Illinois

Allerton Park or backyard wedding brides?

Hey everybody!I'm new to the board. We got engaged in March, but we're only now getting into serious planning mode.  I guess I was hiding from wedding planning for a while -- it's an intimidating prospect!Anyway, we're hoping to set a date and reserve a ceremony venue (Allerton Park in Monticello) within the next week or so. We're still undecided about whether to also have our reception on-site at Allerton or whether to do a backyard reception. My FI's parents have a house with a lot of land just outside of Champaign, and it seems way more cost effective to do the reception there and avoid markups on food and drink, site rental fees, etc., especially since we've always wanted a casual reception.Anybody have any wisdom to share about receptions at Allerton Park? Are there any other Allerton or backyard wedding brides lurking on this board?  Thanks, ladies!~Sarah
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Re: Allerton Park or backyard wedding brides?

  • edited December 2011
    Just my opinion, but I think that the backyard reception would be really nice and more cost effective. Just from what I've heard and read about how Allerton does the "time slots" and the usual markups in food and drink, makes me think that it can get quite costly.(but then again almost all places mark up the food and drink) I think Allerton is beautiful, but I just love the idea of being able to control more of your reception. There are a lot of great caterers out there, you can get alcohol much cheaper and you could even rent a tent. GL planning and welcome to the board!!!
  • edited December 2011
    Keep in mind, if you do have a reception in your backyard, be sure to get insurance.  If anyone drinks and drives, you are held liable.
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  • sarah523sarah523 member
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    edited December 2011
    Thanks for weighing in!  Since we first got engaged, I've been championing the idea of a tented backyard reception, and it definitely would be more cost effective.ShellyDiane-- thanks for the reminder about insurance. I'll definitely have to price that out and include it in our budget. As much as I like to think that none of our guests would ever drink and drive, and as much as our families will be policing it, you never know what might happen.  Better safe than sorry!One more question, though: how far is too far to ask guests to drive between the ceremony and reception location. It's about 25 minutes from Allerton Park to my FI's parents' home. Should I be worried about asking guests to make that drive (albeit there are many hotels close to our reception site), or do I not even need to be concerned about that?
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  • edited December 2011
    25 minutes isn't bad.
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  • edited December 2011
    I don't think 25 minutes is bad either. Especially since you said there are hotels in between. Any guests that end up staying in one of the hotels will most likely use that time to go check in.
  • sarah523sarah523 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Great!  Well, I'm glad this is finally coming together-- after a LOT of debate. Thanks so much for your advice.
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  • edited December 2011
    What site at Allerton Park are you having your ceremony at? Are you going to have a tent in case of rain? I'm thinking of having my ceremony there as well.
  • edited December 2011
    I LOVE Allerton Park.  I wanted my wedding there, but chose Starved Rock in Utica because it would be closer to the airport for my numerous out of town guests.  I went to U of I and have been to Allerton at least a dozen times.  I have also been to weddings there and it's so beautiful.  Going to a wedding there is an "experience"!Good Luck.
  • sarah523sarah523 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We've put a tentative hold on the Sunken Garden at Allerton, but I'm not sure Allerton is going to work for us. The food and bar prices at Allerton are WAY over our budget, but if we do only the ceremony at Allerton and have our reception elsewhere, we'll have no backup location for the ceremony. (The tent for the reception is our ceremony backup.) For a while, we'd considered a tented backyard wedding at my fiance's family's house (he lives out in the country in the Champaign area), but he's decided their family's home is "just not nice enough" to host a reception. We've looked at Lake of the Woods as well, and the grounds would be beautiful for a reception, but I'm unimpressed with their reception options and they don't let you set up tents there. So, essentially, I'm watching my dreams of a tented outdoor reception go up in smoke for lack of an attractive, affordable outdoor venue that welcomes tents. Now that six months have elapsed since we got engaged and we STILL have nothing planned, I'm thinking it's time to call in a professional planner to help sort this mess out.
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