Lincoln or Garfield Park Conservatory

[tszeitel]

Is anyone planning, or have been to, a wedding at either Lincoln Park or Garfield Park conservatory? What was your experience like? Any suggestions for good vendors from the approved list?

[Shawn]

I won't be using Garfield Park Conservatory for a wedding, but I was there for a large, private party about a year ago, and it was quite nice. They let people wander the exhibits, which was a nice little break from the regular festivities (and kind of mysterious in the nighttime). Also, there was a band (jazzy) that sounded quite good in there. We were in the room with the famous mosaic fountain, which would make a nice backdrop for photos, of course. I don't know which caterer was used -- it was more of a cocktail party with appetizers --but it was good. It was, however, chilly, which might matter if yours will be a winter wedding.

[huston75]

i was married at the garfield park conservatory about two years ago (in april). we had a smallish wedding (less than 100), so we opted to rent horticulture hall only. however, the whole place ended up being open to us. it was beautiful and we saved $ on flowers. make sure all the "twinkle lights" in horticulture hall are working. some of them were out before our wedding, and they replaced them. as for vendors, we chose carlyn berghoff. their food was by far the best of those caterers we did tastings with, and they were the most affordable at that time. they did a pretty good job. a couple of things were forgotten, and the rep we had worked with from there was sick on the day of our wedding, so there was a sub.
it is a wonderful place for a wedding.

[Lindz1999]

My fiancee and I just put a deposit down at the Garfield Park Conservatory. We're just renting Horticulture Hall, the Monet Garden, and the Jensen Room. Oh - and the Community Room for a changing area. We're expecting about 100 people and we'll have the ceremony and the reception there. If you have any questions, I would call Joan at the conservatory - she gets right back to you. A few things - you get the site for 7 hours - that includes 2 hours of set up and 1 hour of clean up, so you may end up having to pay for that additional hour if you want a longer reception. You also have to pay for insurance for the site - Joan said it's usually run about $150 for a million dollars worth of coverage for the one day. Also, your event has to start at 6 or after - you don't get the Conservatory during business hours. And if you rent just those few rooms, you don't get to take pictures out back unless you do it before they close at 5.

I went to the Lincoln Park Conservatory to check it out, but there's no good reception space. It's beautiful and a lot like Garfield Park, but there aren't meeting areas - it's all gardens.

We're talking to Phil Stefani right now - we haven't made a commitment, but Jeffrey who works there is very nice and says that they will work with you in terms of what you want - so you don't end up paying for a package that you're not crazy about...