Wedding Venues in Chicago

Molly

5.0 out of 5 rating

5.0

Our wedding weekend was absolutely perfect and far exceeded our expectations. From the moment we arrived to the moment we checked out, the service was flawless. The staff took care of every detail with such warmth and professionalism, making us feel so well cared for the entire time. Our guests were in absolute awe of the team - the level of attentiveness and hospitality left everyone raving. Between the incredible food, the seamless service, and the beautiful setting, we truly couldn’t have dreamed of a more perfect place to celebrate our wedding.

The Carleton was an absolutely beautiful venue that also knew the local vendors we worked with. Not only were they gracious with our multiple covid-related reschedulings, they were able to seamlessly coordinate logistics with Sugar Fixe & Westgate Flowers, even our DJ team Remix entertainment who were from further out in the suburbs. They made the entire night seamless, free from concern, and accommodated all of our guests. The culinary team provided some of the best food any of our guests had at a wedding (real steak!). We'd also like to thank the bar tenders who nailed our wedding drink down to even the more obscure ingredients and made sure everyone enjoyed it. We highly recommend the hotel not only for its cute, vintage atmosphere & comfy rooms but also for the incredibly personable staff who were there to make our special day one of the easiest & happiest days.

Obviously, the ballroom is GORGEOUS. I guarantee you will not find a single venue as classy, artistic, memorable, historic, and just beautiful anywhere else in the Chicagoland area, ESPECIALLY not for such a great price! The food was also some of the most delicious banquet food I've ever had! Staff was all excellent, from the wait staff and chef, to Karen the coordinator for rooms and other things you might need, to the security guards even. But of course our wedding coordinator, Ruthie, was the highlight of the show. She answered calls and texts at every hour of every day and made sure that we were taken care of always! Ruthie went above and beyond so many times--from finding little decorations to help make our day look even nicer, to coordinating with all the staff and making sure every little request was granted. She acted as our day-of coordinator, too, staying until the early hours of the morning to make sure we were 1000% taken care of, even though I'm sure that is NOT in her job description! Thank you, Ruthie for everything you've done to make our day so special! And thank you to the entire Congress Plaza staff for a drop-dead gorgeous wedding venue and friendly, helpful attitudes that made our wedding one that I'm sure nobody will stop talking about for years!

Molly

5.0 out of 5 rating

5.0

Wowowow, if you're considering getting married at The Drake, you MUST! It's truly the best venue in the world. I could not recommend it more. We got married 18 mos ago & are still daydreaming about it. & our guests are still raving about it. The Drake did an incredible job giving us our perfect day.  We worked with Ali Foster (The Drake’s Coordinator) who was absolutely amazing. She answered alllll of our questions w/ knowledge, grace, & kindness. She gave plenty of tours of The Drake, helped us brainstorm different options for the layout, head table, ceremony, etc. We had a ton of ideas to make our day special, & Ali was always willing to chat through & add her knowledge. She understood the importance, but also added some jokes & lightness that made each of the tastings, tours, & walkthroughs more fun. Plus, she worked really well with our wedding planner - Kelly from Shannon Gail. If you're getting married at The Drake, use Kelly! She is incredibly knowledgeable on the space and worked really well with the whole team. I highly recommend both Ali and Kelly. We loved getting married at The Drake, because it is such a timeless venue, with a central location, & a super seasoned staff. The venue is incredibly historical & magical, which made for an amazing guest experience & wedding photos. The central location allowed for out-of-town guests to explore Chicago, like shopping on Mag Mile. And the seasoned staff worked with us to make the dream wedding - brainstorming how to make the venue feel like “ours” while adding expert advice. The venue was such an incredible vibe. The gold, marble columns, & old architecture looked so incredible in all of our photos. Plus, it made it really easy to pick a wedding vibe (classic, timeless Chicago) & wedding colors (black, white, gold). I was considering adding turquoise into my bridal colors, but The Drake had just enough light touches (The Gold Coast Room columns, the robins egg blue cocktail room). The staff was amazing & we loved Ali. My husband & I are extremely particular & had a super specific vision. We visited The Drake almost weekly, checking out other weddings for inspo. We would walk The Gold Cost room as other vendors were setting up, so we could see what we liked & what we didn’t. I was really torn over where to put the head table. We checked out a ton of different layouts & could see which head table spot had the best view of the party (so I could see my guests as the bride) & which had the best view for the guests (so each guest felt like they had a view of the bride and groom). This sounds so specific, but it was something that was important to us - & The Drake made it important to them. We ended up with the perfect layout for our vision.  One important piece I hadn’t considered before wedding planning: The Drake includes tables, linens, flatware, etc. Many venues require you to bring in outside rentals, but we were able to avoid an incremental cost & the headache of working with more vendors.  One more thing - The Drake does a Champagne Parade, serving every person at the head table champagne at the exact same time. Ours got a little messy, so I would recommend a run-through with the servers ahead of time based on your layout, but it is a super cool concept & makes for fun pictures/vibes! I cannot recommend The Drake enough. It was our fairytale wedding & we love reliving it through stories from our guests, photos, & the memories.  GET MARRIED AT THE DRAKE!!! You will love it

