>There's another aspect to it: Since it's an informal dinner all participants can just relax and get to know each other better. It's a great chance to ameliorate nervousness or whatnot. I remember my rehearsal dinner at a neighborhood italian restaurant...we all had fun and it was a great bonding moment without the pomp and circumstance of the actual ceremony.
And it's a good time for handing out thank-you-gifts to your wedding party for their help. Cha-Ching $$$$
The American Republic will endure, until politicians realize they can bribe the people with their own money.
- Alexis de Tocqueville
No man’s life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session.
– Mark Twain (1866)
