Wedding planning can seem overwhelming, particularly in a large and diverse area like Chicagoland. Many couples can find it hard to decide where to start when choosing venues, vendors, and neighborhoods for their wedding. And that’s because the process involves combining a big-picture view with awareness of local traditions, logistics, and seasonal issues. However, breaking it all down into smaller parts can help couples move forward with clarity and confidence, rather than uncertainty and anxiety.
To that end, this wedding planning guide takes you through how to start planning a wedding from the initial stages, with a particular emphasis on what couples need to consider when planning a wedding in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs.
1. Identify Your Top Wedding Priorities
Before booking a venue or reaching out to vendors, get as clear an idea as possible of the kind of wedding experience you want to create. Chicago and its surroundings provide a variety of settings for a wedding – from high-end rooftops in downtown Chicago to casual lakefronts and romantic, rural barn venues in the suburbs. Having a specific type of wedding (city formal, relaxed outdoor, etc.) in mind will help you narrow down your venue candidates more quickly.
That’s why the first step to start planning a wedding is establishing what your top priorities actually are. Identify what matters most to you (venue, food, photography, entertainment, etc.) and then use that information to help organize your budget and make decisions.
2. Establish a Reasonable Wedding Budget Based on Local Prices
Let’s not mince words about it. Weddings in the Chicagoland area tend to be a bit more expensive than in most other parts of the country. The obvious exceptions to that rule would be if you were comparing prices here with those in even more expensive cities like NYC, LA, Boston, and Honolulu.
So, creating a reasonable wedding budget is a very essential next step in planning your wedding. Be sure to include not only the cost of renting the space and catering, but also tax, service charge, gratuity, and transportation costs because these can all add up quickly.
Work out how much money you can realistically afford to spend on your wedding and whether you’ll get any financial assistance from family members. After doing that, divide the total by category according to your priorities. This will give you your budget range. And as long as you stick to it, it will help you avoid stumbling into options that are out of your price range.
3. Determine Your Initial Guest Count
The length of your guest list influences almost all other decisions you will make when planning your wedding, especially the size of the venue and catering costs. And while you don’t need to finalize your guest list right away, knowing approximately how many guests you expect is essential when learning how to start planning a wedding. Chicago area wedding venues vary a lot in size and capacity – from small, intimate loft spaces to vast banquet halls. We’ve got it all here, but let’s be real, you probably don’t need it all.
So, discuss with your partner who you absolutely need to invite, who you would only like to invite, and where you could cut back if necessary. Do this until you’ve got a clear estimate within 10 people or so. That estimated guest count allows you to compare venues by capacity while avoiding those that are too small or too large for your needs.
4. Choose a Wedding Season and Potential Wedding Dates
The seasons are a critical element in wedding planning here in Chicago. Summer is unsurprisingly popular due to the warm weather and many outdoor wedding options available. However, summer weddings are also typically the most expensive and competitive in terms of booking venues and vendors. Spring and fall have wonderful scenery as well, but the weather can be unpredictable. And for their part, winter weddings can be magically dramatic while also being less expensive if you’re comfortable with snow.
When you’re figuring out how to start planning a wedding in Chicagoland, consider how flexible you are with your wedding dates. Being open to non-summer months and/or weekdays can increase your options and potentially lower costs in a noticeable way.
5. Research Wedding Venues Strategically in Chicagoland
In most cases, choosing your wedding venue will be the first thing you do in the wedding planning process that actually commits you to something financially. And for that reason, you want to be sure that you do sufficient research before signing up for anything. The good news is that the Chicagoland area boasts a wide variety of venue options – from famous hotels downtown to elegant country estates, as well as everything else in between and beyond.
As you conduct research, focus on venues that are within your budget range, align with your overall vision, and can accommodate the number of guests you’ll invite.
Be sure to ask detailed, open-ended questions during the venue tour. Find out what is included in the rental fee, if catering is provided by the venue or if it must come from outside, and what rules there are regarding decorations, music, and timing. The answers to questions like these can dramatically impact your overall experience and even be the deciding factors in ultimately selecting one venue over another.
While you don’t want to be too picky, your goal here is to narrow the list. While there are numerous venues in the area that would be great, you’re only going to actually get married at one of them. So, you want to eliminate as many as you can until you get it down to maybe 3 or 4 candidates. Then you choose the one from that short list that best fits your needs.
