What do you do at a rehearsal dinner?

We are using our rehearsal dinner as a time for the families and bridal party to relax before the wedding. We are also thanking everyone at the rehearsal and handing out gifts because only family and people participating in the wedding will be there.

Really its just a way for us to relax with everyone the night before the wedding and show our appreciation. We would rather everyone be out, eating, and drinking than sitting in their hotel rooms.

It's as Stacy said, it is a time for you and the participating people to take time to relax before the wedding. You don't have to give a toast but you still might want to at least say thank you to everyone in the party for participating in your wedding and helping out when they don't have to. Eat, hand out gifts, and then maybe say thanks as everyone is opening their gifts or as you or your FW are handing them out. do your best to relax cause the next day you may not get a chance to for a while.

Keep it as casual as you can; relax, let everyone mingle, invite your out of town guests and have a ball. I usually don't even recommend a rehearsal unless your wedding is very complicated or your church requires one.

At our dinner everyone pretty much releaxed and had fun though it was a semi formal event. We gave out the presents to our wedding party, our parents and to the readers. As we handed them out we said something special about each person and why we chose them to be in our wedding, we did the same thing for the readers. We aslo did a special thank you for the parents, but then agian thanked them at the wedding.

George, don't forget to thank your bride for saying "YES!"

DONT foregt to invite the pastor and his her partner =] and all of the spouses of the bridal party and parents of the little ones in the bridal party=] TOAST def! You and the bride do the toast to thank everyone for being apart of the process and also your bride for saying yes!

ENJOY and dont forget to have fun and breathe=]

Thanks for all of the advice, everyone, it was all very helpful.

Melissa, my fiance's father is our minister so that was easy!

We are just planning to eat dinner, give our bridal party the gifts, and just relax and have fun, I will probably thank our parents for all their help and support over the last 1.5 years and then some.

The last rehearsal dinner I went to was my FSIL and really it was just dinner, they handed out the gifts and then the grooms parents gave a little toast... nothing to stress over... just enjoy it!

We are having a meet and greet for the families and wedding party. I have a big Italian family and we love to party. Not going to rehearse because our ceremony will only be 15 mins tops. So we will use the time to relax and let loose.

My Sister did dance lessons for folks that wanted to learn at the RD. She had drinks, dancing, food....we had such a great time. Usually the gifts are given to the bridal party and parents of the bride and groom. Toasting is the easy part.....just talk to them like you're talking to a friend, and they will love it.

Ours was very casual with a Pizza and Pasta theme.. we had about 55 people and it was a great opportunity to spend time with those closest to us.. here's a good article with some rehearsal dinner etiquette that may help answer your questions:

http://www.celebrationideasonline.com/rehearsal-dinner-etiquette.html plus some nice ideas for diy table decorations that are your seating chart!

Just throwing this out there but someone told me u get the parents those walking and all spouses and parents of those walking and if u can u have a dinner where the wedding will be and eat, hang out, and sometimes practicing walking down the aisle.

does that sound about right?

@ Kristen, thats what we want ours to be like. We kinda wanted to kick back at the hotel pool/hot tub and order subway platters and just relax!