Planning Your Rehearsal Dinner & Day-After Brunch

We’ve officially hit the halfway point in 52’ Till I Do! This week, we’re diving into two often overlooked, yet meaningful parts of the wedding experience: your rehearsal dinner and day-after brunch! As with all things in wedding planning, neither of these events are something you have to have. However, they both require you to lock in some sort of venue, whether that is a restaurant or your family home, and there are some elements of planning involved. Let’s dive in! 

Wedding Rehearsal Vs. Rehearsal Dinner

These terms are often used interchangeably, but are certainly different events. Your wedding rehearsal involves all of the people participating in the actual ceremony. Your wedding party, any readers, family walking down the aisle, etc. This is a time to come together and practice the choreography for the day. 

We strongly encourage every couple to plan some sort of ceremony rehearsal. It's a valuable opportunity for you and your wedding party to walk through the flow of the day, shake off any nerves, and make sure that everyone feels confident in their role. Whether this is at the ceremony site, in a parking lot or even a park, running through the ceremony helps to ensure that the day-of goes as practiced. 

A rehearsal dinner on the other hand is a separate event that typically follows the rehearsal. Anyone participating in the ceremony rehearsal is typically invited. It is your choice if you’d like to extend this out to plus ones, or any VIPs that don’t have a specific role in that ceremony that you’d like to catch up with. If you are intending to invite every out of town guest to this meal, then you are beginning to look at more of a welcome dinner, which tends to be a larger gathering than the intimate experience of a rehearsal dinner. 

So What Exactly Do You Need To Be Thinking About When Planning Your Rehearsal Dinner?

Start the same way you started planning your wedding! 

• What are your priorities for the evening? 
• What type of cuisine are you interested in? 
• What locations are near your ceremony rehearsal site? 
• How many guests are you inviting? 
• What is the overall vibe you’re going for? 
• Are you (the couple) hosting, or does a family member want to plan this? Do you want the family member to plan this? 

As with all things wedding planning, there are no right or wrong answers here! Whether you choose a three course meal at a sit down restaurant, or a pot luck at home, the goal is to connect with your loved ones and celebrate your upcoming big day! 

Day-After Brunch 

Wedding weekends can go by so incredibly fast, and the day after brunch can be another meaningful experience. Even though the wedding may be over, the celebration doesn’t have to be! A brunch or just a day after gathering gives you and your guests the time to reconnect, chat about highlights from the evening, and say your goodbyes and thanks. We recommend keeping the brunch close to where guests are staying, so that no one has to navigate transportation after a long night of partying. Most importantly, use this time to personally thank your guest for traveling, celebrating, and sharing the weekend with you and your partner. The day-after brunch becomes the unofficial “wrap-party” of the wedding, and can often be one of the most memorable moments. This doesn’t have to be a “arrive at X time, depart at X time” sort of event. This can definitely be more of a “come when you can, leave when you need” sort of vibe. As with all things wedding planning, stick to your priorities and know that you simply do not have to host a day-after anything! 

Final Thoughts 

We’ve already said it twice in this post, and we’ll continue to say it again, though these events may be common, they are definitely not required. As you are rounding out the half-way point in your own wedding planning journey, take a moment to look at your wedding weekend as a whole and decide what additional celebrations (if any) align with you. 

For more tips and tricks, tune into the full episode of 52 ‘Til I Do on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Have more rehearsal dinner or day-after brunch related questions? Send us a message at hello@marryment.com or get in touch on our social media—we love helping couples navigate this part of wedding planning!

We’ve officially hit the halfway point in 52’ Till I Do! This week, we’re diving into two often overlooked, yet meaningful parts of the wedding experience: your rehearsal dinner and day-after brunch! As with all things in wedding planning, neither of these events are something you have to have. However, they both require you to lock in some sort of venue, whether that is a restaurant or your family home, and there are some elements of planning involved. Let’s dive in!  to JNA Visuals

‍Marryment proudly serves couples all across Chicago and the surrounding Chicago Suburbs including popular areas such as Schaumburg, Elmhurst, Naperville, Evanston, Joliet, Oak Park, Skokie, Barrington, Downers Grove and Northbrook, to name a few. We also love destination weddings. We'd love to be a part of your wedding day! Schedule your free planning call with us today.