Community Corner

Date, Ceremony and Reception Sites? Check, Check and Check

After getting engaged April 16, the wedding planning is in full swing.

Each week, I'll update you with my experiences planning a wedding in the Woodridge area.

In case you missed last week's inaugural edition of "My Woodridge Wedding," you can

Yep, we already know when and where this wedding will happen.

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For Zach and I, we didn't have one day picked out. We just knew we wanted to get married in May or June of 2012.

Shortly after he proposed on April 16, my mom and I started checking in with the church and possible reception sites to see what was open. I wanted to get the date nailed down fairly quickly -- I didn't want to wait a few weeks only to find that locations were booked.

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After freelancing for a bridal publication, I knew that couples picked days two or three years in advance, and June is about the start of the wedding season.

We had a scheduling issue I had never considered -- it turned out May was out since some of the farmers we would be inviting would be planting then (Zach is from Iowa, hence the farmers).

So that left early June. Zach and I both went to Northwestern University, and some of those attending will still be students there next year. Zach wanted to have the wedding on a day that they could come down from Evanston.

Our ceremony site was set -- we'll be married at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Downers Grove. It's been my family's church since I was in high school. After checking with the church, we knew that June 16, 2012, was out. But all other June weekends were open.

The next step was to check out some reception sites around Gloria Dei. Zach and I considered in Woodridge, Carriage Greens in Darien, in Woodridge and Ashyana Banquets in Downers Grove.

After checking with our favorite reception site, we had a date: June 2, 2012.

I want to make the point that all of these locations are wonderful, and my opinions are only that of one bride-to-be. We picked Seven Bridges for the reception site, and I'll tell you why.

At Seven Bridges, you are the only wedding reception held that day, so you have full use of the space. The location is beautiful, the rooms have great views and it's a more intimate setting for everyone. Plus, Roisin Daly, director of catering for Seven Bridges, has great reviews from brides as being accomodating and great to work with.

There's one room with the bar for the cocktail hour. This is the same room where dancing takes place later in the evening. There's another room next door for dinner, where guests can continue to sit and chat once the dancing begins.

There are also verandas along the outside of the building where people can enjoy the view of the course, talk or find a quieter space in the midst of the crowd.

The rooms at Seven Bridges are more rounded than your typical rectangular banquet hall, so there's a more intimate feeling. Although there is a good amount of space between the tables, you feel as though you're not that far away from everyone else.

I wanted Seven Bridges to be our reception site as soon as we left. Zach had to like it, too, so I took him out there on the weekend to get his take. The place was set up for an Easter brunch, so he could get a feel for how it would look for a larger event. Once he gave his approval, we went to eat at for the first time.

Now that we have a date and a ceremony and reception site, I'm breathing a little easier. And now I can start the countdown: 397 days until June 2, 2012!


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