Rehearsal Dinner Etiquette Question!!!!

Etiquette ****

Yes, significant others are typically invited to the rehearsal dinner. Since the parents of the ring bearer and flower girl are most likely going to be bringing the children to the rehearsal, it is also polite to invite them to the dinner. You don't need to do anything fancy. Even pizza and soda is fine.

View Quoted Comment Really? That's all that you could comment on?


A lot of people do not do rehearsal dinners anymore. However, if you choose to do so, then it should include ALL participants in the rehearsal and their SO's.

I’m sorry I don’t understand “all I can comment on”


All I needed to know was if it was rude or not. Significant others and parents will all just be hanging around during rehearsal till dinner or meet us after. There are no other questions I need answered.

Yes, significant others should definitely be invited to the rehearsal dinner. The parents of the ring bearer and flower girl are likely the ones bringing the children to the rehearsal and taking them home after the dinner so yes it would be nice oh you to invite them to dinner. Like a previous poster mentioned, the dinner doesn't have to be fancy. We choose not to serve alcohol at ours which made it a lot cheaper. We didn't serve alcohol because half of the people attending don't drink including myself, my dad is a recovering alcoholic, and we didn't really want those in our bridal party who do drink to get hammered the night before our wedding.

View Quoted Comment Sorry, Elizabeth. I thought you were another poster commenting on OP's spelling and was coming your (OP's) defense.

Yes, significant others should be invited to the rehearsal dinner. Same goes for the parents of flower girls and ring bearers. Keep in mind that while many rehearsal dinners are held at restaurants, they don't have to be! For our rehearsal dinner, we rented a rooftop party room and had a caterer set up a variety of heavy app stations, and we hired student bartenders and bought the alcohol in bulk. We went this route because we had a lot of guests, and we easily would have spent 5 or 6 times the amount had we held our rehearsal dinner at a restaurant.

Yes, plus significant others. We’re in the same boat, paying for the rehearsal and have 60 people total. We are going to our favorite Italian restaurant and only covering beer and wine. I don’t want people getting to drunk the night before. You could also do a cash bar. I don’t think that’s tacky at all, especially at a rehearsal dinner!

View Quoted Comment Ah gotcha! Thanks JM.

Ok thanks for the feedback ladies! I will definitely be hosting all SO’s and parents. I’m thinking I might be able to have it at our club house (also where the bridal shower will be) and just have it catered so that I can properly host everyone.

View Quoted Comment That took me a second too, lol



Anywho, OP I think you can probably get away with not inviting all of the extras if you keep the rehearsal dinner as low budget as possible. Meaning like if you keep it a “Pizza and beer” type of rehearsal dinner and focusing much more on the actual rehearsing aspect, then yes you might be able to get away with it. But I think if you’re planning on having the rehearsal dinner at an upscale restaurant focusing on more of the dinner aspect as opposed to rehearsing then yes you’d probably want to invite the SO’s

Rehearsal dinners are still extremely common. Significant others must be invited as well as parents of flower/ ring children.

Rehearsal dinners are generally casual, typically pizza and sodas. While some rehearsal dinners may cost as much as the wedding, those are more rarity than norm.

Yes, significant others should be invited. I’m not sure how you would expect children to come alone?

View Quoted Comment So serious question here, who ELSE needs to be included? In rehearsal DINNER? Sound guy from church, security/anyone opening church for us to practice?? Or just wedding party people, so’s and pastor ?

View Quoted Comment

Audio techs, musicians, security, church staff, day of coordinator do not need to be invited to dinner. Just attendants and their significant others, parents if they are involved, and officiant, who typically declines unless they would be a guest otherwise.

Our rehearsal dinner was parents, BP and SOs, and officiant and his wife.

My ILs hosted it, and served a nice, homemade Italian dinner.

You can "properly host" a rehearsal dinner with pizza and beer (juice for the kids). Having a nice, chill event before the formal one is always good.

View Quoted Comment Both children are close family and honestly both sets of parents would willingly throw them at us LOL!

— but yes inviting everyone including kids’ parents


Thank you for all the feedback ladies!!!

View Quoted Comment

Ok, cool! thanks!!

View Quoted Comment I laughed so hard! “Oh of course we don’t want you to have to worry about us...we’ll go over here to this nice quiet restaurant and come back in a few hours. Might want to keep them away from the sugar...huh? No reason, really. Good luck...I mean enjoy!”