Incorporate one of our fun ideas and your pre-ceremony party will be almost as memorable as the wedding itself.

The days of stuffy sit-down dinners the night before a wedding are over. Today couples are getting revved up for the big day in backyards, bowling alleys, and on beaches. Most of these standout ideas can take place at home or in a restaurant, and each of them is sure to please everyone from Grandma to your grad school roomie.

BBQ Bash

Especially if the wedding is superformal, relax at the rehearsal dinner. What better way to introduce two families than over burgers, dogs, and Aunt Jessica’s famous baked beans? Picnic tables allow everyone to interact casually as they pass food cooked up by the dads bonding over grill duty. Get potlucky by asking each member of the bridal party to bring a favorite dessert. Decorate tables with wildflowers in galvanized tin pails and jars of homemade jam laid out on red-and-white checkered tablecloths. For favors, give out BBQ sauce, “Kiss the Chef” aprons, or personalized ketchup bottles.
Knot note: Avoid unwelcome guests with anti-mosquito candles.

The Orient Express

Go for a Dip

From buffets to multicourse served meals, fondue adds fun to any meal. Start with toast points and various cheese pots: blue cheese or Gruyere are good starters. Move on to meats, potatoes, and veggies, which can each be dipped in sauces (like teriyaki, red wine, and ginger) and cooked right on the table. For dessert, dip fresh fruit, squares of firm cake or brownies, bananas, and marshmallows in pots of melted chocolate, caramel, marshmallow, honey, and yogurt. Give guests a take-home version of one of the dishes or even a monogrammed fondue fork.

Let the Good Times Bowl

A themed bowling party is big fun -- and sends a clear “casual attire” message to your guests. Some alleys have private rooms where you can serve food -- the menu is easy: microwave pizza (or delivery), nachos, pretzels, and other foods from the snack bar. Stage competitions between the two families, or do boys vs. girls, and give awards at the end of the night (don’t forget to honor “Most Gutter Balls”!) Winners receive a bowling shirt embroidered with “Team Chris & Sara,” while everyone else takes home sugar cookies iced to look like bowling balls.

Feelin' Lucky?

Send out invitations on customized playing cards for your casino night, and decorate surfaces with chocolate poker chips. Let your bridal party take turns dealing blackjack, poker, and other card games (or hire a real dealer), and consider, bingo matches and having raffle prizes. No casino is complete with out lots of chic sips, so keep the champagne flowing as gambling guests spend the evening toasting the bride and groom.

A Party You Can Really Dig

Serve up fresh seafood with all the New England fixin’s at a traditional clambake. For a feast with an authentic setting too, go to the beach and dig a two- or three-foot deep pit lined with rocks and build a wood fire top. For an easier, landlocked version, steam clams and provisions on a stovetop and haul them to a beachier locale. Fill buckets with shells and seafood-shaped candies at each table for fun favors.

 Welcome to the Big League

Proclaim the wedding festivities officially underway with an excursion to a local stadium or baseball field for some hoots and dogs. Many ballparks offer group packages, complete with a congratulatory message on the scoreboard. Personalized baseball caps or plastic beer steins make perfect souvenirs after guests have eaten their fill of Cracker Jacks and peanuts. For your own memories, have all the guests sign a “game ball.”

Toast of the Town

Destination Theme

Going somewhere tropical for your honeymoon? Give guests a little sneak peek and transform your dinner into your destination. Hang hammocks from trees in your backyard, serve dinner buffet-style on long surfboards, blend pina coladas and daiquiris, and let Jimmy Buffet blast. For fun favor ideas, try personalized messages in glass bottles, flip-flops, or gift certificates for a spray tans.

Tee Time