How many venues?

Hinaj · May 2011

How many venues did you guys look at in person when booking for your reception?
How did you guys narrow the field down? Cost? etc?

TIA!!!

CASK85 · May 2011

We looked at 2. . . much to the dismay of my coworker who looked at about 8.

We knew we had a particular budget we needed to stay within, and it really limited us in terms of where we could book. We wanted to stay in the city, we wanted something that wasn't a banquet hall, and we didn't want to have to contract with 5 different vendors to decorate the space. Again, it narrowed the field a lot. We could have looked at a few more, but we really loved the first place we saw, so we went with it!

Good luck!!

PenelopeSnuz · May 2011

I looked at 7. Everything was pre-narrowed for me because of the amount of people we were having.

It really came down to how functionable the space was for our wedding, and the vision. (we were lucky enough that price really wasn't a huge factor for us)

I looked at:

-Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum - the museum is gorgeous, but we wanted an indoor reception, and the space is realllly underwhelming.

-Ravenswood Billboard Factory - not much around here, cabs are not abundant, didnt want people to have to drive around the city

-Adler Planertarium - beautiful views, etc, but the space is oddly shaped

-The Drake - I'm not into hotel weddings, but looked for good measure. It's pretty, just not my style.

-Cafe Brauer - Pretty, really like it, but have heard that acoustics are really bad there, and the capacity was risky....I think we would have been jammed in there.

-Chicago History Museum - Loved it. Almost chose it, but we are having a band, and the room is long and rectangular. Ideally, you would want the dance floor in the middle of the room, but the space didnt lend itself to that, and we would have had to put the dance floor on one end...it just didnt work. That said, if you have a DJ, recommend!

-River East Art Center - We chose the REAC because it had everything we wanted...outdoor space for cocktails, high ceilings, a natural space for the band, big city feel, close to hotels, lots of windows. I am so excited!

So there, I took you through my thoughts!! Hope this helps!

CASK85 · May 2011

Penelope, may I just say, I can't wait to see photos of your wedding!

motogrl13 · May 2011

Cschiano-

Which venue did you wind up chosing?

TIA!

TEA&Co · May 2011

Well, I had my mind made up of where I wanted our reception wayyyy before we even got engaged. Once we verified with the venue that our date was open, they were able to put a hold on the space for us. In the meantime, before signing the contract, we visited one other venue in person. This was more for peace of mind for my FI. We had an appointment to look at another space, but cancelled, as we signed the contract at our venue before the other appointment.

I think I contacted maybe four or five venues? Can't remember exactly. But, like I said, I knew ahead of time where/what I wanted. Good luck with your search!

kreopolo · May 2011

We looked in person at
Glessner House
Ravenswood Billboard Factory
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Architectural Artifacts
and a couple of galleries whose names I can't remember now.
We chose Architectural Artifacts.
I can't remember why we didn't go to A New Leaf in person because looking back, I think it would have fit our criteria.
We looked online at what seems like 20-50.
Good luck.

WinterWed17 · May 2011

I contacted over 20 possible venues. Many responded that they were out of our price point. We ended up looking at three and booked the second one we looked at.

CASK85 · May 2011

motogirl - . It is a really great place for a smaller, more casual, somewhat budget wedding. Their food is awesome, and the space is beautiful. I highly recommend it if that is the style you're going for!

babywolf77 · May 2011

I am no help sorry?!

We only looked at one, but that is because I work there and get a GREAT employee rate?! LOL! The bonus is that we both LOVE and would probably not even think about anywhere else even if we didn't get a great deal!

skybrie · May 2011

I talked to almost 30 venues - but only saw 2 since my 100 person wedding is "small" and we did not meet many food and beverage minimums and I wanted it to be an easy drive from the ceremony location.

So if anyone is looking for places in the North Shore area let me know - I kept and excel of all room capacities, average price per person and minimums.

vmoran32 · May 2011

I looked at 5 or 6. I started by emailing every possible location I could find in a 45 minute radius of the church. I also posted on facebook and asked everyone I knew if they had been to great wedding recently. As the information can back from the vendors I plugged it into a spreadsheet. I used this spreadsheet to compare each vendors total cost including service charges and tax.

This comparison eliminated vendors that were not in my budget. I also made a list of requirements. For instance I only wanted venues that had bars inside the room. I also looked at the menu options. Some places just didn't;t have food that appealed to me. I also looked for venues associated with bakeries that I had read good reviews on.

By the way pay close attention to service charges and sales tax. I elimated one location that was cheaper per plate than the location I choose simple because the sales tax was more.

Hope this helps.

Hinaj · May 2011

Thanks guys!!!

There is so much information here! Good to know all this little stuff you guys pointed out.

How many venues?

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