Amanda Sent on 10/22/2024

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10/5/24 Fall Wedding

We are so happy that we chose to have our wedding at the Metropolis Ballroom!! We booked this venue very early in the wedding planning process because we absolutely fell in love with the space, and how it's multi-functional which was a huge selling point for us. We loved the layout of the venue from the wood beams, the string lights, floor to ceiling windows, and having a patio overlooking downtown Arlington Heights was such a plus. Rachel was so helpful from the beginning. She really made us feel like we were a part of the planning process and went above and beyong to answer all of our questions, even making changes the week of the wedding. She truly is amazing at what she does and if you have a chance to work with her she will go the extra mile for you! She was so kind, professional, efficient and communicated very well with us and our family. The food was excellent!! We had many guests say how great the food was! It was so nice to have many options and the tasting was such a good experience. Their customer service is top notch!! Their staff really did an amazing job throughout the day and making us feel our best on our wedding day. The bridal suite was so beautiful, I'm grateful that we had that space during the day/night. We are so glad that we chose Metropolis Ballroom as our wedding venue as it will always hold a special place in our hearts. Thank you so much to all the staff and Rachel for being the best coordinator!!!

Jess Sent on 06/07/2022

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The day of our dreams!

We just had our wedding on 5/21/22 at the Metropolis and it was the BEST day. We had a very long engagement due to Covid, but Jill was so helpful from day 1 of working with her. She was quick to answer my (seemingly never-ending list of) questions, she was on top of every little detail I threw her way, and she was so kind and pleasant to work with the entire time!

As for the wedding itself, the day was quite literally perfect. We had both our ceremony and reception in the ballroom, and it was just so lovely. Everything ran smooth as could be. We got SO many compliments on the food - like so, so many. I’m biased, but it was some of the best wedding food I’ve ever had. The space is beautiful, it’s in such a convenient location, and our day went exactly as we pictured it and planned for. Kate, our event captain for the evening was incredible; she was so quick to any of my night-of requests and she really helped make the reception run without a single hitch.

My husband and I absolutely loved our experience with the Metropolis Ballroom, and we would 100% recommend it to anybody searching for an event venue in the northwest Chicago suburbs.

Colleen Sent on 03/28/2022

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Consistent and Accommodating: Beautiful Venue

We just celebrated our Wedding on 3/25/22- which was previously postponed from our NYE 2021 date due to Covid. Jill and Tom were AMAZING to work with and I can't say enough about them. Jill was so consistent and accommodating to anything that we needed and was always willing to go above and beyond to make our special day a dream come true! The venue itself is beautiful with the lofted ceilings and floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the veranda. The wait staff was also top notch and Kate (catering manager I believe) could not have been more attentive the night of! Over all, if you are looking for a beautiful venue to hold your next event, you should definitely consider The Metropolis and ask for Jill! Thank you again :)

Marcella Sent on 12/04/2019

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Perfect venue, excellent staff and service, made our day a dream!

We got married at Metropolis on 10/19/2019 and it was the most perfect wedding day we could have ever dreamed of. I can’t say enough great things about the venue and staff – especially Shawna, the wedding director. She led us through the entire process and was honest, friendly, and calm, which is so appreciated especially during the last few stressful months of planning. Shawna and the staff went above and beyond in making sure every detail of our big day was taken care of, so that on the day of, all we had to do was show up! It was completely stress-free and allowed us to truly enjoy the day. The venue itself is absolutely gorgeous and EXACTLY what I envisioned for our October wedding. The ballroom is elegant, romantic, and timeless and everyone kept talking about what a beautiful wedding it was. It was well worth the investment. Thank you so much to everyone at Metropolis for making our wedding a day that we will never forget!

Lucy Sent on 09/24/2019

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Amazing Place and staff

Amazing experience from the first call to the end of our wedding night.

Katie Sent on 07/10/2018

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We had a wonderful celebration at the Metropolis Ballroom. EVERYONE on staff was helpful, attentive, and courteous. Shawna coordinated everything perfectly, and carefully attended to every detail. She kept us organized and she maintained constant and timely communication throughout our wedding planning experience. The bridal suite, cocktail space, and ceremony/reception room were gorgeous, clean, and inviting. We highly recommend this venue!

Gina Sent on 09/22/2017

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My husband & I keep talking about how much we loved having our wedding here. We have no regrets at all! Shawna was on top of her game! She coordinated everything so perfectly and our ceremony & reception went very smoothly. When you walk in, you know that Shawna is a busy person helping others plan their event but when it's your turn to meet, she will give you her undivided attention for planning yours. Shawna was very flexible and willing to work with our budget and every time we met, she always gave us checklists and tasks to have done by the next meeting (definitely kept us on top of things!).

