Ask Amber Joy: My rehearsal dinner numbers are getting out of control, who do I HAVE to invite?

This is completely up to you. If you are battling with your family or yourself on who to invite, just remember that the rehearsal dinner can be as small or large as you like. There are no obligations. In fact, you don’t even HAVE to do a rehearsal dinner if you don’t want to.


Some couples choose to invite their family, wedding party, and out of town guests which indeed can get out of control! Others couples keep it REALLY simple and just share an intimate dinner with each other. It can be pretty nice for the B&G (bride & groom) to spend a moment with each other.

Regardless of what you decide to do, if you find your numbers are getting larger than you expected, keep the price down with a minimalistic approach. You don’t have to go to a restaurant or spend a ton of money. You can easily use the clubhouse where you live or a friend’s backyard. Consider making your own meal with something low cost like salads and pasta!

Sangria? Si!

Just thought I’d share. I made a super yummy sangria for my BBQ last week. Might be a fun addition to a rehearsal dinner!


Amber Joy’s FABOOSH Pina Colada Sangria:

1 Bottle of South Coast Winery Romanza (any red will do though)


½ cup to 1 cup Malibu Coconut Rum

1 20oz can of slice pineapple (include juice in can)

1 lime (sliced, squeezed into sangria, then the rinds left in)

1 orange (sliced and placed into sangria)

1 can of ginger ale

Place all ingredients, except ginger ale, into container and place in the fridge overnight. Right before serving, pour the ginger ale into the container and serve. YUM!



Another awesome sangria recipe I tried:
White Peach Sangria