Five Easy Ways to Personalize a Rehearsal Dinner
A Rehearsal Dinner Filled with Personal Touches
Rehearsal dinners are an important part of the wedding experience and provide an excellent opportunity to highlight the personalities of the soon to be wed couple. The rehearsal dinner featured here is an extra special one as it was given by Karen and her husband for their son’s wedding. I helped Karen with the planning and execution of the dinner, and this is one of my favorite events I’ve ever done.
Questions to Ask to Help with Personalization
When planning a rehearsal dinner, here are several questions to ask yourself to help uncover ways to make it personal for the bride and groom.
- What are some of the favorite foods to include?
- What favorite colors or themes (like a favorite sports team) can be featured?
- What touches can be added to the table centerpieces to highlight the couple (such as framed photos)?
- What else does the couple love that can be used as decorations?
- What are the couple’s favorite desserts?
The questions above will help you decide on a direction and overall look for the rehearsal dinner. It will also help you make it memorable for the couple and guests by including personal touches. See below for how we personalized the rehearsal dinner for Karen’s son and daughter-in-law.
Examples of Personalization for the Rehearsal Dinner
The menu
The menu is a great way to personalize the feel of the rehearsal dinner. In this example, the groom’s love of hamburgers inspired the menu and theme for a country chic picnic. The buffet included a build your own burger with several favorite picnic sides.
table centerpieces
The country chic picnic theme is carried out in the repeating use of buffalo check cloth. Here you see it at the base of the floral wreathes surrounding the large candle. The floral colors were chosen to match with the wedding colors of blush pink and navy. Another personal touch is the use of framed photos of the happy couple scattered around each table.
place cards
To keep with the casual theme, a flat brown bag was utilized to hold the cutlery and napkins. The blue and white check decorated the bag along with the stamp of the couple’s last name initial. Included in the bag is a card asking guests to write down their favorite date night idea. These were then shared with the couple. These fun bags also doubled as place cards to help guests find their seats.
Party decorations
The decorations for the rehearsal dinner included lots of candles in lanterns and in votive form. The rustic wreath incorporated the couple’s initial along with the blue and white checked ribbon. The use of their initial and framed photos gave the party decorations a personal twist.
Desserts
Another great way to personalize the rehearsal dinner is with the desserts. This is an opportunity to serve something different from the wedding cake that features the couple’s favorite flavors. Here the cupcake table is filled with vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry flavors and a cute “Almost Married!” sign. More of the blue and white cloth and candles tied in the dessert table with the other rehearsal dinner decorations.
Sources for Party Supplies
Here are some of the sources I used to find the decorations featured here.
The links in this post may be affiliate links. If you purchase any item linked here, What A Good Day gets a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Plates and cutlery: http://www.partycity.com
Blue and white checked cloth: http://fabric.com
Tablecloths and burlap runners: http://www.tableclothfactory.com
Silk flowers, wreaths, and initial letters: http://www.hobbylobby.com
Flat paper bags: http://www.amazon.com
These easy ways to personalize a rehearsal dinner can also be applied to other celebrations such as birthdays or showers. These extra little touches will go a long way to making your party a memorable one. After all, the main goal of any celebration is to create memories, right?
Have a good day!
Kristin
For more party planning ideas, check out our Celebrations tab on our Home Page.
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