We investigate the magnetization dynamics in pairs of mesoscopic permalloy (Ni80Fe20) rectangles by means of broadband-ferromagnetic resonance measurements and micromagnetic simulations. Each pair consists of two rectangles that differ in their geometry. The local effective field at each element is significantly affected by the stray field of its neighbor for small center-to-center distances between the rectangles. In antiparallel magnetization alignment, this dynamic dipolar coupling becomes prominent and anticrossing between ferromagnetic resonance modes and higher-order spin-wave modes is observed. Combination of the experimental and the simulational findings provides a comprehensive understanding of dynamically coupled rectangles. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.