Rehearsal Dinner & Welcome Party Catering: Set the Tone for a Celebration to Remember
Introduction: Kicking Off the Wedding Weekend Right
Rehearsal dinners and welcome parties are integral for successful wedding weekend celebrations. Both pre-wedding events are a way to show your appreciation to your bridal party and guests for being a part of your wedding. Both events tend to be more casual and give your guests more opportunities to meet and mingle before the big day.
Understanding the Difference: Rehearsal Dinner vs. Welcome Party
There is a difference between a rehearsal dinner and a welcome party. Sometimes, the rehearsal dinner is the first occasion that both sides of the family come together and meet. Rehearsal dinners are usually for a smaller, more intimate crowd of just your families and the bridal party. Usually you have the actual rehearsal at the venue where your wedding is going to be, then you travel to the rehearsal dinner location for light appetizers and a buffet dinner.
The wedding welcome party is important if you are having a destination wedding or if you have a lot of out-of-town guests as a way to welcome them into town and to thank them for coming to your wedding.
Combining the Rehearsal Dinner and Welcome Party into One Event
A new trend that we’ve seen is combining the rehearsal dinner and welcome party into one big event. The first part of the event is the rehearsal dinner, with just the family and wedding party. Usually there is just a buffet dinner to keep things on the shorter side. Then the buffet is cleared away and two to three stations with a mixture of heavy and light hors d’oeuvres are set out. The rest of the guests then arrive for the welcome party portion of the evening.
Formal vs. Casual: Matching the Mood with the Menu
Rehearsal dinners and welcome parties can vary greatly depending on the feel you want to have for your event. It’s usually more common to use disposable plates and cutlery instead of renting china. Elegance and Budget
If you prefer a more formal event, then it’s more common to opt for appetizers and a buffet menu. However, it’s very important that you know what the wedding menu will be before you create your rehearsal dinner menu. You don’t want to repeat any of the same items, especially if you’re using the same caterer, and you definitely don’t want the rehearsal dinner’s menu to outshine the wedding’s menu.
If you’d prefer a more casual event, then it is the perfect occasion for a Lowcountry Boil or an oyster roast. Lowcountry Boils are perfect year-round, but in Charleston the oyster season is from October to March. Lowcountry Boils and oyster roasts are also a great idea for a Welcome Party as it’s a perfect introduction to Charleston. It’s also more common to forgo the liquor and just have beer/wine for the rehearsal dinner. If liquor is available, it’s usually in the form of a signature cocktail. One cute idea that we love is to name your signature cocktail after your pets!
Why Catering Makes All the Difference
If your group is very small, you could look at going to any one of Charleston’s great restaurants or hiring a private chef. But if you have a bigger group, event catering is the way to go. A full-service caterer like Crazy Dutchman Catering can take care of the food and bar, so you don’t have to worry about anything.
Choosing the Right Food Style and Menu for Your Event
When you’re trying to decide on the right menu for your event, there are a few tips to keep in mind. Most importantly, you need to choose a style that suits your event, whether it’s casual or formal. It’s also extremely important to make sure that you choose a menu that is different from the wedding menu, but doesn’t outdo it. At Crazy Dutchman Catering, we have several pre-built menus that will give your guests a taste of Charleston and its Southern cuisine.
Buffet or Stations: What Fits Best?
Another decision you’ll need to make is if you want to go with a stations menu or a buffet menu. A buffet menu consists of light appetizers and a self-serve buffet that give an overall cohesive feel to your menu. A stations menu has several food stations that are either heavy hors d’oeuvres or mini-meals that give your guests plenty of options. Stations vs Buffet
Professional Setup and Seamless Execution
Crazy Dutchman Catering can cater both your pre-wedding events and the wedding itself. We also offer several bar packages that would be a perfect fit for your event. Using the same catering and bar service for the entire wedding weekend will make things easier for you throughout the planning process and on the events themselves. We will help you custom-tailor your menus and make sure they complement each other. On the day of the events, we will arrive on time and set up everything so you don’t have to worry.
