"We're not boat people..."

I was watching Sex and the City the other night and in the episode, Steve and Miranda decide to get married and as they are walking and discussing places the hold the ceremony, they just happen to drop a bag of groceries in front of this adorable city garden. And just like that, they've found the ceremony site! Easy as pie!

Well isn't that nice for them? Maybe that will work out for me too...you see, I'm having a hard time finding a place to hold the ceremony and I'm starting to worry a bit that I won't be able to find the perfect place...or even the near perfect place.

As I mentioned before, we do have the option of having the ceremony at the reception site. There are a few reasons that I am opposed to this. The first is the fact that the earliest we would be able to start is 4:30 or 5. I know myself and I know that I will feel disappointed if I have to wait to start the whole shebang until 5 p.m. Plus, I would have to take pictures with Sean ahead of time, and if there is any tradition I'd like to hold onto, it's the whole not seeing each other before the ceremony thing. Lastly, I don't trust that the ceremony set up would be broken down and the reception would be put together appropriately within the time it takes to have cocktails.

Sean and I are looking for an alternative site for the ceremony. Our families are of different religions and neither of us are practicing in either. So, we won't be doing a church. So the search for the site has been a bit difficult. In my head I picture us getting married outside, maybe under a great tree(s), or some place that was just really "us"! I've scoured the internet and it haven't really come up with anything that great. We went and looked at a couple places, a conservatory in Mt. Prospect that was just meh, and then we went and saw the Schram Memorial Museum in Glen View.

This place has a nice history, it's located in pretty close proximity to the reception hall and it's very quaint. They don't hold church services there, it's pretty much just for weddings. We went and looked at it and it was really nice, but I just don't know if it's the right place.

The inside is pretty plain, but I just don't know if it feels like us...if that makes any sense. My friend at work is getting married there and she said they are pretty much letting her do whatever she wants to as far as decorations, etc.

It was almost dark out when we were there, so I imagine it would be brighter during the day.

I'm not really diggin the stained glass windows...

I did find one great place, it's a Japanese garden and it looks beautiful. But...it's in Geneva, which I think would be way too far from the reception site, so I guess that's probably out of the question too.

But it's so pretty!!!

I'm going to look into putting a deposit down on Schram, just in case we don't find anything else. My Mom has suggested finding the officiant and then seeing if maybe they have any suggestions. Too bad I have NO CLUE where to even look for the officiant...or what kind I'm even looking for.

Venue Envy...

I know, it's too late to have second thoughts on where to hold the reception...but wait, maybe I could just pay back my parents for the deposit they put down?

My crazy talk is stemming from just now discovering the Pleasant Home in Oak Park which I found via A Windy City Wedding . Thank the lord it only holds 150 people or I would be having big time remorse right now...and/or putting my parents in an asylum waaaay to early in the game.

Well, we finally found some where to hold the big party. We've set the date for July 11, 2009. We will be having the reception (and possibly the ceremony) at the Metropolis Ballroom in downtown Arlington Heights. (If you are looking at the Web site, please ignore any photos with a colorful mural in it. That wall has been knocked down to enlarge the room.)

As soon as we saw the room, we really liked it. The space is really open and loft like. The wood floors and the high ceiling was a big plus also. And through the glass doors is a terrace that people can go out on and smoking is allowed on the terrace too so people can still feel like they are a part of the party.

Better view of the ceiling(above). The lighting is really modern. The "chandeliers" look like twinkly lights!

If we had the ceremony there, it would be in the ballroom too (set up somewhat like this). To the right of this photo you can see the bar. Though I really like that there is a 'real' bar in the room, I'd probably want to do something to cover it up for the ceremony so that it didn't look like I was getting hitched...in a bar. Or who knows, by that point...I probably won't care. We aren't sure what to do about the ceremony yet. Most of the other places that we looked at, which of course didn't work out, all had pretty nice places to have the ceremony outside. That is not the case here. Plus, I'd like to do the ceremony a bit earlier in the day so that we can have time to take pictures and still be able to partake in the cocktail hour.

