Rehearsal dinner nightmare

I think what your venue coordinator is offering actually sounds really good and convenient already

I agree that the option your venue is providing sounds nice!

I agree with Mells suggestion

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I agree. That's exactly what we did. We had a welcome meet and greet after the rehearsal at the resort's restaurant. We used the restaurant's happy hour menu, allowed people to order what they wanted (instead of ordering items and treating it like a buffet), and it was a hit!! Plus, after the meet and greet, a few of us went out afterwards for additional drinks. It was low key and so much fun. However, if you're really not feeling that, are community centers available for rent where you could rent the space and bring in your own food? I recognize that may be a stretch due to COVID.

I am pretty much having the same issue on planning the rehearsal dinner for my wedding in March. Especially since can still be cold in PA and my group takes covid seriously. An idea I had was to do the rehearsal, and pass out gift cards to a restaurant that guests can order take out from afterwards so we’re still able provide a meal for them. We haven’t decided what to do yet but it’s an option.

You have your answer right there- go with what your venue is offering so you can mark it off your list!

Same problem here. If things aren't open in time then I plan to do a picnic at the beach and just cart drinks and snacks onto the sand.

We’re in Central California and planning on doing something similar. Our venue is a private park and because we live in a very small town, there are not many food options. Plan to just have something brought out to the park directly after rehearsal. Too much uncertainty in what things look like day to day.

I'm getting married April 24, 2021 on California's central coast. We haven't talked about it too much, but we're most likely going to either go to a park or a friend's backyard and order pizza or do some sort of BBQ thing. Our venue shares a parking lot with the hotel we're staying at the night before and night of the wedding (with bridesmaids the night before and FH night of). We may see if we can use their grounds for that. I know we can do it at our venue, but unfortunately the added cost of doing that would be a little too much. FH and I are pretty simple and casual, so we don't need to do much more. If your vibe is a bit more elegant I honestly think your venue option is a great idea. It will already look pretty nice and that puts a little less pressure on your out of town guests to stick around and socialize in the event that they would like to get back to where they're staying a relax before the big day. It also gives YOU a bit more time to relax.

I'm also in Sacramento and having the same problem! What your venue is offering sounds like a really good option. I don't have much advice beyond that, since I'm in the same boat and came here looking for answers... just wanted you to know you're not alone!

Is there an outdoor event rental through the parks dept? Then have a favorite Mexican/Chinese/etc restaurant put together a catering package you can pick up or they deliver. That will be super inexpensive compared to catered appetizers from a high end restaurant.