Think Outside the Ballroom

We all know the usual suspects when it comes to venues for your event: churches, hotels, gardens, even dedicated event spaces.  But what about venues for the less traditional hosts?  There's a plethora of locales that are less typical and could be perfect for your next event.  Why not think outside the hotel ballroom?
Have your wedding at a public building like a library.  Many of these older buildings are architectural works of art and need few embellishments to set the mood.

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With beautiful marine life as a back-drop, you'll save big time by hosting your event at an aquarium.

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Science and art museums also offer a wonderful and interesting back-drop for your event.  For a more personal touch, find a particular exhibit that speaks to you.  It's a great way to personalize your event and give your guests some eye-candy.

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Zoos can be fun and playful venues for children's events or corporate events that need to have some levity injected into them.  Just make sure the buffet isn't too close to the cages. The smells might not mix so well.

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Ever thought of having your next party at a professional sports venue?  How perfect for the #1 fan in your life!

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National parks, like Yosemite, offer beautiful natural settings for your next event. 

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For more unique venues across the USA, check out Unique Venues.  You can search by state, browse venues and get great ideas for an unusual locale.

What about you? Have you had an event at an unusual location? Tell us all about it and you could be featured on our blog. Need help looking for the perfect venue? Contact us at info@wevegotitchicago.com and we can help you find the perfect place!

Suggestion Saturday: Cortland's Garage

Party at Cortland's Garage

Looking for a hot spot for your bachelor/bachelorette party? Or maybe to celebrate your engagement, or birthday, or job promotion?


What: Local Bucktown bar with great food and drink specials and private rooms for your next big or small event. Mouthwatering food is prepared by professional chef, Jim August (Cortland's was honored with #10 burger in all of Chicago by Chicago Magazine Sept, 2009), and can be ordered in platters for larger events. Already have a venue for your event, but need a place for the recap the next day? Try Cortland's Hangover Brunch, complete with a $5 Build your own Bloody Mary Bar and $5 Mimosas. Believe us, the brunch menu is DELISH!

Where: 1645 West Cortland Street (773.862.7877)

Why: To celebrate, commiserate, eat or even nurse a hangover!

When: We would say anytime.  Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays are the best for larger, more rowdy events, but if you're looking to keep it low-key any other day would work.  Sundays are also great with the Bloody Mary Bar at your disposal!

Who: Anyone over 21

Suggestion Saturday: Galleria UNICO

Galleria UNICO is a small, intimate venue located in the heart of the loop

at 44 East Superior Street. 

In their own words

 "Galleria Unico is an exciting commercial and private event space, established to provide clients with with an intimate alternative in today's contemporary, corporate, and domestic environments. Opened by Dominic Gaziano & Corey Sanford, with experience exceeding 15 years in the Events & Entertainment Industry, we believe we have the creative and administrative recipe to meet any clients needs and expectations."

Lighting/Music:
Galleria Unico can be equipped with onsite technitions to assist in all your AV needs. Complimentary Wi Fi and phone access is also available.  For events larger than 20 guests they recommend one of their House DJ's or a remote sound system provided by their partner Music Masters Entertainment.

Other Services:
UNICO is equipped with all kinds of furnishings, Tables & Chairs, Draipery, Linens, Audio Visual, Entertainment, Video, Photography, Catering, Valet, Staff, and more. Visit their website for more information on pricing, available dates, floorplans, and more!

Green Weddings Part 1: The Venue

When you think green weddings, you often envision a tree-hugging affair tucked away in a botanical garden or perhaps on a beach, but the venue doesn't have to be so predictable.  Perhaps you can tie the knot at a National or local park?  Or why not wed in an old barn or farmyard?  All the leftover food can be fed to the pigs!

Outside weddings can pose some obstacles, like unpredictable weather.  So if you're more comfortable with inside nuptuals, search for a green building. Host your affair at a member of the Green Hotel Association or look for another LEED-certified building to ensure that you're picking a green venue. Click here to find a directory of LEED buildings in your area. And yes, there are churches and places of worship on the list! Green buildings often have relationships with other local green businesses like florists and caterers and are very likely to help you recycle or reuse any leftovers to minimize your waste.

