good morning chickadees! i hope everyone had a lovely weekend! i have some fantastic news---after seeing almost ten venues in the past month, h and i finally found the perfect place to get married!!! during our visit to the metropolis ballrooms on saturday i was overwhelmed with excitement and relief because i knew this was the one. it had everything we wanted::
here's a venue recap of all of the places we checked out::
morton arboretum, chicago park district columbus park refectory, prairie production
-a room large enough to hold our large guest list for dinner and dancing with high ceilings, huge windows, wood floors, and a built-in bar
-a large patio right off the dinner/space
-a large separate space to go for cocktails (with exposed brick and another built in bar)
-comfy and large bridal suite
-in-house catering (=fresher food)
-free parking garage next door
-a park across the street where we could hold the ceremony (weather permitting)
-the owner is a wedding coordinator who really knows his stuff and seems like he'll be fun to work with
-nearby (affordable) hotels for out of town guests
-lots of bathrooms (who knew that would be so hard to find?!)
ravenswood event center, hyatt lodge, metropolis ballroom
every place we visited had it's pros and cons but we loved with metropolis ballroom (the photos don't begin to show the space)! you'll just have to wait and see how we transform the space ;)
do tell- married friends:: was it a challenge for you to find your perfect wedding venue? single ladies:: do you already have a place in mind?
xoxo,
jillian
every place we visited had it's pros and cons but we loved with metropolis ballroom (the photos don't begin to show the space)! you'll just have to wait and see how we transform the space ;)
do tell- married friends:: was it a challenge for you to find your perfect wedding venue? single ladies:: do you already have a place in mind?
xoxo,
jillian
67 comments:
Wow- I so appreciate this line up! My Mom and I have been searching high and low for inventive spots to host a wedding in Chicago. All of these places look like perfection.
Xox
congrats on finding your space! it is going to be beautiful!
http://lachapstickfanatique.blogspot.com
I quickly passed your post along to a friend looking at venues all around Chicago, this is so helpful! And SO SO excited and happy for you that you found a venue!
Jill, that place is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!
Gorgeous! I can already see the beauty that will explode from that place once you get your hands on it- so lovely. Congrats!!!
congrats!!!! i can honestly say picking a venue was one of the hardest parts of planning my wedding - so yay for you for getting over that hurdle! sounds like an amazing place for a wedding. so excited for you!!
what a beautiful space jillian! it sounds like you guys found the perfect space. it must have been a little bit overwhelming scouring all these different places!
i have no idea what my ideal 'venue' will be, but i picture myself getting married with the ocean (or other body of water) as a backdrop.
Sounds fabulous! Congrats on finally finding a place :) I'm sure that's a huge weight lifted off your shoulders!
Congrats! That place looks so beautiful!
yay, so glad you guys found a venue!! we searched a good 5 places before we settled on our venue too. :)
cute & little
Sounds like this place is 100% perfect!! Congrats on finding "the" place!!
Yay! Seems like it was a tough decision, all of those places look amazing. So exciting!
oh lalala sooo pretty! congrats on finding the perfect place :) when we went looking/when i went looking... i checked out a couple places, but when i got to THE place their was no debate. i had find the right location. the mister's wallet had to adjust :)
Picking mine was actually easy because we had the reception at the country club where I had worked for years, but I could imagine how difficult it would be if you didn't have a place in mind! So glad you found yours...it's beautiful!!
Found your blog from Mingle Monday. I really miss planning my wedding! Enjoy every moment :)
Wow those are all beautiful!
We were married in a historical carriage house & outside on the grounds & I didn't really think of anywhere else. Well, I did, but my heart was stolen by where we had our wedding immediately.
<3 leigh
I found you on Mingle Monday too! and i loove your blog! so adorable :) im a single lady and i really want to have my wedding at a cute chapel on the beach, im a total beach bum and the ocean makes me happiest haha
Whit
Congrats on finding the venue! I found that was one of the hardest things! :)
So exciting! I am not married, but I have a place in mind, that or a rustic looking barn! I like the outdoorsy feel, but just in case of rain I'd like to be under a building!
congrats!! i bet that's such a relief! and i'll definitely be coming back to your list when it's my turn to plan :)
see you thurs!!
xo.ashley
Hi from Mingle Mondays!
