Who Pays for the Rehearsal Dinner?

While there are traditional rules in place, these can always be broken depending on situations. Typically, the groom’s family pays for the dinner, but if you decide to go rouge, there are a few things to keep in mind.

When it is time to draft the guest list (check out our other blog on this!), don’t feel pressured to invite half of the wedding guests. You’ll have to run through the wedding day’s events, after all! You will want to run through your ceremony: the orders of events, people walking, but skipping all the sappy, sweet stuff!

During the actual dinner portion, the food is normally a plated meal with a few drinks. Depending on your budget, you could have an open bar, let every guest have 2 drinks on you, or you could have them pay for drinks since you are covering dinner.

During the dinner, this is when you would show a slideshow. This slideshow could include photos of you and your fiancé, baby and childhood pictures and family photographs. Also, family and close friends that are not giving toasts during the wedding reception can give toasts during the dinner.

Ultimately, planning the dinner and who pays should be one of the least stressful parts of planning a wedding. It is one of the most celebratory events because the next day, you get to marry your best friend!