How to Save Money on Your Rehearsal Dinner

There are many ways to save money on your rehearsal dinner without jeopardizing good taste and your unique style. Remember that this dinner is the last meal you will share with your friends and family before beginning you new life together. You will want to attend to every detail and yet you want it to be personal and fun. This is the time when all the members of your wedding party get to know each other. It is customary for the parents of the groom to entertain at or host this party. You will still want to attend to every detail and yet you want it to be personal and fun. The tips listed here will help you do that. By following these guidelines you may also find that planning your rehearsal dinner is less stressful.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Computer with Internet access

1. Determine when to have your rehearsal dinner. Most weddings take place on a Saturday. The rehearsal and dinner party usually comes into play on the Friday before. This is probably the best night to have this event as it will be more convenient for most of your guests. However, if your rehearsal and dinner are on a weeknight you will want to double-check with your families and wedding party members to make sure that they can attend on the day you have chosen.
2. When your party is hosted at a private home you will save a considerable amount of money on your rehearsal dinner. Should you decide to use this option, you may want to have your maid or matron of honor help with the final preparation of the dinner.
3. Determine what you will serve. An important detail that many people overlook is the menu in relation to your guests. Some of them may be vegetarians or have allergies that need to be attended to. To be on the safe side and to save money on your rehearsal dinner, you may want to consider limiting your selections of meat at this meal. Vegetables provide a wider choice of preparation options and are less expensive than meats.
4. Many vegetarians and people with health issues can eat seafood, which is easily prepared and is less expensive than red meats.
5. Consider a restaurant for your dinner. Restaurants customarily offer a wider range of choices and you will save money on your rehearsal dinner, as their per-guest rates are normally cheaper.
6. Double-check your guest list at least a week before your rehearsal dinner evening so that you can make any necessary changes ahead of time. You may have guests that could not get a sitter for the event and will have to bring their children for example. No matter where you have your dinner, last minute guest additions can cost you more money as the restaurant will charge you regular rates for these guests or your host/hostess will have to run out to purchase more food at the last minute.
7. After you know what your guests special needs may be, and approximately how many will be attending, you will want to do some comparison shopping. Contact the restaurants that you want to consider and allow them ample time to give you that special rate that will save money on your rehearsal dinner.
8. When you have all your rates listed, you may want to call the chosen restaurant and tell them that you would really like to have your party at their facility, but add that another restaurant of the same type has given you a better rate. They may drop their prices below that rate to get your business.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not forget that parking can be a big consideration for your wedding party. In larger metropolitan areas your guests may have to use paid parking facilities. You can contact these facilities ahead of time for a special rate and availability.
• This process will take time as you will be calling for rates and waiting for answers. Give yourself and your providers plenty of advance time.
• Do not forget to add tips into your rehearsal dinner budget.

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