Wow, is all I have to say about those venues. I had exactly 1 venue to choose from, and it wasn't even close to being as gorgeous as any of the ones you have above. Weddings are fun to plan as long as you remember that the most important is the union between you and your love.
congrats on finding a place!!
Congrats on finding your spot! What a relief. I've never been to any of these places before, if you can believe that!
We kind of had no choice but to find our venue as soon as we could since we were having a destination wedding. I did TONS of research on venues out there and we flew out to look at 4. Luckily, our spot spoke to us and we both instantly knew it was the place for us - plus, it was the cheapest! We shook hands before and said if we didn't like any of these venues, we were eloping!
The venue looks great and really is such an important decision! It sets the stage for the entire event! :) We knew almost right away we would get married on the lake...our venue was perfect in every way...it makes a HUGE difference! Congrats! xo
hahaha it is on ongoing joke in our family on how long it took us to find "the place" I think we visited EVERY. SINGLE. PLACE. in NJ and NYC!!! LOL
Congrats!
I think the venue you chose all gorgeous but I do think that you had lots of great choices! When you know you know ;) Happy Monday! XOXO
Your wedding is going to be beautiful!!! So pretty! It was definitely a challenge trying to find THE place because my wedding was pretty a-typical; we got married on St. Thomas on a terrace over the ocean and then had our reception in an open-air restaurant overlooking downtown St. Thomas and the harbor. But I was so happy with it!
Congratulations on finally finding a venue! I've always wanted my wedding outside under a tent, overlooking a body of water. Found out over the weekend the bf (no, we're not even engaged yet haha) doesn't want it outside because he would be worried about it raining. I'd take the chance..bride out votes the groom, right? :)
they all look so gorgeous, but i do love the ballroom you chose! it must be such a relief to have found a venue. i'm not married, but i think i would get married in a vineyard, or somewhere outdoors!
it was impossible find a venue that fit all of our needs and price, but in the end we made it work and it was great. your venue looks amazing!
Perfect location! Woohoo! That is so exciting! Makes it feel one step closer to the real deal. I remember being frustrated at first, because most of the venues I liked, couldn't hold the size of our guest list. Luckily, I had always wanted an outdoor wedding and our friends had some amazing property out in the country. It all works out in the end:-) xoxo
Wow what beautiful venue options, I can't imagine how hard it must have been to settle on one! Stopping by from Mingle Monday, can't wait to see what else is in store with your wedding planning :)
Gorgeous venue! How exciting! I am holding a wedding week on my blog, so it's fun to see some different locations! Gorgeous!
ohhh wedding venue shopping, how fun!! i think our challenge was finding a place that would hold enough people. we invited 300 people but only had about 200 show up but we had to make sure the place could accomodate 300... we got married in a museum and it actually held 700 max haha!!
congrats on finding a venue! so excited to follow you through your journey!!! xxoo!
Oh my gosh yay this is huge! I bet once you pay that deposit you will feel so great too girl :) Can't wait to see how this room becomes your dream space! xo
wow jillian, who knew it was so difficult to find a venue! i never knew! congratulations! have you set the date?
I think you've chosen a beautiful place. When is your wedding date again?
Hugs!
You Are My Favorite
I'm so glad you found a place! Mitchell and I just started looking and it is frustrating already! Hope we find a place as gorgeous as yours!
I *thought* I pretty much knew hands down where I wanted to have our wedding and that meant there was only one place for the reception venue. Looking back, it wasn't as awesome as I thought it was going to be. :( If I had to do the day over again (and marry the same man:)) I would change our location. However, I think you guys have picked a fabulous location!
Morton Arboretum looks beautiful!! As a single lady I haven't got a place in mind but every now and again I visit somewhere and think..ooo this would be a nice wedding venue!!
