The Woman’s Club of Evanston is an absolutely stunning venue for a wedding or any large event. From the moment my husband and I toured the space, we fell in love with its intricate architecture and timeless charm. Gretchen was incredible to work with. Professional, organized, and supportive every step of the way. Her vendor recommendations were outstanding, and every one of them exceeded our expectations. On our wedding day, the staff created a seamless experience, setting everything up beautifully and ensuring the day flowed effortlessly. Thanks to Gretchen’s guidance and care, our celebration was not only well organized, but truly elegant and memorable. We are beyond grateful to The Woman’s Club of Evanston for giving us such a perfect wedding day.

I fell in love with the Women’s Club of Evanston the moment I walked in for a tour. It is a gorgeous old mansion with deep roots; the manager (Gretchen) is kind, reliable, and so easy to work with; the preferred caterer we used (Catering by Michaels) was raved about by our guests; and the gift of bringing your own alcohol was huge. Our guests kept commenting on the uniqueness of the space, how great it was to have a pianist playing during our cocktail hour on the first floor, and how joyful and bright the ballroom looked. It was honestly beyond anything I imagined. A few extra things of note – our guests stayed at the Graduate Evanston which is barely a block away (no shuttles needed!); there is a huge parking garage across the street so nobody was looking for parking; and have I mentioned how beautiful the space is? I wish I had a reason to throw a huge event again – I would go back to the Women’s Club every time. Huge thank you to Gretchen and her team!

Also, the cost was very reasonable compared to other venues!

My husband and I had our wedding at The Woman’s Club of Evanston in October 2025, and we truly cannot recommend this venue enough. The space is gorgeous on its own — not a blank slate at all — so we didn’t need nearly as many decorations or flowers as we did at other venues we considered. Our guests raved all day about how beautiful and unique the building was.


One of the biggest advantages is that the entire venue is yours for the day. There are no other weddings or events happening at the same time, which makes everything feel calm, special, and centered on your celebration. We had a Sunday brunch wedding, held our ceremony downstairs (very cozy and intimate), and our reception upstairs in the ballroom. The flow between spaces was seamless, and the ballroom floor is amazing for dancing. The sound system was excellent — speeches and music were crystal clear.


Gretchen was wonderful to work with throughout the planning process. She provided vendor recommendations, kept us on track to meet deadlines, and answered all of our questions. We used J&L Catering for our food and Schaffer’s for alcohol, and both were excellent and the liquor from Schaffer’s was a significant cost savings.


Another huge bonus: so many essentials are included with the rental, such as tables, chairs, silverware, and plates. At other venues, those items can be surprisingly expensive to source. 


Logistically, this location is hard to beat. There are several hotels and great restaurants within walking distance, making it incredibly easy for our out-of-town guests to enjoy an entire weekend in Evanston. Our local guests appreciated that parking is free in Evanston on Sundays and close to the venue. There are also plenty of bathrooms on the same floors where all the events take place — a small detail that makes a big difference for guest comfort.


Finally, it felt meaningful to support a historic building and philanthropic organization rather than a large hotel chain. Overall, we highly recommend The Woman’s Club of Evanston as a premier wedding venue in the greater Chicagoland area. We couldn’t imagine having celebrated anywhere else.

We toured so many venues in the Chicago area and struggling until we came to the Woman's Club of Evanston. It has so much natural beauty and is incredibly spacious. There is truly room for everyone and everything that you need on the night of your wedding. On the first floor there is a huge space for a welcome/cocktail hour with an attached piano room. This was perfect for our guests to mingle and have appetizers before the start of the reception. There was also a space for us to get some privacy as a couple and just take a breather before the reception.

Upstairs is the main reception hall. Its a beautiful space with a stage for your DJ/band, and even a room on the side that can be opened and closed which was great for our double-sided buffet. There was also plenty of room for us to put a photo booth in the corner. You can do some creative things with the lights which we did. The only pieces of furniture we brought in were different chairs that we wanted.

The venue manager Gretchen was an absolute joy to work with. She was so helpful, kind, positive, and accommodating. She gave us great recommendations and worked very well with our wedding planner to help her prepare for the coordination of the night.

From a value perspective -- We can't recommend this venue enough. The price was super reasonable for what we got, especially relative to some of the crazy prices that the Chicago area has to offer.

