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Help!! Downtown venues

slthomas611slthomas611
First Comment
in Illinois-Chicago
Hi everyone, So I am getting really disheartened. I have been looking for a downtown site for quite some time and every place I like, it ends up being really expensive. So, does anyone have any ideas on where else I could look downtown?  That is not too expensive? Any ideas is really appreciated!

Thanks in advance!!!
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Re: Help!! Downtown venues

  • Katie91980Katie91980
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We spent a lot of time looking at both traditional and non-traditional venues downtown so I feel for you. How many people are you looking to have and what kind of budget do you have?
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  • acmorrison915acmorrison915
    First Comment
    edited December 2011

    How many people are you expecting to invite and what are you looking to pay per person?  This will give people an idea of your price range.  Try Chicago Mart Plaza or Embassy Suites and check out restaurants, too:  Carnivale, Fultons, Maggianos.. 

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  • slthomas611slthomas611
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We are expecting around 130 people, maybe a little less...and probably around 100-120? a person.
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  • kblezienkblezien
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We looked at a lot of different places downtown, mainly hotels, and the 2 most affordable ones we found were the Doubletree Mag Mile on Ohio and the Hyatt Regency on Wacker.  The Doubletree is a little cheaper than the Hyatt, but both hotels will really work to fit your budget.  Out of the two, we liked the Hyatt more because they have 2 walls with 20ft floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook Michigan Ave. and the Tribune building...it was really gorgeous, especially at night!

    Good luck!
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  • AshleyK2011AshleyK2011
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We are having our reception at the Newberry Library. The rental fee is a little high but they let you bring in your own liquor and you can use any caterer you want so it gives you some latitude to control the costs.
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  • MrsMLRBMrsMLRB
    First Comment First Anniversary
    edited December 2011
    Truthfully, my FI had his heart set on getting married in Chicago proper. But we looked at a bunch of places and in the end I said "We have x amount to spend we can have 100 people in the city or 250 people out- you can decide which you prefer." In the end he chose the suburbs over the city.

    You will have to keep other costs in mind as well- there is always a premium for city vendors (florists will charge more for delivery fees, vendor lists might be more pricey, etc)
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  • CASK85CASK85 member
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    edited December 2011
    We are having our wedding at Mrs. Murphy and Son's Irish Bistro. . . it isn't downtown, but it is in the city proper. It is a very awesome restaurant on the north side (3905 N. Lincoln). They fall into the category of a non-traditional venue, but it is really really affordable, and gorgeous. I'm so excited to host our wedding there!!

    And just FYI, we're spending about $70pp (including apps, dinner, and 5 hours of open beer/wine bar) plus a $400 rental fee (which includes all the staff and linens and the whole second floor). We'll have 70-80 guests. It is a mom and pop kind of place, so if you do contact them, have a little patience if it takes a minute to get back to you. Good luck!
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  • ltlavacltlavac
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Salvatore's in Lincoln Park. FI and I really wanted to have our reception there, but they only accomodates approx. 150 guests, and our guest list is at 300. I thought it was perfect and the food is delicious too!
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  • SoonToBeMrsDiSoonToBeMrsDi
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    The grand piazza on Taylor street was beautiful and they have an awesome rooftop, but we have 300 so we'd have to do 12 people per table and be super tight so we opted to have it somewhere larger. I recall the price being under $100 depending on the bar package you want.
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  • u_rica77u_rica77 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I had my reception at the Mart Plaza Holiday Inn- you can definitely do it there for less than $100 a plate if you want to be downtown.
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  • happyday522happyday522
    First Comment
    edited December 2011

    Two cheap places:

    Salvatore's- and they couldn't be easier towork with. It's in Lincoln  Park, just beautiful.

    Even cheaper, but not in central loop is Michelle's Ballroom. You can probably do the whole wedding for next to nothing. Rental fee is $1000 and that includes tables and chairs.

    Keep it small. I also recommend using kinos for printing RSVP cards and programs. Very cheap. 
    Good luck. we looked all over and our wedding mushroomed out to 270 invited. Make boundries for your families guest list and remember it's about loving another person enough to make a lifetime committment...

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  • slthomas611slthomas611
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks so much everyone!!! these are great suggestions :) and all very helpful
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  • karijohannsenkarijohannsen
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I had my wedding in the fall at Fulton's on the River.  No rental fees, just minimum spending of $7 or $8k I believe.  We paid for our wedding ourselves so I was the frugual bride, so check them out!  They were very flexible also.

    The biggest issue with having a wedding downtown is you can add close to 30% to cover Chicago tax (15%) and tip (18-20%).
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  • hz80408hz80408 member
    5 Love Its First Comment Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_illinois-chicago_downtown-venues?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:72Discussion:6ad016ba-1b43-4013-be24-5477c94d1876Post:072f06a0-eb38-49c3-a03b-6bb55e4bd5c2">Re: Help!! Downtown venues</a>:
    [QUOTE]Salvatore's in Lincoln Park. FI and I really wanted to have our reception there, but they only accomodates approx. 150 guests, and our guest list is at 300. I thought it was perfect and the food is delicious too!
    Posted by ltlavac[/QUOTE]

    We considered this too!  But they were booked for our date

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  • Allison8879Allison8879 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    agreed w/ the above on tax and tip - it adds another 1/3 the cost of your wedding, it's painful. we finally settled on the sofitel chicago (which is not cheap at all...) but echo the comments re; salvatore's, newberry library, or a loft space you can rent for a few grand and bring your own alcohol and caterer which you can go as cheap or expensive as you please with, depending of food, decor, etc... some lofts i liked were aerie loft at room 1520 and prairie productions. good luck!!
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  • motogrl13motogrl13
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We booked Prairie Production, which is a lofty-type space.  They charge 4500 for a Saturday and 3500 for a Friday/Sunday (as of now).  

    Again, you can bring in your own caterer and supply your own liquor, so that can keep costs down...

    The other cool thing is that they don't have preferred vendors, which can jack your prices up.

    Good luck...I completely understand your feelings of wanting an inexpensive Chicago wedding...it seems impossible at times.
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  • slthomas611slthomas611
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks so much for all of these ideas!! I am going to get going on these :)
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  • jaimechristenajaimechristena
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I am doing Galleria Marchetti, they are about midrange when it comes to price but can negotiate.  I got $5 a person knocked off the per person price and a few other things.  They are a family owned business so you talk directly to the owners. I would recommend going there.  
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  • mspetitebridemspetitebride member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Check out Pazzo 311....they have a 10K (Food & Beverage) minimum on Saturdays I believe :-)
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