The night before your wedding is an exciting time for your friends and family, especially the ones who flew in from far away to attend a weekend of wedding fun. It’s also a time for you to enjoy their company and have a relaxing night before your wedding kicks off the next day. So instead of throwing a traditional, sit-down dinner, where guests stick their forks and knives into a quick meal and say goodbye for the night, consider putting a spin on your rehearsal dinner and making it a but more personal. Here are six ways to help you make that happen.

 

1. Take the Party Out of a Restaurant

Instead of doing a traditional dinner and feeding your wedding party and out of town guests, make your rehearsal “dinner” some place interactive and fun. You could do a night of bowling, a local concert, a cook out BBQ, karaoke, or even something that feeds off one of your most favorite hobbies.

 

2. Ask People to Speak Up

The night before the wedding is a great time for guests to give speeches. You make thirty minutes of the night an open mic night and give guests a chance to sing you a song, read a speech, or even do some sort of fun performance.

3. Add in Some Fun Games

Most of the time, the games are played at the bridal shower. But consider saving some for the rehearsal dinner. This will be a great way for your guests to be engaged during the dinner and spit out facts about you and your partner.

 

4. Toss in an Element of Surprise

Whether you host the rehearsal dinner at a surprise location or give your guests some sort of surprise gift, add in something that shakes them up a bit.

 

5. Make a Specialty Cocktail

Instead of doing an open bar for the night, make two or three signature cocktails that play off the theme or hashtag of your wedding and serve those for the night.

 

6. Give it a Theme

Add a theme for your rehearsal dinner, whether it’s a color theme, a sports team theme, or even the theme of your favorite movie.