But it's not just about the actual structure you're holding your wedding in. Other factors contribute to the greenness.  For example, the distance guests have to travel. Destination weddings are great, but if you have 200+ friends and relatives travelling cross-country, that's a lot of carbon offsets to balance out.  Also, try to find a location that can serve as both the ceremony and reception locale to prevent guests from having to get back in their cars to drive to a second location. 

Finally the season and time of day are crucial to the green-factor.  Schedule your wedding for a time of year when you won't require lots of heating or air conditioning to make your guests comfortable. Spring and fall are already popular seasons for weddings, and with some careful planning, you can ensure that you won't need extra utilities pumping.  By choosing a daytime wedding and a venue with lots of windows (or outdoors), you can also prevent excessive use of artificial lighting. 

One final thing to consider about green venues.  While a scenic hill-top or forest clearing may be the perfect spot for your nuptuals, think about the nearby resources.  If it takes 10 trucks to deliver all the rentals and food and equipment, your green locale may not be so green any more.  Be sure to consider the impact you're having on the local environment.  It may be greener to pick the church at the bottom of the hill that already has all the chairs and tables at hand. 

Are you in search of a green venue for your wedding? We've Got It! Chicago would love to help.  Email us at info@wevegotitchicago.com and we'll help you find the green venue of your dreams.

Neighborhood Nightspots

WGIC recently found two great articles on one of our favorite websites, BizBash.com.

Article #1 - 4 New Neighborhood Nightspots for Casual Group Outings
The article highlights four restaurants (Wrigleyville, Gold Coast, River North and North Ave) that provide not only a laid back feel, but an ambiance that lends itself to casual, informal events.

Article #2 - New Nightspots for Private Events
This article looks at restaurants/venues that have opened in the last month that provide great atmospheres for private events. Now you might not have 300 guests, and may not need to utilize all the space highlighted, but they're all worth a look!

Check them out!!

TEAMiFIT/PHD Party Pics

The pictures are in from the TEAMiFIT/PHD Lifestyle Center Preview Party. We hope you were able to make the event, but if not, here's a look at what you missed!

Out-of-Town Guests

If you're planning a wedding (or any event) where you have out-of-town guests you might be wondering what you're going to do with them. WGIC has some great ideas to make your out-of-towners feel right at home in the big city!

First, and foremost, make sure all guests that are not native to Chicago are armed with a good map. It is worth taking the extra time to create an event map for those that may need a bit more direction when navigating through Chicago. This will also cut down on the number of angry phone calls you receive from lost family members and will leave a much better lasting impression of our great city.

Creating an itinerary with addresses for the church, reception location, city landmarks, shopping, museums, etc. is also helpful. Be sure to include event start times, dress code, weather conditions, and who is expected to attend which events.

Transportation is also something you need to think about. If guests are expected to take public transportation be sure they know where they're going and how much time is needed from door to door (this will ensure they are not late to your big day/event!). If you prefer they take a taxi, a good event favor (or something to include in the hotel goody bags) is a prepaid credit card to cover some of their costs. Another good idea is to hire a transportation company to ease you and you're guests nerves about getting around.

Check out an example of a Google Map and an Event Itinerary.

Here are some other great ideas for your out-of-towners:

Places to visit:
1. Navy Pier
- Have an outing planned for the night guests arrive. Navy pier plays host to many events with several beautiful event spaces. The Crystal Gardens are my personal favorite, but be sure to check them all out before making any decisions! After you can even go see a movie at the IMAX Theater!

2. Shed Aquarium
3. Adler Planetarium & Museum
4. Museum of Science and Industry
5. Field Museum
- See Sue, the world's largest, most complete and most famous T. Rex. See also, the current attraction: Real Pirates: The Untold Story of the Whydah from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship
6. Art Institute of Chicago
7. Soldier Field
8. Wrigley Field
9. Sears Tower
- You can visit the traditional Sky Deck of the, now, Willis Tower. Or if you're really adventurous, you can try out the new Sky Deck Ledge!

