Venue Reviews - Galleria Unico & 22thirty9

There were multiple venues we visited when searching for the right one. We have a guest list of 130-165 so the following two venues would have been suitable for a cocktail reception. Perhaps smaller parties of 60/70 could actually have a sit down dinner.


Galleria Unico is located at 1936 West Division in Chicago. The space is located on the second floor. It isn't very big, so again, a cocktail reception would be ideal. I'll talk about this space more under each photograph.

The pictures above are from the back exit which is a balcony. We thought that when it's all cleaned up, it would be a great place for people to take a break from the party to go outside for a minute to chill. Some Christmas lights around the balcony would give it some sparkle and would provide light once the sun sets. 

Skylight where the stairs are at.

Galleria Unico is located on the second floor. The photo above is the staircase. I think this would be a great photo op. The planner who showed us the space suggested up lighting from below to give it a magical touch once the sun sets. 

The large room breaks off into this smaller space and is divided by large window walls (I'm sure there is a name for that, I just can't recall what that name is haha).

Everything shown above is included with the rental of the space. I LOVED the sofas and the lamps from Ikea. I thought they were fabulous.

You can kind of see the window walls here. I LOVED the large windows and how they let in all that natural light. The hardwood floors where exactly what I was looking for. 

When you are in that little room and look the right, this door is there. It's where they store chairs that available for you to use at no extra cost. 

This is your view when you look down. Nothing special.

Sorry for the horrible pictures. My camera on my phone was all scratched up! This is the main room. The bright windows are where the stairs are. 

As you can see on the right, there are little rooms. There are three to be exact. 

View from inside the room out. They aren't very big. We thought about having one for the photo booth, one for the food, and the other? I'm not so sure. A bridal suite perhaps? 

This is where the bar is. I thought it was a cool little space. 

View from outside to the first floor.

Looking above from outside. 

Another picture of a little room. 

The door. haha

This place was one we really considered. Why? Well here are the pros:

1. The price. A Saturday night is only $1,500. The only "hidden cost" is the requirement to hire security after you pass up 75 people on your guest list. 
2. It is close enough to downtown which is a benefit for all those downtown pictures I want. 
3. They have preferred vendors, but from what I can remember, they are not required. 
4. There are no rules when it comes to the bartender. They don't have to be licensed. This means you don't have to hire somebody with their crazy fees. 
5. The extra rooms where kind of cute. 
6. Joe loved the fact that they had a balcony. 

Cons:

1. The place is small. If we did want a seated dinner the maximum capacity is 70 people. (Cocktail is 175. )
2. Unlike Kitchen Chicago, this room definitely called for decoration. Up lighting would look great in this place and is often used. How would it look? Take a peek at their website and you can see!
3. The small rooms. Although they are cute are they really practical? Wouldn't it be better for a larger, more open space? 
4. I think the drive was a little far. I remember Joe and I hitting traffic on the way back. That was no fun and it took us a little while to get there.

Overall we liked this place. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

To get a better idea of how this place can truly be transformed, take a peek at the photos I took from their website.

22thirty9 was a trendy little place located at 2239 North Michigan Ave. 

This is the main room. (sorry again for the horrible pictures). 

This place felt a little bit bigger then Galleria Unico. 

When you walk in this is your view to the left. 

When you walk in and continue all the way to the back it opens into another smaller room where the bar is, a place to the lounge, and a couple bathrooms. Large windows are here. 

Those are couches below the windows. 

Here are the couches. I thought they were cute.

The fireplace is cute. The TV? Not so much. Maybe a picture slide show could be displayed? 

The bar! 

I loved this painting. And the brick!

The bar again. This was the best part of the whole place. It was so beautiful. 

Bathroom. (the others were locked)

Bar stool for the first room.

Ok. I lied. This is the best part of the room! 

Imagine the pictures that can be taken here?!

In that mirror/window is where the DJ would go. They have their own equipment. 

View from the outside.

Lots of parking!

I can't remember the price of this place, but I think it was around $3000 ( There is a huge possibility it's less though). 

Pros?

1. The bar
2. The windows. I loved all that natural lighting. 
3. I believe we could bring in our own catering.
4. Parking! Lots of it. There is a lot to the right of it. It would be cool to have access to that for more pictures...maybe a ceremony? 
5. She did show me another room on another floor where I could get away and freshen up/get ready if I wanted to. That was nice. It also had some great photo ops. 
6. Close to downtown.

Cons?

