The Crystal Ballroom & Lounge

I would highly recommend the Crystal Ballroom to any couple planning their wedding. My husband and I recently held our reception here and we were so happy with how everything turned out! Jessica was so helpful throughout every step of the planning process, and on the day of our wedding she coordinated with all of our vendors to make sure that everything ran smoothly. The entire Crystal Ballroom staff went above and beyond to make sure the room was set up beautifully, and the dinner, hors d’oeuvres, and drinks were all top notch! Our guests had so much fun and so did we!!

Some other features that we liked about having our wedding at the Crystal Ballroom:
-The cake is included in the price & is made by a bakery in Northbrook, The Baking Institute. (You can do a separate, private tasting beforehand to choose the flavor and they will decorate it any way that you would like). Our cake turned out beautifully and tasted so good too!
-The Crystal Ballroom has a beautiful bridal suite on site, which was the perfect space for me and my bridesmaids to get ready on the morning of the wedding!
-There is a very cute bar/lounge area located off the side of the ballroom, which really makes the event space feel more spacious. Guests can go there during the wedding to get drinks and relax off to the side, keeping the dance floor open!

If I could rank each category above a 5 I absolutely would.

I could not recommend the Crystal Ballroom enough for your wedding!!! When I say it was an absolute dream space. We had our ceremony in the city and wanted to keep the reception within 30 mins from the city. We toured a total of 6 venues and this was by far that we were most impressed with. From the start, Jessica, coordinator at the Crystal Ballroom made everything very smooth and easy. We booked in summer 2022 for our Summer 2024 wedding. First off, I love how much is included. It took a lot of stress off having less vendors involved and so much in house. We did the Gold package which included "open bar" for 4 hours, which for us was enough as the bar was shut down for dinner. We also got table linens, cocktail hour bites, dinner (salad, entree- we did the chicken, cabernet short rib, and Shiitake Risotto) and the wedding cake. It also comes with a late night snack bar, which we did a his and hers hotdog bar. So many people commented how beautiful the space was. I am a Disney girl and I felt like Belle in this space the whole night. Staff was phenomenal- from the cooks, to the servers, to the maintience crew, to the bartenders and everyone in between. You couldn't ask for better professionalism. There is also a dressing room for both sides of the bridal party which is so nice that we could all get ready at the same location. Second- Jessica!!! I mentioned her earlier but she was amazing to work with. Quick responses and very flexible! She took away so much stress from the already chaotic wedding planning process and was amazing with communication. I could go on and on about the Crystal Ballroom, but if we could relive this night all over again- no doubt we'd be doing it here. You will not regret booking your wedding here.

My husband I had had the pleasure of hosting our wedding ceremony and reception this month at The Crystal Ballroom. We had booked back in August of 2021 with Amy. She left several months later but Jessica who took over was just fantastic. Jessica and the whole team made it very easy to make all the decisions needed ahead of the wedding, then arranged everything so the rehearsal and day of were everything we could have hoped.

Everything looked absolutely beautiful and they did a great job with the decorations we had brought the day prior. We each were given our own suite (really a small one-bedroom apartment) to get ready, and Jessica had it stocked with drinks and snacks, brought us a steamer and anything else we asked for. We were able to use the rooftop terrace for a lot of photos with the wedding party and family. We also walked less than 10 minutes to the lake with our photographer and did couples photos there, so the location was very convenient for that (we did all the photos before the ceremony).

The ceremony was set up beautifully and the team swapped the ballroom to banquet incredibly well during cocktail hour. The bartenders were fast and made fantastic cocktails, including two unique signature cocktails we created. They even went out of the way to track down Ecuadorian aguardiente to use in one of them, which was highly appreciated by his family who had traveled from Ecuador. The food was stellar, with many guests complimenting it. During our tasting the chef gave us some suggestions that ended up changing what we originally were thinking but in such a delicious way. He even did an off menu plantain appetizer for us for cocktail hour. During dinner no one's wine glass was ever close to empty as the staff seemed to be everywhere all the time. The cake (included in the package) was absolutely gorgeous.

