REHEARSAL DINNERS IN A BARN It’s no secret that going “rustic” is a huge trend in weddings these days and I am a huge believer in this style especially for the “eve of the wedding”. My favorite location to run with the rustic rehearsal dinner look is hosting your rehearsal dinner  in a barn..it’s the perfect complement to a wedding day spent in a ballroom or glamorous event venue. Celebrate with bales of hay for seating, high wooden rafters to hang strings...

According to a recent tweet from one of the biggest wedding bloggers (BrideTide.com):  “Over 87% of engaged couples have a Rehearsal Dinner”. We have listed below some tips, that as a restaurant owner or manager of event space, can be used to create a wonderful rehearsal dinner experience for the mother of the groom and engaged couples. It’s all about being creative, offering the most value and really listening to the customer, something I know isn’t new to you but hopefully,...

For more casual wedding celebrations such as the rehearsal dinner, DIY beverage stations where guests serve themselves vs. hiring a bartender or server is more the norm. Below are some fun, creative and different ways to setup your own beverage station or “watering hole”.   We love “whimsical”, and “not so expected” little details that make a wedding celebration so personal and unique. Using unique containers such as wheelbarrows, canoes and even boats can make...

Tis the Season for Smores! Since Rehearsal Dinners are more casual than the wedding day and many are celebrated outdoors, we love celebrating with friends and family over a warm fire while having a treat that is so much fun such as s’mores. Can’t you just feel the warmth of the fire and the taste of melted chocolate atop roasted marshmallows with graham crackers, yummy!   S'mores around a burning bonfire adds "warmth" to rehearsal dinner celebrations If you don’t...

If your wedding budget doesn’t allow for florals, the special use of lighting can really add to your ambience without breaking the bank.  I am a huge fan of candles everywhere..on the steps leading to the entryway, on fireplace mantels, and even in the ladies bathroom. For Rehearsal Dinners,  my favorite source to create that magical “glow” is the  use of paper lanterns.   With a wide variety of  colors and shapes, you have so many options to choose from.   Paper lanterns...

Fall is behind us, leaves have dropped and so have the temperatures.  Now Winter is right around the corner and with it comes a magical time of the year to celebrate weddings and all the celebrations that come with it, including the wedding rehearsal dinner. I  love winter colors…snowy white, the use of elegant metallics, ruby red.  Textures such as velvet, faux fur, mercury glass and metallics that sparkle.  Candlelight in winter takes on a whole different hue to me…warm and inviting...

Brides and Grooms love Rehearsal Dinners because of the “relaxed” nature of the event when compared to the big day.  It’s a special time to spend with family and friends before the wedding day arrives with all it’s formality and wedding stress. A great way to make this “eve of the wedding day” fun is to include tidbits of things that are “local” to where the dinner is being hosted.  Whether it’s in the decor, the food or a cute favor, there...

Giving a “sweet” gift or favor to your wedding guests is one of the nicest touches one can do at their wedding.   Nothing like a nice surprise either sitting at the place setting when a guest finds his or her seat or a treat at the end of the evening to take home and enjoy once the wedding celebration is over. And all the better, when that special treat is homemade!  There are so many “sweet favors” and I thought it’d be nice to share a few of my favorites with you. Beginning...

We luv pumpkins for Fall Rehearsal Dinners.    Whether they are cut open and filled with florals as a centerpiece, used as a simple and cute votive or just carved and displayed alone on a beautiful tablescape, pumpkins are perfect to decorate tables, corners, entry ways, shelves..the list goes on! Below are some of our favorite finds that give ideas on how to “play with pumpkins” as a great decorating piece for a Fall Rehearsal Dinner.  We love the bright, colorful florals of Fall...

As rehearsal dinner planning grows as a recognized, fun wedding event,  more engaged couples are searching to host their rehearsal dinners in really unique spaces that offer the “Wow” factor for friends and their closest family members. This post is special because it drives home just how {Fun} the eve of the wedding day truly can be.  With a little creativity, you can kick start the wedding celebration with a lot of charm and character! Below are a few of my favorite examples of where...