The Night Before: How to take a rehearsal dinner from an afterthought to a hallmark of the wedding weekend
The stress of wedding planning is no secret. However, rehearsal dinners are the under-the-radar event just waiting to wreak havoc, usually in the final stretch of the planning process.
Hosted on the eve of the wedding day following the ceremony rehearsal, the responsibilities for this dinner traditionally fall to the groom and his family. In theory, this separation of financial and logistical stress makes sense. But in the world of intricate bridal visions, this division of events is easier in theory than in practice.
“The rehearsal is often the first impression people have of a wedding weekend,” explains event designer Angela DiVincenti Babin of Angela Marie Events. “Brides want it to fit with the flow of the weekend and make sense conceptually, and that requires everyone to be on the same page.”
Rather than relinquish all control, Angela advises brides to join forces with the groom’s family in order to make decisions that benefit everyone. For example, floral arrangements used for the rehearsal, if in keeping with the wedding vision, can be reused the following day, preventing floral waste and saving money on wedding-day flowers. In Maggie and Caleb Passman’s Italian-inspired rehearsal pictured here, table arrangements were reused the next day on the reception bars.
Beyond the flowers, though, Angela advises that the biggest way brides can help is by sharing their planning wisdom. While they often spend months in the weeds of wedding preparations, the groom, in many cases, does not. Because of this, brides are more intimately familiar with the challenges that come with event execution. Namely, logistics.
“It really is invaluable to have someone else to handle everything while you enjoy the weekend with friends and family,” Angela notes. “You don’t want to have to step away from the actual rehearsal or any other moments to set up tables or light candles.”
In the end, everyone wants a picture-perfect weekend free of stress and full of love, and the easiest way to achieve that is through clear communication. Approach the planning process, and the weekend, with an open mind—and maybe a few Pinterest boards—and everyone is sure to win in the end.
“The most important thing is to communicate and keep everyone on the same page,” says Maggie. “My mother-in-law came with us to meet with Angela and contribute to the planning process. It helped all of us to see the vision and all the details that would go into our dream rehearsal dinner. It is a night that we will cherish forever.”
