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Grand Ballroom at Joliet Union Station Reviews

Grand Ballroom at Joliet Union Station

Grand Ballroom at Joliet Union Station

Joliet, IL
4.7 out of 5 rating, 38 reviews
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    4.7 out of 5 rating
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Awards

38
Grand Ballroom at Joliet Union Station - 1
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+13 User photos
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Weddingwire
4.7/5 38 reviews
Google
4.5/5 86 reviews

  • Featured

    Fatima
    Fatima Sent on 07/09/2019
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    Dreamy venue and great coordinating staff

    My husband and I recently got married at The Grand Ballroom at Joliet Union Station and it was the most perfect day! The venue is stunning with high ceilings, large windows, marble floors, and a great outdoor patio space. It was very important to my husband and I that we booked a space that wasn't your typical wedding banquet hall, and this venue definitely hit that mark. We originally booked with Brett who was the venue event coordinator at the time of our booking. Brett was AMAZING! Very responsive and easy to work with. We had 1 issue come up during our tasting (I was not happy with the food) and Brett invited us back for a 2nd tasting that completely blew us away. On the day of the wedding, we (and our guests) were very happy with the food. Brett ended up leaving a few weeks before our wedding which was when Taryn took over. I was in " I'm getting married in a few weeks" mode and had a bit of a breakdown when I learned Brett would be leaving. Luckily, Taryn jumped right in and took over with a confidence that made me feel comfortable with this last minute change. We booked the venue 2 years before our actual wedding date, so, change was to be expected anyway! Taryn was very flexible with us and responsive to our last minute changes and requests. There were no bookings the day before our wedding, so we were able to drop off some of our things and rehearse at the venue (which was mostly set up). We also used the space for our First Look and wedding pictures. There are so many great picture worthy spots @ the venue, you don't really need to go anywhere else. We got some great outdoor shots on the patio and indoor shots on the beautiful staircase.

    We had around 160 guests, which I think is the perfect amount for this space. Most couples get married in the space downstairs or on the outside patio, but my husband and I chose to get married in the Ballroom and have them flip it for dinner. The Ballroom is the old train station and trains are still running on the tracks right behind the venue space (near the outdoor patio space). The train is loud if your outside, but we couldn't hear it at all in the ballroom (or maybe I just wasn't paying attention).

    Overall, we had a magical day. Special thanks to Brett and Taryn who made this process as easy as it could get.
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  • Christina
    Christina Sent on 03/24/2025
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    Taylor and the venue are incredible!

    Taylor was an absolute blessing as our wedding venue coordinator. Her kindness, attention to detail, and willingness to listen and offer advice made our wedding planning journey so much easier. Union Station is an incredible venue, but it was Taylor's dedication that truly made our experience unforgettable.

    From the moment our guests arrived, they were in awe of the venue. The food was not just delicious; it was extraordinary. The waiters and bartenders went above and beyond, making every guest feel like royalty. The entire day was filled with joy and magic, and we owe so much of that to Taylor and the amazing team at Union Station. Our wedding was perfect, and we will cherish these memories forever.


    Best Regards,
    Christina
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    Lakyn Sent on 12/18/2024
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    Perfect venue for our big day!

    We chose this GORGEOUS venue for our winter wedding and could not have been happier. Everything was perfect- from the food to the service and accommodations. Our coordinator Taylor and her assistant were beyond amazing and helpful! She truly became a friend throughout the entire planning process. Highly recommend!
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    • illustration stars

    Are you interested?

