Rehearsal Dinner

Yikes! It is the responsibility of the groom's family to provide the rehearsal dinner for the wedding party. I gulp when the bride tells me there will be 60 people attending - out of town relatives and guests who will expect to be fed. That pretty much eliminates any thought of a restaurant. I decide to do the same meal I did for the rehearsal dinner for my degree recital: lasagna, Italian rolls, tossed salad, brownies and drinks.

I figure I can do that within my limited budget while still managing to make sure everyone gets enough to eat and feels full. I respectfully reserved the fellowship hall at the church where I work and ask my sister if she can help me. She is none too thrilled at the idea, but agrees to lend a hand. After all, I have to be AT the rehearsal (it would never do for the mother of the groom to be clueless).

I start the day doing the shopping. I have the list and the plan. I had almost forgotten that I would need to decorate the tables, so I go first to Party City for appropriate table stuff. I call the bride to get her approval of color combinations. Then I head to Wegmans for the frozen lasagna and mac and cheese trays, the salad, drinks, butter etc. Cookie and dessert trays from Sam's club, rolls from Martesciello's bakery (people loved them at the rehearsal dinner). I think I am set.

I head to the church and cart everything to the fellowship hall. I rearrange the tables, put the purple tablecloths on them, add in apples for decor along with tealight candles. Then I set up the buffet and get the plasticware and napkins set. Where has this day gone??? It is already nearly time to go to the rehearsal.

I am so blessed that my two friends - seeing my plight - offer to help. I leave the dinner in their capable hands and head to the rehearsal, not worried about feeding everyone afterwards. I have done all that I could and hopefully that will be enough.

The rehearsal is in shambles. People are running around fussing. One of my sons is there with his children, and they are crying. Questions are being shouted at random to no one in particular. What a mess. I decide to just sit until order comes about. I am asked questions to which I consistently reply "I don't know."

At last, the pastor arrives and attempts to bring order from this chaos. It will be midnight by the time we get out of here. I just sit. Even with the wedding planner, it takes almost a half hour to get everyone settled down and in the right place. We begin with much needed prayer. At least it is quiet!

The pastors (yes, there will be 2) walk us through the service, explaining what to expect, trying out the awkward parts, moving us from one place to another. Despite the constant starting and stopping and redoing, we make slow progress. We do manage to get finished by 6:30. I have a text from my sister asking when we will get there as she had to take some of the lasagna out of the oven lest it burn. Sigh. We will get there when we get there. One of the groom's men locked himself out of his car, the bride has to change, the groom doesn't want to hurry off and desert people. Wow.

Best thing I can do is drive the block or two to the rehearsal dinner site and just be there. People will find me if they need me. My son with the screaming (yes, it escalated) ring bearer throws in the towel and heads back to his hotel room. Thank goodness! We will send him dinner. Slowly people trickle in.

And then, the critical mass is reached. I ask the pastor to bless the food, and the line cues up. My friends will not let me help in the kitchen. They shoo me into the hall to talk with people. I sit and chat, eventually filling a plate and eating while my wonderful amazing precious friends keep the bowls filled and the hot food coming.

By the time I say farewell to the last people, they have cleared away most of the leftovers and wiped the empty tables. What have I done to deserve such wonderful friends! I owe them big time for sure. Best of all, I think the bride and her family were pleased with the whole evening. Perhaps it was a good thing to be close by with lots of space in a non chaotic environment.

I know people felt free to help themselves to as much food as they wanted, and to stay and chat for as long as they needed. The event was hospitable and filled with fellowship, as I had hoped. I am glad it went well, and I know I owe much of that to the amazing kitchen crew. Now I just have to figure out where everyone is going! The giggling bridesmaids head one direction, the bride and maid of honor another. The groom and his friends head in another direction. The guests go home. The parents of the bride head out to take care of a few last minute details.

As for me, I am just going home and to bed. Tomorrow will be a long and amazing day, I am sure.