STL Weddings » rehearsal dinner

How to Make Out-Of-Town Wedding Guests Feel Welcome

STL Weddings — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 13:00:06 +0000

Out-of-town guests for weddings should be a priority in your wedding planning. They’ve made sacrifices to be there for you; plane & car expenses, hotel expenses, babysitters, new clothes, tuxedo rental, wedding gifts… so show them you care!

Here are 5 simple ways to make out-of-town guests feel welcome:

Send “Save-the-Date” Cards
The “save-the-date” should be sent out 6-9 months before your wedding date. Include all the important information for the weekend in this (date, location, rehearsal dinner, hotel information, wedding website information).
Provide Welcome Gift Boxes
Gift boxes should be ready and waiting when your guests check into the hotel! Show off locally-made treats your home city has to offer or use fun snacks for your guests to nosh on over the weekend. Water or another beverage is always appreciated.
Suggest Things to Do
Include an itinerary for the weekend events and include a map showing points of interest. Museums, shopping malls, art galleries, zoos, historic landmarks are just a few! Also, ask the hotel for a Hospitality Room for the weekend. Many will give you this complimentary because of the number of rooms booked. Stock the room with drinks and snacks and let your guests know the Hospitality Room will be open during the weekend!
Host a Rehearsal Dinner
Your out-of-town guests usually arrive the day before the wedding , so host a dinner to entertain them. Provide transportation from the hotel for those guests. This is a great way for you, your family and friends to catch up in a relaxed atmosphere before the big day!
Give Special Thanks
Your wedding wouldn’t be special if your out-of-town guests did not come in, so remember to give a big “Thank You” to them. Try to thank each one for coming individually or thank those people in your speech and your thank you notes.

So many things to do to make a wedding special, but making your out-of-town guests feel appreciated should be tops on your “to do” list!

This article was written exclusively for STL Weddings by Lynne Prywitch of Goodies for Guests. Goodies For Guests provides personalized hospitality goodie boxes for out-of-town hotel guests in for weddings. Each box is customized to fit your needs!

About Rehearsal Dinners

STL Weddings — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:44:12 +0000

Relax – okay now that we got that out of the way, here’s what you need to know… Rehearsal dinners usually take place after the wedding rehearsal, normally held the day before the actual wedding ceremony. Although the rehearsal dinner is not a “required” wedding event, they’re a great way to get everyone who is involved with the wedding a chance to meet one another and to relax before the wedding takes place.

Traditionally, the rehearsal dinner is hosted by the grooms parents, although anyone can play host such as the bride’s parents, or a close family member or friend. Regardless of who hosts, you want to make sure that they are involved with the planning process, such as where the event will be held or what will be served for dinner.

Who should I invite to my rehearsal dinner?

The guest list normally includes the bride and groom, their parents and the entire wedding party. Other guests often included are the grandparents, the dates of the wedding party, the Clergy person who will be performing the ceremony and their guest, other members of the family not in the wedding party and out-of-town guests.

You may need to check the size of your rehearsal dinner budget to see if these other guests can be accommodated to stay within your budget.

Should I send out Rehearsal Dinner Invitations?

Many brides question if it is necessary to send out invitations to the rehearsal dinner or not. Normally a phone call is sufficient, but some brides opt to make their own invitations and send them out through the mail. If you decide to send out invitations and aren’t sure what to say, try the following wording:

Please Join us for a Rehearsal Dinner
in Honor of (Bride’s Name) and (Groom’s Name)
at (this location) at (this time)
RSVP: (Hosts Name) at (phone number)

Where should I have my rehearsal dinner?

The next step is to figure out is where to have the rehearsal dinner. Some popular rehearsal dinner places include a private room at a restaurant, a private club, a BBQ, a small room at your reception site or a private home.

Things to keep in mind; if you are having a rehearsal, choose someplace close by to hold the dinner so people won’t have to drive all over to get there.

