When Catherine Cox was engaged, she launched a quest for the perfect-not pedestrian-wedding site, from galleries to golf courses.
Word of her quest got around and she started getting phone calls from people who wanted to pick her brains.
A few years later she was charged with planning the Reader`s 15th anniversary party and once again found herself knee-deep in research. ”All we knew was that we didn`t want it in a hotel.”
By this time she was fielding several phone calls a day. ”I knew I was on to something.”
That ”something” is the ”Chicago Special Occasion Sourcebook” (Reader Books, $15.95). The book features photos and descriptions of nearly 300 locations.
Price is no object? Consider the Chicago Board of Trade ($4,000 plus catering costs). Looking for a loft? Try Jason-Richards Ltd. (This floral studio, which Cox settled on for her own nuptials, means you can save money on decor too). A place to impress the snooty relatives? Rent out the Cuneo Mansion, with 32 rooms and 75 acres of gardens. Hoping for a hoedown?
Consider the Noble Horse Equestrian Center (no extra charge for the dirt floor).
Cox, who edited the book, assisted by Reader senior writer Deanna Isaacs, said she learned a lot during the project. ”It didn`t take me long to realize that `MC` with a club listing stood for motorcyles.”
