Should I Have A Wedding Rehearsal Dinner?
There are many fun activities that happen leading up to your wedding day. Those activities may include your engagement party, bridal shower, bachelor/bachelorette party, and so much more. These activities allow couples and their loved ones to bond before the main celebrations.
Generally, the rehearsal dinner is a must have before the wedding. However, there are couples who opt out of the rehearsal dinner.
Are you undecided about whether or not you should have a rehearsal dinner? Here are some pros and cons to assist you with making a decision.
The Pros
- A Chance for A Trial Run
One of the most significant advantages of having a rehearsal dinner is a chance to practice for your wedding. You and your bridal party get a chance to practice and see whatever needs to be worked on for the big day.
You can run through your ceremony, have everyone play their parts, and see what needs finetuning. If there are any cues that need to be given during the event, a rehearsal dinner gives you a chance to practice them.
- You Can Scope Out Your Venue
Yes, we know you went on tour already, but there’s nothing quite like hosting an event there. A rehearsal dinner gives couples a chance to get a fabulous and recent feel of their wedding venue. The chances are that it’s been a couple of weeks since they saw it.
You can check that no drastic changes that will affect your wedding have been made. You also get a chance to visualize better the idea that you have for your wedding celebration.
- A Chance to Bond with Loved Ones
In the build-up to your wedding ceremony, it’s easy to get disconnected from loved ones. All the running around and planning can have you missing from many circles. You could even be grumpy from a little lack of sleep.
A rehearsal dinner offers you a chance to smoothen things over as you prepare for the big day. You can hang out with your wedding party and enjoy their company before your wedding. Leaving it till your wedding day could backfire as you could end up being too busy on that day too.
If you have gifts or any other last-minute instructions, your rehearsal dinner allows you to handle them too.
The Cons
- It Can Be Time consuming
Yes, your wedding is coming up, but life is going on in the meantime. We’re in a world that is very fast-paced now. This means that while your loved ones really care about you, they might only be able to make time for your main wedding.
Adding another event to that might be a bit too much. If this is the case, please keep in mind that they are already committing time and money to your event. It’s not the end of the world if they can’t add a rehearsal dinner to that. They might have had to take on a little bit of extra load to make things work out, and that’s okay.
- The Expenses
Traditionally, the groom’s family is supposed to pay for the rehearsal dinner. However, more and more couples are moving away from this norm. For a couple paying for their wedding and honeymoon, adding a rehearsal dinner can be too much. Feel free to forgo it if you find yourself in this situation, as things can get really pricey.
- The Extra Stress
Yes, sadly, you’d have to plan for a wedding rehearsal dinner just like you’d plan for a wedding. This can, however, be on a lowkey with the stress reduced. All you have to do is cut down on your guest list. You can also choose to forgo this tradition altogether.