Show-Stopping Rehearsals

By Carol Cujec
Show-Stopping Rehearsals

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IT MAY BE THE MOMENT your two families meet for the first time, and it’s often a good prediction for how the next day’s celebration will turn out. Will everyone get along? Will there be awkward silences? You can’t control how your loved ones will behave, but you can welcome them with a rehearsal dinner that is fun while it sets the tone for your wedding.

Since your rehearsal dinner is more intimate than your reception, it’s a terrific opportunity to impress family and friends with San Diego’s breathtaking views, spectacular weather and fabulous party spots, both classic and trendy. The experts we spoke with offered some fresh ideas for dodging the stodgy and making your rehearsal dinner a memorable event in itself.

The rehearsal dinner offers a chance to showcase your personality, says event planner Paul Bott, who describes himself as “a bald Martha Stewart.” Bott recommends doing something that reflects who you are as a family. “When my mother planned a rehearsal dinner for my brother, we had 150 people, and she was alarmed that she might fail,” recalls Bott. “So I simply asked her, ‘If these people were coming over to our house, what would we do? And she said, ‘Well, of course we’d barbecue,’ and I said, ‘Then that’s what we’ll do.’ To this day, they talk more about the barbecue than about the wedding reception.”

One of San Diego’s stunning beaches like Windansea or Torrey Pines offers a memorable backdrop for a casually elegant barbecue. According to caterer Giuseppe Ciuffa of Giuseppe Restaurants & Fine Catering, given our glorious weather, outdoor barbecues are popular even in the fall. He recommends anything from a Mediterranean grill to a Latin fusion—a combination of Mexican, Cuban and Peruvian flavors. A catered beach barbeque not only showcases San Diego’s natural beauty, it lets you off the hook when it comes to cleaning up the house after the party.

Of course, time spent at the beach can encompass far more than an evening barbecue; a daytime beach party is also highly enjoyable, says Kristin Garuba of Pink Papaya Creative Events, especially if guests are coming from out of town. “We bring towels and chairs for everybody and big buckets full of toys—paddle balls, volleyballs, snorkels and fins,” Garuba says. “Everybody also gets a beach bag with a camera, flip-flops, sunglasses, suntan lotion, and our caterer drops off sandwiches and sodas for lunch.” Adding surfing lessons by a company like Coronado Surfing Academy guarantees that your guests will have something to brag about back home. For a more upscale beach party, consider the patio of the historic Hotel Del Coronado on Coronado Beach. Hire a Beach Boys-style band and end the evening with a fireworks display over the water.

Suppose you want to show off San Diego, but you don’t like sand in your sangria. Fortunately, there are a number of venues that are intimate enough for a rehearsal dinner and offer historic San Diego appeal. Larry Rinehart of TK&A Catering suggests The Thursday Club in Point Loma, the Darlington House in La Jolla or the La Jolla Woman’s Club. For maximum posh, consider Bernard Gardens, an exclusive estate in Rancho Santa Fe adorned with waterfalls, koi ponds, a stunning outdoor kitchen and illuminated fountains. All of these venues are perfect for receptions, of course, but choose them for a rehearsal dinner and knock out your out-of-town guests. And while museums may sound too big for a dinner, Rinehart has done rehearsal dinners at the Museum of Photographic Arts, where a sit-down dinner for 30 is quite comfortable.

Since the rehearsal is smaller than the reception, the quality of the food is generally higher, says Rinehart. “The champagne is better, the wine is better, and people often spend a lot to achieve a fabulous dessert because the next day is wedding cake.” Classics like cherries jubilee, bananas Foster or crêpes Suzette mark the occasion with style. Garuba has also done chocolate bars with champagne truffles by high-end chocolatier Teuscher and creative favors like sculpted chocolate purses and edible chocolate menus.