Wedding Rehearsal Dinner Menu Ideas
A wedding rehearsal dinner can be a fun way to prepare for your wedding. Rehearsing your wedding prepares attendants, servers and guests for anything you have planned. The wedding rehearsal dinner is usually held directly after the general rehearsal. It gives the wedding guests a chance to enjoy themselves and celebrate the coming event. Traditionally, the rehearsal dinner is just for close family and friends and is an informal chance for everyone to relax and prepare for the wedding. The rehearsal dinner menu can offer unique variations to any simple dish, like steak, chicken or fish. It is important that the bride and groom choose their menu based on their meal preferences and themes.
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Choose a Theme
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Once you have decided what you want your wedding rehearsal to represent, it will be easier to determine your rehearsal menu. Choose a theme that characterizes both the bride and groom. Many couples choose to re-create the day they first met or another significant moment in their relationship. Other couples choose more exotic themes like tropical, foreign or nature-inspired. Adjust the clothes and decorations according to the theme.
The First Date
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Reserve a banquet hall in the restaurant where you had your first date or another memorable moment. The type of restaurant you choose will determine the menu options. Some options might include the restaurant's specialties, possibly steak, chicken, lasagna, lamb chops, beef tenderloin or pork roast. Many romantic restaurants offer variations to steak and chicken meals, like steak au poivre or chicken with creamy mushrooms, perfect for special occasions.
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Picnic or Barbecue
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An outdoors wedding rehearsal dinner can be fun and inexpensive. Planning the event in your home or backyard is an inexpensive rehearsal dinner idea. You can have a potluck, in which each of your guests brings some of the food, which would save you most of the cost of the rehearsal dinner. You can also have a backyard barbecue or picnic, in which you cook and enjoy simple foods, while enjoying the outdoors. If you do not have a backyard, you may also use a local park. Possible menu options are cheeseburgers, hot dogs, ribs, potato salad, pasta salad or chips. Anything you can cook on a grill is a good option for this venue.
Clambake
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A beach venue can be a romantic and fun place for a rehearsal dinner. If you live by the sea and would prefer an environment with more ambiance, a clambake rehearsal dinner might be the perfect choice. Many catering companies offer clambake menus of seafood and other shore-related dishes. Set up the food and decorations on the beach and prepare a bonfire. Some menu options might include oysters, scallops, crab cakes, lobster, salmon, shell fish, shrimp or clams. Possible specialty dishes might include Northwest salmon balsamico or Australian lobster tail.
Foreign Theme
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Choose a culture that represents both the bride and groom's interests. This choice can be made simply by what types of foods they like. Popular choices include Mexican, French, Caribbean and Asian themes. You can hire a caterer, choose a restaurant, or cook the food yourself. If you choose to make the food at home, a fun option might be to have your guests help prepare the meal. Everyone could help out with different jobs or each person could prepare his own meal, like rolling your own sushi. Meal options might include Mexican foods like tacos, fajitas or enchiladas, or French foods like lamb noisette or filet de saumon au Beurre Rouge.
Deserts
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Chocolate fondue can be a fun desert for your friends and family to enjoy. Consider deserts when you prepare your wedding rehearsal dinner menu. A fun and romantic option might be chocolate fondue, with strawberries, bananas, marshmallows, orange slices or small pieces of angel food cake. Fudge can also be a simple desert option, along with fruit or cheesecake. You might want to avoid a fancy cake as a desert, though, as this may take away from your actual wedding cake.
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