Reception Location

After the hectic but thrilling engagement weekend...and picking out a date only to find out another couple in our church was getting married the day after (the nerve!) we decided not to announce a date until we had the ceremony and recepton locations booked.

Kelsey (sister of the bride and amatuer wedding planner) has called 25 wedding locations within about ten miles of our church in a southwest Chicago suburb. Only five locations were available on June 19th (our second best date). We booked appointments for all day Saturday to see the locations, look at menus, pricing and packages.

After a couple of bad experiences (over-priced, ugly mauve banquet halls, and an appointment where our contact never even showed up), we went back to the place we started the morning out with: Old Oak Country Club. It is a tucked away, intimate clubhouse with a room that seats 200 maximum. (just right!) There are three picture perfect locations for outdoor photography, and there are plans to have a gazebo built by next summer.


The executive chef/wedding planner Juan could not have been nicer or more helpful. In fact, he almost offered Kelsey an event planner job on the spot. [for anyone who is curious...she is definitely going to look into it]

The banquet room has all the right ingredients, although smaller than I imagined. Dance floor, 3 walls of floor to ceiling windows and one wall of mirrors(which really make the room seem bigger), a brick patio to the west, a deck to the north, and a flower garden to the east. Sounds pretty perfect, huh?

I was so tired of looking after just one day (and impatient! who is surprised?) that I think this location got elavated to the top pretty quickly, and I didn't stop to consider any of its faults.

But on Monday, Dad and I went over on our lunch break and signed the contract. I hope this is the right one!