Starved Rock Lodge & Conference Center Reviews

We had our May 2024 wedding at Starved Rock Lodge and it exceeded my expectations! The grounds and reception spaces are just beautiful! Working with Jenny up until our wedding was a very positive experience and the communication was great. All our guests had a great time and many made a weekend of it and came down early to enjoy the hiking and amenities of the hotel. Would highly recommend as a micro destination wedding!

Starved Rock State Park is a breathtaking green space in Illinois, and Starved Rock Lodge is the perfect venue and gateway to the park. The beauty on our wedding day still takes me aback. Hannah and the crew at the lodge were easy to work with and were far and away our favorite venue. They delivered on every promise and made our day extra special. The food was excellent, and the value was tremendous. Thanks for making our day even more special!

Starved Rock was such a beautiful venue! Although we did bring some of our own decorations, we really didn't need much as the natural setting of the lodge was beautiful in and of itself. The scenery provided for the most beautiful pictures that we will cherish for the rest of our lives. Everyone worries about how their wedding food is going to come out in such large portions, but I guarantee you will not need to worry about that with this venue! Every comment we received about our food at the wedding was extremely positive and everyone absolutely LOVED the food! Hannah really helped us make sure everything ran according to plan and ensured that we had the most perfect and memorable day! She was so willing to answer every question myself or my mom had about their venue, and they were a great help. Thank you, Hannah and Starved Rock, for hosting the most perfect wedding! - Rebecca and Jordan Royal

Starved Rock Lodge was the absolute dream wedding venue for us. Not only is it gorgeous, but it has everything you need in a venue—included catering, a rain-day option, PLENTY of reception space, lodging, and more. We worked with Hannah for about two years and she was so amazing. I must say I emailed her A LOT with questions and she always had a quick response and expert advice. We felt so taken care of the entire process and everything was just so easy with Starved Rock. It was a huge bonus for us that they set up/took down the tables, chairs, ceremony area, and flatware for us as well. Not to mention us and our guests RAVED about how good the food was! Our wedding was the most magical day and Starved Rock provided the absolute perfect backdrop for it.

Working with Starved Rock for our wedding celebration was a wonderful experience in a time of uncertainty. We first booked our wedding with Starved Rock at a wedding expo they hosted in 2019. Back then we thought we’d be getting married in 2020, but as the pandemic would have it, we ended up pushing our larger celebration at Starved Rock out to September 2021. Everyone we worked with was incredibly flexible and responsive when working with us to confirm availability for our new date, and help make that transition go super smoothly. They even automatically rescheduled the hotel bookings for people in our block!

The days leading up to the wedding, and the Big Day itself, were wonderfully handled –– Jenny and Hannah helped keep us on track and organized, fielding many questions from both myself and my mom along the way.

All in all the venue was beautiful, and the food was so good! Staff were courteous and respectful – everything went so smoothly. We got so many compliments from our guests – many of which had never been to Starved Rock previously. We had a lovely time.

A quote from my dad, “people ask me how the wedding was and I tell them exquisite. It was exquisite. I can’t stop thinking about it.” Starved Rock in the summer…there is nothing more beautiful. It was the best weekend of our lives and we could not have picked a better venue or a better person (Jenny) to work with. The ceremony space is breathtaking and we didn’t even add anything but chairs! The room for dinner was so romantic and gorgeous and even the dancing room, with the help of SueZ’s linens was so romantic and beautiful. It’s so reasonably priced. You can’t beat the views, food, or service!

I am a Wedding Planner with MODE Events and I am based in Chicago. Due to Covid, one of my couples had their original wedding venue close. They chose Starved Rock as their new location, and it was TRULY meant to be! The team at Starved Rock was very accommodating , easy to work with, and quick to respond to our questions. I really hope to do another wedding there - it was SO stunning! Highly recommend working with their team and having your wedding here.

Starved Rock was an absolutely beautiful reception venue. We have always loved hiking around the park and it was truly special to be able to have our wedding here. The Starved Rock sales team was a pleasure to work with, they were flexible and very knowledgeable and made my wedding day go as smoothly as possible.

Service was excellent, very professional staff food was perfect and sweet table was fantastic everything was just perfect hotel was very clean and attended to all my guests needs promptly I would recommend this venue to everyone!!

I recently got married at Starved Rock in January of 2019 and all I can say is WOW, I will NEVER forget it! Such a memorable place to celebrate love. All of our guests are still talking about how good the food was and what a wonderful location it was to have our wedding. All of the staff were very easy to work with and very accomodating to our needs/wants. Anything that we asked about on our wedding day it was immediately addressed and the day ran very smoothly! I would highly recommend Starved Rock Lodge to anyone thinking about getting married! It is also very very reasonable for what you get!

We booked Starved Rock Lodge for our September 2020 wedding. To date, every question has been answered timely. They are a great value and it's such a beautiful place for a wedding. Can't wait to say I DO there.