Glad you found a place :-)
Just stopping by from Monday Mingle
Missy
http://takeallchances.blogspot.com/
Wow I never even heard of the ballroom but looks good. I also checked out a few of your choices...so many pros and cons of actual chicago venues vs. suburban venues...Good Luck!
Wow...all so beautiful!
Eek-how exciting! I can't wait to see more photos, and hear about all the other big decisions!
xoxox, Lena
so happy you found a place! this one looks fantastic! im sure it'll be beautiful.
i wander, i wonder
CONGRATS! CONGRATS! such a relief! now the fun begins! :)
xo! Lauren @ tickled.
Look so gorgeous; it's going to be fabulous! My hubby and I searched all up and down the West coast until we finally found our venue- and, like you, I just knew it was the one :)
i am so happy you found the right place - it looks amazing and I cannot wait to see how you guys decorate it. So exciting ...
Looks beautiful! And wow, what a round up of places that you visited! Glad that you found the perfect place. I love Arlington Heights - I'm going to the horse racing track in June, can't wait!
www.SproutThroughConcrete.com
I had booked The Lodge in Mt Charleston for my wedding and have every intention of using it (since I never got to) when I finally do get married unless something better pops up. It's an hour out from Vegas in the woods so it's soooo very un-Vegas which is what I loved about it. The ceremony is outdoors in front of the mountains with a reception indoors, I loved it.
So happy you guys found your venue, I know how rough it can be! Hope you got it at a good price!
All of the venues looked absolutely stunning but wow, it looks as if you've chosen an absolute winner! Congratulations!
Looks like an amazing place! I remember being very relieved to get the date and place nailed down because after that point, I would be getting married and serving some food and cake no matter what. Everything after that was just a bonus :)
Wow. You visited so many places. Sounds like you definitely ended up with a winner!
yaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!! so thrilled for you!!!!! how amazing does that feel?! :) xo
Congrats, that's very exciting! I know when we found our venue is was a huge weight lifted off our shoulders.
Oh my gosh all of these venues are so gorgeous! I would have such a hard time deciding! The large windows and views of the city from the Metropolis are pretty breathtaking though :)
xo
Rach
California Pretty
I can't wait to see how it all turns out...
Congratulations on finding the location! The name is wonderful! And isn't it just wonderful when you walk into a place and you just know this is where you belong!? Wishing you a lovely week! xo Samantha
Congratulations on your coming wedding and for finding a really gorgeous venue...
Can't believe I'm not following you yet.
But now I do ♥
oh wow the places are so beyond beautiful. good luck on the final choice
http://themashedup.blogspot.com/
Lydz xX
Congrats on finally picking a place! It looks great (but then again, so do all of the choices).
Congratulations!!!! I am so glad you found your dream space!!!!
love them all! fave is room 1520.
It was sort of tough ... but i kept coming back to our venue. Then a spot opened up in JANUARY. and we leaped for it. It ended up being in the 70's but the week before it was 30's. and too big to have inside. So many things to think about.
I can't wait to see it all!! and your honeymoon plans sound deeeevine.
Yay so exciting!
Yeah it was definitely a challenge for us b/c we had a TINY budget. We ended up finding a really nice restaurant that had a private closed off area for parties and gave us a really good deal b/c they had just opened. Bonus was that is was super close to where we had our ceremony so everyone could just walk right over!
well HUGE cheers to that accomplishment! it is a grand space, you must be over the friggin' moon with anticipation. congrats lovely!!!!
yahhhh to package being received, good report. thanks for letting me know and also for the sweet words on my vlog post and new job. you ROCK! xo ♥
Im so happy that you found the perfect place!! It sounds and looks amazing!!! Im so excited for you, darling
Hugs and kisses
Planning my wedding was soooo much fun, enjoy every second of it! The venue will be beautiful ~ it's so much fun to make it your own. I found the venue one of the hardest items to nail down, mostly because we wanted a short engagement (read: less lead time to find these things) and to be married in our church which is in high demand (i.e. had to match up the church availability with venue availability - tough!)... but it all worked out, as it always does! Excited for you! :)
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