Weddingbee Blog

Now that we had a more substantial idea of what type of party we want – a fun excuse to get all dressed up, complete with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres (ha, I have to look up how to spell that every time!), it was a lot easier finding venues to look at. Being so close to Wrigley Field plops us right smack in the middle of lots of places including restaurants, bars, small theaters, etc., so I sent out emails for quotes to most of the places I could think of. I learned early on not to mention that this was going to be anything wedding related because instantly, the price seemed to shoot up. So I simply asked for a quote for a cocktail party for around 100 people, although we really have no idea how many people we’ll have at this point, so that was my guesstimate. I received a reply from one of my all-time favorite restaurants that we order from at least once a week – Vines on Clark.

Outside at Night

Addie, the event coordinator, asked me to give her a call so we could talk details, so I called right away and she was just the sweetest thing ever. I told her what we were looking for and she told me that we could have the entire main dining room and half of the outdoor patio for a $5,000 minimum for 3 hours on a Saturday night, or a $12,000 minimum for the entire restaurant. The price included the food and the drink packages, and not only were the main dining room and patio enough room, but it was in our price range! We decided to go in and meet Addie that weekend because they had a wedding reception going on and wanted us to take a peek at the setup.

That weekend also just so happened to be the hottest weekend this past summer, so when we walked over to Vines, we were melting by the time we got there. We walked in, told the gentleman that we were meeting Addie, and he handed us a beer on the house while we waited for her. It was a good start! Addie greeted us and showed us the entire restaurant, including the rooftop deck (that only holds 25 people), the smaller side room (where the wedding reception was being held), the main dining room, and the patio. Because it was sweltering and humid out, the party that was going on when we were there couldn’t use the half of the patio like they had planned, but the restaurant was able to accomodate everyone with a backup plan. I was sold! Here are a few pics of the restaurant:

Main Dining Room

Main Dining Room w/ Projector (the patio is off to the side behind the red curtains)

Smaller Party Room

Tables we have to work with

Addie told us that we could decorate any way we wanted, or not at all—it was totally up to us. I asked if we could put up twinkle lights on the patio trees, and she said yes. I asked about centerpieces and linens – we could bring our own or use theirs; it was completely up to us as to how much we wanted to personalize the space. They also have that projector above that we can use for a slideshow – you’d better believe those home movies will be a part of it, along with photos from our wedding. I think we’ll have them get rid of the chairs and wrap the tables in linens, tied underneath. There are booths along the wall so if people want to sit, they will have the option. I loved the freedom we had to do as much or as little as we wanted and regardless, it would look fantastic.

Now, picking a date was an issue. With the restaurant and Wrigley Field so close…

(source – modified by me)

… we had to pick a date on a non-Cubs game day, but the 2010 schedule wasn’t out yet. Once the tentative schedule was announced, Addie emailed me with a list of possible dates so we chose one in early summer and we’ll finalize the date once the complete schedule comes out in February. Chicago can be hit or miss as far as weather goes, but I’m hoping that we get a warmer summer next year than we had this past year. And I’m praying for no rain.

Fingers crossed!

(all photos of Vines taken from their website)

DW brides: will you have a hometown reception? Will it be casual, or sort of like a wedding, part II?