You can’t get anymore untraditional, than having a same-sex Rehearsal Dinner in a traditional Scottish Pub. Eddie and I spent a good long minute deciding on the proper setting for the Rehearsal Dinner. We both agreed that we wanted to do something special to play into the bi-cultural theme of the whole event, that would let the wedding party and our families know how much we appreciate and love them. Knoxville has a distinct dearth of Greek eateries; however, we do have an exceptional Scottish music and Whisky pub located in downtown Knoxville’s Old City.
The Jig & Reel is renowned for their delightful authentic live music, incredibly tasty traditional Scottish grub, and imported brews and booze (including they say, “the largest selection of Scotch in the world”). So, we called to schedule a meeting and…the bar was still closed due to Covid-19. Not to be thwarted by a stinking virus, we obtained an email address and scheduled a private meeting with the General Manager. We found out they were planning for the pubs reopen later that week, so it wasn’t much of a problem to meet us in wee hours, just before noon, Wednesday, July 15th.
We arrive a few minutes before our appointment (respectfully in our masks) and knock on the front door of the bar. A moment later, the General Manager Gina, met us, looking a little apprehensive. We walk into the bar and she began showing us around. After a few minutes she finally got around to expressing her concern about the timing of the event, however, after explaining that the Wedding was schedule for October 1, 2021 and the Rehearsal Dinner was scheduled for Thursday September 31, she visibly relaxed and explained that she had been concerned because the 2020 Schedule for the University of Tennessee Football was still undecided.
Gina began to get excited about our vision for the rehearsal dinner. She went over all of the food and drink options and let us know that as an added plus, they have live music (including bagpipes) on Thursday evenings. (We kind of got the idea that our plans to be finishing up by the time the pub started swinging into high gear with their regulars was an additional plus for them.)
We discussed the services they offer, the menu and drinks they could provide and made some preliminary decisions with an agreement that we would finalize the plans closer to the event. Be assured the menu will include some traditional Scottish dishes like shepherd’s pie, Bangers and Mash, and Scotch eggs, as well as, some scrumptious desserts like Sticky Toffee Pudding and Brown Betty’s. (To the wedding party…we will be sending you a menu closer to the date so that you can let us know what you would like.) In the meantime, we will let you dream sweet dreams of eating at the Jig & Reel.
After a bit more talk, we excitedly confirmed with Gina, that we couldn’t think of anywhere more perfect for our rehearsal dinner, and Gina congratulated us on our engagement. She’s even helped us get in contact with a bagpipe player for the ceremony!