Future Chicago Brides look no further! My sister's wedding took place at The Exchange last weekend, and I cannot say enough positive things about our experience.

Alyssa, the Director of Sales and Venue Coordinator, is A+ at what she does. Her hospitality mindset means that she is always striving to get to a 'yes' for the client. She has a keen eye and attention to detail. You know you're in good hands while she oversees your big day. It's also a huge plus that she's kind and just a joy to work with.

Chris is a Director on the restaurant side of the business and is phenomenal as well. He went above and beyond to ensure our guests felt welcomed and comfortable, and that philosophy carries over throughout the entire service and staff team.

The two are part of memories from the day that our families will cherish forever.

As for the venue itself:

- It's GORGEOUS. Upon entry, you're greeted at the Listening Room. This is a quaint bar and restaurant that serves as a gathering space for early ceremony arrivals and as a cocktail hour spot for guests during the room flip. This is where our couple featured Mariachi entertainment during cocktail hour, and was perfect for this use too.

The main atrium will simply take your breath away. The soaring glass ceiling allows in soft, natural light that makes for perfect photos on your big day. The marble clad venue offers a neutral palette that is suitable for any decor and design of your liking. While the overall decor aesthetic is modern and minimal, they have tastefully preserved historic features such as ornate lighting fixtures that adorn either side of the signature grand staircase.

Theo's is a bar on the other side of the venue that offered an area for guests to order their drinks with ample space and enjoy conversations on the thoughtfully arranged furniture when they weren't on the dance floor.

- Not only is it a beautiful venue, it's rich in Chicago history. Originally built in 1904 and previously the Chicago Railway Exchange, this building was designed by Daniel Burnham, one of the most prominent names in Chicago architecture.

- The food was great. Chicken vesuvio and mushroom rigatoni were on the menu and both were equally excellent. The caesar salad was a great starter, and don't miss out on the bread and extra fluffy butter spread.

- The drinks were also excellent! I would highly recommend the strawberry gimlet served as a signature drink. The team was great at preparing some in advance of cocktail hour to minimize the initial wait at the bar.

- You can't beat the location. Odds are that you will have out of town guests visiting for your Chicago wedding. What better location to show them than this prime spot on Michigan Avenue, directly across from the Art Institute. The location also serves a perfect opportunity to take advantage of garden photos at the Art Institute while minimizing travel and logistics.

Overall, I would gladly recommend The Exchange, Alyssa, Chris and team to any bride in search of their perfect venue. Thank you for a wonderful experience from start to finish.

Okay Brides, Grooms, & anyone else planning an event, look no further… THIS IS IT!

Venue - iconic and historic just like your event will be.

Venue staff, specifically the event director, Alyssa - the best! We sent her approximately a million questions over the last year and she answered every one of them in a timely manner and in great detail. Even when she was in the depths of an event heavy weekend or going out of town, she at least let us know she received our email and would get back to us ASAP. The communication was unmatched, especially after our experience reaching out to other venues and never hearing back!

On the day of our wedding, we also had the pleasure of meeting Christian, who was SO helpful with a lot of our last minute questions and requests!

The food - great! We had multiple of our pickiest/most particular friends and family call us to rave about the food after. We did the filet, chicken, & salmon for reference.

Experience - 10/10! All around, we felt so comfortable to reach out when we had a question which sounds so small but was actually huge. We visited the venue multiple times to help us envision the layout and show people the space without feeling like we were a nuisance - another win. Also, the way the staff matched and exceeded our expectations was so refreshing after all the work we put into planning. We requested a layout they hadn’t done before and they made it happen no problem.

In summary, the aesthetics, communication, flexibility, and overall professionalism made wedding planning seem easy and we had the best day. We can't recommend The Exchange enough!