The Homestead 1854 - Plano, Illinois

Joel D. (. C. P.

As a wedding photographer, I’ve worked at many venues, and 1854 Homestead truly stands out. This charming, preserved homestead is ideal for small to medium weddings, comfortably hosting around 100 guests. Nestled in a forest of trees, the setting offers endless photo opportunities, from the timeless architecture of the home to the serene outdoor spaces.

The new owners have done a fantastic job maintaining and enhancing the venue. Their attention to detail is evident, with thoughtful touches like outdoor areas for guests to mingle and enjoy drinks during cocktail hour. Everything is close and easily accessible, making for a smooth, enjoyable experience for everyone.

If you're looking for a venue that combines historical charm with modern comforts, 1854 Homestead is a hidden gem perfect for intimate gatherings in nature.

Katie J.

I had my wedding here on 10/4/2024 - this was an all inclusive wedding package. So food, cake, flowers, an overnight stay for bride and groom, was all included. as someone who has never dreamed of their wedding day, this was the best news.
Dawn (the owner) went above and beyond in every way. Ensuring I had the flowers I wanted, ensured I got food tasting and my food prepared exactly as I wanted. The day of had a few hiccups (what weddings dont) and she handled them with ease and champagne. 🙂

The character of the house and yard is immaculate, incredible, and so beautiful. I would recommend the homstead for any occasion. I cannot thank Dawn enough for making my day so perfect for me.

Also, there are separate areas for the bride and groom to get ready. This was so nice bc day of the wedding I was able to yell to my husband without seeing him to get a bit of extra comfort.

I love this place and cannot wait to find another reason to come back.

Erica S.

One year ago today, my now husband and I set foot on the property of The Homestead 1854. At the time we had never heard of the venue, but were impressed with what we had read about it online… little did we know at the time, it would be THE most perfect place for our wedding. After meeting with the owner, Mary Kay, we were very impressed by how much of the event could be personalized to literally create the wedding of our dreams. I remember Mary Kay saying that night, “Your day, your way,” and she meant it. Once we secured our date, Mary Kay, her assistant Annah, worked with us attentively over the following 9 months to arrange every detail, offer advice, and make sure everything was just right. They put up graciously with my need for everything to be extremely organized and well planned. They were amazingly helpful with our need for safety precautions and extra care for my father who is immunocompromised and has health and mobility issues.

The venue itself honestly checked every box for us. To have everything onsite but feel like there was variety in where everything was located was impressive, and made for incredible photos. We were able to have wedding eve yoga in the chapel, utilize the lawn space and the fire pit for an amazing rehearsal dinner with s’mores for dessert, and then stay in the beautiful, historic home so we were already on the property and ready to go bright and early on the big day. The local salon was able to do hair and makeup in the room right off the bridal suite, we all enjoyed a grab and go breakfast, and staff at the Homestead worked tirelessly all morning to make the property absolute perfection for the day. They were able to incorporate my depression glass into their cocktail hour display, accommodate food allergies as well as go above and beyond to provide a special safe cutting cake, and ensure all of the decorations we had created were expertly placed so everyone could enjoy them. Mary Kay’s husband Chet was able to help get our canoe to Steward Park to allow us to take some unbelievable photos and the service we received from all of the staff throughout dinner was top notch. Another employee, John, knew I was absolutely over the moon with my love for hummingbirds and actually wore a special hummingbird pin that night during dinner that he gave me at the end of the night to make sure I’d see one on the very busy day! I am a total sucker for details, and each and every one was taken care of seamlessly. Every corner just bursts with charm. Adding to our delight was a fantastic surprise we only found out about a few weeks before our day… a new dance floor was installed amongst the trees that was absolutely magical. We capped our unbelievable day of love in the glow of the fire pit. After another great night’s stay, we enjoyed a fantastic breakfast.

We clearly can’t say enough about The Homestead. Mary Kay, Chet, Annah and the whole crew clearly love what they do and have created a venue that is beyond compare. We are so thankful for all they did to make our wedding weekend absolutely magical. Our wedding guests all raved about everything, and were blown away by the space. Run, don’t walk, to book or attend an event at The Homestead. You will LOVE it!

Andrea H.

Mary Kay, Amy and staff made my wedding day the best day of my life! They made planing my wedding such a great experience. The venue is such a unique and beautiful backdrop for a intimate wedding. Mary Kay always made me feel special and was so easy to work with. They made sure to answer and make all my desires come true for my day. I often hear brides talk about the stress of the day, but I truly was able to just sit back and enjoy my day.

laura M.

