Planning the Wedding Rehearsal
Paperia | June 2014
Your wedding ceremony is typically rehearsed the evening before the big event and is often accompanied by a celebratory dinner.
The wedding rehearsal should be conducted at the ceremony venue to allow the bride, groom, bridal party, and officiant to become oriented with the space and comfortable with their required tasks. While at the venue, the officiant will typically take the reins and lead the group through each step of the ceremony. This will allow the bridal party to take note of when and how to process, sit, stand, etc. It is a good idea to invite any readers, ushers, and helpers to the wedding rehearsal, so that they can practice their tasks, as well.
Try to plan your wedding rehearsal when you will have ample time to access your venue and also when it would be most convenient for your bridal party to attend. As rehearsals are most commonly held on Friday evenings before a Saturday wedding, you may consider beginning at 5:30 or 6 PM.
Dinner usually follows the rehearsal at a nearby venue and is often hosted by the groom’s parents. At the very least, the dinner should include the immediate families, bridal party and their significant others, parents of any children in the bridal party, and the officiant(s). However, some choose to include out of town guests and/or other close relatives. Rehearsal dinner invitations should be sent about 1 – 3 weeks after the wedding invitations, so that guests can plan accordingly. Don’t forget to visit The Paperia for assistance in selecting the perfect rehearsal invite!
Rehearsal dinner venues can range from an outdoor, casual BBQ to a fancy sit down meal in a four star hotel. Regardless of the setting, try to use this occasion to mingle with guests and introduce the two families. Oftentimes the couple will use this dinner as a time to bestow gifts upon their parents and bridal party. Similarly, those close to the couple will often take advantage of this intimate setting to offer well-wishing toasts.F
For more need-to-know wedding rehearsal details, head on over to The Knot.
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