Our rehearsal dinner was such a fun event! My Mom and Dad hosted the dinner at their home on Trimble Ridge in Rockbridge County. Their home is on the top of the ridge and overlooks the Blue Ridge Parkway to one side:

[photo by Charlotte Woolf]
And House Mountain on the other:

[photo by Charlotte Woolf]
Mom used Wedding Paper Divas to create their fun and autumnal rehearsal dinner cards (with seasonal leaves!):

[sold here]
We invited family as well as everyone working the wedding and our entire wedding party. It was a lovely gathering of about 60 people. We decided to support local businesses for our rehearsal dinner and due to the formal seated dinner at our reception chose a more intimate and informal dinner for the rehearsal!

Mom and Dad had Beam Me Up BBQ cater our dinner with all the fixings. Cole slaw, beans, macaroni & cheese, brownies, lemonade, sweet tea. Mom and Dad purchased two kegs of beer from Blue Lab Brewing Company, and the guys took the leftovers to their ‘party cabin’ out in the county for M’s Bachelor jam session (guitars and beer, his favorite thing). We also had Virginia red and white wines (my favorite is Barboursville Vineyards Pinot Grigio). Dad rented a tent, chairs, and heaters from Central Virginia Rental – they did a wonderful job not damaging my parents’ gorgeous hardwood deck so we had the whole house open on a cool autumn night in October to make more entertainment space. M, T (my sister’s husband), and Dad strung lights along the inside and top of the tents, and we also placed candles down each of the tables. Mom purchased autumnal fabric and hemmed them into table cloths. It really was quite lovely and low-key. Many people had flown in or driven all day (NJ, GA, FL) to arrive prior to the wedding and this helped them relax into their long weekend!

Photo dump below from Charlotte Woolf Photography:

People loved the food and the atmosphere. The space heaters meant people were dining under the stars and lights and getting to know one-another. We had a brisk breeze coming around one corner of the house and no one really noticed it. People imbibed and ate to their hearts content and moved around to continue to meet new people or catch up with old friends. It was perfect.

Did you hold a formal Rehearsal Dinner the night before your wedding? Or did you err on the more casual side to keep things light the night before your big day? What are you brides-to-be planning to do?