10. Architectural Boat Tour
11. Frank Lloyd Wright Houses
12. Chicago Symphony Orchestra
13. Millenium Park
- The prominent features are the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States; the interactive Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa; the contemporary Lurie Garden designed by the team of Kathryn Gustafson, Piet Oudolf and Robert Israel; and Anish Kapoor's hugely popular Cloud Gate sculpture (The Bean) on the AT&T Plaza.
14. Lincoln Park Zoo
15. Lincoln Park Conservatory -or- Garfield Park Conservatory

16. Chinatown
17. Greektown


Did you recently have a destination wedding in Chicago? Let us know where you took your guests and how they liked it!

Bespoke Cuisine

As you know, WGIC had the opportunity to celebrate the Fork yesterday at the Savor event held at Bespoke Cuisine - and what a great time we had.

We learned a few things about the fork (and it's somewhat tumultuous past), cooking, and Bespoke Cuisine's capabilities as an event venue/caterer. Bespoke sits on Randolph Street just east of Ashland (1358 W Randolph St.), very close to the Illinois Medical District.

The space we were in last night housed a full commercial kitchen complete with space for multiple 'cooking' stations (utilized during the cooking party). The remaining event space was not large by any means, but had room for a small bar area and seating for 28-30 people - now you could always remove the bar and seat about 8-10 more people (**NOTE: Bespoke is BYOB). There was also a 'closet' area with room for purses, bags, and jackets while we were cooking.

While this particular area of Bespoke's Randolph location was limited in event space, we found that the availability of a full kitchen would be well worth trimming down a guest list.

The co-owners, Kim Shambrook and Jeannie Lukow opened Bespoke 8 years ago solely as a catering company. Kim, the Executive Chef, received her culinary training from Kendall College in Evanston.

Check out Bespoke's Manifesto to get an idea of what they're about

Our favorite - We believe that eating local, seasonal produce will make you one with the universe.

We'd have to agree!

Celebrate the Fork

WGIC has the pleasure of attending a cooking party tonight to celebrate the Fork! How cute!
The party is being thrown by Savor Agency and will be held at Bespoke Cuisine.





Check back tomorrow to see how it went!

Rumba - 351 W Hubbard

WGIC recently attended a birthday celebration at Rumba, 351 W Hubbard, and we couldn't wait to share our thoughts with you. From the ornate, rich interior to the exquisite food and salsa dancing - we simply had a blast!



Check out their menu, entertainment, history, and hours of operation here!





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3 Places for Breakfast Meetings or Group Brunches - Courtesy of 'BizBash Chicago'

I just read a great article from BizBash Chicago and had to share it!

The article features three restaurants around town that are great spots for breakfast meetings or group brunches - I personally would eat at all three all by myself! I live in the Bucktown/Wicker Park area and pass by Jane's almost every day. I also can't wait to try Pannenkoeken Cafe when it opens later this month as I've heard some serious buzz about the original location from friends and colleagues.

The new addition at Jane's Restaurant

Check out the third location and details about all three HERE.


Bon Appétit!!

Outdoor Events

Outdoor events in Chicago are what we live for. Because winter is so long and dreary it's nice to be outside whenever possible. So why not throw your next event under the sky!

We've made a list of 6 things you should keep in mind when planning an outdoor event:

1. Time of year
Now if you live in Chicago, this one is a given, but there are many things to think about when picking a date: weather, hours of natural light, and wind to name a few. Take into consideration average temperatures for any particular time of year. But, you must always keep in mind that weather in Chicago is rarely predictable and can change faster than you can blink!