Starved Rock was class act from beginning to end. They provided excellent communication, were on the ball with every detail that we requested. The food was exceptional, beautifully presented and enjoyed by all. The set up was complete, as requested and timely. The ambiance was perfect! The pricing was right where we needed it to be. We also reserved the Utica Room for the morning after to unwrap some gifts and say goodbye to our out of town guests. It was set up very nicely and was the perfect place for people to gather one last time before departing.

We just had our wedding at Starved Rock on Friday, June 8th, 2018. We were one of five weddings that had that weekend. Ours was the big one in the Starved Rock room with 88 guests. We had originally planned for the ceremony to take place outside but due to the rain we opted for inside. It was PERFECT, even with the rain, everything was perfect and everything went smoothly. Jenny and her staff went above and beyond! We had been gifted chair covers and Jenny and her staff helped us steam then and set them up on the chairs for the reception on the night before. The food was fantastic! My only complaint was I didn't get one of the mini beef wellingtons at the cocktail hour, they were such a hit they were all gone before I could find one. For the dinner we opted for the grand buffet, our entrees were the fried chicken and pot roast. Everyone was raving about how great the pot roast was. It was so tender and flavorful. It was well talked about all night and even the next day. Starved Rock really out did themselves! I highly recommend Starved Rock!

My husband and I had our wedding at Starved Rock on June 1st. It was nothing short of amazing! We had Jennie Laio as our coordinator, she was so sweet and so responsive to any and everything we needed. The outdoor ceremony was absolutely beautiful, our guests could not stop talking about how enjoyable it was and how nice it was to be able to head right inside to the lodge for cocktail hour and the reception. The food and bar service was top notch as well. We loved every second of our wedding day at Starved Rock Lodge. Highly recommend!!

We had an intimate, outdoor, winter wedding at Starved Rock and then rented one of their conference rooms to have dinner. It was absolutely perfect. Working with Peggy in the sales department was so easy and she was great! The lodge was decorated beautifully for Christmas which just added to the overall atmosphere. We got so many compliments on the food, decor, and location.

It is a state park so consider the time of the year when picking a day. Summers are usually swarmed with people. Whereas fall/winter months you’d have more privacy

Peggy was THE BEST! Service was amazing!

Starved Rock was so affordable and very responsive. They worked closely with me and always were available to calm my nervous bride nerves. I would highly recommend using them; your day will be everything you dream of!

I cannot express how wonderful it was to work with the staff in the Sales office at Starved Rock! They were absolutely AMAZING!! Whenever you have a question, you can always shoot them an email (or give them a call), and they get back to you within 24 hours. They completely take the worry out of your wedding day too! Someone is always there in case you have a question, or if one of your other vendors is running late, they will make a phone call so that you don't have to. The location is absolutely beautiful as well. I highly recommend this location! Oh, and the food is pretty amazing too!

We are thrilled with our experience at Starved Rock Lodge! From day one, they had great communication! I am a worrier, and whenever I had a question I almost always had a response within a day. Everything went as planned on the day of the wedding, and it helped me to be a relaxed bride. So happy with our choice! Our guests all loved the venue.

We had a wonderful experience at Starved Rock! At the last minute, we had to make a large change and they were very accommodating. The food was excellent, and we were able to offer our guests the full bar with not too much of a price difference. I highly recommend Starved Rock to anyone who I know is getting married and looking for a great outdoor venue.

First, and foremost I would like to say that Starved Rock and Tiffany completely went above and beyond our expectations! She was an absolute treat to work with, and she ensured that everything went as smoothly as humanly possible during our amazing wedding day. She even allowed my husband to have his fantasy football draft the day before our wedding!
Everything was just perfect, we received countless compliments on the food (which we both agreed was absolutely amazing!). The service and bar tenders were personable, kind, and overall fantastic.
Let's talk about the cake for a moment. We used Mo, who is the in house pastry chef. We were blown away with the end result which was way better than we could even imagine. THANK YOU!
Every aspect of the wedding seemed to flow seamlessly throughout the entirety of the day. With the fantastic ambiance, perfect scenery, and outdoor ceremony, we simply could not have asked for a better result.

My now husband and I got married here on May 22nd. All I can say is wow! We worked closely with Jenny who from the very start was so quick to respond to even the tiniest question. Very friendly staff (props to the bartenders that night who were so great!) We even had a server that made sure to come by the head table during dinner to get us all a drink even though the bar was closed at that time. Being from a suburb of Chicago, the price of everything was super reasonable, and you cannot put a value on the scenery that is inside and outside the lodge! Highly recommend!

My advice would be to visit the expo, it was a lot of fun and very informational. I used their preferred vendor list too. this being said it made everything so much easier. The sales office staff was so helpful and patient with all my questions, that on the day of the wedding i had no worries knowing that they were doing an amazing job.

Starved rock was where i dreamed of getting married! My husband and I went on our first date there and our first vacation. We shared many memories together there even before we got engaged, so it was our first choice to get married there. I honestly didn't think we could afford such a beautiful place to have our wedding, but we crossed our fingers and it was actually quite reasonably priced. We got married may 23rd 2015 and it was a perfect day. The weather was perfect and the staff were beyond helpful and were willing to accommodate my every need. I litterly couldn't have dreamed of a better experience!

