So one thing that took a surprisingly long time to nail down was a venue for our rehearsal dinner. My future mother-in-law has the reigns on the details of planning the rehearsal, but we have all been working together for months to find a good location. We had a few "musts" on our list.
1. Vegetarian Choices: We needed an option that would provide a delicious meal for all of our guests. Several places can offer a great meat option, but only provide salad and steamed vegetables for the non-meat eaters. This has happened to me too many times at weddings, and especially at rehearsal dinners, so I knew we did not want to subject our own guests to this.
2. Small-ish Space: While we could have easily gotten a hotel conference room or something, I really wanted a space that would be small and distinctive. It didn't have to match the feel of the wedding exactly, but I didn't want a space that would be too big for our relatively small guest list.
3. Hometown Flair: As we have gotten deeper and deeper into the planning of this shindig, it has become more and more important to Mr. Blue Moon and I to showcase our hometown and the Nashville area. We were looking for a venue that we have good memories in, that highlights locally produced ingredients, or showcases local art.
4. Proximity to Events: Our wedding ceremony and reception venue are both quite a bit out of town, but we still wanted to find something pretty close so as not to confuse our out-of-town guests or put anyone out of their way.
There are not a lot of restaurant options near our ceremony location. Via Google Maps.
Keeping all of these things in mind, we sat down together to brainstorm, and narrowed our options down.
Photo by Kristy S. from Yelp
Circa Grill is the one restaurant venue we really looked at in my hometown. It's about ten minutes away from our ceremony site, and has a wonderful and well-established reputation for delicious food. This totally adorable caboose is right across the street against a backdrop of beautiful Tennessee hill country.
The owner explained that he could do lots of different things for our rehearsal dinner meal, but it was basically going to be a meat and three, like house-smoked beef brisket, Southern cheese grits, grilled asparagus, and truffled mashed potatoes. For a vegetarian option, they had several pasta choices like butternut squash ravioli with brown butter sauce.
Ravioli is one of my favorites! Photo by Circa via Yelp
This all sounded great, but I was still considering pasta for the wedding itself, and the inside of the place is also really dark. It was not exactly what I was looking for.
The Red House is a wedding and party venue directly off the town square in Mr. Blue Moon's hometown. It's about twenty minutes from the ceremony site, and features music paraphernalia and art from the local music scene. I think it's especially cool since we're so close to Nashville!
The inside entertaining space. Via Pinterest.
As much as I loved this space, we would be paying just to rent the space, and then still finding a caterer on top of that. I know that many people do rehearsal dinners this way, but it felt like a lot of work when we are already investing so much time into planning our wedding.
At the point where we had already considered booking a venue and a separate caterer, we wondered if we should use Mr. Blue Moon's family's home. They have a lovely covered deck and great space to entertain. My future MIL put the idea on the table to have an I-Do-Barbecue, which would be super cute, with regular barbecue from a local Franklin joint and a vegetarian version from our favorite restaurant, The Sunflower Cafe.
Vegan barbecue with greens and garlic aioli from the Sunflower Cafe. Photo by Sivasa L. via Yelp.
We were planning to offer sides like potato salad, vegan and non-vegan baked beans, cornbread, and a pie or cobbler for dessert. We also thought it would be fun to include yard games like cornhole toss or giant jenga!
Ultimately, I could see how much work it was going to be for my inlaws to host the entire rehearsal dinner at their home. Since our rehearsal is the night before our actual wedding, I really didn't want to put any additional stress on Mr. Blue Moon's family before the big day.
With that in mind, we went back to a restaurant off the square that I had originally considered for the wedding reception. The Franklin Mercantile has been a Franklin institution for many years, and I knew they could do amazing food and that the inside is super cute. If you didn't catch my post about the rehearsal venue, it looks like this.
The owner decorates for events with string lights and small flower arrangements. Via Franklin Mercantile Deli on Facebook.
They will also do pretty cocktail tables outside. Via Franklin Mercantile on Facebook.
I knew that this could be a great choice because it was one of the first venues I fell in love with, and also very reasonably priced. We get an adorable venue and a wonderful menu without worrying about working with two separate vendors, and since it's right off the square, people can feel free to go for a walk, grab a coffee, or hit the bars after the rehearsal.
A great menu is planned and I am basically just as excited for this rehearsal dinner meal as I am for our wedding reception...which we may or may not get to eat, which is sad, because I love food.
For the appetizers, there will be spinach dip, bruschetta, and shrimp scampi with toast points. For the main entree, guests will have a choice between burgundy steak, wine glazed salmon with red pepper chicken, or a stuffed portobello mushroom. Sides will include garlic mashed potatoes and honey green beans, and the desserts on offer will be heaven cake, peach cobbler, and banana pudding. Can you say "yum?"
Wine glazed salmon, pictured here with asparagus and sweet potato pancakes. Photo by Amanda M. via Yelp.
Banana pudding cups. Via Franklin Mercantile Deli on Facebook.
I can't wait to share this fabulous meal with family and friends, and most of all, my husband-to-be!
What are you prioritizing as you search for a rehearsal venue? Were you mostly in charge of planning your own rehearsal dinner, or was someone else?
The owner decorates for events with string lights and small flower arrangements. Via Franklin Mercantile Deli on Facebook.
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