You're Cordially Invited To: Your Rehearsal Dinner

A rehearsal dinner is great practice for the actual ceremony and a perfect place to host your loved ones for a mini-reunion before the wedding. Whether you're feeling wedding jitters and want to be prepared or just want to welcome & introduce your new family to each other, it's an important step before the wedding day. "How far in advance do we book the venue?",  "should we prepare a speech?", are all good questions to be asking and you will find answers to these questions as we explain this modern tradition.

Wikipedia defines the rehearsal dinner as "a pre-wedding ceremony in North American tradition, usually held after the wedding rehearsal and the night before the wedding ceremony." Since the function of the rehearsal dinner is to thank all those who have helped in the wedding party and is paid for (traditionally) by the groom's family, you can choose to have it wherever you like. Although, it would be a good idea to choose a restaurant or venue that represents the couple's personality and wedding style. Rehearsals are also a lot more casual than the actual wedding. From a patio BBQ to a  fancy restaurant, make sure the venue is booked months in advance. Once the wedding venue has been set, the bride and groom can start thinking about where to host the rehearsal dinner, as most take place the night before the wedding. Although typically the rehearsal dinner takes place the evening before the wedding; we like to recommend looking at booking the rehearsal dinner two nights before if possible, to allow the evening before as a time for restful preparation.

Below are some photos of a rehearsal dinner hosted in Yaletown at the Blue Water Café & Raw Bar.  The lovely couple hosted their close family and friends at this intimate location the night before the wedding. The dimly lit candles,  vibrant blue colours all added a sense of ambience, romance and excitement to the entire evening, which set the tone for the perfect wedding.

Other things you might want to consider are whether or not you want to have a seating chart, depending on how well your guests know each other and how comfortable they feel. Of course speeches are always a great introduction for your guests and great practice for the actual wedding dinner. They are given at the start of the first course and remember to keep them short and sweet! Usually speeches are spontaneous and some can be in the form of a "roast,"  given by any of your guests.  It's usually customary for the host to toast the bride and groom, thanking the out of town guests and wedding party for coming. This is usually reciprocated by a responce from the bride and groom.

Remember to have fun and get some sleep before the big day!