Rehearsal Dinner Invitation Wording and Etiquette

The night before THE night! A chance to get friends and family together to begin the merriment. A chance to set the mood for the event of a lifetime.

While you can go full swing for your rehearsal dinner, there’s something quite awesome about creating contrast. A BBQ-themed rehearsal dinner the night before a glamorous, black-tie wedding feels inspired. A sophisticated, sit down dinner on a posh rooftop the night before a wedding in an apple orchard is masterful.

Don’t be afraid to use the rehearsal dinner to express yourself in whatever way feels right. Check out our earlier Rehearsal Dinner post on our blog for more details on the Who, Why and When of rehearsal dinner planning.

"Who Should I Invite?"

Rehearsal dinners can include everyone (if you’re having a small intimate wedding) or just a special few (if your wedding is on the grand side). Sometimes rehearsal dinners will also invite out-of-town guests and sometimes they’ll embrace important family members. In other words, your rehearsal dinner can look exactly as you want it to. The wedding party (bridesmaids and groomsmen) is the only must since they’re the ones who’ll be doing the actual rehearsing beforehand.

The same goes for the dress code. Typically, rehearsal dinner dress means cocktail attire, but if you’ve chosen the barn and BBQ route, be sure to tell guests that jeans and cowboy boots are appropriate. A note can easily be placed on the bottom of your invitation to alert the guests of any dress preferences you might have:

2210 Ocean Way
Bethesda, Maryland
Regrets only: Margaret Begg
123.456.7890

Casual Attire

"What Do I Include on My Invitation?"

A rehearsal dinner invitation should display the same kind of information as your wedding invitation, but in a more casual manner. The occasion – Rehearsal Dinner – is announced at the top followed by the names of the happy couple. Mixbook’s Rustic Hanging Lights invitation is a good example. The date, time and location of your dinner follow below as well as a necessary RSVP detail so guests know when and how to respond. If the host of the event wants to be recognized, it’s in good taste to mention that:

Mr. and Mrs. Harry Begg
request the pleasure of your
company at the Rehearsal Dinner in honor
of
Ted and Diane
on Friday, the 23rd of September
at seven o’clock in the evening
The Lodge
2210 Ocean Way
Bethesda, Maryland

R.S.V.P. to Margaret at
123.456.7890

Remember though that wording can also be more casual. Mixbook’s Rehearsal Dinner Frame invitation is a simple, yet attractive invite to get the job done. Even in this type of invitation, you’ll notice that the basics of Where, When and RSVP detail are always included.

Rehearsal dinner invitations can be as formal as your wedding invitation, but they don’t have to be. Remember, your wedding is the main event so it’s perfectly all right to have a little fun with the planning of the night before. If your wedding invitation isn’t yet complete, Mixbook can help with etiquette, wording and the do’s and don’ts of the guest list. As well, Mixbook has the skinny on direction cards, reception cards, RSVP cards and any other wedding suite stationery you might need. Mixbook makes sure you’re covered!