Best wedding reception anyone has been too?

We're having our sons wedding and would like to know the best wedding reception any of you have ever been too. Not like the big, expensive but no fun type receptions, but clever, fun, intimate type of doings. Any advice or suggestions are very welcome! Thanks in advance for all your posts.

jackie wrote:We're having our sons wedding and would like to know the best wedding reception any of you have ever been too. Not like the big, expensive but no fun type receptions, but clever, fun, intimate type of doings. Any advice or suggestions are very welcome! Thanks in advance for all your posts.

Mine was pretty good. We were married in a Queen Anne Style B & B with about 60 guests. Married at noon with a lunch reception afterward. Beautiful late May spring day. About 70 degrees with a light breeze.

http://www.queenanneinn.net/

This met our needs. However, we were 37 & 40 and this is our first marriage. Several friends told me we had one of the nicest weddings they had ever been to. Real relaxed. My wife and I ate lunch with our 8 & 10 y/o old niece and nephew at a picnic table.

I know a few other people who had this type of wedding. While we were dressed up, the wedding was casual.

Two years ago, friends had their ceremony and reception at Jilly's on Green Bay Road in Evanston. Although space was very, very tight, the ceremony, the food, and the company were all excellent.

Ours was actually pretty good, I think, though I spent most of the time being photographed. It was in the Willoway Manor, which is now Meson Sabika in N'ville. The big old house, grounds and patio made for an excellent flow and loosened everyone up. We did have an afternoon reception, though.

There is also a nice old house in the Danada Forest Preserve up by Butterfield and Naperville Roads that could be a good choice and I am sure there are similar places all around town.

If you want it to be a party or event, pick the location first and then arrange to have acceptable food brought in if need be.

HI,

My favorite wedding reception was held at the Restaurant Prague in Moscow, USSR in the mid-1980's. They had a private dining room with a u-shaped table arrangement. There were no more than 25 people in the entire party, which was marvelously intimate and free flowing event.

I have been to grand affairs, which I have largely forgotten. I still remember this one small wedding in vivid detail because there was so much interesting human interaction.

I had mine in the Mayo mansion in Rochester, MN. It is on a lake, surrounded by woods. This was a beautiful, historic place. We had about 100 for a sit-down dinner.
My brother had a much more casual reception. His was in the middle of some apple orchard in Minnesota. There was a renovated barn on the premises and we had dancing there and a cookout. One of my dad's friends plays the bagpipes. Seeing this lone player leading the guests with his music through the orchard was an unforgettable sight. I don't share these stories thinking you'll be heading north, just to give ideas.

Ahwahnee Lodge, Yosemite National Park in the shadow of Half-Dome and El Capitan, dead-of-winter, during a snow storm.

Bill/SFNM

First, a comment on Antonius's and my wedding, then a description of a friend's:

A and I had decided to have our wedding near his hometown in NJ rather than here where we had met or in NC where I'm from, since his family is larger and mine is ready to hop on a plane at a moment's notice. Planning from afar was a little difficult, though. We stumbled across a lovely location (a restaurant in an Olmsted designed park and building on a mountaintop with a view of NYC), discovered that the food was very good, and made the rest of our plans around when they had an available date. So I agree with dicksond's comment: find a place you really like first. A small location will probably be more memorable than a banquet hall where they have 5 other events going on at the same time.

As for the rest of the wedding reception: it was small, and serene (as befits a bride and groom of a (ahem) certain age) -- we had a quartet playing Renaissance music, so our guests could actually talk to each other. (Your son may have different music in mind, though!) The focus was on family and friends, and -- oh, yeah -- FOOD.

*****
Two years ago I went to a friend's wedding in New York. This friend is in theatre, and her wedding was indeed theatrical! The ceremony was outdoors, at the Obelisk in Central Park. Afterwards there was a very casual, picnic-like reception elsewhere in Central Park. We guests were led to the reception site by a Dixieland band and masked stiltwalkers:

a friend of mine had a reception that was set up like a rock-n-roll show. invites were "show tickets", you had "backstage passes" to get in to the reception that you gave to the "bouncer/doorman", and of course great music was played throughout the night!

leesh

I agree with the recommendation to find a place you like first, then organize around it. Let me offer a variation.

If you know of a caterer that you really like, then find a suitable (non-restaurant) location which you can rent and go from there. Many interesting places are far less expensive than the hotel trick. Here are two I know of.

The Newberry Library
60 West Walton Street
Chicago
312-943-9090
The grand old building facing Bughouse Square looks great since the exterior was cleaned. They have a large newly-renovated reception hall.

Cheney Mansion
220 N. Euclid
Oak Park
708-383-2612
A large (10,000 sq ft or so) mansion on several acres. Designed, I believe, by a disciple of F.L. Wright. Surprisingly reasonable rents.

Another thought: perhaps a park or garden such as the Morton Arboretum or the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Good luck.