Wedding Reception Recon: Stan Mansion
In our continuing search for a wedding reception location, yesterday Liz and I had an appointment to take a look around Stan Mansion. Located in Logan Square, it’s only a few blocks away from where we live, and based on the photos on the site… looked pretty enticing.
We met with a very nice woman named Cera, who talked a bit about how the mansion runs its special events, and found out a lot of good things. Most places require that you use a caterer off of a “preferred vendor” list. And some caterers/venues also require some kind of minimum, when it comes to either food or drink (at the zoo, there was a $5,000 minimum for liquor if your event was to be held on a Friday or Saturday night).
Stan mansion has no preferred vendor list, and no minimums of any kind. In fact, it’s permissible for us to bring our own beer/liquor, so long as the caterer we pick has a license and is willing to serve our alcohol. I haven’t done the math on this just yet, but from what I’ve seen so far… this is a pretty huge thing, in terms of us possibly saving some money.
I’m not adding a ton of commentary here. Mostly, these pics are more for our (future) reference. We came in on a decent day, as they were setting up the place a bit for an event the next day… so a lot of lighting was being set up in advance.
Up on the balcony, outside of the main offices. This is the main room, with a ledge that looks out over the floor. The whole structure of this place is remarkably similar to the Logan Square Auditorium.
Looking down, to the right.
Looking down, center stage.
Looking down, to the left.
On the floor, view of the stage from the center of the room.
An old organ, gated off and located near the main stage.
Outside the main area, looking in to the stage.
Nearby, there was a bar room where guests might gather (while the room is being re-arranged by the caterers). I’m bad with estimating numbers, so I’m unsure how many people could actually fit in here… but it’s a pretty nice setup.
While these photos are of how the room is exactly, Liz and I looked over a lot of photos with Cera and saw how the bar room changes, once you add in lighting, curtains, etc.
View of the room from the entryway.
For some reason, looking at this bar… I can almost hear the sound of a beer being slid across the top, from one end to the other.
The downstairs area is slated to be renovated (the bathrooms needed some updating). But all in all, Liz and I enjoyed getting a look around. Definitely more research for us to do, but it’s nice to have yet another option to consider. Onward with the planning…
Don’t know why, but I’ve got a strong feeling that this is the place.
juliet (June 8, 2008 at 6:16 pm):invites self:
Mellzah (June 9, 2008 at 12:24 am)This place is gorgeous. Congrats on the engagement!
Shannon (June 11, 2008 at 8:18 am)We just looked at stan mansion for our own wedding the other day and we like the location, but we’re trying to figure out the whole “finding a caterer with a license who is willing to server our liquor” thing. Did you ever happen to look into this and find anything? That’s exactly what we want to do, but we’re not sure how to find somebody who has a license and is willing for us just to pay them to basically tend the bar. Until I figure that out I’m afraid to reserve a date and put a deposit down…Thanks!
Jeff Hansen (June 25, 2009 at 1:09 pm)Hi Jeff -For someone to serve liquor at an event in Chicago, they’ll need something called a “Chicago Caterer’s Liquor License.” I believe that this is a fairly standard thing, and that most caterers should have this.If your caterer happens to be outside of Chicago, but you want them to serve liquor at your event… they’ll need something called “Outside Registration.”My layman’s understanding is that most caterers in Chicago are licensed to serve alcohol, and that you’d be able to find someone who would just tend bar (if that’s all you wanted). I know that when we spoke with Cera, she also had several vendors and caterers that she recommended, having worked with them in the past.If you’re thinking about Stan Mansion, definitely get in touch with Cera. If your biggest issue is tracking down a caterer or finding someone who can serve… she may be able to refer you to people she’s worked with in the past.As for us, we found our caterer: Prickly Pear (see here for delicious details). I’m currently working with them to see if they can help us track down bartenders for our event. While Prickly Pear has a license to serve in La Grange, I don’t believe they have the “Outside Registration” for Chicago; as a result, they’re helping us track down someone to tend bar.Again, speaking as a layman, my sense is that it’s not uncommon for your caterer to handle the bartender aspect of things. And that this is “piggybacked” onto their bill for the actual catering.However, if all you’re after is just bartender staff… again, I’d say check with Cera at Stan Mansion. I’m fairly sure she could help you with that search.Cheers and good luck!
avoision (June 25, 2009 at 1:44 pm)Hey, I was just wondering how much they usually charge to rent out the place?
Emily Beauvais (August 17, 2009 at 9:08 pm)You’d have to contact them for their current rates. When we were looking (about a year or so ago), we found their prices to be very reasonable. Cera was incredibly kind, gave us lots of advice, and also gave us some pretty terrific discounts for being “from the neighborhood.”Overall, I think the cost of the space was a great deal. But in order to more fully decorate the stage and the seating areas, you may want to use one of their vendors (who specializes in designing spaces with fabric).The space itself is pretty massive. But with the addition of fabrics and lighting, it takes on a whole different feel. The cost goes up with this approach, but it’s up to you to determine whether it fits your budget.I’d encourage you to call and speak with Cera. She can show you photos of the space (with and without decoration), and give you a pretty specific breakdown on all the costs involved.
avoision (August 17, 2009 at 10:00 pm)