Step siblings invited to rehearsal dinner?

Unless they are active participants in the ceremony (bridesmaids or groomsmen) you don’t need to invite them to the dinner. Some social circles invite all guests (which is super expensive) and many only invite active participants and their significant others.


Some people would say they aren’t close enough to you invite to the wedding, but only you can decide that.

I would maybe talk to your dad about it, to make sure that there won't be any hard feelings if you don't - but it doesn't sound like you have a close relationship with them. We're not even inviting the son of my dad's SO to the wedding because I barely know him, and everybody understands and accepts it.

If they aren’t a member of your wedding party, there is no need to invite them to the rehearsal dinner.

I would like to know if by not inviting them, will they be left out? I try to err on the side of including people. However, that may mean that you then feel obligated to invite others & then the rehearsal gets out of control! My rehearsal dinner was huge! My mother in law invited everyone on both sides of the family & we were able to spend time with a lot of family prior to the wedding. For my daughter’s wedding upcoming in September, I am completely leaving it up to the groom’s family.

Are they going to play a significant part in your family portraits? If so, I'd say invite them. If not, and they're just treated as guests, I wouldnt worry about it. Especially if theyre not part of the formal processional during the ceremony or anything.

There are a lot of factors to consider. Will it upset your stepmother if they are not invited? If you have a good relationship with her, you may not want to jeopardize that. How big is the rehearsal dinner? Four extra people at a dinner for twelve versus for fifty will make a difference in whether their presence affects the party. Also, are they staying at the same place as your father and stepmother? Were they planning to spend a lot of time with their mother that weekend? It has the potential to cause hurt feelings if they planned to spend a lot of time with her, since the rehearsal and dinner can take up quite a chunk of time, but if they are the type to be fine spending a few hours on their own, they may not care. I would just tread lightly and try to get an idea from your dad about if whether or not you include them is important to your stepmother.