We had our wedding in September at the Homestead 1854 and we are so happy with our choice! Mary Kay went above and beyond to ensure our day was perfect despite the challenges we were facing. The staff was accommodating and provided excellent service to us and our guests. Our guests could not stop talking about how beautiful the house is and how charming the rest of the property was. We highly recommend the Homestead, they are truly prepared for everything!! Thank you so much for hosting Chris and I!

Samantha L.

I got married here October 8th, of 2022 to my lovely husband. From the start, Mary Kay and Amy were amazing people to work with. TH1854 really let's the bride and groom have as little stress as possible throughout the planning process and during their wedding day. They worked with us to create the wedding of our dreams within our budget and their all inclusive packages alleviate a lot of the little details you have to worry about with wedding planning. We loved the food, decor, staff, and charm of the property. All of our guests told us they loved the place and it really was a perfect wedding day. Could not have asked for better people to work with for our special day! I have no negative comments 🙂

Karly G.

My husband and I got married in August, and we had to plan the wedding fairly quickly due to wanting our entire family to be present for our wedding and not knowing if we could have everyone together if we waited longer.

The Homestead made everything a dream. When my then Fiancé and I walked onto the property we were sure this is where we wanted to be married. We met with Mary Kay, who is the absolute best, and told her that day if she had availability we wanted it. After confirming our booking, The Homestead did everything in their power to make our day special, seamless and easy for us as the bride and groom.

There were several meetings to discuss progress and establish communication among the vendors, and Mary Kay provided us with a list of preferred vendors that they've worked with before and that made finding a dj, florist, and photographer so easy and helped a lot with pre-wedding stress. Everything seemed possible here, not only was the venue already aesthetically beautiful and the house an absolute dream, but Mary Kay worked so hard to ensure every dream of ours came true, even going above and beyond to get extra flowers for our centerpieces, and provide the sparklers for our send off that we forgot.

On the wedding day Mary Kay, her husband Chet, her associate Amy, and the rest of her wonderful staff made everything seem worry free. If we had to do it all again I would choose The Homestead as our venue every single time.

If you want a venue that works with you, and treats you amazingly and provides a beautiful wedding every time then you have found the perfect venue. I couldn't have done it without them.

Thank you all at The Homestead. I will recommend you to everyone who asks where they should get married.

Jorene O.

When you book a wedding at The Homestead 1854, you can be sure that you’re getting a personal, thoughtful experience from the most wonderful people who will go above and beyond. We initially scheduled our wedding for May 2020, but it was rescheduled not once, but twice, due to the pandemic and travel restrictions that prevented immediate family living abroad from attending. Each time, Mary Kay was empathetic, understanding and worked with us to find new dates. She even monitored the travel restrictions and offered us the option to reschedule a second time before we even brought it up. My sister’s flight was delayed the day of the wedding, and upon hearing about this, Mary Kay arranged transportation from the airport directly to the venue (on top of the million other things she already had to do on the day of the wedding) so that my sister could make it in time for the reception and I could focus on getting ready for the ceremony.

In the months leading up to our May 2022 wedding, Mary Kay scheduled a few meetings with us to go over the timeline, vendors, logistics, etc., which meant that we didn’t have to do much planning on our end because Mary Kay, Chet and the rest of her excellent team had covered most of the to-dos. Since we booked a package that included the officiant, photographer, florals, décor etc., I was a little nervous that the wedding wouldn’t turn out the way I envisioned, but Mary Kay had me send over a vision board and she executed that vision board to literal perfection. Mary Kay was also always more than happy to accommodate our oddball requests like a mint chocolate wedding cake (which turned out to be a hit!) and letting us ship board games to the venue beforehand. The officiant, John, and the photographer, Chris, were also amazing. John worked with us to personalize our ceremony script and incorporate elements such as a poem reading. Chris also made sure to prioritize the shots we wanted and despite little direction from us, did an incredible job and we could not be happier with the photos. He even fixed a snag on my dress and steamed the groom’s pocket square – yet another example of the team at The Homestead 1854 going above and beyond!

On top of the amazing people, the property is gorgeous to boot. Lots of greenery, even in early spring – which was important to us because we wanted a garden wedding — and the house itself is so charming and unique. The timber tent allowed us to dine “outdoors” without being cold, and we felt secure knowing that the newly built, beautiful chapel is available as a backup in case it rained and we couldn’t have the ceremony in the labyrinth. Our guests enjoyed the fire pit and s’mores (and many wanted to stay past closing time!), and the overnight guests loved the elegant rooms and delicious brunch the next day.

In short, run, don’t walk, to book your wedding here. You won’t regret it!