1. BAR! You have to go through their bartender and pay a per person fee. She estimated around $20. She was a little unprofessional and didn't know cost. When we asked her about kids she stuttered. How do you not know this information? She told us she would send it in an e-mail and never did. I don't think they have very many parties there. This was enough to rule out 22thirty9 as our venue. Think about it. 20x130=2600 on drinks! That is more then I want to spend. That's assuming it's a flat $20 a person rate for the night...and most venues do not work that way.
2. The two rooms, although not divided by a door, seemed a little too separate. I'd hate for my guests to be divided on a day where everyone should come together! 
3. Apparently the Chicago mob used to operate in that building. There were killings and supposedly ghosts. When they moved in they had to call "ghost busters". Yes, the lady actually told us that. It's not a con for me, but it may be for the superstitious.  Haha.
4. They didn't have the air conditioning on when we went to view the space. It was hot. That kind of annoyed me. haha. 

Overall, it was a nice place. The bar is beautiful and the large windows stole my heart. The one bathroom we saw was also nice. The cost of alcohol, a bartender, along with a confused planner who never e-mailed me (my biggest pet peeve) gives it 4 out of 5 stars. Perhaps the drink menu could be talked down and worked with. I didn't try it, but I recommend that you do!

Photos from the website. 

melissaisaiphotography.com

Charming Charlie

Kandee Johnson is my favorite make-up blogger/youtuber on the web. She recently did a video where she talked about her favorite things. She mentioned a store called Charming Charlie. It is a store that sells all types of accessories at an affordable cost. I quickly googled it, and I found out they have a few in the Chicagoland area. I had a break between classes so I jumped on the CTA and went to the one located at 520 N. Michigan Ave (at the North Bridge shopping center).

It was fantastic! They have so much jewelry, and the best part is.....it's all color coordinated! I LOVE when shops are color coordinated. I spent so much time roaming around. My goal was to hit the sale section up. Here's what I ended up with.

Sandals ($19.99)! 

And a chunky necklace (for only $10 bucks and that includes matching earrings) with lots of layers! 

This bracelet was not on sale, but I had to buy it. 

Wedding appropriate? Is it too gaudy? It was only $9.99. Not too bad.

I love thick bracelets. It's my new favorite fashion accessory. This is real leather and it was only $5! 

(The ring shown is from Forever 21. I purchased it last week for only $1.50!!!)

It was definitely a good shopping day! I give Charming Charlie 5 stars! It was neat and organized. They sell accessories, shoes, and clothing (although there wasn't much clothing, what they did have was very pretty). 

Bridal Expo!

I went to Matrix League's Bridal Expo on Sunday. I originally went to see Windy City Mix, the DJ I hired. Since we decided to book him right away, we went just for fun. It was at a small hotel with a handful of vendors. Most of them weren't worth seeing. In my opinion, there shouldn't be a real estate agent or Vendors that act unprofessional at an expo. The best vendors were the ones selling jewelry, and the photo booth. Just when we had seen everything and were ready to go, it was time for them to do the raffle.  There weren't many people there. There were probably only four brides there. They had given Gabi (my future sister-in-law) and I multiple tickets. Below are all the prizes I won.

What's on that sheet of paper you ask? 

A free candy buffet for up to 50 people! I didn't actually win this one. I guess they forgot to announce the winner for this prize, and since there weren't many people there they saw how excited Gabi and I were when we won something. We cheered every time. haha. Anyway, I think she knew I wanted it, and gave it to my mom for me! I am so excited. Free candy? You can't go wrong. I'll have to call and find out about the details later. 

The digital photo frame was something I knew Joe would love. He was excited. 

These pair of earrings are from Stella Dot!

I was super excited to win something from them. Their jewelry is fantastic. 

 

This next one was from Park Lane.

It's a little bow with a small pearl underneath. It's adorable! 

They also called me today to tell me I won a $50 gift certificate and a private viewing with my friends. I think this is the kind of company that you have jewelry parties with. I need to call them back and find out all the details. 

 

The best part of the actual event, other then winning all those prizes, was the photo booth! 

Photo Booth Express was the company. It was so much fun to do silly poses and have our pictures taken in a photo booth that could fit so many people! I want one of these for my wedding so bad! I really hope there is room in my budget for one! 

After the expo my mom and I want to David's Bridal to pick up on the accessories I had purchased that came in. When we arrived we were told that my dress is being shipped! It's on it's way! The lady was so nice and appoligized for us making the trip. She suggested we leave pick up the accessory when the dress comes in! She gave me $40 in Shutterfly money. Yay for a day full of free gifts! 

