Kickoff to the Wedding: What to Consider When Planning a Rehearsal Dinner

Your wedding ceremony will be one of the most memorable moments in your life. It’s no wonder so much thought and preparation go into your big day, so it is important to kick off the festivities with a beautifully planned rehearsal dinner.

In addition to providing friends and family the opportunity to meet and mingle, perhaps for the very first time, it also sets the mood for the event that will follow. When choosing a venue for your rehearsal dinner, you will want to determine how best to serve your guests. A sit-down dinner or buffet-style are two of the most common options. There are benefits to both, but here are a few things to consider to ensure every guest can relax, enjoy their meal and have a great time.

Sit-down dinners are generally more formal and upscale. Each guest is seated and served an individually-plated meal. Typically, there are two or three entrée options. A good caterer will provide enough staff to adequately attend to your dinner, meaning guests will be served at the same time. Food costs are lower since the kitchen knows ahead of time how much food to prepare.

Because guests stay seated, sit-down dinners are less chaotic, which is a practical option if members of the wedding party plan to make speeches during the dinner. Because of the extra staff required to attend to guests, sit-down dinners tend to be more costly. Food options are also limited to the entrees selected beforehand.

During a buffet-style meal, several food stations are set up and guests are free to serve themselves. This option is more casual and relaxed. Guests can mingle and are free to carry on conversations with each other. This option also allows you to serve a wider variety of food.

Buffet meals also require less wait staff, making this one of the more budget-friendly options. A drawback to buffet meals is that guests must wait in line to get their food. Depending on the number of people in attendance, those at the head of the line may finish their meal before guests at the back of line have a chance to serve themselves. Buffets also require more food, which can drive up food costs.

Choose the option that works best not only for your guests, but also your budget. Whatever serving style you decide, Table 100 can accommodate a variety of requests to make certain the kick off to you wedding goes smoothly and sets the precedent for a fun weekend you’ll remember for a lifetime.

---

This post submitted and sponsored by Table 100. For information on banquet services, contact Lauren Vicknair
at (601) 933-2720 or lvicknair@eathere.com.