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Even though it hasn't been too much work, our rehearsal dinner venue search has been a bit of a long one (at least compared to most of the other wedding decisions). The future mister and I started looking over the summer. Well, at that point we were certain we wanted to have it at our favorite restaurant. We met with them to discuss logistics only to sadly realize it wasn't in the cards (read: insane prices and no flexibility). Many months have gone by without any decisions being made, so over the holidays we decided it was high time to start searching again. The future mister contacted another restaurant a few weeks ago to find out that they're already booked for our date.
You know how they say that everything happens for a reason, right? So true. This past weekend, my future in-laws were in town to finally nail down a venue. We had dinner set up on Friday night at a quaint Italian restaurant downtown and then Saturday lunch at a local bakery/cafe with the perfect outdoor patio. Friday night's dinner was soooo good and everyone was so impressed, that lunch on Saturday ended up being a mere formality.
Our rehearsal dinner will be taking place at La Dolce Vita. I love this place for so many reasons.
1. Authentic Italian food - In college, I studied abroad in Italy for four amazing months. Real (as opposed to Americanized) Italian food has a special place in my heart stomach. And the owner of the restaurant is Italian, so big plus there.
2. Intimate setting - Our RD is only for about 30 people, but the restaurant is on the smaller side so we'll be renting the entire space out for the evening. One of the other options we discussed with the owner was putting dividers up...but that still wouldn't give us the privacy we want. Now we can catch up, toast, show our slideshow, etc. all without having to talk over or disturb other restaurant patrons.
3. Family style - Our FIVE course Italian feast will consist of an appetizer, mixed greens and caesar salads, two or three pasta dishes, one or two meat/entree dishes, and one dessert - all served family style. At first, the future mister and I really wanted a plated, served dinner (since the wedding will be a cocktail buffet). But after thinking about it, family style is sooo much better! Now no one has to worry about ordering the wrong dish and/or wanting what someone else has - it's all up for grabs!
4. Menu flexibility - Right now the restaurant is using their Fall/Winter menu, so what we tasted on Friday won't necessarily be what's in season come May. The owner basically said we can do whatever we want. We can choose our menu now, wait until March/April, or even request special dishes. And on the night of the RD he can make special plates for our ring bearer and flower girl, as well as the future mister's grandfather who doesn't like/can't eat dishes with a lot of Italian spices.
I could go on (and on), but you get the drift. How did you choose your rehearsal dinner venue?
A few weeks ago I mentioned that we had recently signed the contract and paid the deposit for a Day of Coordinator. I am extremely excited to have this checked off the list! I knew from early on that I wanted a coordinator of some kind, but was concerned that one wouldn't fit into the budget or that it would be considered unnecessary. Luckily, both my parents were on board with this idea and the future mister and I met with someone back in June.
After our meeting, we decided to go with their lowest package, which they describe as "for the couple with their event professionals and facilities confirmed, but who require a coordinator to facilitate their rehearsal, pre-ceremony pictures and ceremony." More specifically, this package includes:
planning sessions at 3 months, 1-2 months and 1 week prior to the event
unlimited email and phone conversations the month of the event
personalized, detailed timeline of pre-ceremony and post-ceremony photos
personalized, detailed timeline of ceremony
copies of personalized timelines distributed to all appropriate wedding professionals the day of the event
etiquette advice and guidance
complete wedding rehearsal coordination (1.5 hours)
pre-ceremony and ceremony coordination (4 hours)
emergency coordinator kit available at event
Our coordinator will also be able to handle some set-up as long as it is minor. For anything that is more involved or time consuming, our coordinator suggested we hire a second person at an hourly rate. We can also upgrade to full day-of coordination (to include the reception) at any time. This is where I'm torn and would love some advice. Initially, I was very happy with just rehearsal, pre-ceremony and ceremony coordination in order to save some money. After the post-ceremony photos, I figured that the DJ and catering manager could take things from there. But now I'm thinking that an extra $200 might be worth the peace of mind that comes from having a coordinator there for the entire day, pre-ceremony through reception. Which do you think is more important - saving some money or peace of mind?
Last week I was checking our event planner's blog, as usual, when their newest post caught my eye. Sanford Stadium, home of the Georgia Bulldogs, can be rented out for parties. More specifically, rehearsal dinner parties!
Now, I'm not a big sports fan and really could care less about hosting a party at the stadium, BUT the future mister loves sports, so this excites me simply because I know that he would get a huge kick out of it. Although our plan was to nail down our rehearsal dinner location this summer, it ended up falling by the wayside. So despite my lack of interest in anything sports related, we've decided to at least add the stadium to our list of remaining places to check out. On a side note: I think I may have found a good compromise since I shot down the future mister's request to have the mascot, Uga, at our wedding.
Where did you hold your rehearsal dinner? Would you consider a more unique location like a stadium rather than the usual restaurant or hotel?
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