Illinois Brides! Let’s be friends!

I am currently planning a wedding in central Illinois. Our date 12/04/2021. We have changed the date a couple of times but that was non-covid related. We actually settled on December of this year back in July of 2018.

Hey hey bride-to-be! Shout out to our Pandemic Postponing Brides!!! Our original date was 9.13.2020. Then postponed in June 2020 and I completely stopped planning, buying and discussing the wedding! I was completely bummed to say the least. We decided instead of going out a few months, to go out a complete year. Life doesn’t change that fast in months, especially with a pandemic. We are now getting married 9.12.2021! However after almost all our vendors were paid in full, we moved the venue to Wisconsin to be safer! Everyone has been accommodating. Plus it’s a Sunday and normally not too crazy busy. Back on the wedding train as of the beginning of this year...feels good, not going to lie! Happy planning!

Our wedding is planned for October 10, 2021, at the Grove Redfield Estate in Glenview, IL about 30 mins from downtown Chicago. We have been together for almost 15 years and have 2 sons. So we've been planning along as usual. We already were going to have a low guest count anyway due to us being older and paying for our wedding ourselves. I suggest doing what feels right for you. No one I know who has had to make adjustments due to covid has voiced any regrets and honestly seem happy they got to marry the love of their life and not blow as much money as they had planned. If anything I'd say focus on having an awesome honeymoon when we're all allowed to travel!

Hi there!
We had the same original date!
Theme- black/white mid century modern minimalist. Geometrics. Accent colors are terracotta/rust/dusty rose/ and a golden mustard yellow. With LOTS of eucalyptus/greenery. We’re making it all from decor to drying/preserving florals (WHEN DID PANPAS GWT POPULAR?!?)Took a last minute mini-vaca to my hometown (STL) and got married by my best friend (High Priestess as she says haha) at the sculpture park I searched all day for a rooftop and locked one down but thx to the humidity and beat I was late and it was packed when we arrived 5 mins late. I was in tears said screw it I want jack n the box but first we drove to see if we saw a sufficient replacement and city garden it was. I hated how I looked felt like an asshole for weeks (still do) for not acting better it being my hubs first marriage(my 2nd..kinda, first wasn’t officiated and a commitment ceremony - we were engaged- for my mom who had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. Didn’t even have sex! No one helped day of or prior just so much bad! But this one I’m so psyched! Where are you having yours? Our new day is 10.23.21 ceremony will still be on the in laws neighbors property (retired and picture perfect tree nursery) and reception at the Morgan co fairgrounds grand stand that they just updated and remodeled bathrooms...not the classiest but at $100 I can completely transform it! We live on Jacksonville. You? New date set? You eloped right? We got a cutest postponement/we eloped/new date notice-save the dates sent out yesterday not sure if your budget is tight like ours (5k+what we’ll hopefully save before new date) I’m doing all I can myself and it’s more work but buy the file/download off Etsy or somewhere you like and you can edit and print yourself for like $50 card stock/envelopes included forget to ask about Postage but even with ink I was $156 cheaper than I forget which place. I designed my dress and had it made by an atelier in Ukraine that was selling this lace I was searching for (woodland not typical roses/floral) they ended up adding it to their catalog and I named it! I WANT TO WEAR HER!!! $600 shoes on clearance at Aldo $35. Not sure what custom (I don’t even know what to call it) catsuit for under dress as it’s see through wish I could add a picture! Bonus! Original photographer was booked on new date and is doing an engagement-family-child shoot for us in lieu of the deposit and her replacement is 1/2 cost STL located and I e followed her for years. She’s so into my theme and dress she’s not even asking for a deposit to hold the date until next year!
Now I just need to not change my mind on anything at all again!!!
We got this this forum allows us to help each other!
Anyone else in Jville?! Who bought their dress and has gained from lockdowns and WFH?! 🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️WhTs your budgeted best money saving tip? Anyone dare to share Pinterest boards and promise not to steal?!? I am!!
Another bonus is we can all sell each other decor avatar our big days being in the same age and all and some items being cheaper to by than rent for example I’m on the hunt for dyed eucalyptus and birch wood squares for a photo booth backdrop and all dinnerware in, colored, hobnail, carnival and/or milk glass! Along with gatsby style champagne glasses for the men (simple clear with line designs..thought I scored at goodwill..one short !!) pampas grass of course, and if you’re selling I’ll allow access into my Pinterest board to see if you have anything that will work oh and I’m search for an Art Deco style headpiece (he likes the veil idea but my dress being black and wanting to make sure the theme doesn’t come off gothic spooky/Halloween or adams family he’s going to have to settle for a head piece...maybe a not typical/basic crown ....
LETS HEKP EACH OTHER OUT BRIDES THIS LAST UEAR EAS STRESSFUL AND SAD ENOUGH! ...outside of a wedding postponement we lost two of our pups within 3 months and just two weeks ago one of our grandmothers to COVID and I guess this is my year for the physical/system/hormone shift bc this woman is depressed! Trying to take care of and move a child to another state is 😵 not to mention one on the spectrum.