We were running behind and so much was going on but Tiffany Sigala kept me sane and positive when booking Starved Rock Lodge ask for Tiffany Sigala she's the best!

Our daughters wedding at Starved Rock was absolutely beautiful! We had perfect weather. The staff is very attentive and extremely friendly. We had a wonderful experience! I would recommend Starved Rock to anyone wanting a lodge setting, outdoor venue.

I'm not sure they appreciated all the questions I had along the way, but everything went as perfectly as I could have imagined. I was also surprised to find that on the day of, I had a whole staff catering to our needs to make sure everything ran smoothly. They took care of all the behind the scenes stuff that I didn't even think of. I'm not sure every wedding goes that well. I also really appreciated the clean up policy at the end of the night. Such a relief.

We had our reception here at Starved Rock Lodge. It is definitely a unique and special venue, and is a place that means a lot to us. My wedding coordinator was Margie, and she was amazing and so very accommodating with anything that needed to be done. Same with the rest of the staff. Not only was the service great, but the food was excellent quality, and the setting in itself was breathtaking. We wanted to pick a place that meant a lot to us - not just any random place, but with sentimental meaning. The first time we went to Starved Rock Lodge was in 2008; we were amazed by the food and the beautiful nature that surrounded us. The third time was in 2010. At that time, I remember Len saying, "What if we got married here?!" I replied saying, "It would absolutely be beautiful, but it's probably too expensive." I am so grateful that I looked into it because the prices were very reasonable, and we were able to make it happen.

Do inquire more than one year in advance as weekends book up really fast if you want a wedding here. From price, to food, to natural beauty, and a staff that will bend over backwards for your needs, I could not imagine any other place that could have been more perfect for our wedding reception. THANK YOU to the Starved Rock Lodge Staff from the bottom of our hearts!

Words cannot explain how wonderful my wedding was at Starved Rock. The park is beautiful and the facilities have a lovely rustic feel to them. Our wedding coordinator was amazing along with all the other staff we came in contact with! The outdoor and indoor wedding venue areas are fantastic! The dinner was delicious and the portions were very generous which we loved! Everything about Starved Rock was magnificent and our wedding there was beyond perfect!

Absolutely excellent! They did so much for me on the actual day of the wedding, I couldn't have done it with out them. I worked closely with Margie, who kept me informed of everything and reminded me of due dates for payments, etc. Absolutely AMAZING!!!

First off, let me be clear - I am NOT the bride. I was a bridesmaid! However, this is my 6th wedding as party of a bridal party, so I have LOTS to compare this one to!

Starved Rock's Lodge is a gorgeous space, with a homey, rustic feel - it is perfect for those in love with the outdoors, but can also be decorated to appeal to those with a more traditional taste. In short, the space is flexible & functional.

Throughout the day, the staff was incredible helpful, available, and ready to roll with anything that came up or that we unexpectedly needed. NO ONE, not a SINGLE person, rolled an eye or made us feel like we were putting them out. THAT, in and of itself, is KEY to this review. This was the FIRST time I have been part of a wedding in which I did not experience even one person acting rude or inconvenienced by a paying couple's requests or contracted rights. No joke, everyone was kind. EVERYONE. That just does NOT happen. It made the day that much more beautiful, easy-going, and enjoyable.

On to food & drink - I always say that "As long as the food isn't terrible, people won't care to complain. It just has to be acceptable - especially if the bar is open." Well, Starved Rock delivered again. The bartender & bartendress were friendly & warm, had no problem pouring doubles or giving you more than one drink at dinner call or last call, and were even willing to go grab the groom's favorite liquor from the main bar. For dinner, I had the Chicken Tuscany, and I was expecting average at best, but no - there was flavor! The meat was tender! The green beans were crisp! Twice-baked potato? Gorgeously piped AND yummy! The only downside? I ate EVERYTHING, so there wasn't as much room as I would like for booze. (Don't fret, I managed).

I cannot say enough about this venue, especially the staff. You will not regret your decision to celebrate your marriage, or any event for that matter, at Starved Rock.

Absolutely amazing! My husband and I were married here 12/12/14 and our experience was flawless! Jenny was fantastic about coordinating every last detail of our event and was even gracious enough to let me use her computer and printer when we had a placecard emergency. Our dinner was delicious (we had the Chicken Tuscany and Sicilian Pesto). Every guest complimented the food and the fantastic bar and staff. The entire staff, including the wait staff and bartenders were extemely attentive and helpful. I would recommend Starved Rock to anyone looking for the perfect venue for their wedding.

Everything was wonderful start to finish. Our wedding coordinator Tiffany made the planning process so much less stressful and was always ten steps ahead of me! The food tasting was great and I was thrilled when the food was even better the day of if that's possible. Head chef Bear works with you and tweaked some items when we couldn't decide between one or two things. We had cupcakes made by Mo, and people are still telling me how amazing they where 4 months later. The day went so smooth (and if it didn't I had no clue). The entire banquet staff was so polite and attentive and always had smiles on their faces. The transitions through the evening where so seamless. We are so thrilled we picked Starved Rock for our special day! Everyone commented on how unique and beautiful it was. We feel we picked the perfect venue!!!

