Happy Anniversary to Us!

So this weekend, we visited Lake Katherine and met with the event coordinator. We learned that if we pursue this route, we'll be the first outdoor tent reception to take place on the grounds. As such, they're not really equipped to handle it, only offering us 1 hour of setup and 1 hour of takedown. It's seemingly impossible to setup and takedown all that we would want in an hour, so we've decided to explore other options.

The best part? They wanted to charge us $4,000 for 6 hours. And that's just for the land. No tent, no tables, no chairs --- nothing.

So I spent yesterday trying to find every botanic garden, nature center, what-have-you within a 30 mile radius that didn't charge an arm and a leg. I've found 3 options that we'd like to check out.

1. The Barber & Oberwortman Nature Center in Joliet --- located off of Route 30 & Gougar Rd., this center is located on the grounds of Pilcher Park. While the grounds are beautiful, the center is actually a banquet-hall type building, which we're trying to stay away from. The catering options, however, are reasonably priced and plentiful!
2. Lifescapes at Montefiori - There are no words to say how amazing these grounds are! Waterfalls, gardens, stone-paver walkways --- this place has it all! There are 3 tented sites that stay up year-round. Their catering options are astounding, but with that, comes an equally astounding price tag. I have no concrete evidence, but from what I've gathered, we're looking at a $70-90 per person price tag. I'll wait for you to do the math.
3. The Danada House - Located in Wheaton, this manor is owned by the Forest Preserve of DuPage County. The house has been restored (as it was built in 1939), and they've added an all glass "atrium," complete with skylights, air-conditioning, modern lighting, etc. The rental includes both the house and the atrium, along with tables and chairs. They also have a great selection of caterers with great budgets and lots of creativity!

While I'm leaning towards the Danada House, I'd definitely like to visit all three to get accurate price quotes and see the places in person. Seeing is believing, after all.

(The Danada House)

In the very least, this was a fun way to celebrate our anniversary...even Tom was excited :)