I got married at Mae District in July 2025 and could not be more happy with how the day panned out, thanks in large part to the team at Mae District/Food for Thought! The historic venue itself is stunning - there's a separate room for everything (i.e., ceremony, dinner reception, dance floor/cocktail hour), which made the space feel more elevated and was a huge selling point for us. There's a cute courtyard area in the back with ivy and string lights which was great for photos and for guests to get some fresh air. However, the biggest selling point for us was the bridal suite/upstairs lounge area. It's a generous-sized private space with enough room for the entire wedding party and family members to spend time before the ceremony, and you can store personal things there during the wedding. I got into my wedding dress in the bridal suite and was able to capture getting ready photos here. My husband and I toured multiple Chicago venues in the same tier and this was the only one with a bridal suite/lounge area.

Our venue coordinator was Hanna and were very pleased with the level of service we received. From the beginning, she made us feel like Mae District/FFT was open to our creative liberties, and anything that we wanted could be made true. We wanted a late-night ramen bar on a cart, which was a big hit, and she made sure that the sign on the cart was to our standards. We received many compliments on the food from our guests, as well!

Our wedding about a month ago we are still in awe of just how beautiful Mae District is, and how their staff is just as wonderful. The space is gorgeous and Mae District/Food For Thought helped all of my decor and design dreams come true. It was everything my husband and I hoped for! Few things that make this venue and the people stand out (besides how stunning the space is): 1. Bridal Suite/Getting Ready Area: There is a huge space to get ready in and keep your belongings in. My bridesmaids and family felt so comfortable in the big airy space and it was the perfect place to get ready for the big day in 2. Outdoor Space: For our fall wedding, this was the most complimented part of the venue. Our guests loved having a drink outside on the nice fall night and it offered a space that felt just as fun as the dance floor. 3. Food: Food for Thought does by far the best wedding food we've ever had. Also very much complimented by our guests. I also just felt so taken care of by the wait staff - they offered us (as bride and groom) such a kind and accommodating server and had hors d'oeuvres and his/her cocktails waiting for us after pictures. Highly recommend :)

I arranged a large business lunch in June 2024 at Mae District, we needed space near the convention center and quickly realized no nearby restaurants could accommodate our group. Mae District was able to set a beautiful room with a panel table presentation and the lunch was a complete success. Hanna at Food For Thought was wonderful to work with from start to end. The communication back and forth and working out all the planning and logistics led to a seamless event at the venue. Will definitely be using again!

I'm honestly shocked that Mae District doesn't have more reviews because it is such an amazing venue. The venue has amazing natural light, high ceilings, and overall great little architectural details (and the courtyard!) that make it a lot more visually interesting than a traditional wedding venue. I got ready in the upstairs space which was huge and allowed 10 of us to spread out extremely comfortably.

All our guests raved about the flow of the venue and the food, which was way above and beyond traditional wedding food. Mae District also allows BYOB so we were able to purchase alcohol through Binny's, which saved a ton of money. The staff was extremely on top of it and professional throughout, and Anna (our main point of contact) was extremely helpful and responsive throughout the entire process. The venue's location close to McCormick Place meant that hotel blocks were close and extremely easy to acquire, and we had our after party at Reggie's around the corner. Could not recommend it more highly!

Mae District is incredible!!! Our wedding was a few weeks ago, and after an almost two year planning period my husband and I cannot recommend this venue and team enough.

Meaghan and Kaci were an absolute dream to work with. My wedding vision changed quite a bit from the beginning of our engagement to the end, and Meaghan could not have been more helpful or patient in helping me find the perfect combination of chairs, silverware, linens, etc to bring what I wanted to life. In addition, she put in so much work to fine tune our proposal to exactly what we were looking for (inclusive of a fully customized bar package).

We were able to come see the venue as many times as we wanted/needed throughout the planning process, and were actually able to do a 2nd tasting after we couldn't decide on a 2nd signature cocktail and which steak to choose at the 1st tasting. Both of these were so much fun and helped to get the full experience of food, cocktails, wine, and decor options. We were also able to drop off all inventory the week before the wedding to be able to check that off and not worry about it the day before/day of!

On the day of, the team took SUCH great care of us. My bridesmaids and I actually got ready in the stunning bridal suite upstairs before leaving for the church, and it was absolutely perfect - makeup chairs, tons of mirrors, clothes racks, a kitchen... Then when we got back after the ceremony, Kaci was waiting by the door for my husband and I with our signature cocktails as soon as we arrived at cocktail hour, and a server brought over a tasting tray of all the appetizers for just the two of us to have a chance to eat before guests arrived. Everything was absolutely seamless throughout the night, and many, many guests commented on how beautiful the venue was, how great the food and drinks were, and how friendly all the staff was!

We are so, so grateful for our wedding day experience and a huge part of that was due to the team at Mae District. Look no further for an amazing choice for your wedding venue!!

My husband and I got married in July of 2017 and Kendall was our event coordinator. We could not possibly have had a more perfect wedding day from start to finish. Kendall was so amazing throughout the entire process - she was so genuine, thoughtful and kind, so willing to assist with anything we may need, and went above and beyond in giving advice that Brides need to hear leading up to their wedding day. The tasting we had with her was so memorable - she made it so fun and both of our parents had such a great time. Not only was Kendall a 5 star event coordinator, but 19 East is an AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL venue! I would encourage anyone to get married there. The space is so versatile and beautiful, it's easy to get to in the city, and the upstairs bridal suite really makes an amazing space for pictures, parents with children to hang out, or if the Bride and Groom need a moment away. There's not enough great words I can say about Kendall and Food for Thought and 19 East!

Anna Boltz @ 19East was wonderful to work with and helped us every step of the way. Anna coordinated so wonderfully with our other vendors to make my daughter's wedding a beautiful event. Start to finish it was an amazing experience. Hire professionals like Anna...you'll be in the best of hands.