They were wonderful. Our wedding went off without a hitch. Everything went smoothly. They worked well with our vendors.

Starved Rock was the perfect venue for us. They were very helpful and nice and took care of everything we needed. The fact that they have preferred before they work with, along with a bridal show to meet all of them at made everything that much better. Everything was perfect for our special day.

The most beautiful wedding that I've ever been to. My daughter chose Starved Rock in memory of her father and it couldn't have been a more perfect place to have a summer wedding. The outdoor ceremony was breath taking and the reception hall was everything she had dreamed of. It was a perfect day and everything went without a hitch.

Starved Rock made our wedding so simple and so easy to plan! You pick the details and they do the rest! Our wedding was flawless! I am so so grateful that we chose starved rock as our wedding location!

Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center is the ideal location to have your wedding and reception. The staff is extremely helpful and friendly. They far exceeded my expectations. The food was outstanding - our guests are still raving about it over a year later! From beginning to end, it was the perfect venue for the perfect day.

We had such a great experience at starved rock! Jenny was our coordinator and she was awesome! Every email and phone call were responded to quickly and they were very accomidating! The good and cake were amazing too! I would highly reccomend starved rock lodge!

Starved Rock Lodge is an outstanding location to get married!! Our sales consultant, Tiffany, was wonderful to work with! Chef Bear and the staff are absolutely amazing! Starved Rock Lodge provides 5-star service and food, at an affordable rate. I would recommend this vendor to anyone!

The Starved Rock Lodge & Conference Center is the best place to have a wedding ceremony and reception!!! The staff is very quick to respond to my calls and emails....They made sure our day was perfect!!!

Starved rock was a beautiful place for my daughter's wedding. Everything was handled beautifully!

I couldn't be any happier with Starved Rock as my wedding venue/caterer! Jenny was FABULOUS to work with- always very responsive, talked me through the process, and made sure everything went just how it was supposed to- even things I never would have thought of. The food tasting was great, I loved that it was only us and not a big group of other brides/grooms at once. We got personalized attention from both Bear and Moe (the chef and the baker) and Jenny sat with us the whole time.

The day before, day of and day after were a dream come true. Everyone at the lodge treated us like royalty and made sure things ran smoothly. I can't think of one thing that they dropped the ball on- if anything, they went above and beyond. The fact that we had up until 11am the day of the wedding to decide if we wanted the ceremony indoors or outdoors made me so much less stressed about the weather situation.

A lot of people mentioned a con is that you have to have a 2 night stay if you stay at the lodge. While this is true, I found that the majority of people loved spending the whole weekend for the wedding and took advantage of a mini getaway. The others stayed at one of the many other hotels that are in the area, and weren't bothered at all.

I could not have asked for a better place to get married at! The wedding staff was very responsive and helpful. They were easy to communicate with prior to the wedding. They handled everything so perfectly the day of the wedding. There were a few hiccups and they handled them no problem. I was able to enjoy the day and not stress! The food was delicious and the cake was beautiful! Thanks Moe! The whole experience was great!

Beautiful place for a wedding. It was well run and organized. Margie was amazing and made me feel comfortable. The food was amazing and the service by everyone was great! They did a great job of making our day very special and a day to remember.

Tiffany was wonderful to work with and Starved Rock was beautiful! We had a unique winter wedding thanks to her help. She was so flexible with our request, great with organization, and our rock on our wedding day making everything perfect. Starved Rock was surprisingly very affordable and a beautiful setting providing great food and a very fun unique atmosphere for our guest. We are very grateful!

We had our rehearsal dinner, wedding, and reception at Starved Rock. The wedding ceremony and reception took place in the Great Hall. We were working with Jill and she was amazing! She listened to what we wanted and helped make our dream a reality. And the food was so good! They were very cooperative when we inquired about ingredients for guests with dietary restrictions and they made helpful recommendations. The friendly and professional staff helped ease any worries we had about our big day. This venue is absolutely beautiful with rustic charm and the overall value is fantastic. We highly recommend Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center for your next event!

The location could not have been more perfect and the team was fantastic! Every guest raved about the food. We will be going back many times for anniversaries.

Our wedding was wonderful, from start to finish my wedding coordinator provided by Starved Rock was on top of things, always responded to my emails in a timely manner, and made sure our wedding ceremony and reception went off without a hitch! Even when I was frazzled before the wedding she kept everything together and helped me get through it.

My husband and I could not be more pleased with having our wedding and reception at Starved Rock State Park. At first, I must admit, we were not sure how everything would pan out seeing as Starved Rock is a State Park; let me assure you, we were blown away and so were our guests. The moment we had our tasting, we knew Starved Rock State Park was a strong competitor in wedding venues.

Our wedding coordinator, Jenny, was phenomenal. She made it possible for us to have every detail we imagined. The staff bent over backwards to make our day perfect. The baker, Mo, personalized our cutting cake, cupcakes and dessert table. Chef Bear allowed us to add a course to the menu to help follow through our theme. When we couldn't chose between twice baked potatoes and garlic mashed - he offered to make garlic mashed and then double bake them! While we were responsible for decorations, the possibilities were still endless. They set up extra tables for us, they put out the linens I brought, and even followed meticulously drawn out diagrams of where I wanted the runners laid on the table. Every detail, they were as concerned about perfection as I was – they did not cut one corner.

