Weddings aren't simple.

Each element has its own procedures and traditions. People learn a lot about dealing with guests when planning a wedding.

The rehearsal dinner is an important element of a wedding, and rehearsal dinner etiquette can be pretty complex. Understand the rules can make all the difference and lead to success and fun.

The groom's parents get the task of running the rehearsal dinner.
Leave the details to them. For couples who prefer to host the dinner themselves as a thanks to the families and wedding guests, make sure to explain the reasoning to the grooms parents so as not to insult them. If the parents get very upset, keep them in the picture. Why start a fight because you want to do more work?

After the wedding rehearsal, the night before the wedding, is the best time for this dinner.
This ensures that all the guests and family are in town, available to attend. Never plan this for days before the wedding day. It potentially excludes some people. Avoid hurting people's feelings or making their attendance more difficult . The easier it is on the guests the better it will be for the bride and groom.

It's a must to invite the immediate relatives of both the bride and groom.
Also invite the whole bridal party and any other close friends or family of the soon to be married. Make sure to invite the priest or minister or person who administers the vows. Don't be too hasty when it comes to planning the invites. Aunt Myrtle may be a little loud, but is a whole life of anger worth the snub?

Dinner begins with a time for people to talk and mingle.
It's important to consider the feelings of all the guests and to provide a pleasant atmosphere. Make sure the dinner isn't out of whack with the cost of the remainder of the wedding. An extravagant wedding gets a extravagant rehearsal dinner. By the same token a budget wedding should have too fancy of a rehearsal dinnerA less expensive wedding warrants a less expensive rehearsal dinner. And don't keep people out too late the night before the big day.

Toasts are generally made to everyone involved in making the wedding a success.
This of course means both sets of parents. This toast takes place after the main meal, delivered by the couple to be. The best man and maid of honor toasts are appropriate at the reception, not during the rehearsal dinner.

A pleasant rehearsal dinner can set the stage for a nice wedding. Don't ignore rehearsal dinner etiquette.

Evan