Also keep in mind that if you inviting any out of town guests, that you provide them with a very good map of how to get the dinner and back to their hotel (or where ever they are staying). A good option is to carpool so they won’t get lost.

Wondering what to have for dinner?
That is entirely up to you and the host; you can have a formal dinner or a more relaxed meal. Many brides decide to have a more informal rehearsal dinner, to keep everyone relaxed for the wedding activities that are coming up.

Rehearsal Dinner Wrap-Up

Right before dinner is served, the host will usually say a few words and give a toast to the bride and groom, and often a few other toasts will be given as well. This is also the perfect time to give the wedding party and the parents their gifts.

The bride and groom will usually say a few words before handing them out; they generally will thank everyone for being in the wedding party as well as say a few other heartfelt words.

The Rehearsal Dinner is a great way to have a relaxing time with your bridal party and is usually the kickoff to the wedding festivities soon to come.

Rehearsal Dinner Luau

STL Weddings — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 18:17:33 +0000

If you are going on a Hawaiian honeymoon or simply wish you could, you may want to have a Hawaiian rehearsal dinner to kick off your wedding festivities.

A rehearsal dinner can and should be a relaxing time to celebrate with friends and family before the panicky whirlwind of the wedding sets in. A luau is the perfect way to accomplish this. Unlike weddings, rehearsals can usually be planned with limited professional assistance. A luau is especially easy to plan because there are so many free Hawaiian resources available.

A good place to begin your research is to peruse the Internet. A multitude of sites are devoted to Hawaii and related subjects. Other sources of information are people who have visited Hawaii. They may have ideas you can use or may even lend you some memorabilia to set the mood at your luau.

The easiest way to convey a Hawaiian atmosphere is to eliminate stress. No one is stressed at a beachside luau on the Hawaiian Islands. This no-stress theme should begin with the rehearsal dinner invitations. Don’t send formal engraved invitations for a casual luau. Make the invitations funky and colorful or send a “message in a bottle”. Don’t forget to invite your guests to wear casual, Hawaiian attire.

Once the party actually begins, continue that carefree Hawaiian spirit. An easy way to convey an aloha feeling is to host the party outside under the open sky. Line the path to the dining area with tiki torches and play relaxing Hawaiian music. Assign someone to greet each guest with a lei, the traditional Hawaiian hello, or drape a lei on each chair. Silk leis are readily available and inexpensive at party stores and through the web and catalogs.

In fact, many Hawaiian decorations are easy to find and easy on the pocketbook. The Oriental Trading Company offers a plethora of Hawaiian kitsch at a reasonable price. If you live near a beach or know someone who does, you can find decorations for free. Sand makes a great anchor for thin taper candles and seashells look fabulous in a bowl with floating candles. Miniature sand dollars and shells are also available at craft stores. Glue these in the center of colorful ribbons for playful napkin rings. Use your imagination and don’t be afraid to go overboard! Save the formality and elegance for the wedding.

At a rehearsal dinner, food is of the utmost importance. Hawaiian food is tasty and fun to eat. Serve the traditional roasted pig with an apple in its mouth if you want to go all out. If that’s not feasible, honey-roasted ham or Hawaiian chicken is just as good and easier to deal with. Serve a large green salad and fresh vegetables. A pasta salad is also a nice addition. Make a serve-yourself drink bar with plenty of fruity punches. Don’t forget the tiny umbrellas for drinks! For dessert, serve coconut cream pie and lots of fresh fruit. After dinner is over, start a game of limbo or just get down to some Island tunes. Whatever you do, have a blast! Aloha!

Rehearsal Dinner FAQs

STL Weddings — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 18:09:00 +0000

The following questions and answers are in response to your emails. Add your comments below to join in the conversation. We also recommending visiting us on Facebook. Facebook is a good opportunity to ask questions of wedding professionals directly.

