Do we have to invite out of town guests to the rehearsal dinner?
No, you don't have to invite out of
town guests to the rehearsal dinner. From an etiquette point, you
only need to invite: the wedding party and their spouses (if they
are single, you do not need to let them bring a date unless they
are engaged) parents of the bride and groom and any step-parents
grandparents if they attend the rehearsal parents of the flower
girl and ring bearer if you invite them (you can omit them if they
are too young).
It is a courtesy, however, to include the out of town relatives
who might otherwise be spending the evening alone. It is also a
courtesy to invite the minister if you know him/her very well,
your personal wedding coordinator (not a church coordinator), and
any singers or musicians that are friends and who will be
performing during the ceremony.
Since the groom's parents are the hosts, they should make the
final decision about who to invite and not invite and they should
issue the invitations. As the bride, you can invite the minister
and coordinator if you first have the approval of the hosts.
One easy way to be sure that everyone is invited, particularly if
the groom's parents don't know all of the members of the wedding
party, is to give them a list of names and addresses and let them
send an invitation by mail. They can include a phone number to
send an RSVP and that way they will know exactly how many to
expect. If several people can't attend, then they might consider
including Aunt Susie and Uncle Joe who just arrived in town after
a long trip.
Glenna Tooman, ForeverWed.com Wedding Consultant
message
boards
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)