From One Couple to Another: Advice for Planning a Rehearsal Dinner
Are you thinking about planning a unique rehearsal dinner all by yourselves?! We’ve got your back with real-world advice from a real couple if you’re thinking of breaking the mold with your wedding weekend and planning an untraditional wedding welcome party rehearsal dinner on your own.
As well as sharing their romantic pre-wedding celebration on the coastline of Maine with us, couple Andrea and Mike shared some useful advice for others planning a wedding rehearsal dinner! You’ve heard all the tips and tricks for rehearsal dinner planning, but this couple has some planning advice after doing it themselves. They have some incredible been-there-done-that advice that will keep your wedding day and wedding rehearsal dinner running smoothly.
Andrea and Mike chose an out-of-the-box idea for their wedding rehearsal dinner at their destination wedding in Maine. The day before their larger wedding ceremony, they held a small, intimate ceremony in a local church. Then, the couple jumped into their Jeep Wrangler for some time together in a romantic, private drive to their wedding welcome party. They ate dinner, guests gave speeches and toasts, and they got some one-on-one time with out-of-town guests before their larger, full blown wedding ceremony and reception the next day.
And we have their advice for how to pull it off in a stress-free way! Find out how Andrea and Mike planned a unique wedding weekend full of family, friends and lots of connection with their guests.
Photo credit: Lynne Reznick Photography
About a Small Ceremony
Groom, Mike, says he was so happy they decided to do the small church wedding ceremony with just a few family members the day before their bigger wedding ceremony with all of their guests because it decreased stress about the big day:
“My favorite part was being married already and getting to enjoy the events on Friday stress-free.”
Andrea agreed completely, as her favorite moment of the day was her walk up the aisle in their small church ceremony:
“For me, the most unforgettable moment was when the church doors opened and my dad and I walked down the aisle. I was not prepared for it to truly feel like I was walking through the gates of heaven. We had left the church ceremony on Friday optional for guests because we knew most would be traveling that day and we were still holding the Saturday ceremony, so I was so surprised when I saw so many friends and family show up anyway for us. It brought me to happy tears seeing all of our closest friends and family turn to watch me walk down the aisle, and then see my future husband smiling (also tearing) and waiting for me at the altar”
About the Coastline Drive
Mike was also glad they got some romantic time with each other on the drive over to their wedding rehearsal dinner. After their small ceremony and before they headed into their rehearsal dinner, the drive was a perfect time for a quick 15 minutes of private time for the couple to soak in the moment!
When asked what the most special moment of the day was, Mike answers:
“For me, it was the drive back to Samoset after the church ceremony and before the wedding’s rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. It was just Andrea and me in our Wrangler and we got to have 15 minutes of just us. It was a brief moment to be present in the moment after saying our ‘I do's’."
Photo credit: Lynne Reznick Photography
About a Welcome Party
The couple recommended a welcome party for out-of-town guests at destination weddings. The wedding welcome party was a great time to greet and have some one-on-one time with guests who traveled to their wedding along the coast in Maine. Mike shares:
“I'm so glad we did the welcome party after the rehearsal dinner. It gave us a chance to see everyone we invited before all the Saturday wedding items that would keep us from seeing people as much as we would like to. We were able to greet all the guests who came from all over to celebrate with us.”
Andrea agrees that a wedding welcome party is the perfect way to make some incredible memories with friends and family in an intimate celebration:
“I loved adding the welcome party because, as Mike said, it gave us a chance to see and talk to everyone before Saturday's events.”
About Welcome Gifts for Guests
The couple celebrated their out-of-town guests in a perfect way, wedding welcome party gift bags! They also gave out wedding weekend itineraries to make sure everybody knew the schedule. Andrea noted:
“We also included welcome bags at the welcome party. We also wanted the weekend to feel unplugged and like a getaway for our guests, which made the pre-wedding events more special and had everyone come together.”
For more advice on wedding welcome gifts, be sure to get our best tips at Let’s Get Rehearsed on how to prep and assemble your wedding welcome gifts, or our favorite items for including in wedding welcome bags and favors.
Photo credit: Lynne Reznick Photography
About Hiring Vendors & Saving Money
Many couples decide to save some money by not hiring a wedding planner for their pre-wedding events, which is what Andrea and Mike did. For couples who aren’t planning on hiring a wedding planner for their rehearsal dinner, they recommended spending time choosing your vendors. Andrea explains:
“Invest in your wedding vendors! Especially if you are not using a wedding planner. Our wedding venue had an amazing coordinator and team as well. Our day was so perfect because of each and every vendor. They were all so organized, kind, and super talented, and were willing to work with each other if needed or coordinate before the big day. Really, do your research and spend time getting to know vendors (ask all the questions!) because they are key to bringing energy to your day!”
For more on this, be sure to check out our tips here at Let’s Get Rehearsed on unexpected ways to save money on your rehearsal dinner, and advice on hiring or not hiring vendors for your rehearsal dinner.
The couple’s incredible wedding vendors helped them save some money on decor for their rehearsal dinner, too! For the wedding welcome party, they were able to use gifted decor from a friend’s wedding, which the wedding vendors did a great job helping with:
“Our venue had most of the items for set up, and this is where we saved by using wedding decorations for the rehearsal dinner that my friend gave to me from her wedding. The team at our venue did an amazing job at using what we had and turning it into a beautiful setup! Mike's parents also added some coastal touches.”
About Making it Different from the Wedding
Wedding rehearsal dinners can be hard to choose decor because many couples want to balance cohesion with the main wedding ceremony and having a unique rehearsal dinner look that’s different than the wedding day can feel overwhelming! Andrea has some great advice on how they struck that balance:
“This was a little different from our Saturday wedding theme color palette which included dark green (suits), rose gold (bridesmaids dresses and other details), and florals that included these colors with some added blues/purples/peaches to give it that coastal fall feel for late September. I wanted the warmth of fall colors mixed with Maine's coastal scenery. To keep decor consistent for the welcome party, we included a welcome sign with rose gold framing on Friday night.”
For more on this from us here at Let’s Get Rehearsed, check out our advice on how to make your wedding rehearsal dinner different from the wedding event.
About Being Organized
Finally, if you are planning a wedding rehearsal dinner, make sure to take Mike’s advice and stay organized:
“Make a list and get due dates for everything. It will allow you to be less stressed about all the tasks that need to be completed and give you a full picture of when to get certain things done (big or small). Don't worry too much about things being perfect because whether they are or aren't you won't notice on the day because you're wrapped up in all the excitement.”
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Thank you so much to our real live couple, Andrea and Mike for sharing their amazing and super helpful tips for planning a unique wedding weekend celebration that will create a magical experience you’ll remember forever.
For more on this incredible couple, do not miss their untraditional pre-wedding welcome rehearsal and welcome party on the coast in Maine.
About Let’s Get Rehearsed!
Welcome to stress-free and easy wedding rehearsal dinner planning and ideas! Let’s Get Rehearsed is the best, most helpful planning and inspiration resource for all things wedding rehearsal dinners, wedding welcome parties, and the night before the wedding celebrations. If you’re in rehearsal dinner planning mode or looking for unique ideas, check out our real rehearsal dinner and welcome party photos, rehearsal dinner ideas and inspiration, advice for planning a wedding rehearsal dinner, and a rehearsal dinner printable and download shop.
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