  • Ally
    Ally Sent on 09/24/2024
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    Amazing Venue and Staff

    This was the perfect venue for our wedding day! Audra was extremely professional, transparent, and available for any questions we had. There were no hidden fees - and really nothing to stress about. I would highly recommend holding an event here.
  • Courtney
    Courtney Sent on 09/19/2024
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    Best day ever

    This stunning venue and staff made our wedding day run seamlessly from start to finish. The venue is beautiful in itself, but a stunning sunset from the balcony and fireworks across the street are two things we will never forget. The kitchen, servers, and bartenders impressed our guests (the bartender seemed to remember everyone’s drink order!) Audra was wonderful to work with. She was quick to respond to all of our questions from day one, and went out of her way multiple times to make sure the day was perfect (even re-folded ~100 napkins to her liking). Thank you, Audra! Your effort and experience didn’t go unnoticed. We are so happy we chose this venue.
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    Safa Sent on 09/17/2024
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    Such a beautiful venue & easy process

    We planned everything with Taylor, she was very professional and amazing at what she does! The process was so easy and detailed for you to have an exact idea of the day of! The venue was beautiful! We had a family dinner that turned out more than what we expected!
    Everyone enjoyed the night and had a wonderful time!
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    Clare Sent on 11/18/2023
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    Our wedding celebration was perfect!

    My husband and I hosted our ceremony and reception at the Grand Ballroom/Joliet Union Station on 9/30/23. We were looking for a venue that was uniquely beautiful, had great food and service, and met all of our basic requirements (capacity, location, budget). This venue ticked all of our boxes! We worked with Taylor Prieboy, and she was incredible! She was extremely professional, responsive, and detailed throughout the entire planning process. She actually got married on the same day as us so she couldn't be there, but that didn't negatively effect our day at all - everything was seamless, the venue looked beautiful, and the service was amazing. We have received so many compliments on the food and venue from our guests! We would highly recommend The Grand Ballroom to anyone planning their wedding!
  • Emily
    Emily Sent on 07/01/2021
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    Perfect in every way!

    Choosing a venue during the pandemic was not easy at all, but as soon as we saw the Ballroom we instantly fell in love. Not only was the venue PERFECT, but the team behind it added to the whole package. Taylor was who helped us, and she was absolutely who you need to help make things run smoothly. Everything was 1000x better than we could’ve ever imagined!
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    Christine Sent on 08/23/2020
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    Classic and perfect

    We could not have picked a more perfect venue for our wedding. Everything was beautiful. If photography is important to you, then this is a perfect venue.
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    Megan Sent on 02/18/2019
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    Beautiful venue

    My husband and I had our reception here in September 2017. It was absolutely beautiful. Our family still talks about the venue and how pretty everything was! The venue is so nice you don’t need to spend much on decor. The place speaks for itself. The acoustics made speeches tough to hear because of the echo if anyone talks. Overall, I wouldn’t change a thing. Our video and photos came out amazing.
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  • Emily
    Emily Sent on 02/07/2019
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    Amazing service

    Brett at the grand ballroom is amazing. We booked everything way in advanced and he has been great to answer any questions or concerns that we have! We did our tasting today and could not be happier with our decision to work with them! Evan and I cannot wait until November for our day!
  • Shayla
    Shayla Sent on 01/06/2019
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    Bride & Groom

    Brett was very professional and a attentive to all the details and made sure to show us everything around the place.
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    Megan Sent on 11/04/2018
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    Perfect venue for our wedding

