Budgeting the Rehearsal Dinner

A backyard rehearsal dinner is completely acceptable

By Chris Easter of TheManRegistry.com

If you’re planning a wedding and trying to keep the budget under control, the rehearsal dinner is an area where you can easily cut back but still put on a great event. As the groom, the rehearsal dinner is one of your biggest wedding duties, so you want to get this right. Here’s a few ways you can cut costs but still keep everyone happy.

Limit invites

There’s no need to invite everyone to the dinner that will be attending the wedding and reception the next day. Traditionally, this event is exclusive to the immediate family and members of the bridal party. While it’s always a nice gesture to invite out-of-town-gusts to the rehearsal dinner, I think anyone would understand that sometimes it’s just not in the budget.

Don’t go all out for a fancy venue

The rehearsal dinner is quite different than the wedding reception. Receptions are usually held in banquet halls or ballrooms. The rehearsal dinner can be held just about anywhere. Backyards, parks or even simple restaurants are definitely on the table as venue choices. There’s nothing wrong with this event being low-key. In fact, those types of moods generally turn into a lot more fun than an uber-formal evening. I’ve met lots of grooms that are doing a simple backyard cookout for the rehearsal dinner. Your guests will probably be thrilled that they could potentially show up in just jeans and a polo!

Consider eliminating booze

I know this one is hard to swallow, fellas. However, the truth is that everyone will most likely be getting their fill of alcohol the next night at the wedding reception. Plus, you don’t want to have the wedding party hungover on the wedding morning. Eliminating alcohol can save a TON of money. If you don’t want to cut it out completely, consider just serving wine and a few different beers.

—-

Chris Easter is co-founder of TheManRegistry.com  – the leading online resource for engaged men. The site offers a unique wedding registry for men, engraved groomsmen cufflinks and a wealth of content aimed at helping men make it through the wedding planning process in one piece.