No rehearsal dinner

If you're having a rehearsal, you need to provide a meal for those in attendance. Even if it's just pizza! Could you have the dinner at the venue? Or have the rehearsal somewhere other than the venue closer to where you could have the dinner? Our venue is about 30 minutes away from the places we're considering having our rehearsal dinner, but everyone would have to make that drive anyways since it's back on the side of town where everyone lives. Could you rent out a rec room nearby? It doesn't have to be a over the top formal dinner, just something to fill everyone's bellies and thank them for attending your rehearsal

If you are not having a rehearsal, it's fine to skip the RD, but if you are having a rehearsal, you should provide at least a simple meal afterward to thank your wedding party for taking the time to rehearse. What about a more casual pizza parlor-type place? Where we live, many frequently host kids' and adults' sports teams, so they typically have an area that is large enough for a bigger group. I don't know what your original budget was, but pizzas, salad, and beverages should be pretty reasonable. Otherwise, I'd do as a pp suggested and look for inexpensive common rooms (possibly at an apartment or condo complex where a friend or family member lives), or a fire or lodge-type hall, or possibly a church hall. Good luck!

It's proper etiquette to provide a dinner as a thank you for your friends and family coming out to the rehearsal. I second the pizza idea. Good luck!

I would skip a rehearsal all together and not do a rehearsal dinner. I personally wouldn't attend a rehearsal dinner if my husband was excluded anyway.

We are doing drinks an apps for our "welcome party." We are having the rehearsal earlier in the morning because of the venue. No rehearsal dinner. We wanted it to be more causal.

Totally understand this! The rehearsal is something I didn't initially budget for either, and does end up being a big expense.

What about instead of a seated dinner for all 21 people, you meet informally for more of an appetizers and drinks welcome party immediately following the rehearsal. It will probably be less stuffy and more fun anyways. No one needs a full meal, rather they'd just like to gather and say hello before you tie the knot.

Another tip is that breakfast/brunch food is about half the price of dinner food, so you could have a casual brunch buffet the morning of the rehearsal instead of a dinner immediately following it, and it would probably run at half the price, closer to your original budget.