    My now husband and I were looking for an affordable venue in the western-ish suburbs to make it closest to our families. We hadn't really loved anything. We really wanted something other than the typical ballroom and a place with a separate space for our ceremony and reception (and cocktail hour if we could do it). We were on our way to sign with what we felt was our best option but wanted to go see this place first. Within five minutes my husband turned to me and said, we have to do this. This place is beautiful and unique and you'll be the only wedding happening there. We were able to have our ceremony in the lobby area in front of the ticket booths, the cocktail hour on the balcony and the reception in the ballroom. The weather cooperated and people were outside on the balcony all night when they needed a break from the dancing or the noise. The food was great and I can't say enough about how great Brett, the coordinator, was. He was great at answering all my questions leading up to the wedding and was so on top of everything the day of. I barely saw him but he was hustling because I heard so many compliments from our family and bridal party about how great he was. He helped make sure our ceremony went exactly as planned and kept the whole night on schedule. At one point we couldn't find my toss bouquet and he found it right away. He knew everything that was going on and made sure everything went perfectly. Everything looked beautiful and went off without a hitch. I highly recommend this venue!
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    Claire Sent on 07/09/2017
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    The venue was absolutely beautiful! Brett and his team are fantastic to work with and made the whole wedding process stress-free and enjoyable. Photographer and videographer both said this is a dream venue to photograph and film. Would highly recommend!
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    K Sent on 05/09/2017
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    This is a great place. I was married there ten years ago this August and we still talk about this place daily. I will be trying to book it for my ten year anniversary if budget comes together.
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    Amanda Sent on 08/11/2015
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    The Grand Ballroom and their staff is absolutely WONDERFUL! We had our wedding here and had so many compliments. It is a BEAUTIFUL building with so many neat features. The food was great and the open bar was a hit with our guests. Gina was wonderful to work with and made sure we had what we needed all night. All of my dreams came true with this venue...I absolutely recommend it!
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    User1996396 Sent on 01/04/2015
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    The Grand Ballroom at the Joliet Union Station was absolutely beautiful. Our reception was everything we asked for and more. Lori was great to work with and incredibly helpful. Highly recommend it for your wedding!
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    User4730571 Sent on 06/04/2014
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    My wedding was amazing! Lori and the rest of the crew at the Ballroom did outstanding. Lori was wonderful to work with and very thorough with our planning. She is easy to communicate with and reach any time I had a question. The pricing was very reasonable. My husband loved that the bar remained open during dinner. They were very attentive to the guests. The bar also had water lined up for people to get when they needed a break from dancing. Additionally, my father brought in a bottle of 21 year scotch and the bartenders did absolutely what he asked of him. In addition to excellent service this venue is gorgeous! I felt like a princess in the grand ballroom. I received several compliments on the beauty of this place as well as the food and service. We had the filet and apricot chicken. Both were amazing. Lastly, the balcony was a huge hit with our families. It has a beautiful view. As a bonus if you have your wedding the same night as a game at a Joliet Jackslammers game you might get fireworks!!! You will not be disappointed by the grand ballroom.
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    Lauren Sent on 02/12/2014
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    Great Venue...beautiful and unique. So many people complimented us on the venue and it made for some great photos too! I saved tons of money on flowers because the place is so beautiful, it hardly needs any decorations!

    Lori is amazing. She helped me plan a lot, gave me names of various vendors and made sure the whole process ran smoothly. She definitely knows what she is doing!

    Only downfall is the sound. We used the DJ Lori recommended and the sound was still pretty difficult. It was hard to hear the speeches since there is little in the venue to absorb the white noise. To me, that was a minor problem, so it wasn't a big deal.
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    User1472840 Sent on 12/14/2013
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    The ballroom was everything we could have imagined and more!!! Our guests were amazed by the food and the space was perfect for our 180 guest count. Lori was awesome when it came to everything from the initial tour to visiting a week before the wedding to finalize everything. She took the time to make sure we had all our questions answered and was more than willing to go above and beyond to create our vision. I can not imagine having our wedding at any other venue. It was so unique and that was exactly what we were looking for! The building is so beautiful so it didn't need a lot of decorating which helps cut down costs. And open bar all night!!! You can't argue with that!! Thanks Lori and everyone at the ballroom!!!!
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    Kim Sent on 11/07/2013
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    The Grand Ballroom was an amazing choice for our wedding and reception. Our coordinator, Lori, was an absolute godsend! She is knowledgeable, professional, personable, and very precise. She literally handled every detail with ease, I don't know what I would have done without her. She made the planning process as easy and stress free as possible. As a bride I had not one qualm in regards to the venue and staff. As soon as our ceremony was concluded we had a drink (much needed!) in our hands, and we were not without one all night, thanks to Lori! She kept everything moving smoothly, and we could never thank her enough for the excellent service she provided us on our special day. The additional staff at the Grand Ballroom was equally amazing. Each and every one was friendly, polite, and very attentive with our guests. The food was INCREDIBLE! We are still receiving compliments on it! More than one of our guests commented that "it was the best food that they had ever had at a wedding." To everyone at the Grand Ballroom, a very heartfelt THANK YOU for making our special day so truly perfect!
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    Megan Sent on 05/05/2013
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    We loved everything about this venue. We had the ceremony and reception here and loved how everything turned out. The venue is beautiful and looked AMAZING in our photos. Lori was absolutely wonderful to work with, very professional and flexible with our needs for the big day! Food portions were delicious and big... you definitely get your monies worth and No one will go home hungry! :) We are very happy with how everything turned out for the big day!
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    Amanda Sent on 10/15/2012
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    Wedding 9/2/12: The Grand Ballroom at Joliet Union Station was the perfect place for our wedding reception. The ballroom was beautiful, the prices were some of the cheapest we found, and the site manager Lori was flexible and easy to get in touch with whenever we had a question. She also had a lot of great suggestions and seemed to really care about making our wedding day perfect. We were allowed to bring in a LOT of our own decorations, including candles. My only concern was that the ballroom has a reputation of being too loud, but on Lori’s recommendation we booked Manna Music and the sound system was excellent. We got so many compliments on the atmosphere, food, and cake (which we also booked through Lori). Overall, the experience was amazing!
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    Lindsay Sent on 04/24/2012
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    My husband and I had only our reception here as we got married at a local church. It was amazing. We had our dream wedding. Lori is phenomenal and was very flexible with our plans. Everything ran very smoothly and Lori took care of everything, even bringing us drinks and appetizers while we were finishing up with our photographs. She was always prompt to return phone calls and emails. I felt like she truely cared about making our day perfect, and it was. The food is fantastic! We received so many compliments about the uniqueness and beauty of the venue. We also used most of her recommended vendors and were thrilled with their services as well. We really can't say enough great things about this place! :)
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    Matthew Sent on 05/14/2011
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    Lori,

