JACOB HENRY MANSION

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I visited the Jacob Henry Mansion as a possible location formy wedding. My fiancand eacute; and I were looking for something other than a banquet hall and the mansion sounded intriguing. The mansion itself is huge and beautiful. It has very well maintained
and the woodwork is beautiful. However for a larger wedding this would not be the ideal place to host your wedding. Anything over 50 people and you would all be in separate rooms during the dinner hour. I didn’t see many opportunities for dancing
and traditional reception ceremonies (i.e. garter toss, bouquet toss….etc)

On the estate they also have the Victorian Ballroom. Although the mansion is historic, the Victorian Ballroom was built about 9 years ago. There is an area out front for a garden ceremony with a lovely white pergola and a beautiful walkway for the bride to make her entrance. The ballroom also has a porch that extends the length of the building that is perfect for a cocktail hour or photos. It truly is gorgeous from the outside and is the backdrop for some potentially amazing and unique photos. However, the missed the boat when it comes to the inside. The ballroom is very blah!! It has some weird design on the inside of the walls and wooden beams in the ceiling. It also has a really big stage that can be used a few different ways if you have a good decorator.
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In the basement of the Victorian Ballroom is a small room that’s considered the bride room… they again missed the boat on this one. It could have been a really cute space where the bride would have felt comfortable enough to have her make up done, get dressed, snap a couple of photos, have some wine and cheese with her girls… and be truly relaxed for the ceremony. Not gonna happen in this room, its cold and drab, and impersonal an connected to a bathroom with stalls and a little table with a chair as if that was supposed to cozy it up. #EPIC FAIL It would be nice if you could get dressed in the mansion but that’s another 5k I believe…. Or something like that.

Attached to the ballroom is a really cute bar area with a fireplace and two big comfy chairs. I can imagine the older men in your party congregating here to shoot the s*** and have a good time. I actually really like the bar area. I also like that it’s a little
separate from the ballroom without being completely separate. I don’t know why but it was very charming.
Attached to the bar area is what they call the “gathering room”. It’s a pretty large area where they host the cocktail hour and you an either set up a buffet or have your hors doeuvres passed. This room had soooo much potential until they put that awful carpet down. Its hideous!

Attached to the “gathering room” is the Old Central Church which is absolutely gorgeous. It had huge wind pipes and gorgeous stain glass windows. It needs very little decoration because its already beautiful.

Pros –
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It’s great for everything in one place and all the rooms are connected in case of inclement weather. That is a rare find if you want to have a church wedding.
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Plenty of free parking
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Reasonable sales tax unlike anything in the city or close to the city.
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The grounds are beautiful, Great photo opportunities
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Its family owned so they have a real stake seeing you satisfied
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Everyone I met was great, helpful, and knowledgeable.
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Chivari chairs only $4… you can’t beat that price
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The event minimums include everything not just
food and beverage like some venue’s

Cons –
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Its kind of in the hood…. As you drive you are surprised to see it appear as you pass some questionable sights.
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The carpet is awful
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The menu isn’t that great… and there are really no good options if you want an alternative menu.
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Not many photo ops inside except for the church and the bar area so no good if you are getting married in the winter months
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The menu is very drab… it’s the same food that you get at a banquet hall. And we all know how bad banquet hall food can
be. They really have an opportunity to do something unique and they are missing it. Theme menu would be great.
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Cake cutting fee…. Really? This is the biggest way to p*** a bride off. We are already spending thousands with you, completely blowing our pre-determined budget, p****** off our fiancand eacute;s and here you come with a cake cutting fee.
I can get one of my bridesmaids to kick off her heels, roll up her sleeves and slice some d*** cake. Please stop it!!!!
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The brides room is drab…. Which means the average bride will opt for a hotel room nearby or spend an hour in her dress in
the back of the limo driving from the city. Maybe not if they are from Joliet.
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The owner doesn't share here “preferred vendor” list unless you book a date… this was funny to me. I wonder if her preferred
vendors know that. Does she even realize how many options there are out there?
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In order to have your wedding on a Saturday you have to guarantee a cost of 15k…. So basically you need at least 200
people.
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You could possibly be sharing your wedding space with another one. The mansion rents separately so there may be two going on at once. I didn't want to share my wedding with anyone else.

All in all Jacob Henry has tons of potential but the owner missed the boat on a lot. I think it’s a great option for a budget
bride who isn't into all of the frills. I've seen some gorgeous pictures and the bridal consultants are very pleasant to work with.
The Jacob Henry Mansion is okay and would probably be good for a wedding shower, or banquet or maybe even a meeting. But definitely not what I had in mind for my wedding.