So we finally found a place to get married. Or rather, I found a place to get married. Jay hasn’t been there yet, but he didn’t seem to care one way or another. We picked Bartlett Hills Golf Club in Bartlett. It’s nice, it’s relatively cheap, and the barn factor is low.
Truth be told, Bartlett Hills was my second choice. I was looking at Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale, and I fell in LOVE with the place during the 45-minute tour they gave me and my mom. The place was designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, and it’s designed as a bunch of interlocking octogons. Hard to explain, but you should check it out. They have this really nice fireplace room for a cocktail hour, and the upstairs ballrooms have really high ceilings and mod globe lights instead of a chandelier. Their hotel bar is called “The Cave” and it is literally in a cave under a waterfall. AWESOME. So after the lengthy tour, they tell me, “oh yeah, we have a food and beverage minimum.” And the food and beverage minimum is exactly the same as my budget for the ENTIRE wedding. Well, screw that. Couldn’t they have told me that BEFORE the 45 minute tour? BASTARDS.
Do you know how many Illinois reception sites have “Barn” in their name? A lot. I may be having my wedding in the suburbs, but there’s no f-ing way I’m having it in a barn. So the Bartlett Hills Golf Club has kind of a country house sort of feel, but it’s more of an old, stone, Italian countryside kind of place than a marrying your cousin and not wearing shoes kind of place. By the way, did you know that in Illinois, you can marry your first cousin if you are both over the age of 60? Weird.