A lot of couples might be asking themselves, do I even want to have a rehearsal dinner or welcome party for my wedding? I am here to share all the reasons that having a rehearsal dinner (& having it captured) is a must!
1) You get more chances to spend quality time with friends and family
I hate to break it to you, but you actually get very minimal time to interact wth your guests the day of your wedding. Between all the formal things, being pulled in a hundred different places, and an open dance floor with loud music, not much quality conversation is taking place. Have a welcome party or a larger rehearsal dinner is a great opportunity to catch up with your friends and family, especially extended members. Not only do YOU get more quality time, but THEY do. So many members of most families don’t get to spend time together, this gives them that time. It also gives family and friends who may not know each other to meet, allowing them to have fun together at the wedding iteself!
2) Grabbing pictures with your family
I know you are thinking, aren’t I getting enough photos at the actual wedding? Yes and no. Yes, YOU will get photos with the wedding party and immediate family. The night before the wedding is a great opportunity to grab photos with all those friends and extended family members. Outside of you, they get photos with their families too. For so many families, you don’t get everyone together that often. One day, you will be so glad you have this photos.
3) Your wedding should be an entire experience
Your actual wedding day flies by. Make your wedding weekend an entire experience. Soak in every moment you get to spend with your friends and family.
4) A way to say thank you
Often time, a lot of people are traveling and investing in celebrating with you. Show them your appreciation by inviting them to multople events during the weekend.
5) Capture special moments
Not every welcome party or rehearsal dinner will have speeches. But, often times speeches or toasts will happen, people will get emotional, and you want that!
My wedding experience
For my wedding, we had a ton of family coming from out of town. We ended up doing a welcome party for all guests instead of a rehearsal dinner. It is no secret that you don’t get to spend much time with your guests on your actual wedding day. Spending time with family was very important to me which is why I did a welcome party + a morning after brunch. I really wanted a wedding weekend and I loved the ability to spend ample time with all my family and friends. Our welcome party was a little more casual and not formal. We ended up booking a event room at the hotel all our guests were staying at. They allowed us to bring in our own food and alcohol which helped us do this welcome party very affordably.
Rehearsal dinner locations to checkout near Tulsa
Bar 473
The Canopy
Foolish Things
Laurannae Social
Mahogany Prime Steakhouse
Main Street Loft
The Mansion at Woodward Park
The Summit
The Vault
Welltown Brewing
Want to see what coverage could look like? Check out these galleries:
