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Hi!
You may want to look at the Swedish American Museum on N. Clark. It is about $800 to rent the space and you can pick your own caterer. You can also look at hotels as sometimes they offer great off-peak deals and bundle packages (some will even do your flowers/centerpieces).
For a DOC/Wedding planner I met with Shannon Gail and I really liked her. She was reasonably priced but it is still a decent hunk of money (1500-2500) and I opted to do things myself. Most people I contacted started at 700-2000 for a DOC and went up from there if you want planning/vendor help.
Best of luck!
Hey!
I just started and I am overwhelmed also! I always knew it would be expensive, but I guess I didn't realize HOW expensive!
I've heard that Promontory Point is reasonable through the park district. You can have your ceremony and reception there and I think it will fit the number of guests. Remember that even if the venue rate is good, don't forget to factor in all the tables, chairs, etc that you will need to rent! That can increase the cost significantly!
Goodluck!
I went to davids bridal and picked out an $800 dress, then bought it on ebay for a fraction of the cost! Saved me tons! And I got a beautiful dress! You can also try recycledbride.com, preownedweddingdresses.com and the classifieds here on weddingbee.
less expensive options....having your wedding on Friday or Sunday.
Bridal gowns, you can find Davids Bridal, Macys.
Good luck!
As far as dress, my advice is to go shopping and keep in mind which silhouette you like/looks best on you, then shop online: ebay, wb classifieds, etc. You can definitely find some great, brand new dresses within your budget!
Try House of Brides or start searching online. There are so many options for sample dresses or gently loved dresses that you can get at a great price!
I don't know how tight your budget is, but I feel the same way with my 5k budget for 70-80. I think the Irish American Heritage Center was the most affordable indoor venue I found within city limits, so you may want to check them out, but their bar packages still would have destroyed our tiny budget.
I also wanted a place to do both ceremony and reception, as well as having it outdoors, and went with the Cook County Forest Preserve. Cheaper than Chicago Park District, MUCH easier application process, fewer strict rules, and just $60 for the permit. We originally considered just getting a field and putting up a rental tent. Many of the rental companies we looked at have packages where they'll do the tent and tables/chairs for around $500 for the number of people you're having. However, ended up going with one of the more elaborate picnic shelters and we're just going to have a DIY picnic-themed afternoon wedding, and shouldn't have to rent tables/chairs! (We are definitely going to dress up the place, set up the tables as long banquet tables, make bench cusions, etc. Upscale BBQ for food, and lots of wedding pie.)
I know it's always risky with weather for outdoor weddings, but I went as far as to look up historical weather data and discovered that it hasn't rained on our date since 1997, so I think we'll be cool.
I'm getting married at Mrs Murphy and Sons. the venue rental is only $400 or something and there are many food options there. Like you, we are not religious and the ceremony and reception will be at the restaurant. They have a private area upstairs that has a bunch of rooms.
Chicago is the 2nd most expensive wedding town, I found out the hard way as well!
I'll be honest and say the city is really expensive. You will be hardpressed to find a venue that can do a appetizers/dinner/open bar for less than $100, than add taxes/service charges/tips on to that. Your best bet is to either skip the appetizers/dinner/open bar and do a heavy appetizers and wine/beer service party, consider an afternoon wedding, a cake and punch wedding, or swallow your pride and head out to the burbs. It can be done it just will not be the "typical" wedding you are used to. Good luck!
Chicago is the 2nd most expensive wedding town, I found out the hard way as well!
I'll be honest and say the city is really expensive. You will be hardpressed to find a venue that can do a appetizers/dinner/open bar for less than $100, than add taxes/service charges/tips on to that. Your best bet is to either skip the appetizers/dinner/open bar and do a heavy appetizers and wine/beer service party, consider an afternoon wedding, a cake and punch wedding, or swallow your pride and head out to the burbs. It can be done it just will not be the "typical" wedding you are used to. Good luck!
I'm going to second the Swedish Heritage Museum! It's right near my home and it's great in terms of affordability and flexability.
Also, Corky's Catering is, by far, the cheapest catering in Chicago. We're talking about $12 a person for a buffet.
@kathryn83: Hi there! For your dress, you should contact bridal shops in the area to see if they have any upcoming sample sales. You can get a designer gown for a huge discount! You could also check out department stores like Nordstrom. I've never been to David's Bridal but I'm sure you could get something there for well under $100.
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Hi ladies,
I'm just starting to try and plan a Chicago wedding and I am so overwhelmed. We don't have a much money to work with and everything just seems so outrageously expensive. I've done quite a bit of research so far, but I don't know where to start. Any tips?
What I know so far:
Date: flexible, probably whatever will get us the venue for cheapest
Location: must be in city (otherwise we're going out of state)
Size: 80-100, most from out of town
Budget: nothing set but comparatively low
No. 1 priority: Food & drink
We are not religious so a venue that could serve as both ceremony and reception is ideal and would help us avoid transportation issues.
I'm also looking for advice on where to go dress shopping (budget for that is less than $1K) and reco's for wedding planners or DOCs. I've heard having a planner can end up reducing overall costs so wanted to consider all options.
Thanks in advance!