Aside from the amazing planning, the food was great! Ive heard from a lot of our guests how good the food was, the coffee, and the exceptional service! The veranda was a perfect cherry on top to the wedding! It was a nice spot to socialize/catch up and for those who needed some air after dancing! You also get the venue to yourself that day FYI!

I highly highly recommend this venue for anyone looking for a venue! They can host many events and offer different sized rooms depending on the size of your party!

Christie Sent on 08/26/2017

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Shawna and the entire staff at Metropolis are an outstanding team to plan a wedding with! They made the entire process easy, fun, and stress free. Shawna kept me up to speed on details, meetings, and deadlines. She had an amazing ability to work with my large family that all wanted a say in wedding planning and allow us to still have fun in the process! The day of, Shawna and her staff set up the ballroom to look like it was straight out of a bridal magazine. My jaw literally dropped when I first waked in the room! I wouldn’t trust anyone more with all the details of my big day, Shawna is a blessing and her team creates memories to last a lifetime at Metropolis!

Anne Sent on 12/19/2016

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We had our wedding at the Metropolis on 10/1/16 and could not be happier! The venue was beautiful, food was great, and we received multiple compliments on the drinks for our guests :) Shawna and her team were very accommodating and helped us create the unique atmosphere we were looking for.

Carly Sent on 11/06/2016

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My husband I were married at the Metropolis on 6/17/16. We had an absolutely wonderful experience with Shawna and her team from start to finish. Shawna was such a helpful resource during the entire process and was extremely accommodating to my schedule since I live out of town.

The venue itself was exactly what we were looking for - a modern, airy feel but still unique with character. Shawna and her team did an amazing job in creatively setting up all of the extra details that made our wedding feel personalized.

I received tons of compliments during and after the wedding on the food and drinks. Everyone raved about the cocktail hour apps and entrees. Make sure to go hungry to the tasting.. it will not disappoint :)

Lastly, all of my vendors also complimented Shawna and her team for their organization and communication in the days leading up to the wedding and during the actual event.

I highly recommend the Metropolis!

Kellirose Sent on 04/04/2016

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Shawna McGarry, our wedding planner at Metropolis Ballroom, was truly incredible. She was so helpful and accommodating of all of our desires and values throughout the entire wedding planning process. She was extremely organized and timely each step of the way, allowing us to feel at ease knowing that we were always on track with our timeline. Shawna met with us multiple times and was easy to get ahold of when we had questions or concerns about anything at any point. I will never forget walking through the ballroom before our reception to have our "first look" of the space. It was breathtaking. Shawna had taken our vision and created the reception of our dreams, going above and beyond what we had even imagined. Shawna truly cares and it shows in every single detail that she works so hard to perfect for her brides. We couldn't be happier with our decision to have our reception at Metropolis Ballroom and we are so grateful to have had Shawna as our wedding planner. I would highly recommend to any couple :)

Melina Sent on 11/17/2015

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Where do I begin to describe how magical our wedding was. Shawna was able to create my vision and make it such a beautiful night. The food is amazing, the staff were so responsive- my guests were extremely impressed. The flow of the evening was on point. Shawna is able to do just about anything to make sure the wedding day is perfect. from the moment we booked the venue until the day before she kept in contact with me was a great support through this stressful time. I would recommend this venue to anyone that would like a different wedding instead of a traditional banquet. The open ceilings with the drapery is what caught my eye. Beautiful place and awesome people !

Ken Sent on 06/19/2013

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Simply outstanding in all areas.

Emily Sent on 02/15/2013

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Both my sister and I hosted our wedding receptions here. Both were outstanding and perfect.

Their service is completely unmatched. They don't have servers driving food around on rusty old carts, dressed sloppily and refilling your water wearing latex gloves. They are organized, professional individuals who truly care about what they're doing. Clean cut and there to serve. When a guest leaves their seat, a server is quickly refolding his/her napkin and placing it appropriately. These small details were important to us. There is only one event room, one cocktail room and one event going on. YOUR event is their only focus and it absolutely shows.

Michael Raymond-What can I say about Michael? He really has, after two weddings, become part of our family. When my fiance (now husband) and I met with Michael the first time (along with my parents) we had NO clue about colors, flowers, ambiance, etc. No vision whatsoever. Michael asked us a few questions and before we knew it, our dream wedding was developing before our eyes. Michael is a gem, not just in the event planning world, but in everything he does. He cares about his clients and he will literally go to any extent to make them happy. As my 2 year old ring bearer nephew is yelling for "more M&Ms please!" before his Grandfather can say "they're all gone, bud!" Michael is already sending someone to the store. For M&MS!! There are several examples like this from my wedding day, as well as my sisters. Michael, you're the greatest.