When we were bringing carloads of decor in the venue, if there was a staff member walking by the door, they quickly stopped and opened the door for us. Even if we were at the end of the path up to the door, there they were, standing there, waiting to open the door for us! A lot of venues you hear, “once they have your money and commitment, they downgrade their attentiveness” – NOT STARVED ROCK! In fact, as the day grows closer, they are just as committed – if not MORE – in continuing to reassure you that they are completely on board in making your day perfect.

I wish I could post every email – my anxious desire to obtain perfection on each plan – along with Jenny’s quick and understanding responses. I had to have sent her over 100 emails over the year of planning and she responded to each one as if it were the priority of her day!

My wedding plans were nothing less than meticulous, and Starved Rock State Park made sure I was able to have my Fairy Tale wedding come to life. Our guests were blown away and so were we.

I have to add – we were originally trying to find a venue in Chicago. We thought this would be “easier” and it was almost expected seeing as this is where we live. In the end, we were not really happy with the quality/price value. In fact, one venue in particular could not even guarantee that I would have a room to get ready! Starved Rock is an AMAZING value. The quality of service you receive will blow you away; the food quality will have you craving your wedding meal. Trust Starved Rock with your big day; you will be so pleased and so will your guests.

Starved Rock Lodge was the perfect setting for our wedding. Jill Jacobs and her staff at the lodge are so amazing. They made it so easy. I didn't have to worry about a thing. The value you get and the options avialble are fantastic. I don't think anyone had a better time than me at my own wedding because everything was taken care of by the great staff at the lodge.

Very helpful and professional

Starved Rock is a beautiful setting for an outdoor wedding. Tiffany and Jenny worked together to ensure everything ran smoothly. The cake, appetizers and dinner were perfect also. Wait staff was very attentive and courteous. Very happy with the overall service and how well it was organized. Only glitch was that the road leading to the lodge was closed that day due to downed trees. The lodge staff was unaware of this and a lot of my guests got lost because they were not familiar with the back entrance. Park staff should have notified the lodge of the road closing. Even though this was not the lodge's fault, there needs to be better communication between the park staff and the lodge. Detour signs should have been posted.

We found Starved Rock by chance and fell in love the first time that we saw it. Jenny was our planner and she was wonderful to work with. We booked about one year and 3 months in advance.

We were excited and a little nervous for the tasting, because we were unsure of the quality of food that we would be getting. All nerves were gone by the end of the tasting, we chose the Chicken Florentine and the New York Strip and had a very difficult time narrowing down to those.

Joyce the baker on site, is absolutely amazing. Not only did she help me out in a bind the day of the wedding (i forgot the ribbon for the cake) but she made an exact replica of my husbands snare drum. He is a drummer and had a custom snare drum that he absolutely loves. She got every single detail down to a T. Amazing.

The day of the wedding was perfect. We had been planning an indoor wedding for a year and a half and then the night before decided to change to an outdoor because the weather was absolutely perfect. The Starved Rock staff was perfect in getting is set up and making sure that the guests were made aware of the change.

I have three situations for giving the quality of service a 4.5 out of 5, not because the service was bad, but it is an opportunity for improvement. One, the servers were serving cake and many of the guests had yet to get their dinner plates cleared. Rather then clearing then, they just pushed the dinner plates to the center of the table and set the cake down. My husband saw this and took care of it immediately. The staff then made one swoop to clear any remaining dinner plates before serving the cake.

Two, two of the guys on staff were rolling a table after the reception was over and rolled it into one of our tall center pieces, which then took a nose dive and broke and they did not say a thing to any body. Not a huge deal, but the center pieces could have easily been moved out of the way and I would not even have mentioned it in the review if they had said something to me about it.

Third, when we booked the room for our wedding night we were not told about rooms 111, 211 & 311. Though they are on the east (older) side of the lodge, they are more spacious then the west wing kings (they do have smaller bathrooms though). We ended up finding them at the Bridal Show in January and rebooked our room immediately.

Other then the minor things that i mentioned, Starved Rock is a beautiful setting for a rustic, elegant or any other style wedding. Very affordable with good service and responsiveness to go with. I can't wait to go back on our one year anniversary!

When I started to look for a "different" kind of wedding venue (no large banquet halls, etc.), I knew I had my work cut out for me. However, as soon we saw Starved Rock, we knew this was the exact place we wanted to exchange vows. The outside ceremony site is beautiful. You will LOVE your pictures. Also, the reception area is rustic and when the sun set, it was absolutely breathtaking with the all candles and wood, etc. The food was great , per my guests (as the bride, I think I had 4 bites). The customer services was top notch! If I had a question, one of the event managers got back to me that day. I worked with Jenny who was so calm and kind. I also think that they are fair with prices and you certainly get the value for your money. We couldn't have picked a better location for our wedding. All of our guests raved about it. You will not be disappointed with Starved Rock!