Hope to gain friends and help some of you all out along the way! 😉🤗❤️👰🏻‍♀️👰🏻‍♀️

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Wow, I am impressed with all that your tackling for your wedding! Love the theme and all the personal/handmade/DIY elements you'll be including. My brother officiated our 11.7.20 wedding, so we're legally married, but planning on having a religious ceremony at the Alice Millar Chapel in Evanston and then reception at the Allegro Hotel Chicago. We're doing very minimal decorations because we love our venue's decor already some flowers and lots of candles/candlebras since flowers are so dang expensive! Luckily, we never sent save the dates for our 2020 wedding so we didn't have to resend them or cut people out -- at least not yet! And fingers crossed we won't have to! Good luck as you continue planning!

Hi Jane,

Chicago's West Side Here!! I am absolutely beside myself! We were suppose to marry April 18, 2020 so now it's April 17th 2021. I literally just started looking at everything again last night. I didn't have the nerve to look at any of the stuff during last year. So now I HAVE to get back in the swing of things. I really feel more overwhelmed now that I ever have because I'm not sure if COVID is going to let us be great! LOL The last talk we had with our venue was to tell us that as of right now, we could only have 125 which is down from our 170. (Unbelievable!) I'm praying that I can get my mind right so I can get this wedding together.

Hey Jane! I have a 5.22.21 date! So I completely understand your stress and anxiety -- I spend many nights and early mornings awake thinking about things. I also obsessively consume COVID-19 related news about the city and state because it's part of my job. While I toy with moving our date again (Original date was 11.7.20.), I don't think I will. When my now-husband (We got legally married on our original date.) and I bumped our reception and church service back, we didn't want to wait an entire year to get married, so we picked May 2021 instead of November 2021, and we hoped that would buy us enough time with COVID-19, etc. And also, it doesn't sound like COVID-19 is going away anytime soon, with new variants, etc.

Where are you in the planning process? Invitations sent or ordered? I'm in the process of designing mine now but waiting to hear back from our church to find out what their COVID-19 protocol is before completing that process.

View Quoted Comment Waaah it’s so stressful, right?!
Our wedding is 100% planned and booked and paid for. We haven’t sent any invitations or save-the-dates yet, but we told all of our guests we were planning for 5/15. I just cannot believe we’re about the hit the year mark of this pandemic. It’s surreal. We’re on the brink of postponing to august right now just because it will make me extremely anxious to send out invites when there are still all these restrictions and our venue isn’t even legally allowed to have any gatherings right now. I am really hopeful that life will get better over the next few months, but I don’t think I could handle the stress of just crossing my fingers and sending out invites in a few weeks!!

View Quoted Comment I have been going back and forth between staying up all night on Pinterest and Etsy and planning and being excited, and then feeling like this wedding isn’t happening and not planning at all!! It’s been such a wild and crazy ride. I hope your wedding is beautiful and magical!!

View Quoted Comment We have the same venue!!! It’s gorgeous, right??

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AHHHHHH That's awesome!!! Where are you having the ceremony on the property and what time?

View Quoted Comment We’re currently May 15 5pm but we’re probably moving to August!!

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Where are you thinking of having your ceremony?

View Quoted Comment By the gazebo at the grove! The florist is going to put flowers on it and it will be a lot cheaper than renting a whole flower arch haha

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SAME! We're having ours at 5p as well because we want Golden Hour photos and sunset is at 6:17p the day of our wedding. With there being no light back there, tall trees, and the venue only allowing for a 2 hour set up we decided on 5p. Deborah sid the vendors start showing up at 3:15p since they have such a short time frame to set up which they don't recommend but don't do anything to stop it. But I want my golden hour photos LOL! What caterer did you go with? We went with catered by design. How many guests did you intend to have?

View Quoted Comment Omg it’s so magical to be connecting with a fellow Grove bride!!!
We also are using Catered by Design!! Have you tasted food yet?? Their menu sounds INCREDIBLE. Honestly I hope it will be safe to have a buffet instead of a plated dinner because I want to eat like 5 plates of food 😂

We are planning our wedding yes but it’s so depressing and we hope this pandemic go ASAP

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Yeah this is wild and crazy! I have two friends who got married and moved their celebration to 2022. I'm a Christian woman and believe that God will work things out but I do understand that tomorrow is not promised and really don't want to put it off any longer. So it's April 17th and I could say I don't care who's there but that would be a lie. So we will do what's best for us. Good luck Jane and thank you for your encouragement! Your wedding will be the event of the century!! LBVS God bless you and your FH.

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Eat jump eat jump

Hi Jane & Illinois Brides,

Planning our wedding for May 22, 2021. So far, hoping and praying the pandemic lets up and we can celebrate. Trying to keep up with everything and stay somewhat on schedule with just 4 months to go. Wishing everyone all the best!