Royal Bridal - A Review

I have to say, the best bridal shop I went to was Royal bridal. Vera, the owner, was extremely helpful. The shop was small but very pretty. I went through the racks and explained to her my budget and what I wanted. I picked out numerous dress to try on (along with my bridesmaids and my mom). I even pointed out some that weren't in my price range but had to try on. You know, the ones you see in magazines. Yes, I tried on wedding dresses that I have seen in magazines! How cool is that? Haha. Anyway, the dress of my dreams, or so I thought, just wasn't me. I didn't love it so much on. The black belt it came with was the reason I wanted to try it on so bad. In person the sparkly belt went with it so much better. I was shocked that I wasn't in love. So I tried on more. I had a blast trying on all the dresses as Vera helped me and explained everything to me.

Then I tried on a dress that made us all wonder if I was going to say yes! I had the David's Bridal dress in the back of my mind, but this dress was making it difficult to choose. My Matron of Honor cried and I could tell that everybody loved that dress. I liked it. It was beautiful....but was it me? I tried on all the accessories. I think that is what blinded me at first. The dress came together so well. They had some beautiful accessories, and together with the dress...it was hard not to look away. I walked in it. I sat in it. We took a ton of pictures. (I LOVE when they let you take pictures. It helps you see the dress in a new way). I couldn't commit, and I loved Vera for not pressuring me at all. She didn't even kick us out or hint that the store was supposed to be closed 30 minutes before we left! It was a great experience, and I have no complaints.

When we left the store I was so torn between the David's Bridal one and the Royal bridal dress, that I called and we headed off to try on the David's Bridal dress. That's when I knew, when it was all so fresh in my mind, what the decision was. Although, David's Bridal didn't have all the accessories and It was just me and the dress. I felt like it was my dress. 


I would highly recommend Royal Bridal. I give it 5 stars! The dresses they had were gorgeous and Vera was amazing (and it is essential to have a good consultant for a good experience).

To view pictures of their shop go to their facebook page!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1782352521

What I've said yes to!

My goal was to get the major parts of the wedding booked before school starts. I know that once school starts, wedding planning will be harder to do. So here is what I've said yes to.

1. Kitchen Chicago! I'm still very happy with my choice. If you google "Kitchen Chicago Weddings" it now comes up in a google image search. That made me so excited to see two/three other weddings there. It made me go crazy with ideas on how to decorate the space. 

(screenshot of a google image search)

1. I said yes to the dress! After going to a total of three bridal shops, I had to go back to the first one and try it on again. It felt very Melissa. That dress described me perfectly. I must say that I went to another bridal shop which I will do a review on, and it came close. It was so close that, like I said, I had to go back to the first place to try it on to compare while everything was fresh in my mind. A week later I purchased my dress. I'm so silly. I have no idea why it takes me so long to make up my mind. I rang the good luck bell that every bride rings when they've found their dress at David's Bridal. It was a good feeling. I said yes to the dress! 

1. Photography is very important to me. After a lot of drama with the photographers of my dreams, we worked everything out and I signed the contract. Yes, you heard me drama. We had a bump in the road. I have to suggest that when e-mails start getting lengthy it is best to insist that you call them. I had asked to, but she kept e-mailing and it came to a point where she misunderstand me and things got a little bit crazy. I still don't know went wrong exactly. Anyway, we "hugged it out" as my brother would put it. I called the husband (in the husband and wife team) and went over the package. I e-mailed her. She seemed very friendly towards the end, and we booked them. It will be a huge relief when I get the hard copy of the contract. They are amazing though. I love their work. I am excited to work with them. I get an engagement session as well, which I am stoked about. 

1. DJ! We just met up with a DJ on Friday. I am about to e-mail him to see when we can sign the contract. I love the price and the fact that he is going to give us a discount if we pay in full! He looked like a DJ (haha) and has been doing it for 18 years. With the company he has, it's been 5 years. He is all about customer service and making sure the wedding runs smoothly. If the kitchen is dragging and the timeline seems off, he is more then willing to talk to the kitchen. There is no extra charge for us if we need ceremony help with sound (since the reception and ceremony are at the same place). I'm so excited. There is always a back-up DJ on call and equipment. They have insurance and the price just seems right. The DJ I met with the be the DJ on the day of the wedding and he is hispanic! It is important to me that he is bilingual with his mom and some of our guests that are spanish speaking only. I need somebody who can play spanish music without me holding their hand on which songs to play. I'm going to e-mail him right now I'm so excited! The price is way under $1000 which is hard to find in the wedding world. If the reception is 4 hours or 6, there is no extra charge! If you are interested the website is www.windycitymix.com.

This was too cute to pass up.

I'm so excited that I've gotten so much done. Despite the fact that I hate the fact that I start school next week, I feel ready-ish.