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Maggie
Champion October 2025

Faux Pas or Nah: Not inviting all out-of-town guests to your rehearsal dinner?

Maggie, on February 26, 2019 at 11:05 AM

Posted in Etiquette and Advice 72

If you’ve got a lot of out of town guests coming to your wedding, inviting them all to the rehearsal dinner can start to feel like a hosting second wedding. But they’ve traveled to come and celebrate with you, so it’s only fair, right? Should you still invite all of your out-of-town guests to your...

If you’ve got a lot of out of town guests coming to your wedding, inviting them all to the rehearsal dinner can start to feel like a hosting second wedding. But they’ve traveled to come and celebrate with you, so it’s only fair, right?

Should you still invite all of your out-of-town guests to your rehearsal dinner? Or is that tradition out of style?


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Photo from Rock Candie Designs in Buffalo, New York



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Back to the Beginning: Faux Pas or Nah?

72 Comments

  • M
    Dedicated November 2021
    Melanie ·
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    I think it’s ok not to invite all the out of town guests to the rehearsal dinner. They’re already having to come in from out of town, or in my case out of state, for the actual wedding. Now if they decide they would like to attend the rehearsal dinner then I’m ok with that and they are more than welcome to come, but any out of town wedding I’ve ever gone to I’ve just attended the ceremony and reception, now if they’re in the wedding then I would like for them to attend, but if they can’t I won’t be butt hurt.
    • Reply
  • S
    Dedicated September 2019
    Shannon ·
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    We have a large wedding and larger wedding party with most people having to travel from out of town, so we can't accommodate everyone at the rehearsal dinner. Just the immediate family and Bridal party (including their significant others) alone is already 35 people.

    Since so many are coming in just for the weekend of the wedding and we aren't doing a brunch we are compromising on a no host happy hour at a local bar after our rehearsal. We are just telling everyone that the bride and groom will be at X Bar if you want to stop by and say hello. I'm hoping it gives us some extra time to see friends and family who have traveled to celebrate with us.

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  • Sarah Eliza
    Dedicated May 2022
    Sarah Eliza ·
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    They don’t need to come
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  • Pattie
    Expert June 2020
    Pattie ·
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    Nope. We are traveling to be closer to most since my fiancé and I live 7hours away. Family traveling in are doing just as much as us. Rehearsal dinner is for wedding party and immediate family only
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  • Natalia
    Expert October 2020
    Natalia ·
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    Nah! At that point you may as well have another reception!

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  • M
    Legend June 2019
    Melle ·
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    Nah. I know it sounds not polite to do so but honestly whatever ahah if it isn't in your budget and space it's ok
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  • Andrea
    Master January 2021
    Andrea ·
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    I think a simple pizza and beer night with those specifically in the wedding party is enough, because only these individuals really need to know what to do, where to stand, placement in lineups, etc.

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  • K
    Expert February 2020
    Kristina ·
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    Nah! Rehersal dinner is for those in the rehersal you can do a brunch or dinner after the wedding day with family before they head out.

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  • Ashley
    Super November 2020
    Ashley ·
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    For us, we are inviting everyone who an make the rehearsal dinner because our rehearsal dinner is on Thanksgiving so it's a bit of a unique situation.

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  • Anna
    VIP October 2020
    Anna ·
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    What? Really? To me the rehearsal dinner is more for the bridal party and close family. I guess it works for me I don't really have many out of town guests. Actually I'm pretty sure everyone's just coming in for the day except my MOH and her sister and they'll obviously be at the rehearsal dinner.

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  • J
    Master October 2022
    Jana ·
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    Generally, the only people attending the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner are those involved in the ceremony. Other guests, regardless if they're local or have to travel are usually not invited and no one bats an eye. If someone is upset they aren't invited, they have bigger issues that are not your problem.

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  • R
    Renee ·
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    Well, I’m currently in a hotel alone, depressed, while a couple other people who flew in from my same town were at the party. And I was told about it. Not cool.


    So I would say to anyone reading this: if you’re not going to invite everyone from out of town, have clear cut reasons why and why not. Otherwise, it can hurt the people who set aside time and money to attend your event.
    • Reply

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