Charleston Charm: Rehearsal & Welcome Party Catering Done Right
When it comes to Charleston weddings, we always tell our clients to estimate that their RSVPs will be higher than average because everyone wants to visit Charleston. From the historic buildings, the beaches, the seasonal festivals, and the amazing restaurants, your guests will not only be excited for your wedding, but to experience everything Charleston has to offer. That’s why it’s a good idea to incorporate some local flavors and dishes into your pre-wedding events. You could have a Lowcountry Boil at a beach house for your rehearsal dinner or an oyster roast at one of the many beautiful venues around Charleston for your welcome dinner.
Showcasing Southern Flavors & Lowcountry Cuisine
Whether you’re a local or having a destination wedding, the wedding weekend is the perfect time to enjoy Southern and Lowcountry cuisine. Lowcountry Boil is a Charleston classic. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s also called Frogmore Stew and Beaufort Stew. It’s less formal but a great dish and usually prepared fresh on-site and consists of shrimp, sausage, potatoes, and corn. It’s traditional to serve it spread out on a table, but at Crazy Dutchman Catering, we serve it in a chafing dish to not only keep it hot, but to elevate the presentation and make it less messy.
If your event is between October – March, add an oyster roast! Our oysters are harvested from local beds and we work with SCDNR to recycle the shells after the event. Oyster roasts are interactive and a great icebreaker for families and guests to get to know each other better.
If you have oysters and/or Lowcountry Boil at your event, make sure to have non-seafood options for your guests. If you want to keep with the Southern cuisine theme, add BBQ or chicken and waffles to round out your entrees! Check out our menu items and pre-built menus for more rehearsal or welcome dinner ideas!
Why Local Expertise Elevates the Experience
At Crazy Dutchman Catering, we’re here to help you pull off the perfect wedding weekend, from the pre-wedding events to the big day itself. We’ll give recommendations on venues and rental companies, or tips on putting together a menu that your guests will rave about even after the event is over!
Planning Tips for a Memorable Pre-Wedding Event
We know that planning for an entire wedding weekend can be daunting. At Crazy Dutchman Catering, we’re here to help you pull off the perfect event. We want to be your one-stop-shop for both your pre-wedding and wedding event catering needs. We pride ourselves on our quick communication, so we’re here to answer any questions you may have and lend you our expertise and knowledge.
Venue, Timing, and Guest Flow
When planning your pre-wedding events, it’s common to use a rental property instead of an event space, depending on the size of the group. Charleston also has many smaller venues that are perfect for smaller rehearsal dinners and welcome parties. Some Charleston venues even have different areas that you can rent out for each of your events.
The wedding rehearsal usually takes place off-site and everyone arrives at the venue around the same time. This is why it’s important to have a point of contact at the venue while everyone is at the rehearsal so your vendors know where to set up. This can be a family member, a wedding planner, or one of the wedding planner’s assistants.
For rehearsal dinners, you’ll usually have a couple of appetizer selections available as everyone arrives at the venue. Shortly after, dinner is usually available. If you’re doing a combination rehearsal dinner and welcome party, the buffet is then cleaned up and new food stations are set up with hors d’oeuvres. Then the second group of guests arrive and the celebration begins!
Coordinating with Wedding Planners and Vendors
A wedding planner may help with the actual wedding rehearsal, but is not usually needed for the rehearsal dinner, but it depends on what kind of coordination package that you have. Your wedding planner can help tie up any loose ends between vendors and go over the final details that you may be missing.Coordinator Article
Conclusion: Make the Night Before as Special as the Big Day
Give your guests an authentic Charleston experience with traditional southern cuisine with one of our delicious menus and enjoy a stress-free day with our full-service event catering and bar services. If you’re looking for rehearsal dinner catering, welcome dinner catering, or both – Crazy Dutchman Catering is here to make your wedding weekend one to remember.