Fancy a little trip to wine country this morning? A little lobster and champagne for lunch? How we wish we were really there!

Today’s celebration is something we’re not overly familiar with in the UK, a rehearsal dinner. Most UK couples will spend the night before the wedding with a small group of family or friends, or perhaps the couple will have a quiet dinner together before heading off to their separate hotels/houses for the night. In the US however, they do things a little differently.

Held the night before the wedding (and after the wedding rehearsal, hence the name!) a rehearsal dinner is usually a large affair, with the entire bridal party, family members and more, and often (but not always) features the speeches and toasts we’re more used to hearing at UK wedding receptions.

This particular rehearsal dinner belongs to Goldie and Anthony, two Canadians who headed south for their California nuptials. We’ll be featuring their beautiful wedding tomorrow, but until then, let’s join them in soaking up the sunshine with a glass of something cool and sparkling…

Held amongst the vines at the Mumm Winery in California’s famous wine making region, Napa Valley, the couple opted for a Lobster Boil. If you’ve never experienced one, we’re here to tell you that it’s finger-lickingly fun.

Brown paper covers the tables, and the boiled/steamed lobsters, shrimp, potatoes, sweetcorn and more is tipped from the giant pots directly onto the tables, where bottles and jars of seasonings and sauces stand alongside buckets of napkins and various instruments of torture (for getting every last delicious morsel out of those shells) and bowls of melted butter for dipping. Heaven.

When we asked Goldie and Anthony about their rehearsal dinner, their immediate answer was  “our top priority was good food and good wine, we’re hardcore foodies!” Well, they nailed it!

“We wanted something relaxed as all of our guests were travelling to be in Napa. We didn’t want the traditional restaurant setting either. We wanted something special to thank our guests for taking time out of their busy schedules to come celebrate with us. Since we weren’t having our wedding in a winery, Traci, our planner, suggested the perfect solution, a lobster boil at Mumm Napa. It sounded so delicious and so perfect, I didn’t even want to hear any other options! It was the perfect way to welcome our guests and relax the night before our wedding.”

Be sure to check back tomorrow to see these two foodies tie the knot!

 

Photographer: Yvette Roman // Wedding Planner: Traci Steuteville at Napa Valley Celebrations // Venue: Mumm Napa