Overall we would highly recommend the Crystal Ballroom for anyone's wedding. They are just the nicest people (many of our guests commented on how friendly the staff were), and go out of their way to make everything very easy and low-stress. Thank you Jessica and the whole team for an amazing day!

On first glance, the timeless elegant ballroom took our breath away. We were looking for a venue that was intimate, warm and inviting. The Crystal Ballroom delivered on all fronts. We had both our wedding ceremony and reception at the Ballroom.
Meredith and all of the staff members were wonderful; no small detail was over-looked. Planning and communication leading up to our day was timely and efficient. The Ballroom is perfectly situated in downtown Evanston; close to bars, restaurants, shops, etc.. Our guests had to simply walk across the street to the hotel at the end of the evening.
Day-of, we utilized the two bridal suites to take our time getting ready on-site. It was so great to have hair and make-up come to us. Stress free prep! Meredith had our fridge stocked with our favorite drinks and plenty of goodies. The ballroom itself is spectacular, we did not feel the need to decorate much beyond flowers. Cocktail hour took place in the stylish lobby & foyer., with two bars.
Returning to the Ballroom for dinner and our reception---it was breathtaking! And, the food! So so good. Above and beyond the standard wedding fare. Our guests all really enjoyed their meals. Overall, we received so many compliments on everything :)
We truly cannot say enough good things about the Crystal Ballroom and our wedding. We would 100% recommend!

What an amazing venue. Liz and her team were terrific to work with--very responsive and accommodating to all of our requests. The venue is absolutely beautiful with a fantastic location. Pair this with the Hyatt House across the street and your guests will love you. The food was legitimately delicious. We also had our ceremony here, and the transition from ceremony to cocktail hour to reception was handled perfectly. Highly highly recommend this venue!

Our wedding was at the Crystal Ballroom on 9/24/17 and we have to say this venue is BEYOND THE BEST! We initially found the ballroom over a year in advance of the wedding and were working with Matthew. While communication with Matthew wasn't the best we loved the venue so much we decided we would sign a contract. Eventually Matthew left and Liz took over which was probably the best thing to happen because Liz was/is a rockstar. Her communication was excellent and she was very easy to work with. There were a few changes that took place (chair rental price, no more use of game room), but in the end it did not matter because everything else could not have been more perfect. The food was excellent, the staff was attentive, and Liz bent over backwards for us. This venue will always have a special place in our hearts and we could not be more pleased with the outcome. Thank you Liz and Crystal Ballroom!

5 STARS! We just had our wedding here over Labor Day weekend. It was perfect in every way. The venue is incredibly beautiful and the entire team at the Crystal Ballroom was wonderful. Liz and Linda helped us plan our event and the entire staff put it together. Even though we got a bit off the original time schedule, the guests never knew because the staff worked seamlessly to adjust and keep all the elements in place. Thank you Crystal Ballroom for giving us the best day of our lives!!

We had our wedding reception at the Crystal Ballroom in April! When we saw the Crystal Ballroom on our tour we immediately fell in love. It is a gorgeous room and the staff is so accommodating. We knew it was the perfect place for our wedding! The food and service is impeccable! We had a great time at our tasting session and received many compliments about the food from our guests :)
And Liz is just perfection! She is so easy to work with and thinks of every single detail. She went above and beyond for us and I couldn't be more thankful for all her help. Thank you for everything, Liz!

Liz Crompton is the new wedding manager of the Crystal Ballroom. She made the whole wedding planning experience easy, fun, joyful,and she was a pleasure to work with. If we had a request she took care of it and always got back to us with our questions. She always had a smile on her face. She helped us make plan our ceremony, reception, and rehearsal dinner. Chef Tony made outstanding food as well as gluten free and vegan requests for multiple people. Everyone raved about our food and the beautiful venue. The pastry chef made a gorgeous flourless chocolate cake at our rehearsal dinner. Alberto was also wonderful during our reception. Thanks to the wonderful cooperation of the staff for our best day ever!! We will be recommending this venue to everyone we know!

The catering manager Christine exceeded our expectations. Very friendly and showed she loved her job. We all felt very close to her like family. The only reason why we did not choose this venue is because we wanted an outdoor option as well and I have to say it was hard to make the decision because I would not be working with her!