When should I schedule my rehearsal?
It is usually held the day before the wedding when all the wedding party members (often from out-of-town) are present. The evening is finished off with the fun rehearsal dinner.

Who is in charge of the rehearsal and how long does it last?
The officiant who will be marrying you or your wedding director. If you have the person who knows what he/she is doing, a typical rehearsal runs about an hour to an hour and half. That is ample time to run over the entire service twice, which is what you want.

What do we take to the rehearsal?
You may bring the marriage license to give to the officiant. Bring payment for the participating ceremony music performer. The gifts can be brought for the attendants if you have not given them out already. Also, bring something that could serve as bouquets for the bride and her party.

Who pays for the rehearsal dinner and who attends?
Traditionally, the groom’s parents host the rehearsal dinner. But these days, anyone can host it! It could be the bride’s parents, grandparents, other relatives or any members of the wedding party. As for who should be invited to the rehearsal dinner, the attendants and their spouses, along with the parents of participating children in the wedding, the officiant and his/her spouse or the wedding director, special out-of-town relatives, the parents of the couple, and most importantly, the bride and groom.

Who normally give a toast at a rehearsal dinner?
Toasting at a rehearsal dinner is usually more personal and often very humorous. A toast is usually made in the following order:

The best man gives a toast to the bride and groom
The groom gives a toast to his bride and her parents
The bride gives a toast to her groom and his parents
Anyone else wanting to give a toast

Not quite what you wanted to know about Rehearsal Dinners? Ask your question by leaving a comment in the section below.

Rehearsal Dinner Ideas

STL Weddings — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 18:01:12 +0000

Chances are that you have planned a formal or informal, but probably not casual, wedding. After all the hard work, stress, fuss, craziness, sniping, snarling, hair-pulling, threats, tears, screaming and general chaos, it’s a really good idea to have a No-Stress-Allowed rehearsal.

Meaning… do what you’re supposed to do to make sure that everyone knows their parts and then go do something fun! This does not include bar hopping – think you feel sick now? Try your wedding day with a hangover. If you’re going to drink… please – keep it in moderation.

No, what I mean by fun is do something other than a formal sit-down dinner. The following depicts great ways for everyone to let their hair down and de-stress before the big event:

Ditch The Formal
Don’t do the formal sit-down dinner (unless you really want to). You’re gonna stress. Plan a big cookout (weather permitting) at a local park or a relative’s backyard. Have it potluck style and just kick back and relax.

Play some yard games or board games
Play games that require physical activity and concentration or board games that require concentration (like Trivial Pursuit). Both will help you sleep if you are both mentally and/or physically tired. Just go easy on the alcohol… if you want to know why, go back and read the first paragraph again.

Go Bowling
You’d be amazed how much fun you can have and what a great stress reliever this is. Knocking the heck out of a bunch of pins may be just what you need after all that planning. If you’ve just had a manicure, you may want to re-think this unless your nail technician has already been put on alert status.

Go Miniature Golfing
Same principle… whacking the heck out of a ball will make you feel better. Plus, concentrating that hard on something else will ease the wedding out of your head for a little while.

Go To a Movie
A light comedy or action thriller without too much gore. Watching a movie with a big tub of popcorn and getting involved in the plot is relaxing and removes reality for a little while. Great way to de-stress.

Stay At Home
If your wedding budget didn’t allow for you to go anywhere, when you send out your invitations, invite everyone back to the house for some light refreshments. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy… some munchies and finger sandwiches and beverages. You can insert a note to those you want to invite that the only requirement is to come prepared to share their favorite story about the bride or groom. Invite them to bring pictures or anything that provoked a favorite memory to share as well.

While the whole point of a rehearsal is for everyone to know exactly where they stand and what they do the day of the wedding, there’s no reason that it has to be kept as formal as the wedding itself. You’ve probably been planning for months. Some light-hearted fun the night before may be just what you need to calm down before that good night’s sleep you’re going to need. The vast majority of brides and grooms sleep terribly the night before their weddings. Finding a way to do something calming and restful can be the best sleep tonic for you both.