We recently hosted our daughter's wedding at The Woman's Club of Evanston, and we couldn't have been happier. The space is beautiful and has a sense of historic elegance, but is at the same time very comfortable and approachable. Many of our guests were unfamiliar with the venue and raved about what a lovely surprise it was. The upstairs ballroom with its many windows was wonderfully sun-filled during the ceremony, and was transformed for the reception into a warm but dressed-up setting for dinner and dancing as the sun set. While we were pleased with the facility, we were also just very happy working with staff. Gretchen made the whole process so much easier. She was responsive and kind, and always had answers to our many questions and requests. Many of our vendors remarked that she was a pleasure to work with, as well. HIghly recommended.

I had the pleasure of working at The Woman’s Club of Evanston for a recent event, and I couldn’t be more impressed with the venue and the exceptional service provided by their team. From start to finish, the experience was seamless and absolutely fantastic.

The staff went above and beyond to accommodate all of our needs, making sure everything ran smoothly and that we had everything we needed throughout the event. Their professionalism and attention to detail truly set them apart.

The venue itself is simply stunning—elegant, spacious, and filled with charm. It offered a beautiful backdrop for our event, and the atmosphere was perfect.

What really stood out to me, though, was the incredible amenities on-site. The Woman’s Club of Evanston provides free use of chairs, tables, and dishes, which is a huge bonus and not something you typically get with most event venues. It made planning so much easier and saved us a lot of time and money.

I highly recommend this venue for anyone looking for a beautiful, accommodating, and well-equipped space for their event. The combination of a gorgeous location and top-notch service is truly unmatched. I’ll definitely be returning in the future!

-Allana Amiran
Owner, Lead Planner
City Chic Events
www.citychicchicago.com

My partner and I got married at the WCOE just last weekend, and it was absolutely everything we hoped for. I never want to plan another wedding ever but if I had to, I would absolutely do it all again with WCOE!!

Our top priority when planning our wedding was to maximize convenience for our guests (final count ~140), not wanting them to have to go to multiple places or worry about getting rideshare all over the place. We had our ceremony upstairs, had everyone come downstairs for cocktail hour while they flipped the upstairs for the reception, and then brought everyone back up! Decor wasn't a huge priority in our budget, but also wasn't really a huge necessity, because the space itself is very cute.

Initially, we'd been looking in the city, but decided that Evanston would be quite convenient to O'Hare, and all guests were either coming from our of town or the Northern Suburbs anyway. The location was perfect, walkable to multiple hotels (we did our block at The Graduate, which was amazing for getting ready photos), walkable to the lake, and there were so many casual and nicer food options nearby for non-event meals for our guests.

Gretchen was so helpful every step of the way, helping us coordinate a visit when we were in town, providing ample photos, and even giving us a list of vendors she had a good experience with when requested. The catering partnerships were great, and honestly really saved us from a lot of leg work researching random other ones. (We went with Froggy's and would absolutely recommend!) She also was kind enough to send reminders when things were due, which was so helpful with all the moving parts.

A great team, a wonderful space, an easy recommendation!

We knew from the moment we walked in that the Woman’s Club of Evanston was the perfect place for us to host our intimate winter wedding. We were so captivated by the history, warmth and elegance of the building. We had our entire event on the first floor and got married in front of the beautiful fireplace. There were so many great backdrops for photos. Gretchen, the WCOE manager, was lovely to work with, so positive and helpful. This is a very special place, and we highly recommend!

The venue is absolutely beautiful, unique and incomparable, but what really sold us on it was the exceptional service Gretchen provided from beginning to end. She was proactive and helpful, always accommodating and had a cheerful attitude. The club house feels really special right as you walk in with its beautiful staircases, impeccably maintained ballroom, curved ceiling and large windows. We feel so lucky to have had our wedding reception here, it was very picturesque.

If you’re planning a wedding in Evanston, the Women’s Club of Evanston is an excellent choice. The unique architecture, interior design, surrounding garden, location, and management make it an easy decision.

We got married at the Alice Millar Chapel of Northwestern University, just a 5-minute walk from the Women’s Club. Our guests enjoyed the cocktail hour on the first floor, which is beautiful, spacious, and unique, with plenty of room for mingling. The upstairs area, with its large windows and uplighting, provided a perfect space for dinner and dancing. It’s impossible not to fall in love with the club immediately!

The management is incredibly helpful. Ms. Gretchen Oehlschlager is amazing to work with and always provides useful tips and guidance. For catering, you can choose from a list of approved caterers. We chose Froggy’s and were very pleased.

Gretchen also introduced us to a day-of coordinator, Ms. Krys Juleen, who made our wedding day much less stressful. We considered other venues in Evanston, but the Women’s Club of Evanston made our decision easy.