is it bad to not have a rehearsal dinner?

I didn't have a bridal party, so we didn't have a rehearsal dinner. If I would ahve had a bridal party, depending how many people or out of town relatives were there, I would have at least had a bbq or something.

See thats where im stuck...i want to appreciate all of these guest coming out of state. but i also dont want it to seem like im putting another burden of obligations on them...

Are you doing a rehearsal? You want to be sure everyone knows were to stand and enter and stuff. I have been to rehearsal dinners as simple as pizza in the hotel conference room.

I'm not having a rehearsal dinner. I have 2 bridal party members from out of state, another is graduating from graduate school the week before, etc etc. My ceremony is at the reception site so we're just going to get there early enough before starting photos and have a quick walk thru with the Reverend. I think everyone knows enough how a wedding works to get it together in 15 mins. But thats just my opinion. =)

We were on the fence about this for a while, but since our bridal party guests are coming out of town, like the majority of his family, we thought it would be nice to just have a BBQ to settle down before the chaos starts tomorrow. That is also when we are giving people their gifts, just makes it nice together time.

Everyone's gonna have to eat anyway. I personally look forward to rehearsal dinners. It give everyone a chance to catch up with eachothers lives. I would imagine that your guests will be expecting to have to do this when they arrive anyway since it's traditional.

None of our bridal party is coming in from out of town and our chapel will not allow us to do a rehearsal, so we are not having a rehearsal dinner.

If you aren't going to do a dinner you should at least do a rehearsal so everyone knows what's going on and where they need to be.

We are having one, but my mom is an Officiant, and she doesn't do rehearsals for about half the weddings she does. I say ask your Officiant and venue what they think.

Hrm. my only other option to do a full rehearsal would be to maybe do it in august ? (my sister is visiting for the month (shes a teacher) ) but would that be TOO far in advance? I just feel like the day before the wedding is going to be too crazy and chaotic...

A rehearsal dinner is to thank the bridal party for participating. If people are coming from out of town and spending money to be in your wedding, you should thank them with dinner or lunch the day before.

You could just have a rehearsal lunch with only the bridal party. No other out of town guests. Even lunch at your place. It doesn't have to be a big production and your not required to give any other "thank you's" above and beyond the huge thank you that your're providing with the dinner the day of the wedding. However, it is really important that you rehearse with the bridal party so everyone knows where to stand. A rehearsal dinner is nice but not required

I love rehearsal dinners or rehearsal 'get togethers'. It also give you the opportunity to thank everyone, give gifts and lets the 2 families merge a little bit before the big day. But like everyone said it doesn't have to be big or fancy. I really wanted to do a bbq but DS vetoed that.

We are not having a rehearsal but we are having a rehearsal dinner. We are just going out for sushi the night before the wedding with my family to relax and hang out before the big day. I do not think you need to have one but it is something I am really looking forward to doing. Remember they do not need to be fancy at all! The best one I ever went to was pizza and beer.

Most people in a bridal party are aware of their responsibilities so don't feel bad about asking them to do something. Having a small informal rehearsal is a lifesaver. It is not a good idea to "wing it" the day of your wedding since you will already have so many stresses. Not understanding how the ceremony will flow leaves a lot that can go wrong. I would recommend having a wedding rehearsal and then have an easy going get together. The BBQ above is a good idea, wine and cheese, appetizers and drinks. Plus it gives you time to catch up with those who are coming from out of town.

Hopefully you are fortunate enough to have a day of coordination from a planner who can help you coordinate the day of your wedding. A coordinator would also fill in those that miss the rehearsal and keep you more at ease.

I did not have one...

I cannot fathom skipping some sort of rehearsal- even if you had to get together somewhere else. Anyone that has ever been involved in a wedding knows there is a rehearsal and dinner the day before. Its especially important to have time to spend with those closest to you- because you will not be able to on your wedding day.

I've been married twice, and never had a rehearsal for either of my weddings. They are not traditional at Jewish weddings. The rabbi just told everyone what order to go in and where to stand a few minutes before the ceremony.

If you have a rehearsal, you really need to feed the participants and their SOs. But you don't need to have a rehearsal.

Rehearsals are a necessity, the dinners after are a nicety. Don’t skip either. There have been generations before you that have ironed out all of these guidelines for a reason. If your attendants do not have a rehearsal, it will show. If you have attendants or out of town guests it’s nice to entertain them and thank them for supporting you at your wedding.

I didn't have one. I was back in grad school and could not have been there. It seemed silly to have a rehearsal/dinner when the bride couldn't go. It was fine. We had all been in weddings and understood how to walk and stand in line.