We had frequented Starved Rock for years together and it was a natural choice for the venue of our wedding. We are thrilled to have gotten married there. Working with Jenny was a pleasure. She answered all of our questions promptly and worked hard to ensure everything was in order. The food is terrific. The wedding trolley was a great addition to the day. We used it to take pictures in a canyon and it shuttled some of our guests to an off site hotel. We had many compliments from our guests on the food. The reception area is divided off from the rest of the public lodge with tall white curtains and it helped to create a cozy environment. We lucked out with the weather and had a 60 degree day in mid November to get married outside. The outdoor ceremony site is beautiful. We highly recommend Starved Rock as your wedding destination.

Everyone loved our ceremony and reception site! (My mom had her wedding here too!) We were very happy with our choice and it was a beautiful location and we had perfect weather. It's a very busy place, but the staff made it seem like you were the only wedding going on. The food was awesome and the cake was amazing. The drinks were strong too. If people needed something to do, they could hike or go to the bar (which was fun), swim in the pool, or stay in their rooms. I think if you're looking for an all-in-one place, Starved Rock is great! It was in the middle for both our families to travel. I would choose them again and again. Jenny was very responsive and and on top of everything.

I had my wedding at Starved Rock Lodge on 11/15/14 and had an amazing experience! Since vendor reviews were so helpful to me when I was planning my wedding, I wanted to provide some information about Staved Rock to potential future brides.

The highlights:

- Unique and beautiful venue! Only one of my 160+ guests had ever attended a wedding ceremony & reception at Starved Rock! I loved that my guests had their "first" wedding experience there with me!

- Affordable! My fully-hosted bar (with keg beer, wine and hard liquor), appetizers, full meal AND Cake was approximately $65 per person (before tax and gratuity). In addition, there are not any separate rental fees for linens or dishes...everything was included! Starved Rock did have multiple options when it came to pricing, so you can definitely modify it to suit your budget.

- Food! The food was amazing! I had read a few reviews on Starved Rock before booking, and almost everyone commented on the food. I was thrilled at our menu tasting, and more importantly, the day of the wedding! In addition to how good it tasted, Chef Bear was great at customizing the menu and offering a vegan/gluten-free option for guests that needed it.

For reference, we served New York Strip, Chicken Italiano and Pasta Aja (a Thai Peanut Stir-Fry). The appetizers were fantastic, too! Bacon-wrapped filet with stilton, jumbo shrimp cocktail, caprese skewers, international cheese & crackers and fresh fruit, Several guests told me that it was the best food that they had ever had at a wedding!

The Wedding Cake by the on-site pastry chef (Chef Mo) tasted amazing! We customized each layer for no additional charge! I am still getting compliments! :o)

- Responsive and helpful event planner! EVERY e-mail and phone call was answered within the same day...most within an hour! As a stressed bride, this was a HUGE relief to me!

Check out Starved Rock...I am so happy I did!!! I was lucky to get a Saturday night, as dates go fast!

We were so lucky to have secured a date for our wedding at Starved Rock having jumped on an early cancellation, and we could not have picked a better location. Margie was our wedding consultant, and she provided us constant guidance throughout the past year as we went through the planning process. Even when she did take some well deserved time off, Tiffany and others were available to answer questions so there was hardly ever a delay in the process.

We found the venue to be a great balance between having a unique rustic location and incorporating traditional elements of a wedding. The Lodge does have a pretty standardized setup so if you are really looking to create everything from scratch, this may be too limiting, but for us it turned out to be a very happy medium. We worked with a few of the local vendors from their preferred list and we were very satisfied with their services as well. We are so grateful to the Starved Rock staff for making our wedding an amazing success!

Great venue! They were very accommodating within their set perimeters. Guests loved the venue and it provided a cozy atmosphere for late November. Also found great photographer (mcConville) and DJ (Joe Beck). And great cupcakes done by lodge pastry chef, Mo.

Starved Rock Lodge is a wonderful venue. From start to finish, it was a great experience planning and having a wedding day as close to perfect as possible. I can't say enough wonderful things about our sales consultant, Tiffany. She was always super responsive to emails and answered all the questions I could think of. In the final few weeks, I was emailing her at least once a day as new things came up - she was always helpful and super nice which is invaluable in the final stretch! On the day of, she was there to make sure things went smoothly with everything. All our other vendors seemed to integrate into everything very well and I know it's because Tiffany was there to coordinate everything. Any other time I had to contact the sales staff when Tiffany was off, I always had a great experience so I know their staff is really top-notch. They really care about their work and making sure everything goes well.

The food was fantastic. It was even better on the day of our wedding than when we went for the tasting which was pretty hard to do as it was amazing then as well. We got nothing but praise from our guests. The portions were great. The drinks were also awesome and they were very accommodating when we wanted to exchange certain kinds of liquors for others. The cake (by their pastry chef) was great and we did cupcakes - even a custom flavor - and they were delicious.

