The Verdict on Cantigny

I'm still seriously considering placing a deposit on Cantigny. (I only need to put down $500 and it's refundable until March 2009.) I've read all of their information and asked them to answer a whole mess of questions for me. I realize that this is a whole lot of garbage to read through, but if you have the time, could you take a look and let me know if you see anything bad?

Thank you! I love you guys!

Package Includes:

* 4 1/2 Hour Open Bar - with premium brands and after dinner cordials

* Choice of four butler passed hors d'oeuvres

* House Champagne Toast for all guests

*2 Varietals of House Wine - poured throughout dinner

*4 Course Dinner - comprised of an appetizer, consisting of either soup or pasta, salad, entree, dessert, freshly brewed coffee and assorted teas

*Multi-Tiered custom Wedding Cake - served as dessert

*Late Evening Coffee and assorted Tea station

*Votive Candles - to accent your center pieces

*Floor Length Linens - in your choice of white or ivory

*Sunday Brunch for the Bride and Groom on their 1st Anniversary

* Complimentary deluxe guest room for the bridal couple on the exclusive club level
of the Lisle/Naperville Hilton. Chocolate dipped strawberries and champagne upon
arrival, and breakfast for two the next day at Hilton's Allgauer's Restaurant.

*A tender 4 oz. filet of angus beef with a porcini merlot sauce, and a 4 oz. grilled chicken breast with a basil mascarpone sauce. Accompanied by sun dried tomato whipped potatoes and vegetable Napoleon.

$78.95 per person (There are cheaper menu items and options if I need to cut back.)

Children under 12 are only 8.95.

Ceremony - $500 rental fee, $100 set-up fee and $650 for chairs. (I think that this is insane and I'm looking at other options for the ceremony.)

Random Rules and Stuff

At the time of booking: Please advise us of a special event date, the approximate time and a
preliminary guest count. An initial deposit of $500 is due at this time. A contract and credit card authorization form will be sent to you to sign and return.

Four months prior to event: A general outline of food, beverage and setup will be discussed in order for Cantigny to provide an estimate. At this time a second deposit is due for Cantigny to continue the process of hosting your event. 50% of the estimated total is required for social events. An appointment to discuss the menu and other details for wedding receptions must be done at this time.

One month prior to event: Please notify us of changes in your menu selection, your guest count, room set-up and any special needs such as audio visual equipment, special wines/
champagnes and specialty linens.

One week prior to event: At this point we will need your final guest count. This is the number of guests for which you will be charged unless the guest count is greater at the time of your special event. 100% of the estimated total is due for social events. If menu choices are not provided at this time, we can not guarantee the availability of your menu selections.

Day of event: At the end of your function, a fi nal bill will be calculated. Social events must
pay any balance that exceeds the estimated total at this time. Unless paying by check, any outstanding balance will be charged to your credit card on file. Cantigny will mail a check or return to your credit card any of the deposit not used. Corporate events may apply for the bill to be House Charged, full payment is required within 30 days from receipt of bill.

You may choose two entrees to serve to your guests. It is suggested that if two entrees are selected, each of the selections should be a minimum of 30% of your total count. In addition, a vegetarian and children's meal may be served. When multiple entrees are served, the host is required to provide a placecard for each guest to display in front of each place setting. The placecards should clearly display the guests' entree choice with a code of colors or shapes so the
correct entree is served in a professional manner.

A 6.75 percent sales tax is added to all food and non-alcoholic beverage prices unless an Illinois tax exempt letter is provided prior to, or at the time of your event. A 20% service charge is then added to your bill.

If you cancel after your deposit has been received by Cantigny, and it is more than 6 months prior to the event, your deposit will be refunded in full. If you cancel your event less than 6 months prior, your deposits will be forfeited. Expenses incurred by Cantigny in preparation for a confirmed special event become the responsibiltiy of the guest.


NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR BEVERAGE IS ALLOWED TO BE BROUGHT IN. Except for cakes in which case a $1.25 per person cake cutting fee may be applied to the final bill.

Cantigny reserves the right to change prices at any time due to increases in our costs.

Cantigny reserves the right to change reserved space at any time due to a decrease in guest count or unexpected circumstances.

Fareways of Cantigny is not responsible for any lost or stolen items.

Host/Hostess is responsible for any damage incurred to our facility by vendors that they have hired or any of their guests.

Bands & DJ’s will play at an appropriate sound level as instructed by management. Also no smoke or bubble machines are allowed.

Only acoustic sting instruments are allowed outdoors on the patio. Please no bag pipes, keyboards, or amplified music. (I DON'T LIKE THIS AT ALL!)

An Insane Amount of Questions That I Asked and Their Answers

From: Kelly [mailto:kcummings.il@ubuildit.com]Sent: Thu 2/7/2008 1:14 PM

To: Machay, Mike; Chase, Jeannie

Cc: Patricia May

Subject: RE: Cantigny Information

Hi Mike and Jeannie.

Tom and I have reviewed the information that you have sent and we appreciate your help. We are seriously considering placing a deposit on Le Jardin. I have several questions that I would like answered in writing before entering into an agreement. I realize that this is an extensive list and I thank you in advance for your time.