Rehearsal Dinner Tips

Rehearsal Dinner Tips

STL Weddings — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:34:49 +0000

The Rehearsal Dinner is a great time to meet everyone, relax and begin your wedding celebration. The groom’s parents usually host the dinner but this is no longer a strict rule. Sometimes the bride and groom will host the dinner or it can be hosted together by several people.

Your rehearsal dinner should have a different style and menu than your wedding. For instance, if your wedding is a formal sit-down dinner, then plan a rehearsal dinner that is more casual. And, if you are serving chicken or beef for the wedding, then try Italian food for the rehearsal dinner.

Rehearsal Dinner Themes
Many brides and grooms are having lots of fun with the rehearsal dinner by incorporating a particular theme such as a Mexican Fiesta, a Western Barbecue, a Hawaiian Luau. Think about a nautical theme and chartering a boat and having a dinner buffet on board! You can plan a clam bake at a restaurant or on a beach. Or, a fun picnic at a park or in your backyard.

A formal sit down dinner at a restaurant is always a great option. Some restaurants have private rooms which are great for a larger size party. If you have a private room – ask the restaurant to set up a table of hors d’oeuvres. Plan the first hour of the rehearsal dinner as a cocktail “hour” where your guests can walk around and mingle with each other before dinner.

Rehearsal Dinner Invitations
It’s not required that you send out invitations for your rehearsal dinner, but if you have time – it’s a good idea. The invitation will tell people exactly where and when the rehearsal will be held (sometimes it’s not always held at the church or ceremony location) and where and when the dinner will take place. You should include directions to the restaurant if people are unfamiliar with the area.

If you do send out invitations, they should ALWAYS be less formal than your wedding invitation. You should invite all those who will take part in the wedding ceremony to the rehearsal dinner. Spouses or dates of all adult attendants should be invited. Parents and grandparents of the bride and groom should be invited. It is not necessary to invite the musicians or soloist unless they are close friends or family. If you’re having small children in the wedding, the parents of the children should be invited, but many times the children will not attend the dinner in order to get to bed early. You can always invite other family members who are not part of the ceremony and out-of-town guests to join your rehearsal dinner. It’s always nice to have more time to spend with your family and out-of town guests that you may not see very often.

You should make sure that everyone is introduced to each other, either through formal introductions (“going around the table”) or informally by “mixing and mingling”. Here’s a nice idea: Once everyone is seated, the bride or groom introduces everyone and says something personal about each one. Such as:

“Sarah Smith, is my maid of honor, we’ve been best friends since first grade and I never would have been able to put together this wedding without all of her help. In fact, she helped me make ALL the favors for the wedding.”

Attendant Gifts
A nice gesture is to thank your parents and future parents-in-law and propose a toast at the rehearsal dinner to say “thank you” for all their love, support and help for a wonderful wedding! If you haven’t already, this is the time to give your gifts to the attendants and thank them for being in the wedding.

More Rehearsal Dinner Tips

Many rehearsal dinners are showing home movies or video clips of when the bride or groom were very young. Some take baby pictures and enlarge them and display them throughout the rehearsal dinner. These all make for a good “ice breaker” and certainly add a lot of fun to the evening. You could also think about having the Groom’s Cake at the rehearsal dinner. It’s a nice surprise and who can resist a deep, double chocolate fudge cake?

Many are getting creative with the groom’s cake and making it in various shapes and styles to match the groom’s personality or a particular interest or hobby.

The rehearsal dinner is a good time to go over any last minute details with your family and wedding party – just in case someone doesn’t know where and when they are suppose to meet the next morning.

Don’t drink a lot of alcohol at the rehearsal dinner and go home EARLY. You want to make sure you get lots of rest to look your best on your wedding day! Most of all, relax, enjoy and get to bed early!

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