Speaking of cocktail hour, one other thing that isn't perfect, but can be worked with is the location of the cocktail hour.

This is only one view of the room. I really like the exposed brick, and there is a built in bar (see below). But, it's a bit dark for my tastes. ALSO BUT...it's only one hour, right? I may have to get creative with some decor.

Above is the former mural in the cocktail space. I never really saw with my own two eyes, but I think it's a good thing they knocked it down. Also, you can see the bar I mentioned before.

So yeah, it's official! We're actually going to get married. We weren't just jerkin' your chain. 7-11. Get your free slurpees on the way to the PAR-TAY!

If you have it (an hour away), they will come (hopefully).

SOOOOOO...last time we spoke, I was gushing about my new found love--the MCA. I had finally opened up and thought I had found the one venue who could fulfill all my hopes, dreams and needs. In the end, I got my heart broken--to the tune of $150 to $200 per person! Can you believe it? I'm sure you can. I'm not sure why I ever thought that I could afford something so awesome, but alas, I move on.

Since then, we've looked at 3 other places, all out in the suburbs, each having something wrong with them. 1) They don't fit enough people, even though the sales person tells you they do when you call to inquire about it. 2) The reception has to end at 11 p.m. due to residential restrictions...again, no one seemed to mention this before I dragged my ass--not to mention Sean's ass--there on a Friday night. 3) They don't allow smoking...anywhere on the grounds...at a wedding...makes sense, and thank you again for maybe mentioning this restriction during our e-mail or phone conversations. Really, I appreciate it. Now, the last thing wouldn't really bother me, but unfortunately, quite a few of my friends and family (including my Dad) smoke and I don't want them spending all night in the parking lot just because they have to hide to have a cigarette. Not fun.

So, what am I left with? Well...I did find a place that seems to be sort of a sure thing. It's within our budget (a word I'm starting to despise). I've made sure that all of the above issues are not...issues, I've seen pictures, I've heard good reviews. The only thing that I see as a downfall is that it's about an hour away in Vernon Hills. Now, Sean and I have even gone as far as driving to other states and back in the same day for a wedding, but do other people care if they have to travel a bit? I'm not sure and if I like the place...at this point...I'm not sure if I am in a position to make that a priority. So, we're going to look at it on Sunday and fingers crossed it will be good. I'll be honest when I say it isn't really the perfect place, but I guess I have to take what I can get.

So, that's the update for now. I'm pretty bummed. I hope it gets more fun after this.

Merry Maids.

I know this is one thing I don't have to do for a while, but I have collected quite a few ideas for bridesmaid dresses already.


I like this little number from simple silhouettes. They also have a great selection of colors. I like these four below.



Something similar from Charsa. I like the two color choices below.



I thought this dress from Jenny Yoo was interesting and not the ordinary strapless, short number. She also has a nice color palette to choose from.



Then of course, there is the love of my life, J.Crew. Every time I think I have found the best dress on there, I go back and something new is up. Even though these probably won't be available when I start looking for dresses, here are a few of my favs below.

The Kady cotton collection in orange peel and sour lemon.





Silk taffeta Lorelei dress in papaya and fresh aloe. My first best friend's name was Lorelei, oh nostalgia.



Silk tricotine Rebecca short dress in crisp beet and flame.




Below, I like the blue dress, the Silk chiffon Sophia dress but in the fresh aloe or bright berry colors. and the green dress, the Silk chiffon Juliet dress in fresh aloe (the color it's pictured in).




A Calvin Klein dress that I found on Nordstrom.com


This dress below is actually from David's Bridal, but I hate that store, so I'd probably never buy anything from there. It's cute though.




I also like this dress from Anthropologie. I've seen it in person and it's cute!!! Not a bad price either.



