Rehearsal Dinner Private Chef
The Night Before the Wedding, Handled — at Home or at the Rental
The night before the wedding should not involve a restaurant's fixed menu or a private room minimum. A chef cooks a coursed rehearsal dinner at your home or rental for the wedding party and both families, serves it at your table, and cleans everything before leaving. Rehearsal dinners run at the standard rate of $125 per person against an eight-guest minimum, so a booking starts at $1,000 before groceries.
Rehearsal dinners are cooked across South Jersey, Philadelphia and the Main Line, the Jersey Shore, North and Central Jersey, and Myrtle Beach.
At the Rental Everyone Is Already Staying In
For Shore and Myrtle Beach weddings, the rehearsal dinner at the rental is the natural move — no shuttling the wedding party to a restaurant, no splitting the group across tables. The chef comes to the house.
Both Families, Nobody Cooking
The night before the wedding is when the two families actually meet. Nobody's mother should spend it in the kitchen — everyone sits, everyone is served, and the toasts get the room's full attention.
Rehearsal Dinner Pricing
Rehearsal dinners run at the standard rate: $125 per person, against an eight-guest minimum, which puts a booking at $1,000 before groceries and fees. That covers a coursed menu cooked on site and served at your table, with full cleanup. Groceries are billed at cost and a $100 travel fee applies 25 or more miles from the serving base. See the full pricing breakdown for every service and fee.
How the Evening Runs
The chef arrives ahead of your party and paces the courses around the toasts — rehearsal dinners come with speeches, and the evening is built to let them breathe. At a Shore or Myrtle Beach rental, the dinner happens where the wedding party is already staying.
The rest of the wedding weekend: backyard wedding catering, a post-wedding brunch, and engagement dinners for the next couple. For the full range, see the special occasion chef page.
Ideal For
Two Families, One Table
The wedding party and both families, together the night before.
Shore & Beach Weddings
Rehearsal dinners at the rental the wedding party is staying in.
Eight to Twenty-Five
The wedding party sweet spot, more with added chefs.
Coursed Menus
Built around the couple, paced around the toasts.
No Restaurant Minimums
Your table, your pacing, no private room fee.
Full Cleanup
The kitchen is left cleaner than it was found.
How It Works
- 1
Reserve the Date
Wedding-season Fridays book out months ahead — reserve as soon as the wedding date is set.
- 2
Build the Menu
Built around the couple, with dishes from each family's traditions.
- 3
Set Your Service Time
Tell us when the rehearsal ends and when you want to eat.
- 4
Chef Cooks and Serves
The chef arrives ahead, cooks on site, and paces courses around the toasts.
- 5
Kitchen Left Spotless
Leftovers packed, kitchen cleaned, before the chef leaves.
What Our Clients Say
Gail A.
Long Beach Island, NJ
Amazing dinner for ten by Chef Matt in our LBI home. There were constant comments from my family 'this is the best I ever had!'
Posted on YelpMary B.
via Yelp
Every dish was fresh, perfectly prepared and beautifully presented. Chef Matt was professional and easy to work with.
Posted on YelpDean R.
via Yelp
Chef Matt provided an amazing buffet for our Christmas party this year. We had 55+ people who were all raving about the delicious food.
Posted on Yelp
Meet Your Personal Chef
- 18+ years professional kitchen experience
- Executive Chef by age 22
- Academy of Culinary Arts graduate
- USPCA member
- Specialized in dietary-aware cooking
Chef Matt brings restaurant-quality dining directly to your home. Every meal is crafted around your preferences, dietary needs, and lifestyle — sourced with intention and cooked with precision.
Learn More About Chef MattWhere We Serve
Rehearsal dinners are cooked in homes across South Jersey, North Jersey, and Central Jersey, plus Philadelphia and the Main Line.
The most common format is the Jersey Shore or Myrtle Beach rental the wedding party is staying in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Book Rehearsal Dinner Chef With Chef Matts
Bringing a chef into your home should feel calm, considered, and personal — not transactional. Every booking with Chef Matts Culinary Creations starts with a real conversation about your household: how many people you're feeding, the dietary preferences and restrictions involved, the kitchen we'll be working in, and the kind of experience you want to create. From there, Chef Matt builds a custom menu and confirms every detail in writing well before the date.
The service itself is fully turnkey. We handle planning, seasonal sourcing, in-home cooking, plating or portioning, and a complete kitchen cleanup before we leave. With more than eighteen years in professional kitchens — including time as an executive chef by age twenty-two and ongoing membership in the United States Personal Chef Association — Chef Matt brings restaurant-level technique into homes across South Jersey, the Jersey Shore, the Philadelphia Main Line, and South Carolina's Grand Strand.
Ready to Get Started?
Fill out our short availability form — no obligation, no pressure. Your custom proposal arrives within 2 hours. Requests after 8 PM arrive by 10 AM.
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