Because so many of our guests were coming from out of town, we decided to do something different the night before our wedding. We went bowling! Instead of the traditional “rehearsal dinner” after the rehearsal, which typically only includes the bridal party and close family, we thought it would be fun to have a rehearsal party instead. This way, we got to include any and all guests who were in San Francisco the night before our wedding.
We had the entire Presidio Bowling Center reserved from 6:00-9:00pm on Friday, July 28th exclusively for our use. It was all ours for those three hours. The Bowling Center is a small, cozy, 12-lane alley very close to the chapel and Golden Gate Club where the ceremony and reception took place the next day. Unlike other locations around San Francisco, there’s plenty of parking here. So we welcomed all guests on Friday night, whether they enjoyed a little bowling or not. Over 60 people joined us for the fun.
We had all lane fees, food, and shoe rentals covered, so it didn’t cost anyone a thing. All guests needed to do was show up. Kids were welcome too! Dress was casual and comfortable. Several of them found that old bowling shirt hanging in the closet, pulled it out, and wore it with pride. The best shirts were the Tripod bowling league shirts worn by Dave and Margaret Stewart with their bowling names on them: Ralph and Peggy!
You can download a map we provided, with directions to the Presidio Bowling Center:
- map-bowling.pdf (PDF, 88 KB)
Last udpated on December 11, 2006