24 Elegant Rehearsal Dinner Food Ideas

The rehearsal dinner is a great opportunity to give guests a taste of what is to come, not to mention an old-fashioned good time with family and friends. So how about some rehearsal dinner food ideas that are both elegant and scrumptious? We at Peerspace have collected 24 of our favorite ideas that are sure to put a smile on the faces of your guests!

1. Offer a surf and turf dinner menu

Surf and turf meals are as enjoyable as they are elegant. Lobster, steak, salmon, scallops, lamb…Offering your guests two upscale meat options on a single plate is a great way to thank them for coming to your wedding rehearsal! Surf and turf means including the red meat and seafood of your choice; check out a few of these recipes as rehearsal dinner food ideas.

2. Get creative with a brunch menu

You don’t have to serve the same kind of food that other couples do; it’s your wedding! So how about a creative brunch selection instead? Brunch is a versatile option that ensures even picky eaters will find something they like. You can even book a restaurant that serves brunch through Peerspace. We have rehearsal dinner venues like this bar, restaurant, and club in Hollywood, CA, that handles all of the meal preparation for you!

3. Celebrate a waterfront wedding with a seafood boil

One way to enhance a waterfront wedding theme is by having a seafood boil for the rehearsal dinner! Buckets of crabs, clams, crawfish, potatoes, and corn, well seasoned and ready for guests to dig into never go to waste. There are many ways to put together a seafood boil but this version from Allrecipes is one of our favorites!

4. Let everyone choose their favorite Spanish tapas

A tapas menu is like small bites, Mediterranean-style! Tapas go great with wine and good company. Marinated olives, jamon with cheese, fried calamari…You can make an entire menu using Spanish finger food!

5. Create a menu focused on classic local recipes

Do you live in a part of the country known for great cuisine, like the American South? Focus on the cuisine of the area; for a Southern wedding rehearsal dinner, you could serve comfort food like fried chicken, cornbread, collard greens, and whiskey cupcakes. For a New England rehearsal dinner, lobster rolls are a must-have! 

6. Go international with a sushi selection

Sushi is one of those dishes that’s a sure crowd-pleaser! It’s beautiful, can easily be made vegetarian-friendly, and you’re sure to have a few restaurants near you that serve it. You can even offer dessert sushi after the main courses.

7. Choose an elegant Mediterranean dinner menu

Mediterranean cuisine tops the list of most rehearsal dinner food ideas for many good reasons! French, Italian, and Greek cuisine have many wonderful dishes to offer that are featured in most upscale restaurants. Mediterranean options like pasta dishes with cream, salad, chicken Florentine, and antipasto are great ideas for building a rehearsal dinner menu.

8. Get fancy with gourmet pizza 

Pizza isn’t just for casual dinners. Not when you include toppings like anchovies, basil, and romano cheese, like more of a classic Italian pizza. Local restaurants serving gourmet artisan pizzas are a good place to search if you want your wedding catered with good pizza. Or you can use a few of these gourmet pizza recipes to get you started! 

Are you a bona fide pizza addict? You’re not alone! Check out these creative pizza party ideas for adults to start planning your next themed fete!

9. Serve some sweet cheesecake for dessert

The dessert is a truly important part of planning any rehearsal dinner. You want something that’s going to please everyone and is a little upscale without being too strange. Cheesecake is hard to beat. Rich and decadent, any flavor will do, including classic, chocolate, or key lime. Start with a few of Taste of Home’s cheesecake recipes to find some ideas for a rehearsal dinner dessert!

10. Make the evening memorable with a lobster dinner

Is there anything more elegant than a lobster wedding rehearsal dinner? Shelling lobster by hand can get a bit messy so we recommend recipes where the lobster comes pre-shalled. Daen’s Kitchen gets our vote with their buttered lobster and cherry tomatoes over pasta recipe that’s absolutely decadent!

11. Set up a champagne wall for easy toasts

Make toasts easy to organize with a champagne wall! All anyone has to do is reach for a glass and they’re ready to celebrate with a bubbly beverage. Champagne walls are as cute as they are trendy and look great in everyone’s wedding photos.

12. Share the catch of the day with everyone

Beach weddings that want more of a focus than simply seafood can make “the catch of the day” the theme of the rehearsal dinner you’re planning. The kind of fish you choose depends on your preference and the region. Local seafood restaurants will be more than happy to offer a wide selection of fresh fish for the event, though! High-end rehearsal dinner food ideas that include fish are halibut, salmon, tuna, trout, and swordfish.

A catch-of-the-day menu should be served at a venue to match, like a beach wedding venue. Something Peerspace has plenty of! Check out this Mediterranean house in Miami Beach, FL, just steps away from the sea.

