A Chicago wedding: using the 'L ??

[The Urban Politician]

I thought this was a really cool story from Red Eye:

October 11, 2005

On their big night, 'L' was the way to go

You've got the perfect Vera Wang dress.

You picked the site for your wedding and reception.

Now, what are you going to do about transportation for your big day?

Ride in style with the classic white limousine? Wow the crowd with an ivory stretch Hummer? Make like English Royals in a horse-drawn carriage?

Why don't you just ride with all your guests on the "L"?

One Lakeview couple did just that.

Jill Jaracz, 32, and new husband, Ben Jackson, 30, took the Brown Line "L" to get from their Saturday evening ceremony at First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple, 77 W. Washington St., to their reception at Fizz Bar & Grill, 3220 N. Lincoln Ave.

"At first, we wanted to get a trolley for all our guests," Jaracz said. "But you have to rent them for four hours and they were phenomenally expensive. Then, we thought why not take the 'L'?"

Jaracz has been riding for 10 years, and her husband is a hard-core fan of public transit.

"It was a perfect solution," Jaracz said.

Well, not for everyone.

Jaracz said a few of her friends tried to convince her that she would ruin her gown. Some offered to foot the bill for a cab, a limo—anything but the "L."

Jaracz was unmoved.

After swapping "I do's," the couple led their wedding guests through Daley Plaza to the Brown Line stop at Clark and Lake. There, they passed out prepaid transit cards and instructions on how to get to the Paulina stop.

They also got a little love from other riders.

"While we were standing on the platform, some people were yelling and cheering for us," Jaracz said. "We got a lot of high-fives."

And an unexpected wedding gift.

"This one guy asked if I really just got married," Jaracz said. "He had been grocery shopping, so he reached down into his bag and gave me a bottle of wine."

Another gift: The dress stayed clean.

Jaracz said her guests loved the experience because it gave everyone a chance to bond on the Brown. She ran from one car to the other at Belmont so she could chat with her guests and other riders.

"I didn't walk between the cars," Jaracz said with a laugh. "I know that's prohibited."

Missing from action were Jaracz's parents.

"They thought it was a great idea, but they decided to take a taxi," Jaracz said.

They weren't the only ones.

The couple had 80 fare cards to pass out.

As of Monday, they had 40 cards left.

"A few people punked out," Jaracz admitted. "But I would do this again in a heartbeat. It was a lot of fun."

[Azn_chi_boi]

Thats interesting.

If I was one of the guest, I would still take the "L" to their wedding.

[ChicagoLover]

Awesome!! If they had known in advance and had their permission, the CTA could have recorded part of it as an advertisement for the L.

[spyguy]

Yeah, they allow you to charter CTA trains for a starting price of over $1000.

[i_am_hydrogen]

Nice story.