Rehearsal dinner invitations with meal choices and a firm count
Send the rehearsal dinner invite by text or email, or print a QR code on an insert card. Guests reply in two taps with their meal choice.
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- 2 attendingPastor Mike & AnnMike, Ann
Chicken for both
- 1 attendingLaurenLauren
Mushroom risotto
- MaybeUncle RayRay, Donna
- No replyThe OkaforsAda, Chidi
Who is invited to the rehearsal dinner?
The wedding party and their partners, immediate family, the officiant, and whoever is hosting. Many couples also invite out-of-town guests. Send each household its own RSVP link four to six weeks ahead, or tuck an insert card into the wedding invitation.
Rehearsal dinner designs
Try your own photo or a painted design free; guests see it once the event has Plus ($12).
Your own photo · The toast
Your own photo · Candlelit table
String lights · Evergreen Evening
Harvest · Orchard Ivory
A short guest list, and the restaurant wants a firm number
The rehearsal dinner is usually the wedding party and their partners, immediate family, the officiant, and often everyone traveling in. It's a private room or a set menu, so the restaurant needs a count and meal choices.
For a fixed list, add each household and send its own link, so only the people named can reply. For a welcome party open to every wedding guest, print the event's QR code on an insert card instead: whoever scans adds their own names. Ask one question free, like everyone's entrée.
The hosts are often the groom's parents or both families. Add them as co-hosts, so everyone sees the same list.
Rehearsal dinner invitation wording
Fill in the brackets, then text it, email it, or print it on the insert card.
Hosted by parents
The traditional wording, with the hosts named first.
[Host names] invite you to a rehearsal dinner in honor of [Name] and [Name] on [day, date] at [time], [restaurant], [address]. Kindly reply by [date]: [link]
Hosted by the couple
When the couple is throwing it themselves.
Join us the night before the wedding! We're hosting a rehearsal dinner on [day, date] at [time] at [place]. Please RSVP with your meal choice by [date]: [link]
Insert card in the wedding invitation
For the guests who are invited, with a QR code beside it.
Please join us for the rehearsal dinner on [day, date] at [time], [place]. Scan the code to reply by [date], or visit [link]
Welcome party for everyone
When all the wedding guests are invited the night before.
Welcome to [city]! Join us for dinner and drinks the night before the wedding, [day, date] at [time], [place]. All wedding guests are welcome. Let us know if you're coming by [date]: [link]
By text, to the wedding party
For the people who'll be at the rehearsal anyway.
Hi [name]! The rehearsal is [day] at [time] at [ceremony venue], and dinner follows at [restaurant] around [time]. Partners welcome. Can you RSVP with your meal choice by [date]? [link]
Where rehearsal dinner counts go wrong
- Who's invited is unclear
- Bridesmaids' partners, out-of-town cousins, the officiant's spouse: guests aren't sure, so they don't reply.
- Meal choices by text
- The restaurant wants entrées a week out, and they're scattered across texts and voicemails.
- Two families hosting
- Both sets of parents invite people, and nobody has the whole list.
- Reply cards come back late
- Mailed reply cards for the rehearsal dinner trickle in after the restaurant's deadline.
Three steps from invite to headcount
A short list, meal choices, and a number the restaurant can trust.
Add the guest list and a meal question
Add each household with the people invited, and ask each person's entrée as your free RSVP question. Add the other hosts as co-hosts.
Send each household a link
Text it or email it. Guests tap Yes, No, or Maybe for each person named and type their meal choices, with no account or app.
Give the restaurant its number
Your dashboard shows who's coming, with each household's meal answer beside its reply. Copy a nudge for anyone who hasn't replied.
Made for the families hosting
Meal choices, co-hosts, and a QR code for the insert card. No guest accounts.
- Co-hosts see the same count
- Both families, or the couple and their parents, work from one dashboard.
- A QR code for the insert card
- Print the event's code on an insert card, and guests reply from their phones. Whoever scans adds their own names, so tuck it only into invited guests' envelopes.
- Households and partners
- Name everyone invited in each household's link, so partners are counted and the reply covers exactly who you invited.
Ask for meal choices
Add an optional question guests answer with their RSVP. For a set menu, ask each household to list everyone's entrée, and read each answer beside its reply.
One RSVP question is free. Families can answer or skip it.
Entrée for each person: chicken, salmon, or mushroom risotto?
Optional
A family's answer
Tom: salmon. Linda: mushroom risotto.
Send this with each link
A short note from you gets more replies than a bare link. Paste it into the text or email with each household's link.
You're invited to the rehearsal dinner for [Names] on [date]! Here's your RSVP link: please add your meal choice so we can give the restaurant a count. Please reply by [date], no account needed.
Who it's for
- Rehearsal dinners hosted by parents or the couple
- Welcome dinners for everyone traveling in
- A set menu or private room that needs a firm count
- Insert cards in printed wedding invitations
Questions
Common questions about rehearsal dinner invitations and RSVPs.
Should aunts and uncles be invited to the rehearsal dinner?
Only if they're in the wedding or very close to the couple. The core list is the wedding party, immediate family, and the officiant. Add extended family or out-of-town guests if the budget and room allow.
Are invitations needed for a rehearsal dinner?
Not formal ones, but guests need the time, the place, and a way to reply. A text with an RSVP link, or an insert card with a QR code, is enough.
How far in advance should rehearsal dinner invitations be sent?
Four to six weeks before the wedding, or with the wedding invitations as an insert card for the guests who are invited.
Can you put rehearsal dinner invitations in with the wedding invitations?
Yes. Add an insert card only to the invitations of guests who are invited, and print a QR code on it so they reply online instead of mailing a card back. Whoever scans adds their own names, so the card itself is the invitation.
Who hosts the rehearsal dinner?
Traditionally the groom's parents. Today it's often both families or the couple. Name the hosts at the top of the invitation, and add each as a co-host.
Is there a dress code for a rehearsal dinner?
Usually a step less formal than the wedding. Say it on the invite, like “cocktail attire” or “smart casual,” so nobody has to ask.
Can guests choose their meal when they RSVP?
Yes. Ask one RSVP question free, such as “Everyone's entrée: chicken, salmon, or risotto?” Each household types its answer with its reply, and you read them beside the count. Plus ($12 once) allows up to five questions.
Are these rehearsal dinner invitations free?
Yes. Hejmo is free for unlimited events, with RSVP tracking, a private link per household, nudges, co-hosts, and one RSVP question. There are no ads on the invite. Plus is optional: $12 for one event adds invitation styles, illustrated covers or your own cover photo, an animated preview that plays in iMessage, a custom link, a custom RSVP confirmation, and up to five RSVP questions.
Run this event, then reuse the guest list for the next one
Free for unlimited events. Plus is $12 per event, or if you host often, Host Pass puts Plus on every event you create for $19/year.
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