Planning my Sister's Wedding

Welcome to week five of the wedding planning process! Brittany and Andy have been hard at work researching wedding venues. With all the other couples getting engaged at this time of year, it's a race to see who can book the best venue/date in record time. With the stress of making sure they get a venue they love, Brittany and Andy had been scrambling to find one from San Francisco!  The final two venues were a historic mansion in Joliet and a new hotel ballroom in Schaumburg. Although the Joliet location was the #1 for Brittany, boasting a huge mansion with lovely décor, logistically it didn't work out. With a ceremony located in Palatine at our childhood church, it was a huge concern to worry about if anything could affect the commute all the way to Joliet - over 1 hour without traffic! It would be an inconvenience for all the guests, who would have to go from a hotel in Joliet to Palatine, back to Joliet. After explaining my concern with the day-of timeline and all the problems that may affect it with the large distance, both Brittany and Andy decided that the Schaumburg location was the way to go! Some key deciding factors in choosing the Schaumburg location:

• the catering manager was more willing to work with our wants and needs for the reception
• distance from the church as well as rooms at the venue made it much more convenient for guests
• a shuttle for out of town guests to Woodfield Mall and surrounding area - free of charge!
• close to major highways (90% of guests are from out of town) and airport
• all-inclusive package for wedding day
• no preferred vendors; Brittany and Andy could bring in anyone they wanted except food to be provided by the hotel chef

So, now comes the contract review and room block. I recommended that Brittany and Andy send all contracts to me for review. This allows us to keep a copy in case we need it for reference on the wedding day, as well as allows us to provide our feedback or suggestions for changes. Reviewing contracts are so important, and it's one of the perks of having a wedding planner who can provide the couple with his or her experience and knowledge!

Now that the "big" stuff is covered, what's next? Funny you should ask.... 

Band - booked

Photographer - booked

Florist - TBD

Décor/Rental - TBD

Stay tuned for the next edition of Planning My Sister's Wedding where booking the band and photographer is discussed!