If you're considering The Metropolis for your wedding/reception venue, just do it. You will not be disappointed.

Cori Sent on 09/19/2011

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The Metropolis and all their staff were absolutely amazing for our wedding. From the first time my husband and I saw the space, we were hooked. The location is perfect, and the venue is absolutely beautiful. There was MORE than enough space for everyone and everything. We loved that they only have one event per night so literally all the attention is given to your wedding rather than some hotels where they were going to have 6+ weddings the night of our wedding. Without saying anything negative about Michael (seriously, he's a great guy!), I will warn you that he wants to have input on everything to do with the wedding. It's a GREAT perk for any couple who feels overwhelmed by the whole wedding planning process. I think if I asked him, he would have literally gone dress shopping with me. :) Use him! Ask him any questions, ask for his input, he's there to help! Michael makes sure all the events run smoothly; it's his job to make everything perfect, and that's his intention. The night of our wedding was absolutely perfect. Everything went as planned and the staff was amazing. Helena was our event manager for the night, and she was beyond awesome. There was not one complaint we had about anything that night. Without hesitation I would recommend the Metropolis to any couple looking for a unique venue. It's not going to be the cheapest venue out there by any means, but you pay for what you get. Your money will be very well spent at the Metropolis. We literally had probably 90% of our guests tell us it was the best wedding with the best food they have ever been to. Thanks Metropolis; you pulled through for us!

Jenny Sent on 07/19/2011

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The Metropolis Ballroom was the perfect venue for our wedding. Everything ran smoothly and elegantly. I never worried about a thing. The staff was courteous & professional in both attire & attitude. I felt like they were apart of the wedding instead of working at it. I would not change a thing about this venue & we highly recommend it to others.

Cheryl Sent on 06/25/2009

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All of the staff at the Metropolis Ballroom was exceptional at everything they did!!! Tehy went above and beyond to make sure that each and every guest was happy, even the little kids that attended. There is not one thing that I would change from the venue. The food was amazing and not one erson disliked anything that was served!!!!

Cynthia Sent on 06/25/2009

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This is a beautiful venue that adapts to many events. The staff is highly professional and works seamlessly with other vendors.

Joyce Sent on 07/07/2008

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I had the best time with the staff and the venue at the Metropolis. First of all, you have your floor length windows, modern lighting, classic wood ballroom floors, and even a beautiful grand piano. In addition, the bridal party has its own stocked-up room called the harmony suite, which is an incredibly magical room where you would want to take some of your family portraits. The staff was wonderful. My coordinator and I actually became pretty good friends, although business was still very professional. My coordinator made the time to call me during her personal hours to make sure things were all ok and even ordered extra linens when she thought I might like them, just so that I could "check them out." My husband likes the modern look, and I like the traditional. Metropolis satiated both of our tastes. One other thing that I really liked about this venue was that we were able to rent out the entire place to ourselves, and it also had designated parking spaces in the parking garage next door. We were able to fit about 350 guests (by also using some of the extra rooms for guests who just "showed up").

Melissa Sent on 05/06/2013

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I cannot say enough about how pleased I am with the Metropolis Ballroom. Michael and his team did an exceptional job turning our dream into a reality, and our day was absolutely perfect in every way. We stumbled across the Metropolis while searching for a venue that was unique and different from the plethora of banquet halls in our area, and while the room itself was gorgeous with the wood beams, wall of windows leading to the veranda, and modern chandelier, I was blown away by this venue's attention to detail. We had a very clear vision of what we wanted our wedding reception to look like, and nothing was off limits to Michael and his staff. I would highly recommend the Metropolis Ballroom to couples looking for a unique space with delicious food and incredible service. Thank you so much for making our wedding the best day of our lives.

User2505835 Sent on 01/12/2016

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The ballroom was absolutely a wonderful place for a winter wedding. We did spend more than $100 a person, but we had about 85 adults and 15 children. The venue is a city style loft with hardwood floors and brick walls. It is gorgeous. Shawna was great and easy to work with and she made sure everything was taken care of for the big day. The food was excellent! My Maid of Honor/Sister was allowed to make the wedding cake (she is a baker for Little Miss Pastry). Typically, they do not allow outside food but since it was important to me that my sister make my wedding cake, they made it happen. My guests commented on how organized and easy flowing the whole day went. I give the Metropolis an A+.

