Wedding Rehearsal Dinner Ideas? Date, September. Number invited about 30. Would like to keep it semi-casual.?

Question

Thinking about something outside my home, maybe catered. The wedding is not mine but my son's, I'd like it to be really special.

Answer 1

An outside rehearsal dinner is perfect ... especially in September, when the weather is wonderful nearly everywhere:)  ...  What type of food does your son and his fiancee like?  Are they "casual" people, or a little more formal?  A BBQ would be nice, even if it's just BBQ chicken/beef/pork sandwiches (Dickey's caters those), with coleslaw, potato salad, etc.   If you want it more formal, then check with friends to see who's used a caterer before, and was happy with them...or ask your favorite restaurant if they'd prepare enough "take-out" food for your dinner .....  Have fun & CONGRATULATIONS all......

Answer 2

Good day,

Rehearsal dinner in your backyard is perfect.. With the stress of the up coming wedding something casual is called for. You can dress it up, white xmas lights in the trees, potted flowers (rented from a local nursery) simple lace tablecloth and folding chairs.   Cook for 30 people is a breeze. You don't want to serve anything that's going to be served at the wedding.

Prime ribb ( carving station) stuffed baked pototoes and wild field green salad and mini rolls.. easy..

You can rent dishes and tableware cheap.

Good luck

Answer 3

My wedding rehersal was in my IL's backyard.  For a wedding gift, his cousin (who is a professional chef) & her mother bought & prepared the dinner.  They also bought beautiful, all white serving dishes & platters from Crate & Barrel for the food service that were part of our gift!  I thought that was a really nice touch & way to present the gift.  They served Italian dishes - baked ziti & chicken francese, oven roated veggies, garlic bread, salad & more.  I wish I could remember everything because it was all excellent!

If you don't have someone to cook for the party, consider catering.  But make it look homemade by serving the food in your own platters or platters the bride & groom can then have.  Don't forget a lovely cake platter for the cake!  That was one of my favorite items & it sits on my counter everyday - I even use it to house flowers or decorations if it doesn't have treats in there.

One person you might want to consider hiring is someone to help clean.  Housekeeping companies often offer party services.  This was such a blessing & way for everyone to enjoy the party!  The cleaning lady refilled the buffet dishes, picked up any empty dishes or trash as the party went along & then cleaned everything at the end of the night.  100% worth it & the best money my MIL spent on the entire party.  She said she wouldn't host another party without this service.  It really freed her up to enjoy the party in her home without worrying that everyone was taken care of.

Some beautiful & easy decoration ideas - use terracotta pots for flower & candle vases.  The candles can go right in or add some sand - they give off a beautiful orange glow.  For flowers, you will need to put the cut flowers in a tupperware & then put the tupperware in the terracotta pot.  Very pretty & backyard appropriate.

Congrats & enjoy!

Answer 4

What if you went to a local park or in the back yard and had a caterer who grilled food? September should have pretty nice weather.

Grilled foods would be great since it's outdoors. Nothing too BBQ-sauced because it could be sloppy and not elegant. For a starter, you could do mini sandwiches of mango chutney and white cheddar cheese on mini brioche buns or some other good bread. You could also wrap phyllo dough around asparagus and bake with parmesan cheese. A dip and crudite always go nicely. Grilled shrimp kebabs, grilled chicken and maybe sliced grilled steak. Fruit and vegetable salads would be great (melon salad, black bean and corn salad and red potato salad). For dessert, you probably don't want cake because it will detract from the wedding cake! What about mini-cheesecakes or lemon tarts? You could have iced tea and lemonade and maybe one alcoholic punch.

I've posted a couple of recipes, in case you don't do the catered thing.

Good luck!

It's simple, summery and if presented elegantly it will seems semi-casual.

Answer 5

You plan sounds wonderful.  What a great mom you are to help with this event for you son and his new wife!

Here's my thought: check with the local Italian restaurants & see if they do catering, or at least let someone pick up.  Italian is nice, and the pasta can help to soak up any celebratory drinks to keep level heads?  I'm not sure, but I'm thinking the large pans will probably feed 30 people easily...so, one of lasagne, one for salad and one for garlic bread.  Then maybe have a selection of fresh fruit and then some italian ice cream or an ice cream sundae bar set up?

Here's hoping your son has found a wife that is as good as his dear, ol' Mom!

Answer 6

How about a wine tasting event...... I know this company that does a really nice job. They can bring all kinds of breads  with olive oil for dipping ,crackers and cheese, fruits, vegetables with dip, I was at a party a couple of weeks ago

we were about 40 people and we had a nice time the food was great and the wines also we  had Long Island wine but I think you can ask for any type. They also do Bartending, Here is the link Hope  you like this idea.  http://www.vineyard48.net

Answer 7

"Outside my home" doesn't exactly mean "in my yard." It means "not at home."

Anyway, you must have a nice yard with beautiful mature landscaping, otherwise it'll just look cheap. Why not go out to eat and let someone else do the work? Trust me - my mom had my brother's reception at her house, and it was so stressful it was horrible. Just preparing the home took up her whole summer and she was so busy the day of, she felt like she didn't even get to enjoy it.

Answer 8

how about a hog roast some outside caterers can provide this serves

Answer 9

Most people go out for dinner after the wedding rehearsal. They either rent a banquet room or have a special table reserved at the family's favorite/special restaurant.

I have a friend who practically grew up on the basketball court and so did her fiance. So they rented out the high school gym and decorated it and had caterers and porta bars brought in. It was not tacky at all, it was actually really sweet and very pretty (after it was decorated) and everyone had a great time and it was personalized for the couple.

EDIT - Outside your home can mean anything outside your home. If you meant your backyard, then you should have specified that.

Answer 10

where will you have it is the biggie. Agreed with first poster, make it somewhere special for your son and his fiancee. A restaurant, how about a park you can rent those and have it outdoors with tiki lights and have a nice relaxing meal with great catered foods. Stuffed mushrooms with crab meat, seared ahi tuna, mini salad bites. Possibiities are endless. Is there a catering hall which is close by you could reserve for a few hours?