Your wedding day is just not like any other day in your life. It is the most idyllic and picturesque day of your life which you will potentially spend a whole year planning to the last detail. The goal is to piece together a day that is not only visually impressive but also is memorable! While there are various factors that come into play, one of the most important roles is played by the venue of the wedding. Being the set where the most important day of your life will be coming alive, there is surely a lot of pressure on the wedding venue to do justice to your wedding. It is required to match your specific taste, the wedding theme, and your guest list.

If you and your partner are based in Chicago, there is no dearth of wedding venues in the gorgeous Windy City. Along with the stunning city skylines, Chicago boasts stunning architecture, parks, gardens, and more. Sitting pretty by Lake Michigan, Chicago is home to magnificent tourist attractions like the Cloud Gate, Navy Pier, Willis Tower, The Art Institute of Chicago, among many other places, each more stunning than the other. Not only does the city play the perfect backdrop for you and your partner to get captured in some pre-wedding photography, but it is also filled to the brim with gorgeous wedding locations. One such wedding location which is just a drive away from Chicago is Idlewild Country Club.

Idlewild Country club is not just a fancy new country club but it comes with a lineage of its own as well which goes back centuries. The story of Idlefield starts in 1908 when a small group of men headed by Fred Newman thought it was a great idea to establish a club and work towards building one of the finest golf courses in the district. By the year 1958, the club was prosperous and had a waiting list and was adorned with watered fairways, a swimming pool, and air conditioning. By 20028, Idlewild Country Club celebrated its “Centennial Year” and in 2018 the club held the name of being a vibrant club with over 400 memberships and stature of its own. Now, it is one of the most coveted names when a couple searches for a golf course wedding location in and around Chicago and comes with the promise of making your wedding day stand out among others in its own special way.

Idlewild Country Club is known to put the dream in your dream wedding. A spread of luxury nature, this wedding location will claim your heart as soon as you set foot in the property. Located at the convenient distance of just 25 miles from Chicago, this location welcomes Chicago’s newly engaged couples with luscious foliage and stunning views which will wow them and their guests at first glance. A stunning private country club tucked away located in Flossmoor, Illinois, this gorgeous wedding venue is wrapped up by secluded surroundings. Its 18-hole, par 72 championship golf course offers ravishing beauty and challenge to the golf enthusiasts. The venue comes packed with the best of country club amenities and is one of the preferred locations for an elegant wedding reception which not only offers magnificent views and delectable cuisine but also comes with a lot of class and unparalleled services. An enticing landscape filled with towering trees, lush carpets of green grass, rolling golf courses, and more. The outdoor grounds are kept in supreme condition with timely pruning and maintenance and will make the perfect setting for your wedding ceremony. The outdoors is abundant in photo opportunities and your Chicago wedding photographer will have quite a blast while capturing it all. The picturesque bridge crosses over the sparkling water features, making it one of the most romantic settings for the newly married couple to pose against. It is a favorite among couples from Chicago and its suburbs and makes the perfect spot for some couple photography as well as for capturing the wedding party in pretty frames. 

While the outdoors is fascinating enough, once you step inside, you will be enthralled by the beauty of the indoors. The elegant and spacious banquet room holds up to 350 wedding guests and is embellished with breathtaking cathedral ceilings. A perfect place to host your wedding reception, the place comes with a lot of promises. The gorgeously imposing floor-to-ceiling windows add to the beauty of the indoors. While the windows invite in abundant natural lighting during the daylight hours, ensuring your Chicago wedding photographer captures some amazing photographs for your wedding album, the windows also show off the beautiful view outside as your guests enjoy the reception dinner. As the night advances, the banquet provides the guests with a night they wouldn’t forget. From an exquisite dinner to celebrations surrounding the first dance and merriment, this is truly a setting that promises fun times. The neutral interiors along with rustic elegance of the stone walls, and lighting which speaks of understated class, the interiors of the banquet dress up in a shimmering beauty when the daylight falls into the night. The iron clad chandeliers are simple yet striking and add an edge to the interiors which creates quite the beguiling picture.

The Idlewild Country Club is not only an aesthetically welcoming location for your wedding day, it comes with the staff as well that will woo you and partner with their exquisite services. The experienced event planners and talented chef at Idlewild Country Club are dedicated to make your special day even more so. This gorgeous wedding location offers fully customized events in an elegant setting with the exclusivity of being the sole event on your special day. Adorned with cathedral ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, and an adjacent terrace, the place makes the perfect backdrop for your Chicago wedding photography, while the range of exquisite food and unsurpassed service keeps your guests content and happy. The feeling of an exclusive country club vibe without having to be a member, this surely is a place that will add that surge of class to your wedding day. Backed by the philosophy that it is your day, and you should not only enjoy your wedding day but the entire process from start to finish, including the planning process, Idlewild strives to make planning your wedding as fun and stress-free as possible! When you say “yes” to Idlewild, you essentially say “yes” to elegant accommodations for your 100-350 wedding guests, custom event planning, customized menu options, champagne served in Butler Style upon arrival, and a large expanse of a scenic golf course setting to take stunning photos in. From custom lighting to match your unique wedding theme to elegant chair covers and outdoor terrace, this wedding venue is packed with facilities aimed to make your Chicago wedding an absolute delight.

