Rehearsal dinner invitations
Rehearsal dinner invitations for the night before.
The rehearsal dinner is the calm before the wedding: the people closest to the couple around one table, toasts that would not fit in the reception, and often the first time both families spend a whole evening together. Three in four couples hold one, according to The Knot's 2026 study. Below are twelve rehearsal dinner wording examples, from a formal dinner hosted by the groom's parents to pizza, a sunset cruise, and a beach dinner at a destination wedding, each on a real Bloomvite template. Pick one, add your guests, and collect replies and meal preferences in one list. Free for up to 50 people, with no watermark.
Reviewed September 2026. Etiquette and timing are sourced below.
Emily & Nathan
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Cole
request the pleasure of your company
at a rehearsal dinner
in honor of
Emily Shaw
and
Nathan Cole
Friday, the eleventh of June
two thousand twenty-seven
at seven o'clock
The Capital Grille, Boston
Templates we would start with
How it works
- 1
Pick a template
Choose a design, then change the font pair, accent color, and cover photo on a live preview that is the real invitation.
- 2
Add details and guests
Create the event as "Party", fill in the date and venue, and add guests by hand, or import a list on Pro or Large.
- 3
Send and relax
Send each guest a personal link from your email or messages. Review replies in the guest list. Pro and Large add reminder emails for eligible pending guests with email addresses.
What to include
- Who is hosting
- The host line comes first: the groom's parents by custom, or whoever is giving the dinner. It also tells guests whom to thank.
- In whose honor
- The couple's names, full or first names depending on how formal the evening is.
- Date, time, and place
- Usually the evening before the wedding, straight after the rehearsal. Give the restaurant or venue and, for travelers, the neighborhood.
- What kind of evening
- A seated dinner, a barbecue, a cruise. One line sets expectations for dress and length.
- Timing around the rehearsal
- If the rehearsal runs late, say when dinner begins rather than when the rehearsal ends, so non-participants do not wait around.
- Meal preferences
- For a seated dinner, ask guests for their meal preferences on the RSVP. Bloomvite collects them with every reply.
Wording examples you can use
Each example is shown on a real template. "Use this wording" starts your invitation with it, and you change the names and details to yours.
By who is hosting
The groom's parents host by custom, but the couple, both families, or grandparents host just as often now.
Emily & Nathan
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Cole
request the pleasure of your company
at a rehearsal dinner
in honor of
Emily Shaw
and
Nathan Cole
Friday, the eleventh of June
two thousand twenty-seven
at seven o'clock
The Capital Grille, Boston
Rachel & Dev
The night before
Rachel Kim and Dev Mehta
invite you to dinner
Friday, September 24, 2027, 7 p.m.
Commander's Palace, New Orleans
Right after the rehearsal
Bianca & Lucas
The Esposito and Grant families
invite you to dinner
in honor of
Bianca Esposito
and
Lucas Grant
Friday, May 21, 2027, 7:30 p.m.
The Olive Room, Sonoma
Ella & Jonah
Grandpa Joe and Grandma Ruth
invite you to dinner
the evening before the wedding of
Ella Fischer
and
Jonah Weiss
Saturday, November 20, 2027, 6:30 p.m.
Gibsons, Chicago
Formal and family-style
A dinner at a club with jackets required, and a long table where the pasta keeps coming.
Katherine & Alexander
Dinner in honor of
Katherine Blake
and
Alexander Price
Friday, the fifteenth of October
two thousand twenty-seven
at half past seven
The Metropolitan Club, Washington
Jackets required
Angela & Chris
Mangia with us
The Romano family invites you
to a family-style dinner for
Angela Romano and Chris Dunn
Friday, June 25, 2027, 7 p.m.
Carmine's, Times Square
Relaxed and fun
Barbecue, pizza, or a boat: the rehearsal dinner is often the most relaxed meal of the weekend, and the invitation can show it.
Sadie & Wes
Rehearsal dinner, Texas style
Brisket and beer for
Sadie Morgan and Wes Carter
Friday, October 8, 2027, 6 p.m.
Salt Lick BBQ, Driftwood, Texas
Boots welcome
Gina & Paul
Pizza, pints, and practice
Rehearsal dinner for
Gina Russo and Paul Becker
Friday, August 20, 2027, 6:30 p.m.
Pizzeria Beddia, Philadelphia
Leah & Marco
All aboard
Join Leah Stone and Marco Bianchi
for a sunset dinner cruise
the night before they say I do
Friday, July 16, 2027
Boarding at 6:30 p.m., Pier 3, Annapolis
Bigger guest lists and destination weddings
When every guest is invited, when the dinner rolls into welcome drinks, or when everyone has flown in for the wedding.
Clara & Mateo
You're invited to the night before
Everyone is welcome at the rehearsal dinner for
Clara Jensen and Mateo Silva
Friday, April 30, 2027, 7 p.m.