The venue itself is gorgeous. We looked around the Chicagoland area (where we live) for something a little off the standard banquet hall beaten path and just couldn't find anything we loved as much as Starved Rock. They have the option of having an outdoor ceremony if the weather is nice or having it indoors - don't have to decide until the day - of which was great. The dinner and dancing are in separate rooms which was awesome. The veranda that over looks the river was much beloved by guests too - great for mingling. It was really a dream wedding from start to finish! Thanks so much!!!

Starved Rock Lodge was wonderful. From the very beginning, our consultant was extremely responsive and helpful. Everyone raved about the food (we just did appetizers and the premiere sweet table). You can't get a more beautiful location, either.

The only downer was the lodge told our friends they could park their RVs in the lodge parking lot and then our friends almost got arrested for parking their RVs in the lodge parking lot. Our wedding was on the second busiest weekend of the year and all the campgrounds were booked.

Everything about this venue is amazing! Not a single thing went wrong on the big day and planning was simple.

The minute I walked into the lodge, I knew that I had to get married by the big stone fireplace. We wanted a December wedding, and it was the perfect time of year. Jill Jacobs is so amazing. She made planning my wedding fun - not stressful. The food was incredible. The cake (made by their pastry chef) was beautiful and very delicious. Everyone still talks about how much fun they had at our wedding. As other reviewers have noted, they are very strict about the timing of the weddings. That didn't bother me so much, but It can be a deal breaker for some people. I look forward to bringing my children to the lodge to show them where "mommy and daddy got married".

Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center was an amazing place for our wedding. We had our ceremony and reception in the Great Hall and it was a beautiful setting and PLENTY of room for the 160 guests that we had. The price was very reasonable for the food, bar and cake. The food was delicious and our cake (made by the in-house baker) was gorgeous! The outdoor scenery made for perfect pictures (even in early November) and there were plenty of places for gorgeous pictures inside the rustic lodge. The event staff was very helpful and always responded immediately to any questions that we had. We planned the wedding from 1000 miles away and had no issues. Our guests loved staying at the lodge and we were able to use the trolley service to transport guests to/from 2 seperate offsite hotels. The only reason we give 3.5 stars for flexibility was because ceremont/reception times for Sat. weddings is pretty set in stone, but they do let you decide day of if you want an indoor or outdoor wedding. Overall an amazing experience and a great place for a rustic wedding!

My family had a long history with Starved Rock State Park before I ever decided to get married. In fact, during a visit to Starved Rock when I was 8, I informed my mother that this was where I would be getting married. Fourteen years later.... I got married at Starved Rock. It is an absolutely beautiful venue! The outside ceremony location is breathtaking. Due to weather, we moved inside the lodge for the ceremony, but I wasn't disappointed at all, because the Great Hall is equally as beautiful. The SR wedding coordinator we worked with was Jenny. She was quick to respond to our questions and give us any information we needed. The chef at SR was great, and was careful to prepare several specialty meals to suit the needs of sensitive guests. My only complaint is that Starved Rock is very inflexible in terms of setting up your wedding. The start time and end time are set for you and you absolutely cannot change them. After we fussed about it, they agreed to push back the reception by 15 minutes so we could do a receiving line. Their SAVING GRACE (in terms of flexibility) was this: I wanted my dog (who I grew up with) in the wedding. Outside, that wouldn't be a problem. However, dogs are NOT allowed in the lodge. When we had to switch the wedding inside, my mother explained to Jenny the importance of having the dog in the wedding. Jenny agreed to allow her inside for the before pictures and the ceremony. THANK YOU JENNY!
In conclusion, Starved Rock is a perfect place to have a wedding. It is so convenient for guests (and the wedding party!) since the hotel is right there. Additionally, many of my guests made it a whole weekend and explored Starved Rock. There is a pet resort nearby (Paws Here Pet Resort) and it is top-notch, so if you have any furry family members in the wedding, you are covered. :)

We would not change a thing out our wedding at Starved Rock. The assistance professionalism that we received were outstanding and it did not go unnoticed by our guests. The cake was gorgeous and all of the food was excellent, not at all the bland wedding food that most venues serve. I can't say enough good things!!

As the previous reviewer pointed out, all receptions must end promptly at 11:00. We also would have liked to have had a longer reception. However, they made a point of keeping the bar open late and we all just moved there to continue the party!

The venue is beautiful. I wanted to include our dog so was hoping for an outdoor wedding. We were able to have the ceremony outside. The food was amazing! We were hesitant with the dance floor being in a different room but it worked out great because those that wanted to talk didn’t have to shout over the music. Jenny was there the day of and helped us every step of the way. We worked with Hannah through the planning portion and she always answered our questions and let us visit the venue a few times to make sure our vision was executed. I highly recommend this venue!

It was just the rustic setting the bride & groom wanted. Everyone liked that it was something different and beautiful. If the weather wouldn't have been hot & humid, it would have been perfect and we could have enjoyed the scenery more.

I live in the Chicagoland area. So from that aspect it was difficult trying to plan things with not always being able to see the venue. But the staff was very helpful in helping in any way that they could.
There was something's I wish I could change like the schedule like having the ceremony start at 530. One due to we had to set up ourselves and then do photos prior to the ceremony. But second due to everyone was having to come from Chicago for our wedding.
Overall we had an amazing wedding atStarvedRock and all of our families enjoyed it!

