Cheap, outdoor venues near Chicago suburbs??

What areas are u trying to look at?

Chicago suburbs is not very specific. Which area of the suburbs? Close in, further out, north, south, west? How far from the city do you want to go? The further out you go the more likely you are to find what you want, but at the same time it's going to get more and more inconvenient for your guests and at a certain point you really aren't in the suburbs anymore.

My parents live in Downers Grove, so we want to keep it at max an hour out, in any direction. We looked at white pines inn, which is about an hour and a half away from them, and they got fussy.

Downers Grove. Have you looked at Morton Arboretum? I don't know what the prices would be, but when I still lived up there I remember looking at them as a possibility.

There's also a bunch of golf courses and the like around Naperville but they'll be expensive. As far as barns and places like that go, if you go out just past Aurora or Schaumburg you'll probably find a lot of options that way, since it becomes rural VERY fast at that point. That's kind of stretching the hour away from the city limit though.

I have a few places written down and I will check to see if they are in that area. Im from the city and decided to do mines in the surburbs. Are u looking for hotels, ballrooms and banquet types. Or is u up for other options as well?

The Morton Arboretum will be out of her budget. Try Danada House.

You can also try Jennifer's garden in Morris. Its about an hour or so from Downers. I live in lisle and Im standing up in a wedding there next month. Not sure on the prices though.

We do NOT want any ballroom setting, though realistically if the reception is indoors it will be some type of event room. I currently have a penciled in spot at the Danada house, but they only have my date and 3 other sundays available until november 2015. We have a lot of out of town and some out of country guests so we want to keep it on a saturday or the Sunday before memorial day.

I lived in south Elgin for a bit a few years ago, I just looked up places near there for you. It looks like it's 30 minutes from downers grove but there is a barn wedding venue in streamwood IL called Hoosier grove barn.

The images look so pretty, though I don't know their prices.

I'm going to check out Hoosier Grove, looks beautiful!