Early Rehearsal Time? What to do with WP?

Our rehearsal is at 12 and we are having a unch after instead of dinner.

Hey Bethany! This is a tough on! I would consider what kind of trouble your BP will have to go through in order to get to the RD at noon. If everyone is in town, and can get off work... go for it. I'm sure you could even do a Rehearsal Lunch type too. That way you can have some time in the evening to relax before the big day. If you decide to do it at another location, consider how many people have been in a wedding before. The rehearsal is just to make sure everyones nerves are calmed and they feel like they know what to do at the wedding. If you have some BM pros, you might be ok. I'd chat with your BP and parents and see what kind of accommodations they will have to make to be at each of your options.

I would just have your rehearsal at 12 or maybe bump it to 11 and then have a lunch instead.

I agree. Rehearsal and lunch, then everyone has time to relax. The reason that you usually do it at the venue is so everyone knows where they are going and you get the timing down for the music.

If you do the rehearsal off site make sure that you know how long the aisle will be so that you can get the timing right

I don't think I would hold the rehearsal at a different location. I like the idea of having the rehearsal and then lunch as long as everyone in your party can make it! If you do lunch, maybe afterwards you and your bridesmaids can get manis/pedis!

Thanks! I pretty much feel that same way about holding the rehearsal at a different location. We don't really have a choice about holding a larger dinner that evening for all the out of town family that is coming in, but maybe we could do a lunch with just the WP after the rehearsal and then let everyone relax until the bigger dinner that night.

We had our rehearsal at 10AM the day before. Afterwards the guys went off to a groomsmen lunch which included dads, brothers and some extra family and friends. My girls and I went to lunch, got our nails done and steamed my dress. One BM went to the beach for a while since she already had her nails done and her bf was with her. Our RD was at 6PM. It can work.

I guess I am the odd woman out on this one. I would actually hold the rehearsal on Thurs night for a variety of reasons. It is easier for your BP to come after work, than it is to come at noon. Also, by having the rehearsal & dinner on Thurs, you & your BP can truly enjoy a nice meal & celebration w/out having to worry about hangovers or bloating from eating the salty restaurant food.

My daughter ran into the same prob. There is a wedding on Fri night at our church. She could not begin her rehearsal until 7:00 on Fri night, which meant her RD would not have begun until 8:30 the night before her wedding. Her FILs chose to have the RD immed after the rehearsal on Thurs night. To welcome their OOT guests, her ILs also chose to have a small cocktail party on Friday night at the inn(her reception venue).

We're having a lunch rehearsal. We have it at 11:30 then lunch and off to decorate that way everyone has the night to themselves.

I actually agree with Carole. If you have issues with BP getting there during work hours, do it on Thursday night. Then you can have a fun relaxed night on Friday.

We had ours in the morning on Friday because we had a DW and everyone was already in town by Friday morning (except one BM who took the red eye from CA and came straight to the rehearsal prior to taking a nap).

Personally, I would have the rehearsal on Friday and then have a lunch with your BP (you can still do the dinner later on with all of your OOT guests if you want, although I don't think it's strictly necessary). Although I understand that in general it seems like it would be easier to do it in the evening on Thursday after everyone gets out of work, some people don't have 9-5 jobs and would have to take off work anyway. Also, if any of your BP are from OOT, it might be too much to ask for them to be in town by Thursday evening. (Presumably they would have to take Thursday off of work to travel into town, whereas if the rehearsal was on Friday, they could still work on Thursday and just head out after work and still be in town by noon on Friday)

Of course, you know your BP and their situations better than any of us. I think you just need to look at all the factors, and go with the time that would be most convenient for your BP.

It sounds like doing a lunch after rehearsal on Friday afternoon would work best, and then we can have the "welcome/rehearsal dinner" with the larger group that evening. Most of the BP is traveling from OOT so they'd be taking Friday off regardless. My fiance and I are also coming in (driving the 9 hours from DC), and won't likely be heading to Michigan until Thursday morning anyways so doing it that night would be too stressful. I'm sure they'd be thankful to have some time to relax after lunch before the dinner - our BP is pretty laid back so we could always just hang out together at the hotel in between if they want. Thanks for the ideas!

Hey date twin! You may run into a problem holding it on Thursday since that is July 4th, but I would ask the WP which would work best for them, Thursday night or Friday noon and go with that.

Given that it's the Holiday weekend, most of them may have that Friday off as a "bonus" holiday anyway, so it won't cause too many troubles.

If it's Friday, I think a light lunch after the rehearsal would be great, then take some time to relax before the big dinner with OOT guests/family members.

@Sue P. - Hi Date Twin! You're the first date twin I've met on here! I'm so excited that we're finally below the 1 year mark!!

I'm having my rehearsal dinner at 2 since there was no later time... not happy but ok with it

LOL....you're the first date twin I've seen as well...funnier still, I noticed in one of your posts above that your wedding is in MI, I'm from W MI...Grand Rapids area!

We are doing our rehearsal at 5pm followed by dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings

Gotta love good ole West Michigan

As a wedding minister I would much prefer to practice in the actual location so that your attendants know where to stand and where to enter and exit; it really will make a difference if you practice somewhere else. I would go with the great idea of a lunch instead of dinner.