Hotel Figueroa terrace, Los Angeles
Mara & Felix
Rehearsal dinner at 6 for the wedding party
Welcome drinks at 8 for everyone
Mara Lindgren and Felix Ahn
Friday, May 14, 2027
The Ivy Hotel, Baltimore
Ivy & Sean
Welcome to Tulum
Ivy Carter and Sean Murphy
invite you to a rehearsal dinner on the beach
Thursday, March 2, 2028, 7 p.m.
Hartwood, Tulum
Sandals encouraged
Etiquette notes
Who hosts
It is customary, but not obligatory, for the groom's family to host the rehearsal dinner. The bride's family, the couple, or both families together can host instead, and the invitation names whoever does.
Source: [1] Emily Post Institute
Who is invited
The core guest list is the wedding party and their spouses or partners, the officiant, parents, stepparents, grandparents, and siblings. Many couples also invite out-of-town guests, which is how a rehearsal dinner turns into a welcome party. If your list grows that far, consider holding both: a small dinner, then drinks for everyone, like the combined example above.
Source: [1] Emily Post Institute
How to invite
Rehearsal dinner invitations go out three to six weeks ahead. This is one of the few wedding events where Emily Post says email is fine, alongside printed, handwritten, or phoned invitations, which makes a digital invitation the natural choice.
Source: [1] Emily Post Institute
How common it is
In The Knot's 2026 Real Weddings Study, 75% of couples held a rehearsal dinner, making it the most popular event of the wedding weekend, and 71% of weddings spanned two to three days.
Source: [2] The Knot
Toasts, timing, and a guest list that grows
Rehearsal dinners are where the longer toasts happen: the best friend's story that would not work in a ballroom, the parent who wants to welcome the other family. If you want toasts, say so in the details so speakers can prepare, and put them early, before dessert, so the wedding party gets to bed at a reasonable hour.
The guest list is the part that tends to grow. Start with the core list, then decide in one conversation whether to add out-of-town guests. If the answer is yes, the dinner becomes a small welcome party, and the combined rehearsal and welcome drinks example above shows one way to word it without anyone feeling like a second-tier guest.
Setting up a rehearsal dinner on Bloomvite
Create the event as a Party and name it, for example Rehearsal dinner for Emily and Nathan. Choose a template, pick a wording example, and add the guests. Every reply includes meal preferences and dietary notes, so the restaurant gets its numbers straight from your list. If the dinner is part of a wedding weekend you are already running on Bloomvite, you can instead add it as a separate part of the wedding event and invite only the rehearsal guests to it; see events within an event.
When to send it
- 3 to 6 weeks before Send the invitations. Emily Post allows printed, handwritten, phoned, or emailed invitations for this dinner. [1]
- 1 week before the deadline Nudge anyone who has not replied. On Pro, Bloomvite emails the reminder.
- About a week before Final numbers and meal preferences to the restaurant.
- The evening before the wedding The dinner itself, usually right after the rehearsal.
Pricing
Free
1 event, up to 50 people, every template and RSVP. You share it yourself. No watermark.
$39 per event
Up to 300 people, plus emailed invitations and reminders, seating, CSV import, and QR check-in.
$79 per event
Up to 1,000 people. Everything in Pro.
One-time, no subscription. Full pricing.
Questions
- Who traditionally hosts the rehearsal dinner?
- The groom's family, by custom, though Emily Post says it is not obligatory. The bride's family, the couple, or both families together can host.
- Who should be invited to the rehearsal dinner?
- The wedding party and their partners, the officiant, parents, stepparents, grandparents, and siblings. Out-of-town guests are often added, especially at destination weddings.
- When should rehearsal dinner invitations go out?
- Three to six weeks before the dinner, according to Emily Post.
- Can rehearsal dinner invitations be sent by email?
- Yes. Emily Post lists email among the acceptable ways to invite guests to a rehearsal dinner, along with printed, handwritten, and phoned invitations.
- Should the rehearsal dinner invitation match the wedding invitation?
- It does not have to. Many couples like a family resemblance, and on Bloomvite you can reuse the same template, fonts, and accent color with a more relaxed wording.
- Can I add the rehearsal dinner to my wedding invitation instead?
- Yes. Add it as a separate part of your wedding on Bloomvite and invite only the rehearsal guests to that part. They see it on their invitation and answer for it separately.
- Should the invitation mention the rehearsal itself?
- Only for the people taking part. Guests who come just for dinner need the dinner time and place. Give the rehearsal time and location to the wedding party and officiant separately, or in a details section they will read, so dinner-only guests do not arrive an hour early.
- Can guests tell me their meal preferences?
- Yes. Every reply includes meal preferences and dietary notes, and you see the answers in the guest list.
- Is it free?
- Free for one event and up to 50 people, with every template and no watermark. Above that, $39 per event for up to 300 people, one-time.
Sources
- Emily Post Institute, The Rehearsal Dinner. Read September 25, 2026, from an archived copy.
- The Knot, The Factors Shaping Weddings Today, According to Data. Read September 25, 2026.
Free for 50 people. No watermark, ever.