Planning the Rehearsal Dinner...

We were pleasantly surprised by a gracious offer of B’s parents a few weeks back. They had mentioned early on something about covering the rehearsal dinner costs, but we told them that we’d work all of that out later on. (This was like days after becoming engaged, so we weren’t really sure about a LOT of things at the time!) As time passed, B’s step-mom would mention it again to me every once in a while, and I just kept saying that that was something that they and B needed to work out and leave me out of...and you know how boys are, right? Yeah, so nothing was really discussed again until about two weeks ago.

Up until that point, we just assumed that we would be planning and paying for the rehearsal, which has had its own problems – see this post here to catch up. Well, we’re now about a month out, and I’m pleased to announce that our venue is still NOT booked for the day before our wedding. Even though I can’t “officially” reserve the venue until Oct. 3rd (and yes, I have a reminder set on my Outlook calendar AND on my To Do List to call Texas Old Town that day and book), we’re going ahead with plans as if we will be rehearsing at our venue.

Once that was decided (for the most part), picking a place to eat at was easy for us. To be honest, I would have liked to be able to pick a place that we could rent out...you know, have the place to ourselves and our guests and there are a few local places that we could do that with. But the cost was something that we weren’t willing to pay. And if we aren’t willing to pay for something, we’re sure not going to let someone else do it either! So, our next best option was picking one of our favorite restaurants and just having a room reserved for our party. That was a much easier solution to handle, both in our minds and on our wallets!

Since B has had some “free time” lately, he took on this task. Picking the place was a no brainer – it’s hands down Johnny Carino’s Italian Restaurants. Yes, we know that we could eat there any night of the week. We get that. But we don’t eat there...because it’s pasta and that’s not something that’s been on our plates much in recent months! It’s one of our favorites, and our kids love it too, so it really was an easy choice for us to make.

After having lunch one day and discussing this, B decided to go ahead and stop in and talk to the planner at the local Johnny Carino’s. The guy that he spoke with was very helpful and nice, and gave B all the information that we would need to make this happen. He even went ahead and “penciled us in” on their calendar. We’ve got the front room for our party, and they’ll set it up buffet-style for a per person price that was less than what we were expecting to pay.

Enter FILs. They swoop in and “save the day” by offering to cover the rehearsal dinner for us. After clearing everything with them, I went ahead and started working on the invitation suite...and included a menu card and voting section so that our guests can “vote” on what entrees should be served at our rehearsal dinner. I had to be very clear that it was a vote, and not all 4 options would be served, but I think that they turned out really cute.
What do you think? I’ll save the big reveal of the invites themselves for after they’re mailed, but I was thrilled to be able to step away from the black and cream and pull in some PURPLE!!! (Even though you can't tell from that picture, the backing of the menu card is EGGPLANT!)

Part of me would like to have done the rehearsal dinner somewhere with black/white checkered cloths and wine bottle candle holders dripping with wax...but the practical bride in me says someone else setting/cleaning up is worth the sacrifice of my wishes! Especially the day before the wedding, when I know that I’ll have other things to think about!

I’m so excited to be planning this part of the wedding too – it just makes it all seem that much closer to being here! Was it that way for you?