Two families, one room, the night before
The rehearsal dinner is the best night of the weekend for this — a smaller group, and exactly the people who have never met each other.
A rehearsal dinner has a specific problem. Everyone there matters, half of them have never met, and the format — a long table and a couple of speeches — gives them no particular reason to.
This is the night we would pick out of the whole weekend. The group is small enough that everybody gets properly involved, the evening is not already carrying a first dance and a cake cutting, and the people in the room are exactly the ones who will spend tomorrow sitting together.
Why it works better here than at the reception
- The numbers suit it. Twenty to forty people is the size where a murder mystery really moves.
- There is room in the evening. A reception is already full. A rehearsal dinner usually is not.
- It does the introductions for you. Nobody has to work the room, because the game makes them.
- Tomorrow is easier. People who spent last night accusing each other of murder are not strangers at the reception.
90 to 120 minutes
Runs around the meal, and leaves the evening room to breathe afterwards.
At your venue
The restaurant, the hotel, a private room, someone's house — wherever the dinner is.
Speeches still fit
Tell us where the toasts sit and we build the evening around them.
Keep it kind
A custom game can be written around the couple, and at a rehearsal dinner that lands particularly well — the family stories everyone half-knows, the friend who always gets the blame. The one rule is that tomorrow is the wedding. We agree beforehand exactly what is fair game, and we err gentle. See custom murder mystery parties.
We ask for 45 days' notice, which for a wedding weekend you will comfortably have.
Questions people ask
Is a rehearsal dinner really the best night for it?
We think so. The group is the right size, the evening is not already carrying a first dance and speeches, and the people there are exactly the ones who need to meet before tomorrow.
How many people does it work with?
Twenty to forty is the sweet spot for a rehearsal dinner, though we run games from about 8 up to 100.
Can we still do the toasts?
Yes. Tell us where the toasts and speeches sit in the evening and we build the game around your running order rather than across it.
Can the game be about the couple?
Yes, and it works beautifully the night before. We agree exactly what is fair game with you in advance, and at a rehearsal dinner we deliberately err on the gentle side.
Where can we hold it?
Wherever the dinner is — a restaurant, a hotel room, a private space, a family home. We come to you anywhere in the country with no travel charge on the quote.
Hold the night before
Check your date and see what the group size costs. Half now, half after the event.
Check Availability & Pricing Talk to us first