Our December 2019 wedding at The Drake was above and beyond anything we could have imagined. While the beauty of this iconic Chicago hotel speaks for itself, the staff is what sealed our decision to book our wedding reception here – we cannot thank or recommend them enough!

Our coordinator, Antoinette Cahill, is truly the best of the best. From the very beginning of the planning process, she helped to ensure that our entire wedding weekend was as special and flawless as possible. From the food, to the décor, hotel accommodations, logistics, and everything in between, her attention to detail and expertise made our planning process easy and enjoyable. Not to mention the actual wedding reception was perfect – we could not have been happier with how the night turned out, and are still receiving compliments from our friends and family on how beautiful the ballroom was; how incredible the staff was; how delicious the food was; how well run the event was; how fun the party was…all thanks to Antoinette and her team! I also want to mention that Antoinette is very connected to other reliable and talented wedding vendors in the Chicago area, and was instrumental in helping us put together an amazing vendor team (super helpful to us since we did not have an outside wedding planner)!

Antoinette and her team (Bryce, Jose, Mark, and the banquet captains) are kind, patient, and easy to work with. They were also incredibly accommodating – they provided complimentary suites to my husband and I, as well as our parents; helped us stay within our wedding budget; and customized an incredible wedding menu for the cocktail hour, reception, and farewell brunch that fit all of our (many) detailed requests. One of the things that was most important to us was the food, and The Drake did not disappoint! Mark, the head chef, did an amazing job creating a menu that was primarily gluten free since myself and 20 other of our guests have severe food allergies. We were completely blown away with what he prepared at the food tasting, and were of course thrilled with what was served the night of our wedding. Everything was perfect! Gluten free (and even some dairy free options) were created for almost all of the hors d'oeuvres, soup, salad, main courses, dessert, and late night snacks.

It sounds cheesy, but our entire wedding weekend was a dream thanks to The Drake. From the minute we checked into the hotel until the end of our post-wedding brunch, we felt so special and cared for. We didn’t have to stress or worry about a thing! We would recommend Antoinette and The Drake without hesitation to any newly engaged couple looking at Chicago wedding venues :)

Five stars is not high enough for The Drake Hotel Chicago! Every aspect of my daughter’s wedding planning and celebration was truly extraordinary. Within minutes of meeting our main contact, Sydney Waclawik, we knew we were in the best hands. From the first planning meeting to the final moments of the wedding day, Sydney was a steady, knowledgeable, and reassuring presence. Her professionalism, organization, and attention to detail were unmatched. Her fabulous support team of Sonya Ward and Shalinee Abraham assisted in seeing that all of our needs were met and executed flawlessly.

Sydney and her team truly listened to my daughter’s vision and brought it to life with care and precision. They worked seamlessly with our vendors, ensuring everything went smoothly. Sharon Johnson, the Director of Reservations, made the guest room block process effortless, with prompt responses, clear communication, and kindness.

The historic French Room set a stunning stage for the cocktail hour, and the timeless beauty of The Gold Coast Room wowed our guests as the reception venue. Unique traditions like The Drake’s renowned Bookbinders soup and the celebratory champagne parade added memorable wow factors that our guests are still talking about.

The cuisine was extraordinary—every dish was delicious, artfully presented, and served with impeccable care. Under the direction of Georges, the Director of Banquets who oversaw the setup, the Banquet Captains Jorge and Lino delivered a dining experience that exceeded all expectations, making every guest feel celebrated.

The guest rooms were spacious, immaculate, and luxurious. Floyd, the bellhop, was always on hand with a friendly smile and efficient service, further enhancing our experience.

From start to finish, the entire team at The Drake Hotel was impeccable. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect venue or team to host this special occasion. Thank you for making our daughter’s wedding a dream come true!

We got married on February 22, 2020 at The Drake Hotel in the Gold Coast Room and our wedding was beyond perfect! I had the absolute pleasure of working with Shaun and from day one he was incredible. No matter what time I emailed him, he always has a response for me within minutes (seriously!!!). He was so attentive and truly made us feel like our wedding was just as important to him as it was too us.
Shaun made my crazy dream of a 35 person head table come to life and made sure our wedding day went off without a hitch. His incredible team including Holly, Jose and Sarah were all so helpful, patient, and responsive. I felt so comfortable putting my wedding in their hands!
Sarah worked closely with my father-in-law to plan our Friday night welcome party in the Palm Court. She closed off a space for our 80 guests to kick off our wedding weekend and it was absolutely perfect!
Chris was an absolute all-star helping unload our cars, transporting various items between all of our rooms, and making sure we were always taken care of.
I cannot say enough wonderful things about Shaun, his team and everyone else at the Drake who made our wedding weekend and absolute dream!! It was more incredible than I ever could have imagined! Thank you!!!!!