Regarding the Ceremony:

· Are there any other restrictions not listed in the Rules & Regulations that you sent with the proposal? That would depend on what you were thinking of. Guest are always thinking of new things that they want to do, so we could not possible list every rule and regulation. We are mainly interested in the safety of all our guests, the experience of all guest in the park, the appearance of the facility and grounds - all basic common sense things.

· At what time of day will the ceremony site be available for decorating? We allow two hours before the function, which would be 3:30 pm.

· Are there any clean up requirements? I'm not sure if I understand this question. If you are asking who cleans up after the ceremony, it is our staff of which you are paying the set-up fee to.
· Are there any rules regarding candles? Candles must be encased in glass by ordinance of the local fire department.

· Can flower petals be tossed? Petals may be tossed on the ceremony lawn, not on the brick patios or walkways

· Will Jeannie be my contact for ceremony information? Yes

· Exactly how much am I being charged per chair? The current price we are paying from our vendor is $3.75 per chair plus a $80 delivery/pick-up charge.

· What type/style of chair are we getting? A white, folding, wooden chair with a white padded seat.

· Is anything else provided for the ceremony? We are able to rent other things such as arches for you if you are interested.

· Can I bring in chairs from another vendor? No, we only work with our vendors who we have established a relationship with so that we are ensured a quality product and service.

· Can I have a professionally installed pole tent placed over the ceremony site? If you want to have our tent vendor rent a tent through us, yes. I would not recommend this for a few reasons. First, this is expensive. Second, it is an unnecessary expense since we have the gallery inside the Visitor Center as a back-up site in case the weather does not allow for an outdoor ceremony. And finally, A tent would defeat the purpose of an outdoor ceremony in our beautiful gardens because it would greatly take away from the beauty and the atmosphere. We need to reserve the tent months in advance and it is not something we could set-up or take down last minute depending on the weather.

· Does the unamplified music rule stated in the Rules and Regulations for the patio also apply to the ceremony site that we are interested in? Yes

· If the unamplified rule does apply, will you consider allowing a stereo with small speakers? No, that is still amplified.

· Does the initial $500 Le Jardin deposit also reserve the ceremony space? Yes

· Are live dove releases allowed? We have never had a dove release on the property, but we do believe that it would be allowed. Jeannie would need to confirm with the local wildlife protection agency to be sure.

Regarding the Reception:

· Once the venue is finished, may I visit a set-up event before it begins? Yes

· Can I have a complementary or discounted tasting before booking? We do not conduct any tastings. Our Executive Chef oversees all food service on the property, so we recommend that you come for lunch to the Red Oak Room at Cantigny Golf to experience our food's style and quality.

· Will Jeannie be present throughout my event? Who ever is managing your event would be present from beginning to end. Jeannie would never see her family if she managed every wedding, so myself and one of our other Banquet Managers rotate managing the events with Jeannie.

· Is set up and clean up time counted against the 6 hour event? No

· Is the dance floor included in the price? Yes

· Can I request to be kept updated of any other major events scheduled at Cantigny for the weekend of my wedding if I book? Yes

· Can music at the reception be played all the way until midnight? Yes

· Are there any insurance requirements for me or my vendors? No

· Is the food frozen or prepared fresh from scratch? The food is prepared fresh from scratch on site

· Are standard sparklers allowed? No

· How is your wait staff dressed? The staff wears black pants, a white, long sleeve oxford shirt, a long black tie and a black fitted vest for a clean , classic and elegant appearance.

· For an event of 150, how many waiters will we have? We schedule 1 server for every 25 guests, 1 busman for every 50 guest and 1 bartender for every 100 guests. For 150 guest you would have 11 service personnel attending you and your guests.

· If Cantigny reserves the right to increase prices, will you put a cap on the amount the prices can be raised? We only raise the price in response to an increase in our food costs, so a cap is difficult to anticipate. Majority of the time, our prices go unchanged from year to year and when they do, it is rarely more than $1 - $2 per person.

· Will the air conditioning in the venue be turned on several hours before the wedding? Yes, we keep a consistent temperature all day since we serve lunch in that room until 3:00 pm.

· Are there any parking or mandatory valet fees? No. Valet would be an additional cost only if you request that service for your guests.

· Under what circumstances would you move the location of my ceremony or reception? Only in unforeseen circumstances, for example, bad weather outdoors in regards to your ceremony

· Am I required to use any specific vendors? No as far as your entertainment, photographer, florist and minister. Any rentals must be handled through Cantigny.

· Am I guaranteed my food choices without substitution? Substitutions would only be in circumstances beyond our control such as unavailability of an ingredient due to a shortage in the market. This is very rare, in 12 years at Cantigny, we have only made substitutions 3 times and we informed the guests as soon as we found out early that week and made a comparable and acceptable substitution.

· Are there any labor fees in addition to gratuity? Only the ones listed for the ceremony or if you request other services such as valet, chair covers, etc.

· Are there any clean up charges? Only if there is mess out of normal circumstances or damage to the property. Once again, this is very rare.

· Is the initial $500 deposit credited towards my balance? Yes

· At what time of day is the reception site available to begin decorating? Two hours before the reception, which would be 4:00 pm.

· Do I have the option of adding on an extra hour of open bar? If so, how much would that cost? We do not give the option of extra bar time. 4 1/2 hours of open bar plus wine service during dinner is more than enough!

If you've read all of this - congratulations! I owe you lunch!