Illinois-Chicago

Newly engaged looking for reception advice

Hi all- I am newly engaged and have some anxiety given all the information on extreme pricing in Chicago. I am hoping to have a wedding for ~225 somewhere downtown for ~40k or less. Is that possible? Any advice from the experienced would be great!! Thanks!

Re: Newly engaged looking for reception advice

  • You can do a wedding downtown for less than $40k, you just have to work a little harder and decide what you are willing to pay for each element in your wedding.

    A Friday or Sunday wedding is cheaper than a Saturday wedding.  Finding a venue that will let you choose your caterer or allow you to bring in your own alcohol will save you money.  Liquor and food make up a large portion of your budget.  Some people opt for an iPod wedding over a DJ.  Decide what means the most to you and splurge but cut back on the items and will be forgotten after your wedding.  For example my biggest ticket item was our cinematographer and we barely spent anything for flowers.

    DIY elements can also save money but are time consuming.  Good luck and consider speaking with a wedding planner who can give you the honest assessment of how you can save - an investment in a day of coordinator or wedding planner might get you good deals with their discounts!
    Our wedding SDE: Our wedding Feature: PW=demo
  • DIY helps alot! Obiously, if you can trim your guest list at all that will help. Try looking for locations that include cake, linens, even centerpieces.

    We had our reception at the Embassy Suites Lakefront (the one on Illinois, not on State). They are very reasonable in pricing (considering the location) and include the cake (which everyone really liked). We worked with Dan and he was full of ideas to cut back $$ for centerpieces etc.

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