Patrick Haley Mansion Q & A'S and ideas

foodiechels

Hello fellow Brides!

My man and I are booked to be married in June 2012 at the Patrick Haley Mansion in Joliet, IL. Like many before it was a no brainer to have our wedding day to be celebrated here. Now that the date is quickly approaching I was wondering if any other PHM brides had any suggestions. Looking for decoration ideas, grand entrance ideas, and ceremony decorations. Also I know the mansion provides paper goods for the day like table numbers and such but wondering what else they include and if it's nice. Photos would be great but words of wisdom are also welcomed!

Not sure if anyone else saw it but on TLC four weddings the mansion was showcased but not very well. My biggest question after watching the segment... Do they allow music via DJ to be outside in the gardens for the weddings? I thought not but in the show they did... something just for the show? My final question is do they allow a microphone outside for the officiant to be heard? I'm getting tired of calling the mansion on very little detail.... so if you got answers bring them!

foodiechels

Hello fellow Brides!

My man and I are booked to be married in June 2012 at the Patrick Haley Mansion in Joliet, IL. Like many before it was a no brainer to have our wedding day to be celebrated here. Now that the date is quickly approaching I was wondering if any other PHM brides had any suggestions. Looking for decoration ideas, grand entrance ideas, and ceremony decorations. Also I know the mansion provides paper goods for the day like table numbers and such but wondering what else they include and if it's nice. Photos would be great but words of wisdom are also welcomed!

Not sure if anyone else saw it but on TLC four weddings the mansion was showcased but not very well. My biggest question after watching the segment... Do they allow music via DJ to be outside in the gardens for the weddings? I thought not but in the show they did... something just for the show? My final question is do they allow a microphone outside for the officiant to be heard? I'm getting tired of calling the mansion on very little detail.... so if you got answers bring them!

hboo2011

I won't be of much help. But I did actually go see PHM for a possible venue for us, and I even saw it on Four Weddings. I agree, that bride didn't really showcase it very well.

But first and foremost, do not feel like you are bothering any venue coordinator by asking questions. I e-mailed our coordinator (we got married at Bolingbrook Golf Club) maybe once every other week or so with something or another.

I'd ask the reception board as well for ideas on color. PHM had a little too much gold for my personal taste, but I think if you asked around what other colors/ideas other brides would have to go with that, you may find some help there as well!

Good luck.

jbll326

Do not hesitate to call them with your questions! They are so responsive and are more than happy to answer all of your questions. They were a huge resource for me when I was planning our wedding and I probably called/emailed them once a week for a while there. Who is the consultant you are working with there?

We were not married outside, so I don't know for sure but I don't believe DJ music is allowed outside and I'm not sure about a mic for the ceremony. Definitely ask though and things may have changed since we were married there.

Our colors were sage green and ivory with a touch of gold for accent. See bio for some pics. I personally think that bright bold colors don't lend themselves to the decor of the mansion very well, particularly based on some of the photos I've seen of prior events there. Sticking with pastels and muted colors is probably your best bet.

We made our own table numbers and did our own centerpieces. I believe the mansion offers basic number cards and a little tealight lamp for a centerpiece. Our florist did a few flourishes of greenery on the railing overlooking the hall, but other than that we didn't do any decorating as the mansion is pretty much already decorated.

Let me know if there's anything else that you want to know or see pictures of! Enjoy!

foodiechels

@jbll326Thanks a ton for the thoughts! I actually saw your knot profile over a year ago and was happy to see that you responed. I thought that your wedding was very beautiful and inspiring! 

We have gone with apricot and ivory as our colors for our late spring wedding. I think it will go nicely with the mansion. 

How long was it before your day that you did the tasting? 

I will take the advice of both of you and get on the phone/e-mail to ask away with my questions!

Thanks again.

jbll326

Thank you so much!

I love your colors and think they will be perfect for the mansion!

I think our tasting was about 2 months ahead of the wedding. If I remember correctly,
they encourage you doing it closer to the wedding date than not (but still giving you plenty of time for ordering your paper items that might need to include food info such as menus or rsvp cards if you're giving your guests a dinner option). Only advice I have for the tasting is to come hungry and make sure you tell them ahead of time if there's something in particular that you really want to try, as they will definitely accomodate you.  

Again, I'm always happy to answer any questions you have as they come up!

julieadamski

Hi @foodiechels!

I'm getting married there Oct 14, 2012! Our colors are slate gray, yellow/gold, and ivory. I wasn't orginally going to include the ivory, but since their table cloths are ivory and gold, it seemed appropriate, haha!
Anywho, I asked our coordinator, Carol about the music in the gardens for the ceremony. Since it's outside, and the Mansion is in a nighborhood, they require accoustic music...but she said it was OK to play recored accoustic music (think guitar or piano). So we're going to do a search of some of our favorite songs in accoustic format for our ceremony! And I'm guessing they are OK with a microphone as well, I don't see why not!
As for contacting them, oh my gosh I hope Carol isn't sick and tired of my Q's!! LOL. I contacted her a lot during the first few months. As for decor and such, I'm probably going to focus on centerpieces for the decor. I'm thinking clear square vases with yellow roses and white hydrangas (or ivory roses...can't decide!), and then on the few middle tables do some neat branch centerpieces with tea lights hanging from them. Simple but still makes a statement. The Mansion itself really doesn't need a whole lot of sprucing up!!
For the ceremony I'm going to do simple bunches of spray roses, queen anne's lace, and maybe some greens tied to a ribbon hanging from the chairs. We're really playing up the Victorian feel at the Mansion with the flowers and colors. Plus our event will definitely be black tie optional.

My big Q for all the PHM brides is how was the 5 hr limit for the reception?? It kinda scares me that our reception will be done around 10pm...