Your guest list should include all the members of the bridal party and their families. Inviting any out of town guests who have arrived early is a thoughtful gesture. Your wedding officiant should be invited, however, do not take it personally if they cannot attend. These men and women have families of their own who need their attention and attending every rehearsal dinner can become a burden.
When planning your rehearsal dinner, focus on ways you can give everyone a chance to relax before the big event. Since this dinner is usually held the evening before the wedding, it is a nice time for all the guests to have a chance to mingle and chat. Since your rehearsal dinner need not follow your wedding theme, feel free to host a barbecue for your formal wedding or a sit down dinner at a restaurant for your outdoor wedding. While guests are chatting and finishing dinner is a great time to offer gifts to your attendants and thanks to your parents for all their support and help.
The rehearsal dinner is traditionally hosted by the groom's parents, but if distance or finances will not allow their direct participation, it is perfectly acceptable for anyone to host. The bride and groom sometimes host this dinner themselves as a special way to thank everyone.
Once you have your basic plans, you can start to design your invitations. They should be mailed out approximately one month before the dinner to make sure everyone can arrange their schedules. If you will have young children in your wedding as flower girls or ring bearers, consider mailing an invitation addressed to the child and their families. This is a minor detail, but it can be a very special honor for a child. Here are some suggestions for wording:
For a formal dinner:
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Meyers (name of the groom's parents or whomever is hosting the dinner) request the pleasure of your company at the rehearsal dinner
in honor of Allison and Henry's wedding.
Dinner will be held at eight o'clock on
Friday, April 30th, 2008
at Piatti's, 602 Irving Avenue, Portland, Oregon.
It will immediately follow the wedding rehearsal,
to be held at St. Paul's Church,
1123 Fort Wayne Avenue Portland, Oregon.
For something more casual:
Please join Allsion and Henry
for a rehearsal dinner at 8:00, Friday, April 30th, 2008.
We will gather at the Meyer's home
602 Irving Avenue
Portland, Oregon.
immediately following the wedding rehearsal
at St. Paul's Church.
Once you have the details of tone and wording settled, check sites like WeddingDNA for fun graphics and images to create personal invitations. Here you will find artwork and embellishments to make professional invitations from your home computer and printer. Word templates make your layout a snap and border graphics add fun details easily. Printing the rehearsal dinner invitations yourself can save you time and money as most couples have enough guests to meet print shop minimums. You also have the flexibility to add guests or change times with the click of a mouse.
Another place to allow your creative side some play time is with papers. Many craft stores offer special papers and cardstock. Check out the scrapbook supplies for stamps, colored ink pads, and designer scissors for added personality. Small trinkets, such as angels, flowers or leaves can be hot glued onto invitations easily and make creating these invitations fun. You will be amazed with all your choices once you start looking. If you find the perfect papers, splurge on the matching envelopes. This one detail will pull your entire creation together and trying to find envelopes from another location which are the correct size and color is almost impossible.
Rehearsal dinner invitations can provide couples a nice break from the heavy tradition and expense of many of your other wedding plans. By creating these invites yourselves, you are guaranteed a one of a kind design which showcases your personalities. Use the lack of set in stone rules and expectations for both the dinner and the invitations to have some fun and relax for a while. As long as guests feel honored and appreciated, your rehearsal dinner will be a success.