    It was a real pleasure working with you for the past 7 months! The train station is such a beautiful place and couldnt believe how amazing it looking at night time! Jill and I were sooooo incredibly happy with how everything turned out. Thank you for being so helpful and flexible, and thank you for bailing us out last second with the chair cover situation. I'm glad you were able to handle that with less than 24 hours before the big day! You really pulled it off and we love every second/moment. We will definitely be recommending your place to future engaged friends/family :-) Thanks again!

    -Matthew & Jilian Moncada-
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    Laura Sent on 11/05/2010
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    Lori was a huge help. She made me feel so comfortable. I didn't have to worry about anything once I chose this place to have my reception. She took care of everything. She even made sure I got fed, before all the activities started.
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    Jackie Sent on 03/23/2010
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    The train station was a beautiful place for a wedding ceramony and the reception. All my guests said this was the perfect wedding from the atomshere, food, service, and the space inside and out. Lori the wedding coordinator did an outstanding job with everything she took the weight off our shoulders. The staff was so quick, efficient and friendly we really couldnt find one thing to complain about having our wedding here. This is the perfect place to have a wedding reception!!
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    User18656 Sent on 11/07/2007
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    The coordinators were extremely helpful getting everything organized. The food was fabulous. Because there was a wedding the day before ours, they offered to set up everything for me even though they weren't supposed to. The second we walked down the aisle during the recessional, there were drinks in our hands. They even packed up everything for us, something else they didn't have to do. The service was wonderful.

    Their pricing is much cheaper than many other places in the area. However, the food was delicious. We had family style and they kept bringing out more and more food. The presentation was beautiful, they put edible flowers on the salad.

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    Jayne Sent on 09/05/2017
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    We loved our experience with the Grand Ballroom — a stunning venue that makes the perfect backdrop for a beautiful day. The outside space is pretty and the light airy interior with high ceilings and dramatic lighting is incredibly elegant. The venue offer a spacious bridal suite with a private bathroom. Your photographer will have no problem finding great natural light for photos. Ceremony onsite was set up perfectly. The venue was clean and upon arrival, I was stunned at how beautiful it all looked.

    My now husband and I booked this venue site unseen...I saw it for the first time the day before the wedding and was overwhelmed with the setup. My bridesmaids and mother were speechless.

    Brett was a wonderful coordinator and really helped work out every last minute detail. We were also planning this wedding eight hours away from the venue and did so in a four month time frame. Brett was VERY patient with us.

