Is a Wedding Rehearsal (and Dinner) Really Necessary?
Let’s start by saying that when it comes to your wedding, you don’t need to do anything you don’t want to do. Traditions are traditions because people choose to continue them. On your special day, you get to decide what to do or not do. This applies to both the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinners the night before.
These traditions might’ve become the norm over the years, but they absolutely aren’t necessary, no matter how much family and friends might be telling you that they are.
The Best Reason to Have the Rehearsal
The best reason to have a wedding rehearsal or rehearsal dinner is simply to spend time with your family and close friends. You get to hang out with all the people you love and who you’re close to. That’s the main reason. Do you need to hang out at your venue or at a particular restaurant for dinner? Not really.
You can brief your wedding party and your vendors on the order of the day without having a rehearsal and still have everything run smoothly. To be honest, all of your vendors should already know exactly what is happening a few weeks before the wedding day. We always meet with our clients 4-6 weeks prior to the wedding date in order to make sure we finalize all of the details.
As for the rehearsal dinner, there are so many other ways you can spend time with the people closest to you the day before the wedding without having to sit down for a meal.
Wedding Rehearsal Dinner Alternatives
Here are a few ideas you might want to steal:
- Arrange a picnic. Getting married at an outdoor venue such as a beach? Why not arrange a small picnic for your immediate family and your wedding party? The food and setup are simple, and you get the chance to create some special memories. Who can say no to time at the beach?
- BYOB. If you need to save some money, get everyone to bring a six-pack of beer and some wine that they can share. Kind of like a wine and beer potluck. Your guests get to have a tasting while spending time with each other.
- Arrange a spa day. If you would prefer something really intimate, why not arrange a spa day just for you, your partner, and your wedding party? This way you can spend time together and relax before your big day. We’ll take this over dinner any day!
- Schedule a boat outing. If you’re getting married near the water, schedule some sort of water activity such as a boat outing. Just make sure that it’s nothing that would lead to someone getting seriously hurt before the wedding day, of course.
- Spend a day at the pool. Another way that everyone can relax and spend time together before the wedding is a day at the pool. A few snacks, drinks, and some music make for the perfect pre-wedding setting. We actually get hired quite often for these events for couples!
Overall, whether or not you want to spend time doing a rehearsal and money on a rehearsal dinner is entirely up to you as a couple. If you are planning something significant, you might want to get your photographer to snap a few photos, so check if that can form part of your wedding package.
If you are doing a rehearsal, check out our Top 10 wedding rehearsal dinner spots blog for great Austin area places to do your rehearsal!
As a bonus, add our cocktail hour/dinner playlist to your Spotify and you’ve got the perfect music covered!
