Gathering Instead of Rehearsal Dinner?

I am getting married September 10th. All of my family and friends live in a town that is over an hour from me, as well as our wedding location. Because of this, we are considering not having a rehearsal dinner the night before our wedding, as we are getting married on a Friday and I don’t want people to have to leave work early on Thursday, drive over an hour in rush hour traffic, etc for a rehearsal and then drive back the following day for the wedding. All of my friends have already been married and know the drill.


However, because of Covid we have not had any pre-wedding events thus far and was thinking of hosting a small get-together in August to celebrate our engagement and the upcoming wedding in-lieu of a rehearsal dinner. It would be just the wedding party and parents invited and it would be local for everyone in the wedding party (except us, as we are an hour away).
Is this a bad idea? Do you think people would be more annoyed to attend a rehearsal dinner on a Thursday that’s an hour away from them, or have to give up a Saturday to celebrate with the wedding party a month prior to the wedding? Also, I have no idea what I would formally call the “gathering” in August, as it’s too late for an engagement party, and it also wouldn’t be a rehearsal.