Things I’ve Learned From The First 7% Of The Wedding Planning Process
1. Eloping really should be a serious consideration for any newly engaged couple. I am not kidding. My life would easily be 9.8 times easier right now if Abbie and I were planning an elopement trip instead of pulling our hair out just to be able to get married within walking distance of our home.
2. Continuing on that theme: Holy hell, it is expensive to get married. Expectedly, it is even holy-hell expensiver to get married in a big city. Why? Because people charge you whatever they can get away with, and judging from the limited availabilities of some of these places more than a year from now, they are most certainly getting away with it.
3. I like buildings with glass ceilings a whole lot. Consider the two places that were at the top of our list for the ceremony and reception, respectively: the light court of the Rookery, a classic Chicago building designed by Daniel Burham and John Root (and later renovated by Frank Lloyd Wright) and one of the oldest Chicago “high-rise” buildings (and, at the time of its completion, the tallest building in the world, making it one of the first “sky-scrapers”); and the Winter Garden of the Harold Washington Library, the world’s largest public library and a bold statement of Chicago architecture that has long been one of my faves in the city. The pictures below are of the aforementioned spaces with the Rookery on the left and the Libary on the right.
4. Buildings with glass ceilings are often prohibitively expensive venues for wedding ceremonies and receptions. Often, I irrationally pursued them in full knowledge of this but with the hopes that someone would have cut us a deal, you know, just because we asked them to. Apparently “ask and ye shall receive” doesn’t work all of the time.
Luckily, we’ve been fortunate to book both a venue—yet another space with a glass ceiling, this one with a three-story, glass-encased atrium, right across the street from the Sears Tower, complete with tables, chairs, linens, and catering—and a photographer, both of which we’re both in love with.
It should be a good time. Sorry ladies, as of November 15, 2008, I will be a married man, provided I don’t kill myself during the other 93% of the planning.
Did you know that as a U of C student that you can get married in Bond chapel for free? It’s actually rather pretty, especially in the spring, though there is a wait list….
If that doesn’t work out, I would totally advocate eloping, or even getting married in court with your parents/siblings there to watch. The only downside to court is that there might be a person waiting outside to contest a traffic ticket, but it only cost $27 or some such. And it was really fast and easy.
Yes ma’am, I certainly did. In fact my parents got married there, and we walked through both it and Rockefeller to see whether it’d be feasible. Unfortunately, I’m Irish, and I have about 150 family members coming from my side alone. We didn’t want everyone to have to shmush in.
I’m jealous of you. We are having a judge marry us, but we’re also paying dearly for the celebration and such.
Don’t let Ben fool you…he is TOTALLY into the wedding planning process. I was the one that had to “take a break” from talking about wedding stuff for a while. I like to call him groomzilla because he has plenty of opinions about our day.
Don’t judge me. A nice wedding is what every little boy dreams about his entire life.
you guys could ask Jelani to DJ for you. He is into that racket nowadays i hear.
Are you talking about the one and only Jelani E. Tate (aka JET)? I haven’t talked to that kid in probably 8 years now…
indeed i am sir. i have his number if you want to give him a shout and see.
It sounds like you two need a gay wedding planner.
…not that I’m offering, just an observation. — I was a florist in a former life–have LOTS of flowers. screw the open bar and sit down meal–flowers is what they’ll remember about your wedding.
[...] Harold Washington Library in Chicago, which I’ve mentioned before, is also one of my faves. The inside isn’t anything terribly special, save for the Winter [...]