The Homestead 1854 is tucked in a neighborhood in Plano, Ill. The address is 611 East Main Street, Plano, IL 60545

If your wedding invitation mentions a Welcome Hour, the welcome hour begins one hour prior to the ceremony. Please arrive at some point during the welcome hour. The property is not open to guests prior to the welcome hour start time.

If your wedding invitation only lists a ceremony start time, please arrive 15 to 20 minutes prior to the ceremony start time to give yourself enough time to park and get seated at the ceremony site location.

Perpendicular parking is available, and requested to be filled first, on the back side of the venue on North Street. Parallel parking is available in the front of the venue on Main Street: please note that parking on Main Street may not occur east of East Street. In the event you need to leave the vehicle overnight, please notify a Homestead 1854 team member and please retrieve the vehicle by 11 AM the following day. Please be safe!

Yes, The Homestead 1854 is primarily an outdoor venue. Dress appropriately for forecasted temperatures and weather (it can be hot in the summer and can be cool in the spring and fall). Most ceremonies are held outdoors on the labyrinth, cocktail hours on the front lawn, dinner in the open-air Timber Tent, dancing under the stars on the patio and marshmallow roasting at the fire pit. The areas are situated on concrete, brick pavers and grass.

Trust us, it is embarrassing for you and frustrating to the wedding couple to have your phone ring during their “I Do’s”, the best man’s toast, the first dance or any other of the many special moments of a wedding day. And, please respect the couple’s wishes for device free ceremonies or wedding days. The wedding couple should be the first to post wedding pictures of themselves to social media, if they so choose.

Yes, there are restrooms, accessible by stairs only, inside the house. There is one indoor handicap accessible restroom, via sidewalk, in the entryway of the chapel.

While many couples opt for child-free weddings and The Homestead 1854 encourages you to enjoy a child-free evening out, some couples do invite children. We are unable to accommodate any children who were not invited and / or included in the final guest count. If your child(ren) was invited, the supervision of your child(ren) is your responsibility. If a child(ren) is unruly or destructive, we will require their removal from the property.

A baby changing station is located in the chapel restroom. If you’d like a more private space to breastfeed, please ask a Homestead 1854 team member, who will guide you to an area inside the house.

No. Our state and local liquor license, prohibits BYOB and the consumption of alcohol purchased outside of the property to be consumed in any area of our property, including parking areas. Any violation risks the closing of our facility not only for the wedding you are attending, but all future weddings as well. We will confiscate items and the items will not be returned and/or you will be asked to leave the property.

Playing musical chairs is acceptable in a kindergarten classroom, but not at a wedding. Creating a seating chart is a big undertaking. The wedding couple have to take into account many factors and dinner service is designed based upon the seating chart, so please respect their decision and stay at your assigned table / seat.

No.

Hampton Inn in Yorkville, IL
Holiday Inn Express in Yorkville, IL

No, but we do recommend Jellystone Park and Sandwich Fairgrounds RV Campground.

Plano is part of the Aurora Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, an outstanding travel destination in Illinois. Here you can experience award winning Broadway musical theater, the largest waterpark in Illinois, Chicagoland's largest outlet shopping center, a masterpiece of modern architecture, and unparalleled outdoor adventure on and along the Fox River. You can find and plan things to do by visiting their website.

No smoking or vaping is allowed inside the house, the chapel or the Timber Tent. Cigarette & cigar smoking is allowed in designated areas only. Discard butts in provided ashtrays. Do not throw butts in yard, driveway or fire pit or you risk the wedding couple losing a portion or all of their damage deposit.