If the wedding invitation sets the tone for the day itself, the rehearsal dinner invitation sets the tone for the weekend that surrounds it. Each design is fully editable in our free browser-based editor for traditional rehearsal dinners with bridal party and family, casual backyard celebrations, formal restaurant dinners, and welcome dinners for destination weddings. Customize names, dates, venue, dress code, and any wedding weekend itinerary details. Filter by style below to find a design that coordinates with your wedding invitation suite or stands on its own.
A rehearsal dinner invitation announces the dinner held the night before the wedding, traditionally for the bridal party and immediate family after the ceremony rehearsal. Our rehearsal dinner invitations are fully editable in our free browser-based editor. No Canva account, no Photoshop, no software to install. Customize the host names, the bride and groom's names, the dinner date and time, the venue, dress code, and any wedding weekend itinerary details. Whether you are searching for printable rehearsal dinner invitations, editable rehearsal dinner invitation templates, a casual rehearsal dinner invite for a backyard celebration, or a formal welcome dinner invitation for a destination wedding, every template here is built to be customized in your browser and printed at home, sent to a local print shop, or shared digitally. Most templates are sized at the standard 5x7 inches that fits a standard A7 envelope, with some 4x6 postcard-format options for casual dinners.
Clean lines, modern serif typography, and a sophisticated palette. For the couple who wants the rehearsal dinner to feel as polished as the wedding.
Watercolor florals and soft botanicals. A favorite for garden rehearsals, vineyard dinners, and brunch-style welcome events.
Earthy textures, terracotta, and hand-drawn details. Great for desert weddings, ranch dinners, and outdoor welcome events.
Formal typography and traditional layouts. Ideal for private restaurant rooms, country club dinners, and black-tie weddings.
Warm wood tones and hand-lettered scripts. Perfect for barn dinners, vineyard rehearsals, and farmhouse-themed weddings.
Rehearsal dinners range from intimate family meals to multi-event welcome celebrations. Every template in this collection can be customized for any of these formats by editing the title, venue details, and tone:
Traditional rehearsal dinner. Held the night before the wedding after the ceremony rehearsal, with the bridal party, immediate family, and officiant. Typically 20 to 40 guests at a private restaurant room or family home.
Welcome dinner. The modern variant for destination weddings. Includes all out-of-town guests on the night before the wedding, not just bridal party and family. Often held at a restaurant near the wedding venue or as a casual buffet at the hotel.
Casual rehearsal dinner. Backyard BBQ, brewery, pizza night, or cocktail party. Common for relaxed weddings or when the bride and groom are paying for the dinner themselves and keeping costs down.
Formal rehearsal dinner. Plated dinner at a private restaurant, country club, or family home with caterer. Common for traditional weddings hosted by the groom's parents, often with toasts from family members.
Pre-wedding weekend events. For destination weddings, the rehearsal dinner is often part of a multi-day itinerary that includes a welcome cocktail, the rehearsal dinner, the wedding day, and a farewell brunch. The invitation can include the full weekend itinerary on the back.
The rehearsal dinner is traditionally hosted and paid for by the groom's parents, with the groom's mother typically taking the lead on planning and invitations. This is changing. Many modern couples host their own rehearsal dinner, especially when they are also paying for the wedding itself or when family dynamics make traditional hosting less practical. For destination weddings, the bride and groom often host the welcome dinner because it includes guests beyond the immediate family. Whoever is hosting, our templates make the invitation step quick. Pick a design, customize the host names (Mr. and Mrs. [Groom's Parents] request the pleasure of your company, or Bride and Groom invite you to join them), fill in the dinner details, and download the print-ready PDF in 10 to 15 minutes.
Coordinate with whoever is hosting (the groom's parents, the bride and groom, or both) to confirm the date, time, venue, dress code, and guest list before designing the invitation.
Pick a template that matches the wedding aesthetic so the rehearsal dinner feels like part of the same event. Filter by style above (Minimalist, Floral, Boho, Classic, or Rustic).
Open the template in our free browser-based editor. Edit the host names, the bride and groom's names, the date and time, the venue address, dress code, and RSVP contact.
Add a wedding weekend itinerary on the back if guests need to know about other events (welcome cocktails, rehearsal time, wedding day schedule, farewell brunch).
Pull color codes from the wedding invitation suite so the rehearsal dinner feels visually connected to the main wedding.
Download the print-ready PDF (5x7 standard) and print at home, send to a local print shop, or use any online printer. Mail or send digitally 3 to 4 weeks before the rehearsal dinner. For destination weddings, send 4 to 6 weeks in advance so out-of-town guests can finalize travel.
Rehearsal dinner invitations often pair with matching wedding invitations or wedding invitation suites so the rehearsal dinner stationery looks like a continuation of the wedding aesthetic. For complete coordination across all pre-wedding events, see our bridal shower invitations and bachelorette party invitations. For day-of rehearsal dinner stationery (place cards, menus, table numbers), see our ceremony and reception essentials collection which includes templates that work for any private dinner.
Send rehearsal dinner invitations 3 to 4 weeks before the rehearsal dinner for local weddings. For destination weddings or weddings with significant travel, send 4 to 6 weeks in advance so out-of-town guests can finalize flights and accommodation. Rehearsal dinner invitations are typically mailed after the formal wedding invitation has gone out, since wedding invitations go out 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding and rehearsal dinner invitations go to a smaller subset of guests.
The traditional rehearsal dinner guest list includes the bridal party (bridesmaids, groomsmen, ring bearer, flower girl), the parents of the bride and groom, immediate family (siblings and grandparents), the officiant and their partner, and out-of-town guests for destination weddings. Plus-ones for the bridal party are typically invited. The total guest count is usually 20 to 40 people. For destination weddings, the rehearsal dinner often expands into a welcome dinner that includes all wedding guests.
The rehearsal dinner is traditionally hosted and paid for by the groom's parents. Modern couples often host their own rehearsal dinner, especially when they are paying for the wedding itself or when traditional hosting roles do not apply. The host names appear at the top of the invitation, written either as "Mr. and Mrs. [Groom's Parents] request the pleasure of your company" or as "[Bride] and [Groom] invite you to join them" depending on who is hosting.
A rehearsal dinner invitation should include the host names at the top (whoever is hosting and paying), the bride and groom's names, the words "rehearsal dinner" or "join us for dinner the evening before [bride] and [groom]'s wedding," the date and start time, the venue name and address, dress code (often more casual than the wedding itself, like cocktail attire or smart casual), an RSVP contact and deadline, and any directions or parking notes. For destination welcome dinners, also include the wedding weekend schedule so guests know what other events to plan for.
A traditional rehearsal dinner is held the night before the wedding for a small group (bridal party, immediate family, officiant) immediately after the ceremony rehearsal. A welcome dinner is the destination-wedding version: a larger event that includes all out-of-town guests on the night before the wedding, not just bridal party and family. Welcome dinners are usually more casual than traditional rehearsal dinners and are designed to greet travelers. Some couples have both a small rehearsal dinner for the immediate group and a separate welcome reception for everyone.
The standard rehearsal dinner invitation size is 5x7 inches, which fits a standard A7 envelope and matches the size of typical wedding invitations. For casual rehearsal dinners, 4x6 postcards work well and reduce postage costs. Both sizes are available for every template in this collection. The 5x7 size is the better choice when you want the rehearsal dinner stationery to feel coordinated with the main wedding invitation
