The rehearsal dinner is the most underrated event of the wedding weekend. Done well, it's the last evening the couple and their immediate families are together without 100 guests watching. Done badly, it's an expensive obligation that drains energy from the main day. Here's how to plan one that works.
Who Attends a Rehearsal Dinner
The traditional rehearsal dinner guest list: the wedding party, both immediate families, the officiant, and any out-of-town guests who have already arrived. For London weddings with many international guests, this can be 30–50 people. Keeping it at immediate family and wedding party only is entirely valid if a larger event the night before feels too much.
Venue Options in London
The most practical options for a London rehearsal dinner:
- Private dining room at a restaurant — the most common choice; no event planning required, manageable cost, good food without catering contracts
- Hotel dining room — convenient if guests are staying in the same hotel; easy logistics, often coordinated by the hotel
- Hire a private dining club or members' club — more atmosphere, often more expensive, requires membership or connection
- Hire a function space — most work for the least intimacy
Format: How Formal Should It Be?
Less formal than the wedding. The rehearsal dinner's value is precisely that it isn't the wedding — people can be themselves, talk properly, and arrive at tomorrow's ceremony already relaxed and connected. Dinner and drinks without a programme, speeches, or entertainment is usually optimal.
A few informal toasts are traditional and welcome. Keep them short — this is preview, not the main event.
Photography at the Rehearsal Dinner
Most rehearsal dinners are unphotographed, which is entirely reasonable. If you do want photography, a 2–3 hour documentary session captures the atmosphere without being intrusive. The relaxed energy of the rehearsal dinner often produces some of the most genuine images of the whole weekend.
Budget
A private dining room in a good London restaurant for 20–30 guests with a set menu runs £1,500–£3,000. Adding a full open bar pushes that significantly higher. The traditional convention that the groom's family pays for the rehearsal dinner is observed by some families and ignored by most.
Planning a rehearsal dinner with photography in London?
I offer pre-wedding event coverage as an add-on to any wedding package. Get in touch.