    Our only qualm was not with the venue management themselves, but with the audio in the venue — which the DJ was responsible for. It's cavernous, and after being promised that the sound would be okay, we couldn't hear the speeches being given at our wedding. We were told that the guests were able to, which was good, but we were still sad we missed the sweet words (and had to ask for transcripts). I can't stress enough that you put the money into a high-end company and if possible, talk to former couples who have used that DJ company at the Grand Ballroom. The audio sounded fine for dancing and apparently fine for guests, but make sure the company have something in place so you can hear speeches!

    Grand Ballroom at Joliet Union Station's reply:

    Hi Jayne! Congratulations to you and your husband!!! It was a pleasure working with you both and we are so happy to hear that you were pleased with everything. Thank you for making our team a part of your special day. We know that the acoustics in that building are a little tricky, which is why we do recommend booking one of our two preferred DJ companies that are familiar with the space, but we are glad that the sound concerns didn't negatively affect your day! Best Wishes to you Both!
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    User4730577 Sent on 02/12/2016
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    This ballroom is absolutely gorgeous! Our guests were blown away by the entire atmosphere. They were a catering company first so their food is absolutely delicious and filling. Our guests were raving about the good for days. It is not a working train station anymore (they go out of the other side) so you pretty much own the building for the night! They did a lot of great renovations( turned ticket office into cute bridal room and downstairs into a nice lounge area). A large reason we booked here was because of Lori, however she no longer works there. We were shuffled with different contacts, the 4 times we went before the wedding we dealt with 4 different people. They were organized and knew who were and all about our wedding (although our wedding was in January so it's a slow time). The only person who rubbed us the wrong way was the general manager Nick. He always offered us drinks, but he was just business. It's hard when your venue changes staff because you feel a connection with a certain person, especially when you start booking. I wouldn't have had our reception anywhere else though! This place is unique and beautiful; pictures here are stunning! Guests told me they felt like they were in New York for a charity ball. For around the same price as typical banquet halls/hotels, this is a steal.
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    Gillian Sent on 05/21/2008
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    This place was magical. With 50 foot ceilings and 3 huge chandeliers, it was magnificent. This old train station is still a working platform, but has been turned into a wonderful venue where they now hold proms, weddings, and events of all types.
    Lori and Erin, the contacts, were great. They offered us many money saving tips, allowed us to negotiate bringing in our own wine selection, and allowed us to 'bend the rules' here and there. They were extremely accommodating.
    The event was so beautiful, the food was fantastic, and the ambiance was nothing I could ever re-create. I would recommend this venue again and again and again!
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    Amy Sent on 10/29/2009
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    • Average response time
      4.5 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      4 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      4.5 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      4.5 out of 5 rating
    Great venue! This was a beautiful location with amazing amenities. The whole process was a breeze and working with Lori, the site manager, made my life easy. She was very flexible to accomodate visits to the site, working with our budget and all my ideas and emails. Our guests could not stop talking about the food and we were so happy that they handled our wedding cake! Working with Union Station made the whole process easier.
  • G
    Geneen Sent on 02/27/2017
    4.3 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      3.5 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      4 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      4 out of 5 rating
    This wedding venue is beautiful! If you are looking for a unique space with lots of character for half of the price you would pay downtown Chicago, this is the place for you. I felt like it was a hidden gem. I searched all around Chicago but I didn't want to pay the premium prices downtown but I wanted the same quality. I got all of that at the Grand Ballroom. Everyone that came to the wedding was so shocked at the beauty inside. The staircase is amazing! My only critique of this venue is that the food was just average. Not nasty, just not great, but in the big picture, it was fine. Overall, they made sure my day was perfect!
  • D
    Debbie Sent on 12/07/2017
    4 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      4 out of 5 rating
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      4 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      4 out of 5 rating
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      4 out of 5 rating
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      4 out of 5 rating
    Great people to work with. Very responsive to our needs.
  • L
    Alexis Sent on 01/08/2011
    3.9 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      3.5 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      4 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      4 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      3 out of 5 rating
