Weddingbee Blog

Mr. Parfait and I started our search for the perfect venue online. We searched for museums, lofts, theaters, and other unique places to host a wedding reception. Amazingly, we have almost the exact same tastes. We like clean, modern spaces that are bare enough to personalize… which is why the River East Arts Center jumped out to us as the clear front-runner in the race to become our venue. I mean, honestly, take a look at these pictures!

The space, undecorated

The space as we would set it up, but with different colors

The space, looking as sultry as walls and floors can look

Sadly, we ruled this place out pretty quickly for several reasons. First, our vendors are in the suburbs, and it would be a hassle to get everything to the city. Second, the venue fee plus catering was beyond our meager budget. And finally, Mr. Parfait and I can look at venue pictures all day, but when it comes to looking for caterers, we have no patience at all. So our next thought was… let’s find a place nearby that has in-house catering! Our search words switched from museums and lofts to banquet halls and restaurants. We visited three venues in Oakbrook, a town close to us and about 30 minutes from Chicago:

My family has been to several shows at this classy theater, and Mr. Parfait’s family frequents their Christmas brunch. Drury Lane was also the location of our high school prom––that’s more of a fun fact than a selling point. When we visited, I loved walking into the lobby with their plush red carpets and glittering chandeliers––it made me feel like getting all glammed up! The prices were within our budget, and the staff had tons of experience with special events. The downside? The catering director said she often has five weddings happening at a time. That sounded too busy for us, so we moved on.

The Doubletree looked plain on the outside, but I liked the modern lobby. The ballroom had pretty ceilings, and we could use their shiny, black grand piano for our cocktail hour. We met with their wedding planner, and she was friendly, knowledgeable, and responsive to our ideas and budget. Of all the catering directors and reception coordinators we’d met so far, she was the one we’d be happiest to work with. However, their prices meant we’d have to keep looking.

Nearby, we found:

The Grotto. It was the only place Mr. Parfait visited without me. The restaurant has a beautiful brick exterior and luxuriously large leather chairs in the foyer. He liked the atmosphere, but its wedding packages were not as all-inclusive as we were getting accustomed to seeing. Next, we visited a place even closer to home:

The first Naperville venue we visited was Hotel Arista. We loved their dedication to being a sustainable hotel and their glossy new ballroom. The prices were too steep for us, and we guessed that the price tag had to do with the all-local and organic menu. If that’s the top priority for a couple, I’d highly recommend Hotel Arista–it’s really beautiful and new, and the staff made us feel very welcome.

The search continued! I really wanted to find a place in our hometown. I knew there must be a hidden gem someplace nearby!

Was your venue search long and tedious, or did you know exactly where you wanted to host your reception?