I’ve worked multiple weddings at Boerner Botanical Gardens, and it’s magical! As the owner of Beauty Unveiled by Tia, a premier on-location hair and makeup company, I love this romantic, storybook venue with its lush gardens, vibrant blooms, historic charm, and breathtaking natural backdrops that make every bridal look absolutely glow. Highly recommend!

If you want a dream venue with a dream team for a perfect wedding, I highly recommend Boerner Botanical Gardens.

My husband and I live in Chicago and wanted a wedding close to Illinois/Wisconsin for his family, but also near an airport since most of my family and friends were flying in from California. We also knew we didn’t want a barn or hotel, and we envisioned a wedding theme that reflected our love of plants, books, and fantasy — our vendors heard us say “Fantasy Botanical Garden Library” more than once!

After conversations with over 10 venues and tours of four, we narrowed it down to two. What put Boerner over the top was not only the breathtaking gardens, but also how quickly we bonded with Yvette. She is incredibly kind and calming, which was especially important for me as a very detail-oriented, Type A scientist who struggles to “let go” and trust vendors. Touring is essential because it shows you both the space and the people you’ll work with — and Boerner excelled in both.

On our wedding day, our photographer was thrilled because there were endless stunning spots for photos. The Zilli team at Boerner, especially Yvette and Dana, were truly the dream team. Even when we made changes the day before, they accommodated everything without hesitation. They answered all our (many!) questions quickly, listened carefully to our vision, and helped us bring it to life. Lori was also fantastic at ensuring the day ran smoothly.

They went above and beyond in accommodating my celiac disease, making sure every course — from hors d’oeuvres to dessert — was gluten-free friendly. The waitstaff and kitchen team were attentive, making sure we tried everything, including late-night snacks. The bartenders were equally wonderful — fun to chat with, flawless in mixing our specialty cocktails (Aperol Spritz and French 75), and a hit with our guests.

Our guests raved about the venue and how personal it felt to us as a couple — a true reflection of how well the team listened and delivered. And best of all, everything was affordable without sacrificing quality.

We didn’t hire a wedding planner, so we relied heavily on the Boerner team to execute our vision. They exceeded every expectation. Thanks to them, our wedding was a dream come true.

Yvette and Dana are the best and sweetest people to work with. I wish I could work with them everyday, they were so easy going! They helped us so much in making our dream wedding come true. They went above and beyond for us and I am forever grateful for them!!! Everything went perfect and everything ran so smoothly at the Boerner Botanical Gardens. Zilli is a GREAT hospitality company. The food was amazing and the drinks were even better!

Our event manager on site was SO SWEET and not to mention we had Virginia take care of us all night! Virginia went above and beyond for us day of and was beyond nice, so great, and such a pleasure to be around! I hope to keep in contact with her! She truly is amazing inside and out!

Overall, we are so happy we went with Zilli and had Dana and Yvette! They really know how to get things done and are such a joy to work with. In times of stress they are always there for you and will answer all the 100000 questions you have! 10000/10 recommend Zilli!!! We wouldn't change a single thing!!!!!!!!!

Zilli, particularly Dana and Yvette, could not have helped us create a better wedding. The process was simpler than I thought it would be, and most of my concerns were eased with their flexible approach to everything. The venue looked so fantastic, and everyone involved was kind and fun to talk with. The gardens are beautiful in spring, but the inside was just as lovely. Go for these guys!

We absolutely loved our wedding at the Boerner Botanical Gardens! We held our ceremony in the fragrance garden and the reception in the ballroom. Everyone commented on how dreamy and beautiful everything was at the gardens and venue. Our pictures in the formal gardens made the day even more special. Our 90 degree day was hot, but the inside of the venue was a cool oasis.

Yvette and Cheyenne were great to work with! They were very communicative and transparent. We appreciate everything they did to help make our wedding the best day of our lives!

