We had our wedding at Hotel 71 on September 25, 2010. It was truly perfect, down to every last detail. We had wanted our wedding to be a small gathering of family and close friends, more than half of whom were coming from out of town. The venue and location were perfect, as the 39th Floor Penthouse has panaramic views that showcased downtown Chicago. The size of the space (maximum capacity of 120 or so guests) was perfect for our group and helped create an intimate but lively atmosphere.

The hotel was elegant, classy and hip, without being overly pretentious or stuffy. We had both our ceremony and reception at the hotel, and the set-up for both was so beautiful. We did our own centerpieces and decor, which the hotel staff set up for us. The set up that they did was even more beautiful than we had anticipated. We did not have a day-of coordinator or a wedding planner, but the hotel's banquet manager, Rebecca Lachman, helped ensure that everything went smoothly and according to our "vision". The end result was not only what we had imagined, but better.

The menu selections for passed hors d'oeuvres and dinner are expansive and the chef was very accomodating. He helped us customize the menu selections so that we were completely satisfied with each item. The food on the night of the event was delicious and the guests were all very impressed. It was more akin to gourmet fare than typical wedding food. The mini-sliders came on little pretzel buns and the lamb lollipops were a huge hit with the guests. The wedding cake that was designed for us was a perfect complement to our color scheme and was exactly what we had in mind. It was simple but elegant and just perfect for us.

Outside of the main event, from the moment we checked into the bridal suite, all the little details were very impressive. The hotel provided a complimentary fruit plate and bottle of wine upon check-in, and a complimentary bottle of champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries after our ceremony. The suite itself was expansive, elegant, and luxurious. The Property itself is very beautiful, and guests were impressed from the moment they checked in. Parking for the event was very reasonably priced, given the Downtown Chicago location, and the rooms were reasonable priced as well.

Overall, we could not have asked for a more perfect wedding weekend. We were so happy not only with the venue, the location, the decor, the food, the atmosphere and the service on the day of, but the pre-planning assistance from Rebecca and her understanding of what we had envisioned. It was really more than what we expected. Regarding the cost, it is definitely not a "budget" venue, but it is also not as expensive as other places downtown. There is no minimum food and beverage requirement, as there is with many other venues for a Friday or Saturday night, and the cost to us was worth every penny. We still have guests telling us what an unforgettable wedding it was, and many who have told us that it was the most beautiful and memorable wedding they've attended. Thanks to Hotel 71 and Rebecca Lachman, our wedding day was not only perfect, but truly a memory that will last a lifetime.

We had our ceremony, reception, and buffet dinner at Hotel 71 in the ballroom, which is the penthouse. The view of the city of Chicago is amazing. The room has floor to ceiling windows almost all of the way around the room. The view was our reason for choosing the venue. Rebecca Lachman, our Conference Services Manager, was wonderful. She was responsive and flexible. The buffet dinner was great. We requested vegetarian and vegan food. Our guests told us the food was great. Our out-of-town guests were happy with their sleeping rooms at Hotel 71. The wedding suite was impressive. It had windows on three sides, and the windows were openable. There was a bar, dining table, two bathrooms, two flat screen TV's, and plenty of space. I highly recommend the Hotel 71 for a wedding.

I am originally from the Chicagoland area, but now live out of state. This was the perfect location for us because of the beautiful views and since it was in the heart of the city it made the weekend just unforgettable. Everyone at the hotel was really helpful and seemed to understand what I wanted when planning and executing the day. I don't know how long they have been doing weddings at the location but they seemed really organized with everything except there was all sorts of confusion on their end with the financial aspect of things when it came to totals and amount owed and things like that.

Aside from that I liked how the cake was included in the package, along with the table linen, and many other things... it gave me one less thing to do and figure out being out of town. If I had to do it all over again I would pick the same place, it was great.

Rebecca of Hotel 71 was great! She always responded right away to all my email and phone calls and she was always willing to do everything to make my wedding perfect. Everyone who works for the hotel is very nice and accomodating. Everything went perfectly.

I could not have possibly asked for a better venue for our wedding. Obviously everyone's tastes are different, but if you're looking for the city, downtown type of place, this is for you. The only downside is it cannot host large weddings (I believe their max capacity is 130, and my personal opinion is this is pushing it), but if you have about 100 people it is perfect. Regarding cost, every other place in River North we saw had higher minimums, plus not as memorable a place. I was told by two people (and one was my 77 year old great aunt) that it was the best wedding food they had ever had at a wedding. To make things more difficult, I had started planning my wedding with a planner who no longer works there, but when Rebecca took over it was a seamless transition. I have been a bridesmaid 8 times so I can compare to what some of my friends have dealt with as well, and I can't believe some of their stories about the planners not returning their calls and such. Rebecca was extremely responsive and really made me feel comfortable. At the end of the reception I'm dreading taking all the presents up and I look at the empty table just in time for them to tell me they already brought everything up to our suite and it was all organized and packed up. Wow! The ceremony was lovely as well. I walked out to Cannon in D and they opened the double doors right at the start of the dramatic part of the song (which might seem stupid but it's the little things that make you feel special on your day). I would highly recommend Hotel 71 and would be happy to share my pictures with anyone interested.