The Rehearsal Dinner - Why Couples Still Have Them

July 17, 2010 - PRLog -- When planning a wedding – the rehearsal dinner is on the list of major events. However, most people who have never planned a wedding do not understand the purpose or this meal – which is a shame considering that you only get one rehearsal dinner!

The rehearsal dinner is usually held the night before the wedding after the final wedding rehearsal. It is ultimately up to the bride and groom who they invite, but rehearsal dinner invitations - http://www.wedding-planning-101.com/rehearsal-dinner.html - are usually sent to the parents of the bride and groom as well as everyone in the wedding party. Some couples also invite other people, including out of town guests, close family or friends not in the party and the pastor, minister or whoever is marrying the couple the next day.

The point of the rehearsal dinner - http://www.wedding-planning-101.com/rehearsal-dinner.html -  is two-fold. The first is to thank everyone involved in the wedding. The second is to be able to enjoy one last good meal with everyone involved, including the people closest to you, before the wedding occurs. Gifts are usually given from the bride and groom to the wedding party. These wedding party gifts should be chosen with care. They usually have the bride and grooms names and or the wedding date on them; they are keepsakes for the party to remember the wedding by.

The bride or groom should also give a speech to thank everyone there for both enjoying there last night of being single with them as well as all they have done to help plan the wedding.

Regardless of everything you will give and everything you will say, the rehearsal dinner is important because it gives you a chance to celebrate the wedding and what is to come before you celebrate with everyone else the following day. Couples still have them not out of tradition or necessity, but because after weeks or months or wedding planning they realize they need to take a breathe before the big day.

Rehearsal Dinners take some planning, but much less than the rest of a wedding. Some couples are taking the tradition right out of them and instead of having a formal dinner at an upscale restaurant they are choosing to instead have picnics at the park or backyard barbeques. Regardless of where it is, what you serve or what other activities you partake in, the main goal is to relax before the ceremony and to give thanks to everyone involved.

# # #

Pamela Kazmierczak is the owner of Wedding Ideas - http://www.wedding-planning-101.com/ - a content based, free wedding planning website. If you still have questions about the rehearsal dinner or anything else, stop by today and find what you are looking for.