I cannot begin to express, how much we loved our wedding at the Boerner Botanical Gardens. We worked with Yvette and Cheyenne, and they were so professional, amazing, wonderful and all around the best people to work with. From the start in meeting with Yvette, she incredibly thorough; any questions I had during the entire process she got back to us in a timely manner. She and Cheyenne were lifesavers during planning with Covid. (They were the calming presence I needed during the uncertainty of our venue, and any restrictions that were coming our way.) You definitely fall in love with the venue, but the support and people make it. The entire staff was so professional and kind during the actual wedding (from the Bar Staff, to the servers for dinner, top notch all the way through. I cannot be more grateful to them) Would highly recommend The Boerner Botanical Gardens for your wedding, it will not disappoint.

**Yvette and Cheyenne, thank you from the bottom of our hearts, you two are incredible humans! **

Zilli helped us put together a picture-perfect wedding at Boerner. The food was the best we'd ever had at a wedding (no joke -- we wondered if part of it was the benefit of having the kitchen right next to the venue), especially the smoked gouda orzo and the pork. I don't even like pork! The staff was helpful and responsive every step of the way, and helped us customize what we wanted to customize, and make quick decisions on the stuff we didn't care so much about. We only had one proverbial fire to put out the day-of, and our Zilli coordinator just jumped in and fixed everything, no questions asked. Did I mention the orzo? Our flowers, our decor, our food, even the craft beers at the bar were custom for us and worth the price. The only thing that got a little $$ was the things they had to order from outside vendors (those adorbs bistro lights in the ballroom!) sigh.
My only mistake -- which would've happened at any venue -- was pitching my original wedding budget to the venue as what my TOTAL wedding budget was (like, dress and photographer and music and other non-venue things included), rather than my VENUE budget. So for anyone reading this looking for venues, remember this when you're asking for estimates. (Seems obvious in retrospect, oops. Ha!)
Anyway, Zilli was great, and the botanical gardens were great. 10/10 would get married there again.

We could not be more thrilled that we chose to go with a Zilli venue for our wedding. We held our reception at the Boerner Botanical Gardens and cannot say enough positive things about Amber and Yvette as our coordinators! Leading up to our wedding, Amber and Yvette communicated regularly, keeping us on a very organized timeline for planning. They followed up regularly and answered questions immediately. We could not be more grateful for how the wedding day turned out! The whole day was truly magical and came to life exactly how we had envisioned. The venue is fabulous because you can really decorate it according to your style. The timeline of the day was executed beautifully and smooth, thanks to all the magic going on behind the scenes. Not only is the venue stunning, but the food was beyond amazing. People are still raving about the food, that we had the best wedding buffet food they'd ever had. Thank you, Amber and Yvette, for helping us create the best day of our lives; one that we will always cherish and remember!

Zilli's catered our wedding at the Boerner Botanical Gardens, and everything was fantastic. From start to finish, everything was flawless. We loved all the food and received many compliments from our guests. The staff was friendly and professional. Amber and Yvette worked with us throughout the planning process and helped us customize a menu that fit our needs. We are so happy with our choice. We will never forgot how perfect our wedding turned to be, and we are so thankful for Zilli's great food and service.

This is an absolutely stunning venue. We booked their banquet room and couldn't be happier. Lori and Margret were fantastic to work with throughout the whole process. They were responsive and quick with their communication. Nothing sat for long without a response or follow through. We had a rather large wedding and I was so impressed with their ability to plan and coordinate it all. They were extremely accommodating, making sure everything we wanted to happen, did. Working with the gardens and with Lori made the whole wedding process stress free. Their in house caterer, Zilli, was also excellent. Their food was absolutely fantastic. They do group taste testings, which was done really well. They have all of their food available for you to sample, we were then able to pick and mix and match based on our package. On the day of the wedding, the coordinator that was there was also fantastic. She was always around, but was never noticed. She made sure the day/night went smoothly and coordinated with everyone. I received many compliments from my guests on how beautiful the venue was, how excellent the food was, and even how fast the bartenders were! Zilli's and the Gardens are a top notch venue and I would use them over and over again!