I had my wedding and reception here. The cost of using the entire venue was pretty cheap (about 1400 dollars less the refundable $500 deposit) The only problem is that they don't offer a lot of service other than letting you use the space. So you find yourself having to use their vendor list if you plan to have catering, linen, tables, chairs etc. You basically get one attendant, one security officer (who did no securing at my fuction) and the use of the lakefront patio, the front patio, and the field house. Parking is terrible. You have to either find a way to shuttle your guest to the venue or they have to walk a nice way. Which is fine if it's a nice day and you remember to wear comfotable shoes. The biggest complaint my guest had about the venue was parking tickets and pay boxes for parking. Other than that they all couldn 't get over how beautiful the place was.

The park was absolutely gorgeous, and really a good deal all things considered--they even had wooden benches and some nice folding chairs, so we didn't have to pay someone to bring in chairs.

They do have a ridiculous list of "approved vendors" that you have to use for even the most minute details--even the chair covers (they ask for invoices as proof). However, since we weren't doing the reception here, that didn't really affect us.

This place is beautiful, that's why we chose it but... all of the hoops you have to jump through for the Chicago Parks District is a pain! It was worth it in the long run, and the cost of the venue was great.