This place was amazing! My guests loved the venue. Plus the view is phenomenal! The food was great and the place was good size for my guest list. They were very professional!

When we began looking at wedding venues, we wanted a beautiful outdoor setting with a good plan B in case of inclement weather. Starved Rock offered a beautiful indoor/outdoor venue, with excellent food and very supportive wedding staff for a price that was very affordable compared to other venues we looked at. We were very happy with our ceremony and reception at Starved Rock Lodge.

Throughout the months of planning, Starved Rock's staff were patient and accommodating in handling our questions and requests. On the day of the wedding, their staff was available and helped make everything run effortlessly, down to arranging my train just before I walked down the aisle in their outdoor wedding space.

The dinner in the Great Hall was outstanding; we received many compliments from our guests. Initially we were concerned that there are restrictions on bring in a wedding cake from off-site. These concerns were banished at the cake tasting we had at the lodge during our planning. There was a huge variety of cakes, frostings and fillings to choose from, and all were delicious! The pastry chef Maureen "Mo" Stabler even designed a cake to go with our cake topper.

During the reception in the Starved Rock Room, guests were able to stay inside and enjoy our band, or go out to the veranda to watch the sunset and visit.

When we looked at other outdoor venues, the prices at first seemed comparable, but did not include catering, bar service, tables, chairs, linens, etc, which greatly inflated the price, as well as the number of vendors to deal with. Starved Rock offered a tremendous value, providing venue, dinner and bar package (with linens and china), cake, and chair rental (for ceremony site) on one ticket. For the quality of food and service, the price could not be beat.

Starved Rock scores lower on flexibility because they have a very strict, non-negotiable timeline. Ceremonies are at 5 pm, cocktails 5:30 and dinner at 7. The reception must be done by 11pm. However, our guests appreciated not having to wait around between the ceremony and the reception and the convenience of having both in the same place.

Most of our guests stayed at the lodge and were very comfortable. However, we did receive a few comments about cleanliness of guests rooms on arrival. Perhaps this was due to the rush on a holiday weekend at full capacity, but it is an area for improvement.

Overall, we are delighted with our experience at Starved Rock and wouldn't hesitate to recommend this wedding venue.

Margie was very accommodating, but there are a few things that I would have changed. I was not a fan of the fact that my guests had to rent their room for 2 nights. It made it way to expensive for many of them to stay there. I do have to say that the food was fantastic!!! They were very large portions as well. My guests were all very pleased.

We loved having our wedding at Starved Rock, as it is where we got engaged. Our guests loved the unique location. Everything went smoothly on our wedding day. The food was great, and people are still talking about how awesome our wedding cake was (a cupcake cake). The value was great - we had a [relatively] inexpensive wedding, mainly because of Starved Rock's reasonable prices.

We also booked our transportation through the Lodge. Everything went smooth as can be with that as well! The trolley was a cute alternative to the typical limo.

The only thing I would have liked better is if the reception could have gone later than 11:00 - but the hall backs up to sleeping rooms, so they have a policy that the DJ must stop at 11:00.

Starved Rock itself is set in a beautiful location and the sales team does everything they can to provide couples the weddings of their dreams. Our wedding was elegant with a vintage-rustic feel. The best day of our lives for sure. My complaints are few but will be noted: the reservation desk was difficult to deal with. When our guests would call in to make their reservation many were told there was no "Gagliano/Nichols" wedding, or they were told there were no rooms left so they would have to stay somewhere else. We talked to Margie about it and she made sure the issue was corrected (and it was). The day of the wedding my bridesmaids and I were up on the third floor in the Hennepin room getting ready. I advised the front desk that 2 photogs and 1 videographer would be showing up between 10-11 and to send to Hennepin room. When they arrived the front desk would not tell them where to go. It was about 11:30 and I sent my MOH down to try to find them. Sure enough there they were completely lost because the front desk reps would not assist. Other then these two situations we had such an amazing weekend and are beyond pleased with our venue choice!

We got married on a Friday night in the Great Hall and it was perfect. If you get married on a Friday the food minimum is lower than a Saturday. All of our guests said the food was excellent. We loved that the staff did almost everything for us, so we could relax and enjoy our day.

Everyone was so great and our wedding was beautiful! We had an outdoor wedding and it was breathtaking. I couldn't have asked for a better location or day. The food was outstanding and my guests raved to me saying it was one of the best weddings they'd ever been to and that it was such a unique location.

Starved rock was a great place to have a wedding because everything is right there. It is absolutely gorgeous and there is so much for your guests to do and see.

This is an amazing location for photos! Highly suggest this location! Just make sure the coordinator stays to coordinate with the rest of the wedding.. and tell the photographer ( me) what is going on, what is happening next, not on her phone or looking off into space before the ceremony.... and not walking in front of my brides entrance photos and forgetting the knifes for the cutting of the cake...ekkk that was by far my worst experience with a coordinator... we have been doing this for many many years to give you an idea.