Please help us find a great wedding location in Chicago, Illinois. I
proposed on Saturday (my birthday!), our tentative date is 5/6/2006.
10/1/05 is a distant second.
Here are our constraints:
1) 100-200 people (REQUIRED)
2) Proximity to Lemont (<40mi REQUIRED, <20mi ENCOURAGED)
3) Affordable (<$60/plate REQUIRED, $35-$50/plate ENCOURAGED)
4) Not a convention hall (STRONGLY ENCOURAGED)
5) Hotel attached (STRONGLY ENCOURAGED - drunk driving is <i>bad</i>, mmmkay?)

Here's a Google Answers thread about Outdoor sites in the Windy City:
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=176575

And here's a location suggested by my beautiful fianc?:
http://www.drurylaneoakbrook.com/
Apparently hotels cost a bit more. (yes, I'm a novice; I haven't been
planning this since my eighth birthday!)

Please help us find blogs, reviews, and ads for the locations that
best meet our wishes. Pictures will be helpful, since we're in SoCal
now.

Thank you for your efforts! Your work is appreciated & respected.

Applecore --

A couple of west suburban options are:
Indian Lakes Resort
http://centerstage.net/sports/golf/indianlakes.html

The old Nordic Hills resort, now renamed Doral Eaglewood Resort.  Have
someone in Chicago check this location because 10 years ago it was
showing its age:
http://www.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll/qscr=dspv/htid=897168/nojs=1/eapi=23708

But a personal favorite would be the grounds of the old McCormick
mansion in Wheaton, which is now a stunning golf course, reception
area and museum.  Unfortunately, no hotel on the grounds -- though
there's plenty of lodging in Wheaton:
Cantigny
http://www.cantignygolf.com/

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

Thanks omnivorous. I am not familiar with the area, but I hope future
researchers can find useful the following information from the light
in my life:

"Great that they replied...Bloomingdale is all the way up by
Motorola...pretty far. Not cool.
The other one is by O'Hare. Still far.
I am not happy. I hate to be rude but there are some other places that
they could have come up with that are closer. There is one in Joliet I
know of. Sorry Babe."

I live in Chicago and can suggest a few locations:

William Tell Holiday Inn: (this website also lists many other wedding sites)
http://www.chicagomarriage.com/chicago_wedding_locations.htm

Hotel is not attached but this is a beautiful location, Hickory Hills Country Club:
http://www.hickoryhillscntryclub.com/

Cog Hill Golf and Country Club in Lemont (no hotel):
http://www.coghillgolf.com/Banquets/wedding_info.html

Oak Lawn Hilton:
http://www.chicagobridal.com/local/reception/detail.asp?IDNUM=3536

Thanks bowler-
Here are the responses from the lovely lady:
The Cog Hill Hall is a new one, about 2 years old. Really Beautiful.
Still no hotel. :(
They came up with the William Tell Holiday-which was
one of my other thoughts...we'll check those 2 out including Drury
Lane in December...

I'm going to try to up the list price of this. I've contemplated
submitting a $2.00 question so I can better understand how much I
should offer to pay for a question to be answered. (both generally and
specific to this chicago wedding location question.)
Thanks for your help.
-Brett

The Hotel Baker in downtown St. Charles is beautiful.  Check it out. 
You'll want to have it there.