2. Location
Location also has a lot to do with weather. If you are near the lake you must take wind into serious consideration, more so than if you were not. It is also very important for other reasons: Be sure the location you choose has areas of shade if your event is during the summer months and areas to warm up if you chose an event date during the Spring or Fall. I would suggest walking the ground before your event and definitely make sure all animal waste is removed prior to your event. It's also a good idea to take measurements of the area you will be in just in case something changes last minute you can always be sure that what you are adjusting is going to fit!


3. Food
For summer months keep your serving sizes smaller and serve cooler menu items, make sure there are plenty drink options for guests to stay hydrated. During the spring and fall months serve warmer foods to help keep your guests comfortable, it is also okay to increase portion sizes a bit during these months.


4. Light/Power
Be sure that when the sun goes down you have the power source to light your event. Go green by using candles to light all or part of your event - but make sure that they're protected from wind. If you're going to use light bulbs of some sort make sure that your venue has sufficient outlets and in convenient locations so that you can light all areas to the desired level. Keeping the lights dimmer helps to save on energy usage/costs and it sets a very romantic mood! The lanterns pictured below are great and come in so many fun colors!





5. Bugs
Bugs stink! But they can be controlled if you think ahead. The Botanic Bug Deterrent works over a large area and is safe on the environment, which we love! Another reason we like it is because no bugs are harmed. If the BBD is out of your price range having sufficient citronella candles on hand can make all the difference. You may also choose to use a bug zapper (which, in our opinion, is kind of unappetizing!), or other technique to rid bugs of your area. Whatever method you use, be sure it works. Bugs are the last thing you want to steal your show!


6. Have a Backup Plan!
This is very important. If you're throwing a BBQ or backyard party make sure your house has room enough to fit all guests comfortably. If you're using a venue around town work with your planner to ensure there is a plan if the weather does not cooperate. Have an inside location that is dedicated solely to your event. Most venues include a small, inside area with the purchase of an outdoor one but it is always good to make this clear during the negotiations and in your event contract.

Did you have an outdoor event recently? If so, let us know how your planning went and what advice you found helpful!

Throw a Party for Earth Day

Earth day is this Wednesday (April 22) and here at WGIC, we think that’s something to celebrate. This is a great opportunity to plan a fun party and put some of our best eco-friendly ideas to use. Here’s a few of our favorite ideas for celebrating Earth Day in an earth-friendly way.

Invitations
Instead of sending traditional invitations, why not send an invitation that can be planted? Using these templates, why not design a fun, festive invitation label and stuff it with a pack of your favorite wildflower seeds. After the party, the guests can plant the seeds as a reminder of the fun day you all shared. As a bonus, be sure to use recycled paper for your seed packet labels.


The Venue
We think Earth Day is a perfect opportunity to celebrate out in nature, so take your party outdoors to a local park. Better yet, do double duty by hosting a volunteer effort to clean up your local park or plant a tree there. (Be sure to check with local authorities before planting anything.) Then celebrate your volunteerism with a special thank you picnic for all of the helpers.

Food
Organic, natural and wholesome recipes seem to fit best with an Earth Day celebration, but for an extra special treat, why not serve your guests a flowery dessert like this one ? Easy and delicious, these flower pot ice cream desserts will wow your guests while keeping with the natural theme of the earth.


Activities / Favors
Instead of typical party games, why not spend the afternoon creating something for your guests to use? Supply them with ceramic flower pots and an assortment of non-toxic paints and let each guest decorate a pot in which to grow their invitation seeds. Check out these pots on etsy.com for some groovy inspiration.


Or create rain barrels for guests to use, following simple directions found here. Or try a nature scavenger hunt. Give guests a list of items (on recycled paper, of course) and let them have fun running around finding everything. Be sure to give each team a reusable shopping bag to collect all their items. The winning team gets to go take home all of the shopping bags as a prize.

At the end of the party, just remember to leave the space clean and tidy just as you found it because the best way to celebrate the earth is by making a big impact on your guests and small impact on the planet.

How are you planning on celebrating Earth Day? Leave us a comment and let us know what fun and eco-friendly ideas you have for the day.