What to wear
What to wear to a rehearsal dinner
One notch below the wedding, with room for a little personality.
The short answer
Dress one step less formal than the wedding. For most rehearsal dinners, that means dressy casual to cocktail: a midi dress, a jumpsuit or a silk blouse with tailored trousers, or a blazer with chinos or wool trousers, tie optional. Guests should skip white, which many brides wear to the rehearsal dinner.
Usual dress code: Dressy casual
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Before you get dressed
The rehearsal dinner is the smaller, looser night before the wedding: family, the wedding party and sometimes out-of-town guests sharing a meal after the ceremony run-through. The easiest way to decide what to wear to a rehearsal dinner is to look at two things: the venue and the formality of the wedding itself. A black tie wedding usually calls for a cocktail-level dinner, while a relaxed backyard wedding might warm up with a barbecue.
Your role matters too. The couple sets the tone and often dresses up a little, the wedding party should look polished for toasts and photos, and guests can aim for the middle. Traditionally the groom's family hosts, though many couples now plan it themselves or share the cost. Whoever hosts sets the dress code, so read the invitation closely. This page covers every role and the color question that comes up most: is white okay?
Rehearsal dinner: outfits for women
A midi dress, a dressy jumpsuit or silk separates hit the right note at most rehearsal dinners. Match the restaurant: sleek and dark for an upscale dining room, lighter and floral for a patio or garden. Leave white to the couple.
- Restaurant dinner: a jewel-tone slip or wrap dress at midi length, heeled sandals and a compact evening bag.
- Backyard or barbecue: a printed cotton midi dress or a linen jumpsuit with flat sandals or espadrilles.
- Separates: a silk blouse tucked into tailored wide-leg trousers, with pointed flats or heels and gold jewelry.
- Plus-size: a wrap jumpsuit in matte crepe with a V-neck and wide legs, block-heel sandals and statement earrings.
- Petite: a knee-length slip dress with a cropped jacket and low pointed heels; the short layer keeps your proportions balanced.
- Getting married: a white or ivory cocktail dress, jumpsuit or trouser suit that's simpler than your wedding look, or any color you love.
Rehearsal dinner: outfits for men
A sport coat or suit is the rehearsal dinner standard, and a tie is often optional. Chinos or wool trousers with a blazer suit most restaurants. Move up to a full suit and tie when the wedding is black tie or the dinner is somewhere formal.
- Dressy casual: a navy unstructured blazer, a light blue oxford shirt, stone chinos and brown suede loafers.
- Upscale restaurant: a charcoal or navy suit, a crisp white shirt and a silk tie, with black or dark brown shoes.
- Backyard or barbecue: tailored chinos, a short-sleeve camp-collar or linen shirt, and loafers or clean leather sneakers.
- Big & tall: an unstructured sport coat in navy or olive with a soft shoulder, dark trousers and an open-collar shirt.
- Groomsman: a suit or blazer polished enough for toasts and photos, but different from what you'll wear at the wedding.
- Getting married: a light gray or tan suit with a patterned tie or open collar, or a velvet blazer for a winter evening.
Color
Colors to wear and to skip
Wear
Jewel tones, rich neutrals like navy, camel and olive, and cheerful prints all work. Black is fine for an evening restaurant dinner. Let the season guide you: pastels and brights in spring and summer, deeper shades in fall and winter.
Skip
White, ivory and cream, unless you're the one getting married; many brides wear white to the rehearsal dinner, and you don't want to look like you're matching her. Wedding party members may want to skip their wedding-day color so the two nights' photos look different.
The most flattering version of any color is the one that suits your own coloring. Find your color season to know which shades to wear near your face.
Details
Things to consider
Hosts and parents
If you're hosting, you'll greet every guest and likely give a welcome toast, so dress at the top of the range you've set. Parents of the couple often coordinate loosely with each other without matching.
Venue
A private room at a steakhouse, a winery terrace and a backyard all call for different outfits. If the invitation doesn't give a dress code, look up the venue and match its usual crowd.
Coming from the rehearsal
If you're heading straight from a run-through at a church or temple, dress for that space first: covered shoulders and modest hemlines.
Toasts and photos
If you're giving a toast, choose an outfit you won't fidget with, and avoid noisy bracelets near the microphone. Solid colors and small patterns photograph better than tiny checks, which can shimmer on camera.
Etiquette
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Ask the host how dressy the dinner is if the invitation doesn't say.
- Plan a different outfit from the one you'll wear to the wedding.
- Match your partner's or date's level of formality so you look like you're at the same event.
- Bring a layer for a patio, rooftop or winery terrace.
- Pack a stain pen, since rehearsal dinners often mean sauces and red wine.
Don't
- Don't wear white, ivory or anything bridal unless you're one of the people getting married.
- Don't show up in jeans and a T-shirt unless the invitation says the dinner is casual.
- Don't wear a gown or tuxedo; even for a black tie wedding, the night before is a step down.
- Don't wear sky-high heels if you'll stand through a long rehearsal first.
- Don't forget the officiant and grandparents may share your table; keep the outfit family-friendly.
Questions
Rehearsal dinner outfit FAQ
Can you wear white to a rehearsal dinner?
Not as a guest. Many brides wear white or ivory to the rehearsal dinner, so guests should choose another color. If you're the one getting married, white is your call, and a simpler white dress, jumpsuit or suit is a popular choice. Prints with a mostly white background can read as white in photos, so skip those too.
What does the couple wear to the rehearsal dinner?
Something special but lighter than the wedding look. Many brides choose a white or ivory cocktail dress or jumpsuit, and many grooms wear a suit with a more playful tie or no tie. Couples of any gender can coordinate colors without matching exactly, and a bold color instead of white is just as appropriate.
Do men need to wear a tie to a rehearsal dinner?
Usually not. A blazer with an open-collar shirt is fine at most rehearsal dinners. Wear a tie if the dinner is at a formal restaurant, the wedding is black tie or the invitation says cocktail attire. If you're unsure, wear the tie; you can always take it off once you see the room.
Can you wear jeans to a rehearsal dinner?
Only if the dinner is clearly casual, like a barbecue, a crawfish boil or a pizza night, and the host says so. Even then, choose dark, clean jeans with a nice blouse, a blazer or a collared shirt. For a restaurant dinner, wear trousers, a skirt or a dress instead.
What should bridesmaids and groomsmen wear to the rehearsal dinner?
Something polished, since the wedding party appears in photos and often gives toasts: a cocktail dress, a jumpsuit, a suit or a blazer with trousers. Avoid white and your wedding-day colors unless the couple asks you to coordinate. Keep hair and makeup a little simpler than you'll wear them the next day.
Is a rehearsal dinner formal?
Usually not. Most rehearsal dinners sit one step below the wedding, somewhere between dressy casual and cocktail attire. Some couples do host a formal dinner, especially before a black tie wedding, and a few keep it as casual as a picnic. Take your cue from the invitation, the venue and the host.
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