    I was pretty happy with this place. There are a lot of rules in table decor and decoration because it is a historic building but the place is so beautiful it doesn't need much. I loved the area and the food was amazing. The ladies I worked with were okay - we asked a lot of questions and gave us the right answers when we first met them and booked the place. But by the time of my wedding they "forgot" about some of the requests and things they promised us. OVerall, the did work with us and the wedding turned out great.
  • S
    Sandra Sent on 06/20/2017
    3.4 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      2.5 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      3.5 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      2.5 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      3.5 out of 5 rating
    So after searching for multiple weeks for a venue, the Grand Ballroom was last on our list. Upon entering the venue, my now husband and I fell in love just going up the grand staircase! Once we entered in the ballroom, I looked at my husband and he looked at me and I knew that this was our venue! It truly is a breathtaking venue-it is like nothing else. When we sat down with our consultant and she explained everything so nicely to us and she gave us a folder with all the things we needed to know about the venue and prices for food and beverages. In all honesty, this was the best value we had seen and so we booked it! My only regret is not getting everything she said in writing because when we returned to sign the contract she changed everything she had said about some prices and we were very disappointed. When we booked, it was under a different company and we were the last wedding of the year for them but now it is under new management and hopefully you don't have to go through the agony of dealing with people who tell you one thing and then say they didn't say that later. However, on the day of our wedding, they pulled it together and we had a magnificent wedding! If you want a unique venue, this is the one for you!
  • U
    User4730561 Sent on 01/11/2013
    3.2 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      4 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      3 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      2 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      4 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      3 out of 5 rating
    We only had our reception here. The one person I worked with for the time leading up to our reception, Lori, seemed nice at first and seemed helpful. Then the month before our event she started showing her colors. Second guessing my other vendors, trash talking one of them, telling me I should rethink my DJ the day before our reception, it was insanely unprofessional and rude. I had my DJ on a schedule that I picked for the evening and she tried to make me do the evening her way, talking to me like a child. My mom caught her giving nasty looks at my wedding cake. Anyway, I'm obviously bitter, but all of that being said, the rest of the staff were absolutely wonderful and accomidating. The waitstaff was nice and well mannered and very helpful with the breakdown and cleanup of our decorations, even going as far as getting us boxes to help transport the breakable items safely. The venue itself is very beautiful! Couldn't be happier with the venue and the waitstaff. All my guests were wowed. I wouldn't suggest it for a wedding ceremony because its still a working train station so there are trains and people going in and out of the station. The ballroom itself is closed off to keep the public and your guests separate though. But its pretty loud and because of the high ceilings its very echoey. The price wasn't that bad, and the food was good. The baked chicken is the BEST! During our reception Lori was back to being nice and accomidating and courteous, so the evening went off without a problem.
  • K
    Kyle Sent on 12/06/2016
    1.6 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      1 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      3 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      1 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      1 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      2 out of 5 rating
    When we booked our reception here part of the reason was because we loved the coordinator so much. She loved what she did, was super helpful and friendly! Shortly after we booked, we found out she got fired (after 20 years) because they wanted to change up the vision of the venue and hire 'younger' people. Throughout our planning process we ended up working with 3 different coordinators who apparently never were never on the same level in terms of information given to couples. We had many conversations having to defendd things that we were told. The manager was not very pleasant to us, but even worse, was VERY rude to our DJ to the point of having our DJ call me up to tell me about their conversation. I had to play middle man to them so our DJ would stay with us (that's how disrespected he felt!). He said he would never work there again after our wedding. Our final coordinator wasn't around the day of the wedding. I received an angry call from her the morning after MY wedding at 9am asking us to get our misc. decorations out of there. My wedding planner coordinated us to leave some items that we could pick up the day after and didn't say they needed to be out at any specific time. I found it to be very rude to get yelled at the morning after my wedding.
    Finally, the sound in the ballroom is AWFUL! Our guests could not hear the toasts or the music throughout the night because of the acoustics and how everything echoed. That is a HUGE deal for a reception. We thought it wouldn't be that bad, but do yourself a favor and book elsewhere. It's not worth the headache.
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