Rehearsal Dinner
There are so many preparations, expenses and anxieties that go along with planning a wedding. For some couples they are so consumed with planning the event and trying to get details right that there is little time to enjoy the time. When my niece was planning her wedding she had three bridal showers to attend, reception plans to make and was trying to find a location for the rehearsal dinner. The third bridal shower was scheduled at my home.
I am her godmother so I had wanted to do something special for her. Several days before the shower we talked on the telephone. She sounded very stressed. I suggested that she come the night before the shower and stay overnight and we would relax and I would help her organize a list of what needed to be done prior to the wedding day. She thought this sounded like a good plan.
I did the majority of the preparations for the shower prior to my niece coming so that we could concentrate on her needs. She shared that the rehearsal dinner was her greatest stress because the location they had reserved had double booked, so they needed to find a new location. The rehearsal dinner is traditionally done by the groom’s family; in fact some people refer to the event as the groom’s dinner.
My niece’s fiancé is from a different State so his family is willing to pay for the rehearsal dinner, but they are not able to help with making the arrangements. My niece had contacted the restaurant where the wedding reception will be held, but the only space available was the area where the wedding would be held. My niece explained that the plan was to decorate the wedding area prior to going to the church for the rehearsal.
We called two neighboring restaurants to see if they could accommodate the rehearsal dinner. Both had other events scheduled. Her fiancé’s parents are divorced and have both remarried. This meant that there were extra people to include in the rehearsal dinner. This was also adding to her stress because she was trying to figure out the etiquette for seating. She had the seating chart arranged for the wedding, but not knowing where the rehearsal dinner would be limited her ability to plan a chart.
I asked my niece if she had called the church to see if the fellowship area would be available. Everyone could just mingle and have a light catered meal. This would be much less formal and would be easy to plan. The fellowship area was available for that evening. We called two delis and ordered food. My niece called her fiancé and told him the new plans for the rehearsal dinner. He thought this sounded great. He would make arrangements to have a friend of his tend bar and would arrange for the drinks.
The rehearsal dinner was a nice relaxed evening. The guests were able to visit and mingle and the bride and groom did not feel pressured to sit in one spot while everyone ordered their food and had it served. With having a buffet line the atmosphere was very casual and the out of town guests did not have to try to find another location in an area that they were not familiar. | 