Lauren

5.0 out of 5 rating

5.0

I fell in love with the Women’s Club of Evanston the moment I walked in for a tour. It is a gorgeous old mansion with deep roots; the manager (Gretchen) is kind, reliable, and so easy to work with; the preferred caterer we used (Catering by Michaels) was raved about by our guests; and the gift of bringing your own alcohol was huge. Our guests kept commenting on the uniqueness of the space, how great it was to have a pianist playing during our cocktail hour on the first floor, and how joyful and bright the ballroom looked. It was honestly beyond anything I imagined. A few extra things of note – our guests stayed at the Graduate Evanston which is barely a block away (no shuttles needed!); there is a huge parking garage across the street so nobody was looking for parking; and have I mentioned how beautiful the space is? I wish I had a reason to throw a huge event again – I would go back to the Women’s Club every time. Huge thank you to Gretchen and her team! Also, the cost was very reasonable compared to other venues!

Long overdue review! My husband and I got married here in August and it was everything we dreamed of and more. Kendall K. was our assigned manager and holy moley she is the best! She truly helped us create the wedding of our dreams. Together we curated an amazing unique dinner, dessert, and drink menu for our guests which they LOVED. Throughout 2 years of planning, Kendall was there to answer any question we had and was always offering suggestions to enhance our wedding day! She was there on the day of and helped make sure everything ran smoothly. We couldn’t have done it without her. It was seamless and perfect. She went above and beyond for us. I can’t say enough good things about Kendall! The food was seriously amazing. The best food we’ve ever had at a wedding. We got tons of compliments on the iconic locations, the food, and the drinks! Seriously all top notch. We couldn’t be happier and loved our wedding day at River Roast. HIGHLY recommend!

Laura

5.0 out of 5 rating

5.0

We loved working with Galleria Marchetti. Danielle was lovely to work with and very flexible and accommodating. We really wanted to not deal with a caterer as well as a venue so Galleria did it all in one. Their food was great and most importantly all 200 guests were served warm food in about 10 minutes. Everything went according to plan and the courtyard was gorgeous in August. We highly recommend!

We had our wedding on May 13, 2017 and it really was our dream wedding. The location was great. The food was delicious. The room was beautiful. The weather was perfect and we were able to have our cocktail hour on the river walk, which guests love. It has been 6 weeks and we continue to get compliments on how great the food was. Katya was wonderful to work with every step of the way. She was very responsive and helped make our dream wedding a reality!

We had our reception at Salvatore’s, and it was an unforgettable night. The staff, the food, the venue, everything was incredible from the planning phases to end of the wedding night. We worked with Erin for the coordination package, and it was so great to have her expertise to make sure our day ran smoothly with timelines, vendors, and everything in between. Beautiful venue and staff who will make your dream wedding come true. Our guests couldn’t stop talking about how wonderful the food and staff were and how beautiful the venue is. Thank you for everything Salvatore’s team!

Gina&Sam

5.0 out of 5 rating

5.0

From the moment we stepped into Pazzos, we were truly wowed. We didn’t feel the need to tour any other venues—this was a one-and-done decision for us. Not only is the space absolutely stunning, but its location in the heart of downtown, right next to the Sears Tower, made it even more special. Rali, the coordinator, was such a pleasure to work with. She listened to every request and ensured the entire day flowed seamlessly. The owner, Jaxer, was also incredible—so warm, welcoming, and genuinely invested in making our experience unforgettable. We couldn’t have chosen a venue with better food, a better atmosphere, or better people. The entire staff was fantastic, and we loved every single minute of our celebration at Pazzos. Highly recommend.