Rehearsal picnic

I’m still waiting for the official pictures to come back from our photographers (although they have given us a sneak peek!) so I thought I’d tell you all a little about our rehearsal “dinner”.

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When it came to planning the rehearsal dinner, I was a bit stumped. I was trying to organize so many other details that it wasn’t a big priority for me. I thought I might like to have something outdoors (a BBQ maybe), since our wedding was going to be entirely indoors,  but when I looked into the details of renting a space and getting all the food out and our guests out to a park, plus plates and cups and napkins etc., I got overwhelmed and figured we’d just make a reservation at an interesting restaurant and be done with it.

Then we hired our wedding planner, Danielle, and once we told her that most of our guests were from out of town, she had a great idea. Why not take them on one of Boston’s famous Duck Tours? Since we hadn’t been on one either but had heard great things, we were all for it. She also thought of having a caterer set up in a public park and suggested Christopher Columbus Park on the waterfront, which is one of my favorite parks in Boston.

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Well we just loved the idea. The park was free, and through Danielle’s contacts at a local caterer, we were able to have the event catered with salads (sweet potato salad, mmm), sandwiches (pulled pork BBQ and lobster rolls), and dessert (whoopie pies!) all for approximately $25/per person – what we would have paid at a restaurant anyways.

We were also able to give our bridal party and closest family and friends an unforgettable and quintessentially “Boston” experience on our Duck Tour, complete with one crazy tour leader…

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an plenty of great photo opps…

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and a near run-in with a wind surfer!

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It was a great time and after the Duck Tour, we were all dropped off directly at the Wang Theatre for our actual rehearsal! Perfect. So to all those who are planning your rehearsal dinners, consider making it more than just a meal if you can. Make it a cohesive event that takes into consideration local attractions and traditions and perhaps contrasts with the mood and tone of your wedding.

For us this meant an afternoon of casually relaxing outdoors with our family and friends before our formal, night time wedding the next day. Look for our wedding day recaps up next!