Downtown Arlington is a highly recommended walkable downtown area to explore with nightlife, great food, and live theater/bands.

5 minutes from our ceremony, it is a staple area for Ben and Taylor.

The Italian restaurant, Carlos & Carlos, was one of their first special dates when their relationship started. We highly recommend stopping in this downtown area for drinks and appetizers between our ceremony and reception.

We recommend Carlos & Carlos, Cortland’s Garage, La Tasca, Peggy Kinnane’s, Hey Nonny, Mago, and Armand’s.

The largest shopping mall in Illinois, and one of the largest in our nation, Woodfield truly has been in a staple in both Ben and Taylor’s childhoods.

From the days of the aquarium, Santa’s village, and Marshall Fields, to trips with friends as teenagers finally let loose to explore. Woodfield has the full range of luxury stores to all the department stores, along with many restaurants.

Schaumburg has become a bustling suburb very close to Taylor’s hometown.

Schaumburg provides great nightlife/restaurants including Westwood Tavern, Fat Rosie’s, Lou Malnati’s (get your authentic Chicago deep dish while you can!), and Chicago Prime Italian JUST to name a few.

Oh, baby don’t you wanna go to sweet home Chicago!

Ben and Taylor’s hometowns are on the outskirts of this beautiful city. But, being in the northwest suburbs of Chicago means lots of experiences to recommend.

From Navy Pier, to Millennium Park, to the Chicago Theatre, to the Art Institute, the Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, Shedd Aquarium, and Planetarium, there is plenty to stay occupied!

If weather permitting, a stroll down the Chicago river walk is also a wonderful idea to soak in the unique vibe of Chicago and our beautiful architecture.

Downtown or not, Chicagoland has the best of the best in food. Don’t skip out on an Italian beef at Portillo’s, an Italian ice at Johnnie’s, or an authentic Chicago style hot dog in Wrigleyville! But don’t you dare put ketchup on it!