“What about Rehearsal Dinner invitations?”
Maybe that question has popped into your head or has been presented to you from a family member. It’s something that is probably not on your radar. I mean, you’ve found an amazing designer to do your wedding invitations (*cough cough*) but the rehearsal dinner hasn’t crossed your mind. And do you do those? Is the groom’s family in charge of those? Are they sent with the invitations?
So many questions.
Hopefully I can help. Like all invitations in general, there are traditional ways to do things and the alternate route of not following tradition (which is cool too). Here are some options when it comes to rehearsal dinner invitations.
The Groom’s Side of the Family
Traditionally, the groom’s parents or side of the family is in charge of all things rehearsal dinner. From finding the location to paying for it…the groom’s side is taking on the entire rehearsal planning. And this means they’re in charge of invitations as well.
The bride’s side of the family traditionally was in charge of all things wedding, so that being said, the wedding invitations were sent from the bride’s parents. And rehearsal dinner invitations sent separately from the groom’s parents.
I’ve worked with a lot of mothers of the groom to design rehearsal dinner invites that coordinate with the invitations, but of course don’t take away from the star of the paper show (the wedding invitation itself). It’s always fun to work with a mom of a groom who maybe has three sons, and won’t really take on a lot of the wedding planning ever. Rehearsal dinners can be their own event and a fun one as well.
From the Couple – Separate
When going a non-traditional route, the rehearsal dinner can be sent from the couple themselves. The groom’s family could still be involved (or not), but the couple feels like they’re taking on the role of planning everything for their wedding (financially or not).
With this, rehearsal dinner invitations can still be sent out separate from the wedding invitations. It can have it’s own look to it, but of course I like coordinating just at bit to the wedding invitations.
From the Couple – With the Wedding Invites
Still along the non-traditional route of the couple sending rehearsal dinner invites is sending them out with the wedding invitations. Traditional wedding planners would see this as a total faux pas, but don’t let that stop you if you think “why not?”. Sticking an extra card in with your wedding invites to a handful of people saves you time and some postage. With this, I love designing the rehearsal dinner invitation to coordinate seamlessly with the invites.
From the Bride’s Parents
Super non-traditional is the bride’s parents taking over control of the rehearsal dinner planning. Again, the bride’s side has usually been in charge of the wedding itself, but situations arise. The groom’s side may be taking care of the wedding and a role reversal is done. Or the groom’s family may not be in the picture, providing another good reason for the bride’s family to help with rehearsal.
Need rehearsal dinner invitations? You know where to find me. Shoot me a message and let’s get these added to your invitation suite package.