Enjoy an upscale night out at Boka (above) during Chicago Chef Week.

This week, March 22-28, is Chicago Chef Week. Another one of the many weeks/month where restaurants throughout the city offer prix fixe menus at bargain prices. This time around you can dine on three-course $20 lunches and $30 dinners, served up by some of the city’s finest chefs.

So, PLRGs can experience an uber-fancy night out at places like Boka, Lockwood and Blackbird for a very reasonable price. But, be sure you make a reservation in advance. You can give the restaurants a call or check out OpenTable.com to see what’s available. Bon Appetit!

(Lacey Brenly)

A few months back, on January 20th, over 50 guests enjoyed champagne cocktails, passed hors d’oeuvres and macaroons, while receiving coveted tips from a few Chicago wedding experts at whiteCHICAGO in River North. Sponsored by CS Brides, FIG Catering, Binny’s and Fritz Pastry, whiteCHICAGO owner Ursula Guyer emceed the seminar, which featured panelists answering bride’s questions on how to save money, how to plan a wedding in today’s economy and overall, how to be a resourceful, recessionista bride! For our Wedding Issue, we’d thought we’d share what we learned with our PLRGs who are planning weddings!

Expert Panelists (from l to r): whiteCHICAGO gown expert Kyra Fitzgerald, financial planner Stephanie Schranz, CS Brides editor Elise Hofer, emcee/whiteCHICAGO owner Ursula Guyer, wedding planner Anthony Navarro of Liven It Up events, DIY expert/blogger Danielle Perrino of Sugar & Spice Ink and personal stylist Erin Carpenter.

Our top 6 takeaway tips were:

Smoked Salmon on a Corn-Scallion Waffle with Maple Mascarpone courtesy of FIG catering.

1. Don’t feel like you have to buy a different dress for each “bride” event you go to. Restyle the same dress with different jewelry, hairstyles or shoes for the various showers and brunches. Use these restyling tips when purchasing your wedding gown as well. If you find a steal but don’t love everything about the dress, remember you can add lace, tulle, sleeves, brooches, the possibilities are endless.

2. If you want to save money in the flower department and buy silk flowers, the best way to showcase them is to submerge them in water. It’s free and a lot of times you can use the vases from the reception venue.

3. Although planners are an additional cost, they often times have negotiating power with the various vendors and can get you deals you wouldn’t otherwise have. Plus, a day of coordinator will take off the stress and that is invaluable on the big day!

The crowd enjoys the panelists tips for the Recessionista Bride.

4. If you want to be a “DIY” bride, don’t take on every aspect of the wedding. Pick one or two things that you want to DIY so it isn’t as overwhelming and make sure that you have a good team of workers and helpers behind you.

5. If you choose to use an iPod at your reception, music selection is key. Make sure that you leave room for some slow songs and play for the crowd that you invited.

6. Discuss finances before you start planning away. Find out what is most important to the two of you and then budget around that. Talking about how you are going to manage your money after the big day is also an important step to take earlier rather than later.

The advice that seemed to really float above everything else that was being discussed, especially when it came to figuring out how to stay within your means and still produce that perfect, magical evening, is to relax and enjoy yourself. If you look happy and content, everyone else will enjoy themselves that much more. All in all, remember that the day is really about the two of you becoming a couple and starting the rest of your lives together!

Every PoorLittleRichGirl wants a kick-ass pad, but who really wants to pay for it? Especially if you are renting, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to spend tons of money updating a space that you will eventually leave. But do not fret! All it takes is a bit of creativity and some tricks of the trade to take your space from average to a true reflection of yourself.

My client, Patrice, is the epitome of a PoorLittleRichGirl: successful, independent and financially responsible. She had just moved into a great soft-loft in Pilsen and wanted to decorate the space without spending a fortune so I took this project on as a personal challenge: make her home a place that would make any PLRG proud! With a budget of $1000 for accessories and paint we turned her living room/dining room into a warm, inviting space perfect for this hardworking girl.

Below is a picture journey of Patrice’s pad, from drab to fab, including prices and locations of everything purchased. Use it as inspiration, or contact me if you need the extra help!

Patrice’s place was dark and felt cramped. She was a tad bit (or really) too reliant on the color brown.

In order to make her place feel larger with two distinct areas we placed her couch on an angle. I also helped Patrice experiment with color. At first she was worried about the bright red TV stand (which retails at Ikea for $99) but when we came across it at a sidewalk sale for $23 (we got it for $20!) she knew she couldn’t fight me!

The dining area was really dark and rather blah.

In order to add light and texture we added a wicker light fixture.  Textile wrapped frames in bright, fun prints brought visual excitement to the mix!  To see how to make these unique wall pieces check out my previous article using decorative paper.

This area really needs some visual excitement.

Talk about color!  I just happened to have some extra fabric and Patrice’s mother knows how to sew so we created custom curtains.  The area rug was actually an animal print throw blanket.  It’s okay to be creative!!  Recognize the fabric on the lamp shade?  Yep, we used it in the dining room area as well to pull the two areas together.

A mirror can often visually enlarge a space.

Shopping List:

Patrice ended up painting not just this room, but also her hallway.  Labor and material for that cost $500*, which brings us to approximately $1200 but, since the hallway was added in, our living/dining room stayed within our $1000 budget!

*If you happen to have some extra time on your hands, you could attempt to paint the rooms yourself to save, oh, around, $300 or so, as the price for labor was around $400 (still a great deal and worth every penny for Patrice and other busy PLRGs). You would still end up sending around $200 for paint, painting supplies like a tarp, rollers, etc., but that brings your grand makeover total somewhere closer to $800! What a steal for so much style!

Katie Rogulski is our go-to gal for all things design, from choosing a paint color to installing a light fixture. Send her all of your design questions and comments and she’ll will do her best to help you design a fabulous pad without breaking the bank! Katie@PoorLittleRichGirls.com