Rehearsal dinner invitations invite family, friends, and out-of-town guests to the rehearsal dinner. The rehearsal dinner is hosted after the wedding rehearsal, usually the night before the wedding ceremony. It's a time for a close-knit group of people, usually just the bride, groom, and their immediate families to kick back and have a good time. However, if friends and out-of-town guests are coming to, it's appropriate to send out rehearsal dinner invitations. These needn't be elaborate or spectacular. Whimsical, succinct, clear messages are best in this situation.

The invitations needn't be long or wordy. No more than 50 words are really needed for the message itself. It's more appropriate to think of the message as a verse or short poetic stanza. Even a haiku will do. A typical invitation is composed of the following elements: the hosting party's names (usually the parents of the groom), the bride and groom's names, i.e., for such and such rehearsal dinner, and the day, date, time, and location. Sometimes, the message comes in an envelope, but, oftentimes, the card - colorful, illustrated, and festive - carries the message all by itself. It resembles a post card in that respect - except the message is on the side with the picture, and not on the backside. Online stores allow you to customize the card before you purchase. A simple pull-down menu will let you select the font style, font color, and background pattern or image. You can even input the text you want for each line of the message. It's completely customizable. These are perfect if you can't find the right card at the local bridal store, and you're in a pinch for time.

Rehearsal dinner invitations often feature images of a cake, a plate with a knife and fork, a feast, a champagne bottle, or any common dinner setting. It rarely features a picture of the bride and groom because the dinner is the main focus of the rehearsal dinner. It's a time of camaraderie and companionship prior to the big day. The key with rehearsal dinner invitations is simplicity. It just doesn't do to have an envelope, ribbon, or return note. Stay simple with a single card, and make sure that's it colorful and festive so it stands out in the mail. The rehearsal dinner should be about fun, not formality. In fact, its whole purpose is to contrast the formality of the rehearsal just prior to it and the wedding that follows.

Rehearsal dinner invitations are usually necessary when the dinner is going to have more than 24 guests. Typical dinners usually consist of about a dozen members of the bride's family and a dozen members of the groom's family. Simply letting people know is sufficient. However, more guests than that require personalized, fun invitations.