If you’re in the midst of planning your wedding, you’ve probably given your rehearsal dinner some thought. While this night-before celebration doesn’t take near the pull-your-hair-out kind of planning as your actual wedding day, there are plenty of decisions that need to be made.
Before choosing a venue, menu and most importantly what you’re going to wear, start with your rehearsal dinner guest list. If you’re stumped about who to invite to your wedding rehearsal dinner, we’re here with some advice.
Q: Who Goes to the Rehearsal Dinner?
It’s your party, so who you invite to your rehearsal dinner is up to you! But, we get that it’s tricky. Following these rules will leave you with a guest list you feel good about:
Your Wedding Party
Inviting your entire wedding party is a must. This includes all groomsmen and bridesmaids, plus their dates. If you’re having flower girls or ring bearers, they and their families should also attend. Remember to also invite anyone who is supporting you on your wedding day, such as your personal attendant and reception hosts.
The Officiant and Other Ceremony Participants
No matter who is officiating your ceremony, be sure to invite them and their significant other to the rehearsal dinner.
If you have other friends or family participating in your ceremony, invite them as well.
Your Closest Family Members
Your closest family members should receive an invitation to your rehearsal dinner. This will be different for everyone. For some, it’s parents, siblings or grandparents. For others it might include some extended family members as well.
All families are different (and complicated!), so the decision of who to invite is personal and up to the two of you.
Additional Family Members
This is where your rehearsal dinner can go from intimate to a real party!
If you want to keep your celebration small, keep the list short. But if you’re hoping to use your rehearsal dinner as a mini family reunion, invite the whole crew!
Out of Town Guests
If you have friends who have traveled from out of town to attend your wedding, inviting them to the rehearsal is a lovely gesture. This bonus celebration gives you extra time to connect with guests that you simply may not have during your actual wedding.
This doesn’t mean you need to invite ALL out of town guests though. Pick and choose who’s most important to the two of you.
Bonus Question: Do We Have to Invite Kids to the Rehearsal Dinner?
Whether or not you’re having an adults-only wedding, you’ll want to be very clear about whether or not kids are invited to your rehearsal dinner.
The choice is yours! If you don’t want little ones there, you do not have to invite children to your rehearsal dinner. Just make sure parents know it’s an adult’s only party by stating it on your invitation, or simply zipping them a quick message asking the parents to please make it a date night.
Happy planning, brides and grooms!
xoxo – the Team at Ann’s
