About Let’s Get Rehearsed:
Your Guide to Wedding Rehearsal Dinners & Welcome Parties
Let’s Get Rehearsed is the only wedding blog dedicated entirely to rehearsal dinners and welcome parties — the night-before celebration that sets the stage for your wedding weekend. We’re so glad you’re here and want to learn more about us. Let’s celebrate!
Photo credit: Carter Rose Photography
Planning the Night-Before Shouldn’t Be This Hard
If you’ve ever tried to plan a wedding rehearsal dinner or welcome party, you already know how confusing it can be. There are endless places to go about the wedding day itself, but when it comes to the night before, most couples and families feel completely on their own.
Maybe you’re the engaged couple wondering if you’re expected to plan and pay for the rehearsal dinner on top of everything else. With all the decisions you’re already making for the wedding day, the thought of tackling the night before can feel overwhelming.
Or maybe you’re the parents, family, or friends in charge and you’re asking: What are we supposed to do? How do we host a rehearsal dinner that feels meaningful but doesn’t upstage the wedding? How do we balance budgets, venues, and guest expectations without losing our minds?
No matter who you are - couple, parents, wedding or friends - the stress is real. The rehearsal dinner is a tradition that matters, but it often gets left as a last-minute afterthought.
That’s where Let’s Get Rehearsed comes in!
We’re the only site dedicated entirely to wedding rehearsal dinners and welcome parties. Our tips, real-event inspiration, and practical planning advice are designed to make your night-before celebration smooth, stress-free, and fun. Whether your event is in Dallas, Palm Beach, New York City, or your own backyard, we’re here to help you create a rehearsal dinner that feels personal, joyful, and unforgettable.
Let’s Meet The Editor!
It all began with a garter. (Yes, a wedding garter!) Hi, and welcome! I’m Julianne Smith. The girl behind the scenes at Let’s Get Rehearsed.
I live in Washington, D.C. with my husband and three kids. I began my career in politics and media, but in 2008, I started The Garter Girl when I couldn’t find a stylish garter worthy of my best friend.
Since then, I’ve been working in and around weddings helping engaged couples find ease in the wedding planning process. I also work with fellow small businesses through Garter Girl Creative, a wedding media and marketing agency
With Let’s Get Rehearsed, I’m passionate about helping you take the stress out of planning. Let’s relax and celebrate the night before your big wedding day!!
Photo credit: Phillip Van Nostrand Photography
Your Biggest Rehearsal Dinner Questions, Answered
Confused about the night-before? You’re not alone. From who pays and who’s invited to what to wear and when to send invitations, these are the most common rehearsal dinner and welcome party questions we hear, with clear answers to help you plan stress-free.
Photo credit: Carter Rose Photography
Q: What even is a wedding rehearsal dinner & is that different than a welcome party?
A: Spoiler alert, a wedding rehearsal dinner, and a welcome party are essentially the same thing. Both events refer to the night (or day) before the wedding celebration festivities.
Before the dinner or the welcome party itself, the event usually starts off with a walk-through, or rehearsal, of the wedding day ceremony so that everyone involved knows where to be and when the next day.
Photo credit: Carter Rose Photography
Q: Who do you invite to the rehearsal dinner? Everyone or just the wedding party?
A: Typically, the wedding rehearsal dinner guest list includes the wedding party, immediate and/or extended family, out-of-towners, officiant, and all of their plus ones. We’re not one to “enforce” every tradition, so invite whoever feels right to you. Determine your guest list to match your wedding rehearsal dinner vibe and budget.
Q: Who is supposed to pay for the wedding
rehearsal dinner?
A: Tradition has it that one of the partner's parents - usually the one not paying for the wedding day - will cover the cost of the rehearsal dinner. But, if we know today’s weddings, tradition is out the window!
Be sure to talk about and include the rehearsal dinner when you’re budgeting for the entire wedding so everyone is on the same page.
Q: What do you wear to your wedding rehearsal dinner?
A: Your rehearsal dinner outfit is likely the last outfit your guests will see you in before the wedding ceremony, so choose something you feel confident in without upstaging your wedding day outfit. And remember, you’ll be seeing lots of people you haven’t seen in a while and the cameras will be out!
Photo credit: Love Life Images
Q: Should we do formal invitations or is E-mail OK? …and when do we send?
A: You do you when it comes to wedding rehearsal dinner invitations. Paper printed and mailed, or digitally sent via email or text, either can work as long as the message gets out to who it needs to get to.
Pro tip: Don’t send your rehearsal dinner invites out too early! Be sure to wait until after the wedding invitations are sent.
Q: Are we supposed to get a photographer? A wedding planner?
A: Hiring vendors for a rehearsal dinner has its pro’s and con’s. A photographer can help capture those beautiful moments at your wedding rehearsal dinner and make the night before your wedding an evening to remember. Wedding planners can help organize the rehearsal for the next day and ensure a smooth, stress-free party.
When you’re thinking about what vendor support you’ll need or want, just ask yourself how much you want to be doing the night before the big day and hire accordingly.
Pro Tip: Expert Advice You Can Trust
If you read just one blog post on Let’s Get Rehearsed, let it be this one…
When it comes to planning your rehearsal dinner or welcome party, there’s no better insight than hearing directly from wedding professionals.
That’s why we pulled together our expert rehearsal dinner planning guide, filled with tips from the pros on what couples often overlook, and what they wish everyone knew before the night-before celebration.
This is is. This is what the pro’s want you to know. No more secrets or feeling like everyone else knows something you don’t.
Why We Created Let’s Get Rehearsed
Planning a wedding rehearsal dinner or welcome party shouldn’t feel so confusing, but most couples and families quickly discover that it does. From who pays, to who’s invited, to where to host, the night-before your wedding can bring up more questions than answers.
That’s exactly why Let’s Get Rehearsed exists!
We’re here to take the stress and guesswork out of planning so you can actually enjoy the celebration before the big day.
Think of us as your go-to guide and best friend in the process. With practical advice, real-life rehearsals and parties, and helpful tips from our expert vendor partners from all over the country, we’ll help you plan a rehearsal dinner that feels effortless, fun, and memorable.
Let’s Plan. Let’s Rehearse. Let’s Celebrate.
Let’s Get To The Celebration
The night before your wedding should feel exciting, not exhausting. At Let’s Get Rehearsed, we believe your rehearsal dinner or welcome party is more than just a formality, it’s the moment that brings everyone together before the big day.
From practical planning advice to real rehearsals and parties to do-able ideas and inspiration, and even an online shop for rehearsal dinners only, we’re here to make sure your night-before is as joyful and memorable as the wedding itself.
Let’s Get Rehearsed is the source for all things the night before the big day!
Let’s Get Connected
Do you have a rehearsal dinner question or a problem that we haven’t (yet!) addressed? We’d love to hear from you and help you out. Send us an email we’ll get right on it for you!
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