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6. Be Mindful of Transportation and Logistics
The infamous Chicago traffic, parking, and distances between venues can create a number of issues for your wedding day. When you begin the wedding planning process, give thought to logistics. Are the ceremony and reception being held at the same location? If not, how will your guests be able to travel between the two locations? Will you be providing transportation?
Keep in mind that a wedding in Chicagoland requires considering travel times, valet services, parking fees, and access for out-of-town guests. Carefully planning for these sorts of things will help to avoid delays and keep everything running as smoothly as possible on your wedding day.
7. Hire Vendors Who Jive With You
Once you’ve got your venue and date decided, start scheduling meetings with the key vendors you’ll need to hire, such as your photographer, caterer, and (if relevant) your entertainer(s). Chicago is filled with all kinds of talented wedding vendors, but the most popular ones tend to book up fast, particularly during peak wedding season.
And with that being the case, a critical part of learning how to start planning a wedding is learning to select and hire vendors who communicate effectively and gel with you. Take the time to read reviews of vendors, look at their portfolios, and schedule consultations. Building a solid roster of reliable vendors early in the planning process will give you peace of mind and provide a foundation for the rest of the planning process.
8. Learn About Any Required Licenses or Permits
Okay, so you’ve gotten your venue and vendors sorted. But do you know for sure that the city itself will actually allow you to do what you’re planning on doing?
As in any other major city, some weddings here in the Chicagoland area, particularly those held at a park, beach, or non-traditional venue, require a permit or approval from the government.
Check to see if your selected location requires permits for ceremonies, amplification of music (speakers), and/or alcohol service. Many venues and wedding planners have extensive knowledge of the area and can assist you in navigating this process. Unless they’re brand new, they’re likely to have already encountered any issues you might face. However, ultimately, you are responsible for ensuring all requirements are fulfilled.
We’re not saying to avoid creativity. But if you’re wanting to do something that’s a little out of the box, make sure you’ve got the right paperwork for it so that you don’t get into any trouble.
9. Be Considerate of Your Guests’ Needs Throughout the Planning Process
While planning a wedding is mostly about logistics, it’s also about creating a meaningful experience for you and your guests. So, consider things like how far out-of-town guests will need to travel to and from Chicago, where they will stay, and what information they’ll need.
Think ahead about stuff like hotel room blocks and welcome events. And be thoughtful with your communications via your wedding website and/or invitations. You want to ensure that everyone has all the same information and that said information is clearly understood.
10. Decide if You Need a Wedding Planner
Wedding planning in the Chicagoland area can be quite involved and complicated, especially for couples with busy lives or who live outside of the area. A wedding planner or coordinator can be a great asset. Wedding planners bring local knowledge, relationships with vendors, and logistical experience that can save you time and keep you sane.
When determining how to start planning a wedding in Chicagoland, consider early on whether you will need full-service planning, partial planning, or day-of coordination. While entirely optional, some level of support will probably benefit you a lot on your wedding day. And don’t forget to ask your venue about this because many offer some level of wedding planning assistance in-house. If they don’t, they’ll most likely know one or two wedding planners they’ve already worked well with before. Even if it costs a little bit extra, it’s very frequently worth it.
11. Develop a Timeline
We couldn’t very well write a whole guide on how to start planning a wedding without mentioning that you need to set realistic time limits. This includes deadlines for sending save-the-date cards, confirming vendors, and finalizing your dress code. Remember that a well-thought-out timeline will aid in the pacing of your planning process and make it all feel less overwhelming. Additionally, it will help ensure that nothing significant gets overlooked or falls behind schedule.
Having a definite timeline will keep you organized and ensure that no important detail slips through the cracks. You can begin drafting such a timeline by working backwards from your wedding date and making note of when all of the major decisions and bookings should occur.
Stay Open-Minded and Focused on What Matters Most
No matter how well you plan your wedding, there might still be unexpected obstacles. Weather conditions may change, a vendor may suddenly cancel or become unavailable, or personal circumstances may change. But by fixating on what matters most to you and staying open-minded, you’ll be able to address any unplanned obstacles without such upsets derailing everything or putting you into a spiral.
More than anything, learning how to start planning a wedding in Chicagoland is about preparing, communicating, and maintaining a positive attitude. By developing a structured approach and making thoughtful decisions early in the planning process, you will establish a sturdy foundation for all the events of your wedding day to be supported on.
