Affordable Elegance
"Thank you again for making our wedding just perfect....... the Broadview Mansion is certainly a perfect place to have an outdoor wedding."
- Sabine Loew-Dillingham
We are delighted you are visiting us on line! Our early 1900's 22-room mansion is an ideal location for the small to medium sized wedding. Our living room provides you with an intimate, beautiful setting for a small wedding -- seat up to 40 and be married in front of our fireplace. Or, for a smaller group of up to 20, sit your guests chapel style in our dining room and marry along the north leaded glass windows. For groups up to 60, you can marry in our entryway and have guests seated in the living and dining rooms.
For larger groups, consider an outdoor wedding in front of our picturesque bell tower or on the front lawn. The beauty of the grounds will provide a natural, park-like setting for your ceremony.
We provide the location, you provide the caterers and vendors of your choice. We will help you throughout your decision making and will offer suggestions on how to add special touches to your day.
Call us for an appointment for a complimentary tour of Broadview Mansion and to discuss options available.
The inside of Broadview Mansion works best for small, intimate weddings for up to 60 guests.
For a wedding of up to 20 guests, our dining room can be set up chapel style with up to 20 chairs. You can walk up the aisle and marry in front of a turn of the century leaded glass window. An antique server gives you space for a floral arrangement as a backdrop.
For weddings up to 40 guests, the mansion's living room can be used and your ceremony can take place in front of the beautiful fireplace.
For a larger indoor wedding ceremony, we have the capacity to seat 60 chairs in rows in both the dining room and living rooms, to face the center entry area, which is where the ceremony can take place. Your backdrop will be the beautiful bronze handrail on our staircase.
For reception dinners, Broadview Mansion has seating capacity for dinner of 40 on the main level (24 in the dining room, 16 in the living room) and 40 in the lowest level (32 at one continuous table.)
In spring, summer, and fall, the ceremony can take place outdoors . For ceremonies in front of and around the bell tower, chairs can be set up for up to 200.
If the wedding takes place on the front lawn, the bride and groom can be standing on the front porch, up the stairs, during the ceremony, while the attendants can stand on the stairs up to the home.
(note: large outdoor weddings will need to consider renting a tent for coverage in case of wet weather, or have a back up plan.)
We have three wedding packages for you to choose from which offer three, four, or five hours of mansion use. Contact us for details.
Renting Broadview Mansion for an indoor wedding or reception gives you and your guests the use of the entire main level (dining room, living room, sunroom, den, front porch in good weather, and kitchen), 2 bathrooms, a bridal dressing room upstairs (the master bedroom), and a groom dressing room upstairs...all in addition to the grounds.
Renting Broadview Mansion for an outdoor wedding gives you and your family / bridal party (those people preparing before the wedding guests arrive) the use of the entire main level (dining room, living room, sunroom, den, front porch in good weather, and kitchen), 2 bathrooms, a bridal dressing room upstairs (the master bedroom), and a groom dressing room upstairs. So, your package includes use of the Broadview Mansion and the grounds.
If you have a small indoor wedding (up to 40 people), our mansion can accomodate your guests for an indoor reception immediately following your wedding ceremony.
If you have an outdoor wedding with more than 60 guests, your reception can be on the lawn with a tent rental. We have flat lawn space west of the mansion that can accomodate up to 125 guests with a tent. Local tent companies can tell you how many people they can accomodate depending upon your needs and space requirements.
For a larger group, a scenario that has worked well is to get dressed and have pictures in the mansion; marry on the lawn in front of the bell tower, and then have your reception at a larger indoor location in town. We have several recommendations to make to you for larger reception spaces.
You may bring in your own food, or hire your own caterer. We have a list of suggested caterers you may use, as well.
Yes, wine and champagne may be served (no beer or hard liquor.) If the party has minors attending, the alcohol must be served by a licensed caterer.
We would need to work with you on this request. Broadview Mansion is in a neighborhood, and we have to control the sound level of any music that is played. By positioning of your speakers and tent opening, we can help make this happen.
No, but we are happy to give you tent rental company suggestions.
Yes, we provide tables and chairs for indoor weddings or receptions. We provide tablecloths as a part of the rental fee.
When you book Broadview Mansion for your wedding, your rehearsal (1 hour) the day or evening before is included. Extra time may be scheduled for a reasonable fee.
