On Rehearsal Dinners

What we hold back

On Rehearsal Dinners
Photo by Birmingham Museums Trust / Unsplash

My favorite part of any wedding is the rehearsal dinner. It’s when the most important people in a couple’s life stand up and say the intentional, beautiful things they rarely find occasion to say in everyday life. My brother got married a few months ago, and listening to the extraordinary toasts by the other groomsmen and bridesmaids made me pause and think how unfortunately rare it is that we reserve for weddings the eye-to-eye affirmations and appreciations that we could bring more regularly into our most important relationships.

We often need the excuse of a big event or elevated moment to overcome the awkwardness of being so direct with the people we love, but if we can push through that valley of awkwardness, there is deeper connection on the other side.