, and it may not be possible to devote so much attention to each guest individually. A special welcome to guests you have not met for a long time and who have come from afar the night before will make them feel important and welcome.

Expressing gratitude to your guests

The couple also organizes a pre-wedding dinner to say thank you and present gifts to the wedding guests and family members who helped to organize the wedding. Thanking your loved ones the night before the wedding allows you to do it thoughtfully, devoting more attention to your loved ones. Of course, it is not necessary for the couple to give gifts to their loved ones the night before the wedding, but you can consider it, especially if you are planning a large wedding with many guests and a busy evening program, during which you may not be able to devote so much time to show your gratitude.

Also, when giving gifts to the guests before the wedding, the couple can include something in their gifts that will be useful for them on the wedding day, for example, some beautiful accessories or jewellery kept in the wedding theme.

Guests do not have to come to this dinner with gifts, it is better to save them for the wedding day because there will be a moment in the wedding day that will be dedicated to presenting gifts to the couple.

End the party on time

Although the pre-wedding celebration is usually informal and relaxed, there is some etiquette that one should follow. Mainly, you shouldn't finish the dinner too late, allowing the couple to leave early to spend time together, prepare for the wedding day and, most importantly, get some sleep. Also, the guests should end the evening in time so that they arrive at the wedding rested and ready to participate in the celebration. Therefore, a variety of non-alcoholic drinks, such as mocktails, will fit perfectly into the pre-wedding dinner.

A special evening not only for guests

The wedding and its planning would be unthinkable without the involvement of those around you, but at the same time, this event is a rare occasion when you allow yourself to forget about everything and everyone, focusing only on yourself and your loved one. A rehearsal dinner is a good way to spend the last night as a single person, but don't be afraid to leave the guests and go spend the evening as a couple, enjoying all the wonderful and exciting emotions that accompany the anticipation of the wedding day.

Author: Renāte Berga

Foto: Claudia Klassen