My mom has a friend who is helping her daughter plan a wedding - free legwork, I say!
Among a few other nice Rockford ideas is Williams Tree Farm - possibility plus a tractor train! Like other oddball locations this offers a few challenges too - particularly lodging and transportation to the lodging. I don't exactly want to send all my Chicago friends scooting through the countryside. But I do like the idea of getting married outside, hosting a reception in a lodge and being on a tree farm.
There's also Midway Village - a museum, sort of. There are several olde timey buildings, as well as a big wooded area. It's a pretty neat place, depending on what you're looking for. I must admit that I connect Midway Village to the Civil War Reenactment that they hosted there during summers while I was growing up. There's nothing like a Civil War Reenactment, in case you don't know it. And there's nothing quite so heroic (in the realm of re-enacting at least) as men in wool soldier's uniforms fighting with bayonets in the July sun.
I'm going to vote against a wedding during the Civil War Reenactment. That's for sure.
6 comments:
That would be funny since there was a Civil War Reenactment at Charlie and Debbie's wedding!
Things are certainly more affordable in Rockford. And unique settings.
When Jill and Kyle had their wedding in Peoria, as you may recall, the hotel they arranged with offered a shuttle bus. In fact, so did Charlie and Debbie's. Is that a possibility, or are the locations too far out?
your post made me think of this place in Naperville. Of course, it's neither Chicago or Rockford. But I had no idea these kinds of places rented, so there may be more in nearby areas. Check The Grove too if you like these types of places.
http://www.napersettlement.org/rentals/index.html
Ok, I really have to stop doing this....but. Going back to your first day of starting to get married plans, Botanic Gardens has facilites.
http://www.chicagobotanic.org/events/spaces
http://www.cheneymansion.com/cheney_virtualtour.htm
http://www.chicagomarriage.com/chicago_wedding_locations.htm
I'm done....good night
Thanks for all the suggestions!
There were actually a couple weddings happening at the Botanic Gardens when we visited. It was something of a conveyor belt of matrimony — while one party was taking pictures, another was waiting their turn in the main entrance area. I think that kind of disqualifies it...along with the $10,000 or so price tag for some of the locations.
I think Naperville is also out. Though each have their challenges, Rockford and Chicago are near-and-dear to our hearts for obvious reasons. Aside from Naperville being in the middle of nowhere, Amanda and I have had some bad experiences in what we consider to be the apotheosis of suburban sprawl.
Oak Park, on the other hand, is pretty cool; it's one of the few suburbs we've talked about eventually moving to. The Cheney Mansion looks interesting, we haven't seen a lot of urban locations with both indoor and outdoor space — we'd love to have an outdoor ceremony, and the gardens look beautiful. The prices seem comparable to other Chicago spots.
As for a shuttle, we will almost certainly have one to and from the hotel whether it's in Rockford or Chicago. I don't think we'll offer door-to-door service from home, though!
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