If the ceremony is small, and our calendar is clear, we can usually have the home ready with 48 hours notice. But generally, at least a 30-day notice would be preferred if our calendar is open. If our calendar is clear and we have a staff member available to host your wedding date, we welcome your inquiry.
Consider a Friday night for your ceremony, as well. Evenings at Broadview Mansion are enchanting.
You are welcome to take your pictures on your wedding date by simply using some of the time you have contracted with us. If you need to extend your Broadview Mansion use, you can do so by the hour. Our home provides many beautiful, turn of the century photo opportunities, both inside and out (see our wedding gallery on this website for examples.)
If you need to book your wedding pictures on a day separate from your wedding, or simply have your photos taken here (your wedding and reception elsewhere), we offer two packages. Call us for fees. We have a separate contract for photography alone at Broadview Mansion.
Just contact our office. Our phone number is: 309-452-6710. Or, email us (click below). We will be happy to walk you through the entire house and discuss options with you, at no obligation.
H ere are examples of questions commonly asked of us. Just turn the storybook pages to find your answers at Broadview...
...or just contact us with your question(s) and we'll get back in touch right away!
Photographs by Mark Romine Photography located in Bloomington, Illinois
Photographs by IBF Staff, published with permission
Photographs by permission: "Photography by Curt" (PhotographyByCurt.com)
"Jill and I want to thank you for all of your assistance with everything. You made things go very smoothly and were very accommodating, and for that we are truly grateful. The mansion and grounds were in fabulous shape for our event! We will definitely pass along our recommendations!" --Jill & Jeremy Frieburg
Your wedding experience will be a culmination of special moments, and that includes the getting ready for your ceremony. Broadview Mansion offers a beautiful turn of the century parlor (formerly Mrs. Van Leer's master bedroom) for this special time. Have your bridal party join you in this beautifully appointed room, decorated just for the bride. Come in the day before and hang your gown in the bridal closet, so it is ready for you on your wedding day. Ask your photographer to catch these special moments - the architecture of the room will provide the ideal backdrop for your pre-ceremony pictures.
"We were so pleased with how it all went and have received a lot of positive feedback on how beautiful the site was" - Tami Koehl
There are several seating arrangements you can have at Broadview Mansion if your ceremony is indoors.
For groups up to twenty, consider getting married in our dining room. We set up the chairs so you have a 'chapel' look, with an aisle and beautiful leaded glass windows at the north end of the room. Chair covers, which we rent at a nominal fee, finish the look.
For groups up to 40 forty, consider having your ceremony in front of our fireplace in the formal living room. We will work with you to design a seating arrangement that fits your needs.
We have an outdoor space that is as beautiful as most area parks. Trees provide shade and beauty; the bell tower on the south lawn offers a backdrop that is dramatic and ideal for pictures. Rich in history and deep in tradition, Broadview Mansion and the Bell Tower provide you a location for your wedding that you'll remember forever.
For seating outdoors in front of the bell tower, we are very flexible in how the chairs are arranged. Below are pictures that show some arrangements. First, for weddings of 50 guests or less, your chairs will fit in front of the bell tower.
For more than 50 guests, chairs can be set up in several tiers on the north side of the tower providing a view from the side -
with the bell tower as the backdrop.
Just a few plants and flowers will add color to the tower's backdrop .... adding to the natural beauty of the outdoors.
"The atmosphere on the grounds was exactly as Jenna and Nate had hoped. Thank you for sharing the property with us! There was absolutely nothing that we would do differently."
- Judy Whikehart
Broadview Mansion's Wedding information page!
We have 3 wedding package options for you to choose from:
Option 1: 3 hours of facility rental (indoors and out)
Option 2: 4 hours of facility rental (indoors and out)
Option 3: 5 hours of facility rental (indoors and out)
All options include:
Three 1-hour walkthrough appointments with Broadview Mansion Director for planning
Rehearsal time (1 add'l hour) on the day or evening before your wedding day
Use of upstairs dressing rooms for both bride (and her party) and the groom (and his party)
Preferred vendor list including caterers and sound technicians
Pastor / Minister / Officiate Information
Tables and chairs set up indoors if needed
Musician information and phone numbers
Table linens for indoor tables
Photography welcome during rented time
A qualified mansion employee to be the house host during your entire event
Wedding chimes played after your ceremony, at the timing of your choice
*The time alloted for mansion rental needs to include your vendor delivery, unless it occurs on a weekday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 pm.
Call us for currrent pricing.
