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Our wedding to do list is a mess. I’m pretty sure that we aren’t supposed to be investigating rehearsal dinner places until June, and engagement announcements should have been sent out last summer, but what’s a girl to do?
The Baconator and I had decided quite a few months back that the best place to do the rehearsal dinner would be at our favorite pizza place, since they have a downtown location. Of course this didn’t work out because the downtown location only holds 30-40 guests and we’ll need a space that fits 55. Yep, we’ll have as many people at our rehearsal as some people have at their whole wedding, but that’s neither here nor there. So, we are back on the search for a place for our well rehearsed friends and family to chow down. Only one other pizza chain has space for all of our people, but the space isn’t private, so we’d have to shout over all the hubbub of the restaurant on a Friday night, which is so not ideal.
We really wanted to keep the dinner downtown since that’ll be easiest for everyone to get to, so we started thinking of places that we go to that have set menu prices for 2-3 courses. The first one that came to mind was a family style Italian chain, but even though we could have 12 people for $25 on the regular menu, we’d have to pay $45 per person for a banquet room. YIKES! So we went on to a Brazilian Steak House that does $35 deals for newsletter members, but the lowest they can get us down to is $43 per person. Did I mention that we are covering 55 people? These downtown places are too rich for our blood.
Then yesterday, riding the El, it hit me: Our venue is on the North side, so why don’t we eat up there right after the rehearsal? We kept trying to keep dinner near the hotel, but why bother? We’ll have all the folks that are going to dinner with us at the rehearsal anyway! It’ll be much cheaper to have the dinner up in our neighborhood AND it’ll be a lot easier to pick a place that we love!
Did you struggle with finding a place to have your wedding or rehearsal dinner only to find it in your back yard?
Holy crap @ the per-plate costs! Yikes. I hope y’all found somewhere that fits your needs better!
I totally understand that! We went back and forth on locations because of price until the day we arrived in Mexico! 
omg YES.
We found a perfect Italian BYOB that wasn’t *too* far from our venue… it was totally empty on the Friday night we visited so I didn’t think to call in our plans that early. big Mistake. When I did call, about a month & a half ago, they were booked on our rehearsal night and absolutely could not accomodate us. Ack. Then we went around to other BYOB’s (something we had our hearts set on) and everything else in the area was just too far or too expensive.
Then I had the idea to cater it in the belly of a giant elephant (yes, you read that right, Lucy the Elephant in Margate, NJ) but those jerks never returned my e-mails or phone calls.
Mom and Dad in Law generously offered to host it at the house they are renting for the week and we are getting food catered there. I am so glad we finally figured something out!
As someone who’s just beginning the planning phase, I appreciate learning from the lessons of others who will walk down the aisle before me. Glad to know it worked out for ya, Bacon!
Glad you found an area that works, Bacon! Our welcoming dinner is literally going to be in a backyard (at Mr. Tartlet’s home). We researched nearby restaurants but ran into the same problems with space and price!
we are still going back and forth on this. i had our contract all signed and ready to fax back to one place, when my FFIL suggested to talk to a friend that owns a local restaurant group. 2 weeks later we have some info, but no prices. kinda hard to make a choice when i can’t compair apples to apples!
I love when things just come to you and your like duh, why didn’t I think of this before.
I am so glad that FI’s parents are handling the rehearsal dinner, it’s out of my hands and making me out of my mind.
Lol I am so glad we don’t have to worry about that, as I’m not used to that tradition I still find it strange that you’re expected to host two dinners!
omg my eye just got twitching looking at those per person price! Im glad you found something that worked for you!
The best decision isn’t always the most obvious but it’s going to be so much easier on the two of you now that it’s in your neighborhood! Our rehearsal dinner is one of only a few things that I’m hands-off about.
We batted around the idea of doing a rehearsal lunch and really limiting the guest list to just bridal party and parents because the restaurant options were so expensive! We didn’t want the rehearsal to cost almost as much as the wedding! At the end of the day my parents are renting a house near our venue so that gives us a bit more flexibility. We’ll probably pick up some food from Costco, BBQ it up and that will allow a few more folks to come and it will keep it more casual.
Glad you found a spot! It sounds like you are going out of your way to make things convenient for your guests! We had our rehearsal dinner at Gino’s East downtown because it was near the hotel and its my husband’s favorite pizza!
Did you check out Quartinos? It is one of the few nice places me and my fiance can affor downtown.
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Mrs. Bacon, Chicago Age and Occupation: 26, Digital Advertising Manager Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, IT Client Services Engagement Date: June 17, 2010 Wedding Date: September 2011 Venue: Ravenswood Billboard Factory About Me: I'm a Midwestern girl that can't seem to commit to staying in one place for too long and is constantly daydreaming about my next adventure. I am an aspiring foodie with a weak spot for the unusual and I love semi-reality food television. My other loves easily include laughing as a form of exercise, a book that I can't put down, summer baseball games, espresso with whipped cream, couch potato days and nights with the ridiculous Mr. Bacon, and our two kitties, Lincoln and Sawyer. We're planning a faux-destination wedding for 150 of our closest friends and family in the city we've both adopted as home that has a modern, yet whimsical twist and as many personal touches as we can manage.
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