So, hopefully when I go to pick something out, I'll be able to find something I like and that my girls also like, that isn't 300 bucks. Fingers crossed!!!

Venue, Venue...where art though, Venue?

I know that there is a venue out there for me somewhere, but it has been eluding me. I've researched the subject up and down and contacted quite a few places that I thought 'were the one' but I still haven't been able to nail it down.

Places I really liked, but cannot do, due to either budgetary, logistical or ginourmous guest list reasons:

River East Arts Center. Le sigh. This place looks awesome, but it just isn't feasible for monetary reasons.

A new leaf. My friend is having her wedding here and it sounds so nice. Our guest list runneth over...no a new leaf for me.

Prarie Production. A friend's cousin got married here and had her wedding featured in the Knot magazine. It looked very pretty. But...it only fits 2 hundo. Waaa Waaa. It's very pretty though:

Catalyst Ranch. This is hands down, the most popular suggestion that I get from people when I say what I'm looking for in the city. Unfortunately, we have too many guests...are you beginning to see a trend here? I love this place. I attended a wedding there and this was the first time I was ever exposed to a wedding that wasn't trapped inside the banquet hall box. I haven't ever stopped raving about it. :)

Isn't it darling?


Sean enjoyed himself too.

We've been to a couple places so far. One I actually really liked, Architectural Artifacts. We ventured to Ravenswood to check this place out. It's a gem...super cool. But it just wouldn't work out for logistical reasons. It's really remote and would be a logistical problem. I took some photos while I was there.

The four photos below show where the dining and dancing area would be.

The left hand side.

The right hand side.

The middle.

This is where the dancing would take place.

I normally hate chandeliers, but these are all different, vintage light fixtures. The one below was particularly charming.


The event coordinator said that they would be willing to pull 'artifacts' that we liked from around the space and use them for decor. I didn't really see anything I loved, but found some things that would be interesting to have showcased if you had an event there.


Very "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"


They have a very large collection of stained glass.

My friend and your's. Ol' J.C.


I said I liked this one and Sean said "That's what you're gonna look like in 10 years." Not sure he realizes the jokes on him if I gain 1000 lbs and start swigging rootbeer floats.

These are photos from the Web of the outdoor area. It was filled with stuff when we were there, so you couldn't really get a good idea of what it would look like.



A couple other things I thought were cool

Never nude.


They had a TON of these. Glove molds, pretty cool.


Stay classy.

Today we went to look at the Museum of Contemporary Art. It's really the first place I really liked when looking for something in the city. We haven't been able to go see it because they only do facility tours during weekday business hours. But they were setting up an event so we were able to come take a peek. I basically have a major crush on this place. The coordinator is awesome and the space is so unique. It's a city space, but it's "suburbanite" friendly, being that it is in the mag mile area and close to hotels and transportation as well. I have to get some more information on catering costs, etc. But I was really, really stoked on this place. Sean was too, and I'm glad since he was nice enough to coordinate making the appointment to go see it, ect. I knew there was a reason I was marrying him! I didn't take any photos, but there are a bunch on the Web site. Things I loved the most: ummm. Everything. Like I said, I have a crush. I hope my heart doesn't get broken!

Tomorrow, we are going to visit Cantigny , which is out here in the 'burbs. I've heard it's beautiful in the spring/summer and they are building a new venue in the garden area which sounds really nice. It's called Le Jardin. They sent me some artist mock ups:

Instead of the square tables, it would be rounds. The only thing that kind of stinks is that they said the dancing would have to be in the next room, because of course we have too many people to fit it all in one. I know that I won't be able to see the venue in person, but if anything, I'll at least get a feel for where it would be located. Funny thing is that people are booking this place up like crazy, even though it isn't even going to be finished until August 2008. So, we'll see.

One other place I want to look at is the Morton Arboretum which is our here in the suburbs as well.

After today, I'm feeling more positive. There may be an end to my search in sight!