Rehearsal Dinner

You can do easy things BBQ, Mexican, pizza, it doesn't have to be expensive at all. And yes that is normally where the couple thanks everyone and gives the gifts out!

I don't think I've ever attended a rehearsal dinner that had decorations, so it should be fine to skip those (unless you really wanted to decorate!). You can make the rehearsal dinner as casual or as fancy as you want - backyard BBQ (anything you choose from hot dogs and burgers to pulled pork and ribs), pizza party at a local restaurant, taco bar, etc.

We had our wedding venue for Friday and Saturday, wedding was Saturday. So we did the rehearsal dinner at the venue on Friday. We served little Cesars pizza and waters/coke, and we also gave our gifts out to the bridal party! It was very laid back, so really anything should be fine that you can/want to serve!

It can be as simple as like Mexican, bbq, or pizza. It doesn't have to be fancy. Also, decorations aren't necessary unless you want them. We handed out some gifts at rehearsal and some before. For example, I saw my parents, brother (bride's man) and his wife (bridesmaids) two days prior to the wedding so that's when I gave them their gifts. Most of the bridal party also stayed at the hotel which was our wedding venue so when they checked into their rooms we took their gifts to them. The ones that stayed else where we gave them their gifts at the rehearsal.

It depends on the couple and what foods they want to serve. We've been to several rehearsal dinners where it was casual and more of a BBQ type deal and I honestly preferred that. We're wanting to have varieties of pizza and have them set out by our hotel's bar where we will have a mingling/rehearsal dinner party with all of our out of town guests and family!

For gifts, I've never seen the bride and groom give gifts out in front of their other guests. But the couple could've just waited till later to give gifts out. When I was given a bridal party gift, it was the morning of the wedding and the bride laid all of our stuff out on the bed for us to see when we walked in!

Rehearsal dinners are usually very lowkey and inexpensive. Fancy ones nowadays are the product of wedding tv pressuring people to spend more.


Pizzas are very popular , whether from Costco or delivery from your favorite takeout spot. Pair that with beers and sodas and it's dirt cheap while making sure everyone is fed.
You don't need to decorate much of anything since it's a quick 2-3 hr max event with people catching up. You can distribute your attendant gifts.

The rehearsal dinner can be very casual if you want. The only real purpose is to host those in your wedding as a thank you for them taking the extra time out of their day to do a practice run through with you.

All of our plans went out the window because of Covid but originally we were planning to cover the cost of the rehearsal dinner (my husband's parents offered, but they gave us a chunk of money towards the wedding itself so we felt like it was more appropriate to just build the cost of the dinner into our budget than to have them feel responsible for any additional costs). We were going to do it at our venue and probably do something more casual, like stone fired gourmet pizzas, salad, and drinks, just because we had such a special meal planned for the wedding itself.

No one here is going to judge you for not serving filet mignon and lobster tails at your rehearsal dinner. We have so many threads here of people suggesting pizza, backyard BBQs, sandwiches, and all kinds of casual options. I also agree that decor and other extras are not required. Heck, a rehearsal dinner isn't even required unless you have a rehearsal.

As for what goes on at the dinner, I have been to ones where the attendants receive their gifts, and others where VIPs give speeches. But also, just having dinner and conversation as a way to connect and relax is OK, too.

Whatever you plan will be fine.

Our rehearsal dinner was at my IL's, they made a family dinner (helped by a Costco trip), we didn't have decorations, and I used the opportunity to present my side of the BP with their gifts.

It doesn't have to be a big deal at all, just a meal to thank the BP and anyone who was at rehearsal.

Order pizza, have some drinks in a cooler, have a chill night!