Our Rehearsal Dinner in North Georgia
If you follow me, you know that I am now a married woman! And... it has taken me months to post any wedding content, but we're kicking off wedding posts will all the details on my rehearsal dinner.
The set-up for our rehearsal dinner, by the staff at Yahoola Creek Grill
We got married on a Saturday, so our rehearsal dinner was on the Friday before and my in-laws did such an amazing job planning it all. It was seriously so perfect and I hate that I didn't get more photos.
The planning process started in July. We went up to North Georgia to visit restaurants in Dahlonega that would be able to host a 35-guest dinner. I did do some research before the trip, so we had a list of places.
And the first one we looked at was a hit. We didn't go anywhere else. Call us lucky!
My in-laws hosted our rehearsal dinner at Yahoola Creek Grill. The staff there actually set-up and decorated everything for an amazing price. It was beautiful for our intimate rehearsal dinner. The theme of the wedding weekend was definitely intimate.
Didn't you hear? We had an intimate wedding, a microwedding if you will. We invited 50 people - parents, grandparents, siblings and significant others, our closest friends.
More on that later.
For attire, David and I dressed up a bit. He was in dress pants and a blue dress shirt. I wore a white (obviously!) midi dress with a coat because it was a bit chilly! Oh, and my favorite nude heels. I had my hair done earlier that day and my makeup trial, too, so I didn't have to worry about that.
My mother-in-law gave the start time as about 15 minutes before we actually started rehearsing, which was SO smart, because Friday traffic in the metro Atlanta area is no joke. David and I only had a 5-minute drive from our Airbnb and even we were a little late.
We ran through our rehearsal with our amazing coordinator, Margaret, and kicked off our dinner.
We started dinner with a salad. Chicken parmesan, baked ziti, roasted root vegetables, and mashed potatoes were served family-style. For dessert, we had cheesecake with a berry compote that was oh so good. We also had beer and wine!
As we ate, David's parents prayed and gave the sweetest toast.
This is kind of a side note, but David and I have been together since high school for nearly 11 years. Our families have known each other even longer than that, so we all really are close. I feel just as comfortable with his family than I do my own, so the vibe of the entire wedding weekend was comforting, calm, intimate. The energy of the weekend was something that was really important to me, and it was so perfect.
Back to the rehearsal dinner.
In the middle of dinner, they opened up the floor for others to say anything, and our friends did not hesitate to say a little something.
We ate good food, enjoyed some great drinks, laughed, and just enjoyed having everyone we love so much together in one space. With the hustle of everyday life, that rarely happens.
The one person that was missing was my Nana, who passed away just a month before our wedding. She was the most excited about the day. I am so thankful that just 2 days before she passed away, I went to her house and put on my wedding dress for her. I know she was there that day (and every day) in spirit, but it isn't quite the same as having her physically there. If you've lost a loved one, you know what I mean.
Alright, that is everything (I think!) I have to share about our rehearsal dinner. Wedding day posts are coming up next! Let me know if there is anything specific I need to cover.
xx,
Amanda
