No, you don't need one, and if you DON'T have one, you don't need a rehearsal dinner, and that saves you money for sure. And time. And planning. And stress.
I am always on team 'no rehearsal" because in most cases it's a waste of time and money. Betting down the wedding ceremony aisle is walking and standing. Most adults can do that, and if you have a decent venue and/or coordinator, they'll line you all up and send you down in a timely way. (Your wedding officiant should help with that too....) Most of my couples don't do them at all or they'll do a walk through the day of the wedding, which takes literally 10 minutes. If you have OOT BP's, then that's definitely the way to go. Just get the processional order together ahead of time, (as in not figuring it out while you're waiting to rehearse). And by the night before the wedding? The last thing you'll be craving is another long night of dinner; you'll have stuff to finish up and a formal RD is just one more thing on the to do list.
Pricing depends on what you're doing and how many people are there, which (by the way) should be ONLY the BP and so's, parents, siblings and your officiant. Rehearsal dinners have evolved into 2d receptions; showy, borderline inappropriate and grand-standy, and honestly? They are stressful for you because it turns into ANOTHER full day of entertaining before the main event. It's another example of 'why do weddings cost so much?" Because most of it spirals out of control. Your out of town guests are perfectly capable of feeding themselves, and adding them to the dinner, if you still want one, bloats the time and money involved.
I'd investigate more casual alternatives. One of my favorite ones ever was at an upscale pool hall with a private room; pizzas, apps and craft beers. One of the places we refer is known for their assortment of tap beers and it's the perfect casual choice too. A simple restaurant with a private room would be great too.
And cheaper. And less stressful. And that's the point.
I am always on team 'no rehearsal" because in most cases it's a waste of time and money. Betting down the wedding ceremony aisle is walking and standing. Most adults can do that, and if you have a decent venue and/or coordinator, they'll line you all up and send you down in a timely way. (Your wedding officiant should help with that too....) Most of my couples don't do them at all or they'll do a walk through the day of the wedding, which takes literally 10 minutes. If you have OOT BP's, then that's definitely the way to go. Just get the processional order together ahead of time, (as in not figuring it out while you're waiting to rehearse). And by the night before the wedding? The last thing you'll be craving is another long night of dinner; you'll have stuff to finish up and a formal RD is just one more thing on the to do list.
Pricing depends on what you're doing and how many people are there, which (by the way) should be ONLY the BP and so's, parents, siblings and your officiant. Rehearsal dinners have evolved into 2d receptions; showy, borderline inappropriate and grand-standy, and honestly? They are stressful for you because it turns into ANOTHER full day of entertaining before the main event. It's another example of 'why do weddings cost so much?" Because most of it spirals out of control. Your out of town guests are perfectly capable of feeding themselves, and adding them to the dinner, if you still want one, bloats the time and money involved.
I'd investigate more casual alternatives. One of my favorite ones ever was at an upscale pool hall with a private room; pizzas, apps and craft beers. One of the places we refer is known for their assortment of tap beers and it's the perfect casual choice too. A simple restaurant with a private room would be great too.
And cheaper. And less stressful. And that's the point.
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