13. Celebrate with a BBQ dinner

Even an elegant rehearsal dinner can still find a place for some good BBQ! Especially if you live in places like Missouri or Texas where BBQ is a way of life. Hire a local BBQ restaurant to cater your rehearsal dinner with some of the sauces your region is best known for! And don’t forget corn on the cob, baked beans, and other classic BBQ sides.

14. Let everyone make their own plate at a salad bar

A salad bar is just what you need if your rehearsal dinner guests include many vegetarians or vegans! It’s not only elegant but also lets everyone build the kind of plate they most enjoy. Salad bars can easily be supplemented with soup, a meat carving station, and dessert for an instant rehearsal dinner selection! 

15. Stack the sweets high with a cupcake tower

Did you know that you can build a wedding cake in miniature with a cupcake tower? Dozens or hundreds of mini cupcakes, arranged on a cupcake tower, are both eye-catching and elegant! Guests are free to serve themselves whenever they like; work with local bakeries if you want some delicious artisan cupcakes for your rehearsal dinner. You can also use a wedding-worthy recipe like this one from Sally’s Baking Recipes!

16. Celebrate “a hole lotta love” with a donut wall

A rehearsal dinner is a great chance to get creative with your menu options, including the desserts. Donut walls are a nice change from simply laying out desserts for guests to enjoy. They work especially well if you partner with a local bakery known for making intensely colorful donuts! 

Check out our guide on how to plan a rehearsal dinner to ensure you nail every aspect of this important event.

17. Say thank you for attending with a steak dinner

A steak dinner is a classic rehearsal dinner food idea for good reason! It’s a celebratory meal, considered very upscale, and delicious. If you happen to choose a local restaurant or catering service to partner with, the chances are excellent that they can put together a steak dinner.

18. Choose your favorite meats with Brazilian BBQ

Sometimes you want more than just steak. Have a Brazilian BBQ restaurant cater your wedding for something a bit more unique! Brazilian BBQ features multiple meat options, hand-carved from skewers right onto the plates of your guests.

19. Book a private room at the couple’s favorite restaurant

Many newlyweds choose to book a private room or even the entire dining room of their favorite restaurant. It could be the place where you had your first date or simply where you both prefer to spend quality time together. Give your guests the chance to experience what makes that place special to you both during your rehearsal dinner!

Learn how to find restaurants with private rooms here!

20. Serve fruit tarts as a colorful dessert

Fruit tarts are desserts filled with custard inside of a cookie or pie crust container. They are just the right dessert to round out any rehearsal dinner menu. Fruit tarts are quite versatile since you can make finger-sized tarts or a single large tart, cut into slices. The kind of filling and fruit you use can also vary. As a starting point, check out this recipe from Sugar Spun Run for a delicious large fruit tart!

21. Serve something special with Indian cuisine

Bright and colorful, Indian cuisine is a unique departure from the Mediterranean cuisine that most couples go with! Spicy curries, naan bread, samosas, and tandoori chicken are foods that are familiar enough for even picky eaters to enjoy. Plus Indian food is a very vegetarian-friendly cuisine to work with! 

22. Serve elegant French cuisine

French cuisine includes signature wedding dishes like foie gras, French onion soup, and veal medallions. It’s a great culinary tradition to choose ideas from for your rehearsal dinner! Check out this list of French culinary options from French Wedding Style to get you started.

23. Set up multiple grazing tables for guests

Grazing tables are a must-have at a sizeable wedding rehearsal dinner where you want to let guests stand and mingle! A grazing table can include classics like charcuterie and cheese alongside fresh fruit and canapés. But you can also get as creative as you like with it; serve mini tacos, mini fruit tarts, and other treats sure to surprise and delight!

24. Stuff some crispy empanadas for dinner and dessert

Empanadas are Latin American staples that might be one of the most versatile dishes you can imagine! After all, you can fill empanadas with anything you like. Start with some savory ground beef empanadas paired with spinach and cheese-stuffed ones. And finish things off with chocolate and banana or sweet cream dessert empanadas! Don’t forget the dipping sauces for even more of a flavor explosion. 

Rehearsal dinner food ideas: conclusion

Wedding rehearsal dinners should be elegant without upstaging the party to follow the actual wedding! We think the rehearsal dinner food ideas here do a great job of balancing that tricky task. You can easily build a dinner theme to match your overall wedding as well using our ideas. After all, great event ideas is what Peerspace does best! Well, that, and curating the largest collection of wedding rehearsal dinner venues near you.

Find unique event venues for your rehearsal dinner on Peerspace