Rehearsal Dinner Style Guide for Brides, Grooms & Couples
Published on October 20, 2025
By Nathaniel Longmore
BTS With Roxy
What to Wear the Night Before Your Wedding
The rehearsal dinner has become more than a simple pre-wedding formality. It sets the tone for the celebration to come, brings together both families, wedding parties, and close friends, and offers the couple a chance to relax before the big day. But it also presents a question many couples ask: What should we wear to the rehearsal dinner?
Unlike the wedding day, the rehearsal dinner offers room for creative expression through fashion. It’s the moment where you can show a different side of your style before stepping into full wedding attire. Whether your event is intimate or upscale, themed or traditional, modern or classic, what you wear the night before your wedding should feel authentic and cohesive as a pair.
Creating a Cohesive Rehearsal Dinner Outfit as a Couple
Dressing as a couple for your rehearsal dinner doesn’t mean you have to match. Aim to coordinate with tones, textures, and styles that are clearly connected. But you can certainly match if you want to!
- Pick a shared tone: Select warm vs. cool colors or stick to different shades in the main colors of your wedding theme.
- Wear the same metals: Keep jewelry or other accents in the same category.
- Match textures: Pair a satin dress with a satin tie.
- Share style: Above all, make sure you’re dressed in the same dress code. No matter what formality you choose, keep it consistent as a couple.
What is a Rehearsal Dinner?
Rehearsal dinners bring together close guests for a kickoff celebration. Today, some couples opt for brunches, cocktail parties, or destination welcome dinners instead, but the wardrobe question remains the same: how dressy should the couple be, and how can they stand out as the couple of honor?
Think of rehearsal dinner style as wedding-adjacent. It should feel connected to your wedding aesthetic while still offering a completely distinct look. This is a chance to experiment with trends, switch up silhouettes, or introduce a color scheme that complements your wedding day outfits.
How Formal Should Your Rehearsal Dinner Outfit Be?
The dress code depends on your venue and the tone of your event. A seafood dinner at a coastal restaurant calls for something different than a ballroom dinner with long tables and candlelight.
The couple can, and should, dress one level above guests to subtly stand out. This doesn’t mean going over the top; it just means choosing intentional details like tailoring, texture, jewelry and accessories, or color to signal your role.
Groom Rehearsal Dinner Style Ideas


Left: Photography by Debra Snyder; Roy the Photographer
Right: Ashley Jade Photography
Suited styles are timeless for rehearsal dinners, whether you go full suit, blazer and trousers, or something dressy but relaxed. These looks let you carve out a style identity separate from your wedding day suit or tuxedo. For example, if you’re planning to wear a black tuxedo at your wedding, the rehearsal is a great time for something more relaxed like an unstructured suit, earthy tones, or something seasonal and stylish.
Classic groom rehearsal style
If you lean timeless over trendy, you’ll never go wrong with a navy, charcoal, or light gray suit. These colors look sharp in any setting and are easy to style.
Trend-forward groom rehearsal style
If you want to make a statement, go bold. Seasonal color suits are trending in 2025 rehearsal dinners. Think rich textures and expressive colors. Trending suit colors for rehearsal dinners:
- Brown suits for earthy elegance
- Olive suits for fall destinations or outdoor venues
- Light blue for oceanside dinners
- Burgundy for winter or winery rehearsal nights
- Tan suits for relaxed coastal style
Casual groom rehearsal outfit
If your event is more laid-back, you can lose the tie and unbutton your collar while still looking intentional.
Themed Rehearsal Dinner Outfits

Prone to Wander Films
If your wedding and/or rehearsal dinner has a theme, your outfit is a great way to bring it to life. Even if your look for the big day leans more traditional, the night before leaves plenty of room to allude to the vibe.
Rustic venue or vineyard: Go for a brown suit or play around with tweed and velvet textures.
- Modern minimalist wedding: Suit up in classic black with tonal neutrals.
- Coastal or beach wedding: Make waves with tan or a lighter colored linen with light blue accents.
- Western wedding: Embrace western style with a suit vest (ditch the jacket), accents like a bolo tie or cowboy hat, and simple white dress with a little flair.
- Vintage wedding: Turn heads with burgundy, velvet, or a double-breasted jacket.
- Holiday or New Year’s wedding: Opt for something sleek with metallic, red, or emerald accents.
- Tropical destination wedding: Arrive in a light gray suit with floral accessories.
Accessories that Elevate Your Rehearsal Dinner Look
Small details that make the outfit feel intentional are key. Swap boutonnieres with light lapel chains or pins. Wear a leather watch or bold ring. Silk pocket squares and cufflinks turn up the formality while a statement belt or velvet loafers are a fashion-forward but stylish choice.
FAQs About Rehearsal Dinner Style for the Couple
Do I have to wear white to the rehearsal dinner?
While white is traditional, you don’t have to wear it to your rehearsal dinner. Couples often embrace color, metallics, and styling that fits their personality. The best thing you can wear is something you feel confident in.
Should my rehearsal dinner outfit match my wedding colors?
It doesn’t have to, but connecting your rehearsal dinner outfit to your wedding palette helps everything feel curated.
Can I wear a suit if I’m not the groom but part of the couple?
Absolutely. Gender-neutral or women’s suits and tuxedos are chic, timeless choices for rehearsal looks during the wedding weekend.
Can I wear black to my rehearsal dinner?
Yes, black outfits are modern, sharp, and photograph beautifully

Kayla Clausen
The Night Before, Your Way
Your rehearsal dinner is more than a warm-up, it’s a personal celebration before your wedding day. What you wear should tell your story, reflect your personality, and feel good. Whether you lean traditional, modern, romantic, or bold, your outfit is an expression of the journey that led you here.
So dress up. Coordinate as a couple. Take risks if you want to. Set the tone for the weekend, and most importantly, enjoy every moment of it.

Nathaniel Longmore
Nate, a former SuitShop groom, is a writer by passion and trade. When he's not typing away from a local coffee shop, you can find him hiking the trails or searching the racks of a thrift store.