Outdoor Venue that allows dogs...

joannamatarrese

We are hoping to find a barn to fit with our rustic chic theme. I have been looking for quite some time now, and its either outrageously expensive or they don't allow dog. We are set on having our Boxer being our flower girl, so its definitely a deal breaker. I am in Illinois and am willing to travel up to 2 hours. We are planning on having under 100 guests at our wedding so we are making it a wedding weekend. I have already looked at County Line Orchard in Hobart, IN, which I absolutely fell in love with, but low and behold, no dogs allowed.

Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

WildMagelet

What part of Illinois?  Camp Wokanda (near Peoria, IL) allows dogs as long as they're on-leash and I know they have been doing a lot of weddings lately.

Just as an FYI, most posters highly discourage use of pets in the ceremony and instead will suggest taking photos with the pets (either day of, engagement, TTD, etc) to include the pet instead.  There are a lot of logistical issues typically with pets (Who will bring it to the ceremony?  Where will it be during the ceremony?  Where will it be during the reception?  Who will take it home?  Who will pick up its poop?  It's considered improper to ask one of your guests to do these tasks for you, so if no one volunteers essentially you have to hire a dog handler & transporter for your wedding.  If someone does volunteer then they're missing out on part of the wedding.) as well as a lot of unknowns (How does my dog feel about large crowds?  How does my dog feel about strangers?  What if someone is scared of dogs?  What is someone is allergic? etc.).

Personally, I love my dog and would love to include her in our day but its not feasible for us to include her.  She was invited by our photographer to our e-session and I'll be doing a TTD with her after the fact.

Knottie92198182

Not to get your hopes up too much since I am not positive if this is allowed at my venue but I would suggest you look into it because in the outdoor areas there are dogs there constantly being walked or just hanging out with their owners by the lake. However the issue may be more the indoor reception building than the outdoor areas. They were REALLY accommodating and really laid back so maybe try talking them into it with offer of a "damage deposit" which could potentially sway them if they initially said no.

The venue is called Lake Katherine Nature Center & Botanical Gardens in Palos Heights.

There are 3 "sites" on the grounds for outdoor ceremonies and there is an indoor reception venue (clubhouse) for up to 100 guests. The clubhouse in my opinion could match your rustic theme but everyone's taste/view is different but I think it is worth trying out if you are absolutely set on your dog being in the wedding. Good luck (from a fellow Boxer mommy)!