Idlewild Country Club is one of those places which is not exquisite and beautiful, both the indoors and outdoors, it comes with that blend of easy elegance which helps one pull off their wedding reception with class. While it is a short drive from Chicago, opening up tons of possibilities for your outstation guests to explore, it is still a world of its own, self-sufficient and beautiful in its own device. With the perfect location of this Chicago wedding venue, its pristine fields, and quiet opulence, this is one wedding location that will leave you and guests feeling pampered and at peace, a perfect combination of feelings for a wedding day! As you walk away from the venues, newlywed, with a heart full of love and eyes sparkling with dreams, we assure you that you will look back at this location with nothing but fond memories.

When it comes to post-wedding photography, you could even hop to various nearby locations. There are so many options to choose from, and that's got us excited too! And we are glad to bring you a compiled list of nearby locations where your post-wedding photography will be a trendsetter! So, whether it is an on-the-way-to-your-wedding photoshoot and you shoot on the way to the Idlewild Country Club or a post-wedding photoshoot where you shoot on the way back, either way, these locations are a great idea! Moreover, these locations are a great idea for pre-wedding photography as well! 

La Salle Street / Board of Trade

This location promises that quintessential Chicago vibe, with high rises of downtown Chicago all around you. Located just 30 minutes from the wedding venue, La Salle Street is mostly recommended for a weekend wedding, when all the offices are closed and the area is relatively less crowded. However, if you happen to be getting married on a weekday, we would advise you to get here after work hours for a more relaxed post-wedding photo session. 

Millennium Park

Located in close vicinity to Idlewild Country Club, Millennium Park is home to various unique photo ops. A state of the art collection of architecture, landscape design, and art makes Millennium Park a great place to shoot your romantic post-wedding photos. The place is a hub of photo ops! Starting at the iconic Cloud Gate (the Bean), then covering the Lurie Garden, and walking down to the lake - the POA is flawless!  The Millennium Park is even better after sunset as the place is a glittering wonderland that looks surreal in photos. The city lights form an uber glamorous backdrop to your post-wedding photography.  

Chicago Theater

Well, can it get any more ‘Chicago’ than this? We bet not. Your wedding dreams just came alive in the whimsical city of Chicago, there’s no better way to shout it out to the world than the iconic Chicago Theater sign shining right behind you, in all its glory. This landmark of a spot is located within the EL and belongs to the Chicago Theater established in 1920. It’s equivalent to six-stories and a post-wedding photoshoot at the Chicago Theater conveys your love story that bloomed in this amazing city. This gorgeous post-wedding photo session location is located only 30 minutes away from the wedding venue. 

Chicago Skyline

The symbolic skyline of Chicago is considered to be one of the most beautiful backdrops for pre-wedding and post-wedding photoshoots. The spectacular views of the skyline can be absorbed from various locations like the Riverfront Walk, the Cloud Gate, Grant Park, Chicago Cultural Center, Michigan Avenue Bridge, Adler Planetarium, Millenium Park and Navy Pier. 

Chicago RiverWalk

Right in the heart of downtown Chicago, there lies a gem of a walkway, which stretches for 1.2 miles along the south bank of the Chicago River. You might have been to the Chicago Riverwalk, but on your wedding day, it’ll feel like a totally different experience. The place buzzes with people, waterfront cafes and restaurants, wineries, and museums, all of which means - a lot of people around. Therefore, we have the perfect location to have a quiet and romantic post-wedding photography. Right before the river flows into Lake Michigan, a paved path, that lies on the northeast side of the river and is adorned with wrought iron benches and cast iron lamp posts. That magic spot is the answer to your super romantic post-wedding photoshoot which has a heartbeat of the mighty Chicago river!  

Buckingham Fountain

Did you know that the Buckingham Fountain is one of the largest fountains in the world? Located in the middle of Grant Park, the fountain is built in rococo wedding cake style, and inspired by the Latona Fountain at the Palace of Versailles. And when the fountain lights up after sunset, it is a sight to behold! It also forms one of the most romantic backdrops for post-wedding photography in Chicago. Do you remember the fountain being featured in the iconic American sitcoms, Married with Children? It painted such a romantic picture on the television screens back then! And to date, we absolutely love the magic that this fountain creates, be it during the day or night! 

Whether you get your post-wedding photo session at one of these locations or the wedding venue, our professional wedding photographers will create magic with their lenses. Your love story and wedding day will be captured as things keep unfolding throughout your big day. Idlewild Country Club is the perfect place to celebrate the happiest day of your lives and to create memories that will last for you a lifetime. It is an excellent blend of style and natural beauty for the kind of wedding that you have always dreamt of! Witness our Chicago wedding photographers capture all the nuances, raw emotions, every little tear, every joy accompanied by smiles and laughter, and relive your wedding day anytime you want! 

If you and your partner are looking for photographers near Chicago, we’ll be honored to help! We at George Street Photo and Video provide an exceptionally talented wedding photography team and highly competitive packages, starting from USD 1,500. Click to know more about our wide range of wedding photography and video packages by scheduling an appointment with us!