Amy Sent on 01/06/2014

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The Metropolis was a magical setting for my daughter's winter wedding. We were looking for a downtown feel in the suburbs, and the elegant ballroom at the Metropolis, with its balcony overlooking holiday lights in the park, fit the bill perfectly. Michael, the event manager, met with us many times to help create an elegantly decorated room with delicious food and impeccable service. Throughout our planning, he answered all of our questions and had lots of creative ideas of his own to help us. He's much more than a manager; he's more of a wedding planner who will review invitation wording, band set lists, floral decorations, and more. On the night of the wedding, he made sure everything went smoothly and that my daughter, her new husband, and all of our guests had a night they won't forget!

Jordan Sent on 10/03/2012

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Michael, of the Metropolis Ballroom Wedding Coordinator, was the best thing that ever happened to our wedding planning team. My mother and I could not have survived without his 25 years of expert advice and ability to address even the smallest of details.

Furthermore, the facility accommodated our every need, desire, and request, no matter how much or little notice we provided. The food was excellent and the staff incredibly professional. We were able to have the ceremony, cocktail hour, and the reception all on site which made it extremely convenient for us and our guests.

Overall, we could not have chosen a better location to start our new life together!

Cara Sent on 11/05/2010

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I just had my wedding at the Metropolis Ballroom on 10/23/10 and could not be more THRILLED with how it turned out!! The space is just beautiful - we were so sick of looking at the standard ballrooms with the ugly carpet and outdated everything, the ballroom at the Metropolis is breathtaking with it's high ceilings and wood floor (you can some of our pictures at vraiblog.com)

Michael guided us through the process from start to finish. We didn't have it in our budget for a wedding planner but we clearly didn't need one. I was surprised at how involved he was, he was constantly giving us ideas for decorating and was very good at returning our many emails. He even accompanied us to the florist on several occasions! Everything went off without a hitch - the appetizers were plentiful and delicious (loved the scallops!), food was awesome (I recommend the London Broil), cake turned out perfect, and Michael along with Halina made sure to keep us on schedule without being the least bit bothersome. All of our guests told us they had a great time. One of my bridesmaids just got engaged and now she's seriously considering having the reception at the Metropolis as well!

For future brides, I would highly recommend the Metropolis for your wedding. Go see the space for yourself and meet Michael - you won't be disappointed by either of them.

Kyla Sent on 11/28/2018

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Absolutely beautiful

Shawna was so helpful and responsive with every question I had. The venue is beautiful. Plan your budget though to make sure it fits (taxes and service fees too!).

Whitney Sent on 06/09/2014

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The Metropolis is a great idea for a wedding in the suburbs for those who like the feel of city weddings. It has a feel like a loft in the city, with big open windows looking out on to buildings and trees lined with white string lights, tall open ceilings, and all wood floors. It's a great place to design a wedding exactly how you want it, and the planner guy there is so involved and so helpful. He goes above and beyond the call of duty to make sure every detail of your wedding is covered, and is perfect. I would do it again with them in a heartbeat. There were a couple of down sides which didn't come up till the week of. I had planned to use a special song to walk down the aisle to, which I emailed the planner, Michael, about obsessively. He forgot the day of, and as I was walking on to the aisle asked me if they were going to change the song for me. It messed up the timing of the song and really upset me, but I married my husband anyways! I later also found out that they ran out of food for some guests. Thankfully no one told me that the day of. I understand things go wrong at weddings, but the thing that really upset me about it is that they didn't reach out to me afterwards and apologize and explain the mistake. For that reason, I felt they were unprofessional. However, given all the bad things that could have happened, and all the good things that did happen (weight staff was great, bartender was phenomenal, Michael works extremely hard, venue is perfect), I would still pick them to do my wedding again.

Lauren Sent on 11/17/2011

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I had my wedding at the Metropolis in August of this year. I can't say enough good things about the Metropolis. We had an afternoon reception on a Saturday, and the venue was beautiful with so much natural light. Our pictures all turned out incredible. We had 200 guests, and there was enough space to fit everyone comfortably without feeling like there was too much extra space. The food was delicious, and I received so many compliments about the courtesy of the waitstaff and the quality of food.

I didn't give the venue 5 stars across the board for two reasons. First, when I saw the venue for the first time, the chairs were dark blue, and I noticed holes in the fabric of the chairs from overuse. This caused a debate between my mother and I as to whether we should rent chair covers or the fancier chivari chairs for an additional price. I decided that the money could be spent on something more important and decided not to rent special chairs. On the day of the wedding, however, half of the chairs were new and black and the other half were the old dark blue. In truth, I'm sure I was the only person who noticed the black versus blue chairs, but I would have been much happier to have had all of the chairs be new and black.

My second reason was that email communication was a bit slow. With planning my wedding from St. Louis, I had to rely on email for my communication with all my vendors. Emails from the Metropolis were always a bit slower than from my other vendors. However, phone calls were always promptly returned and always made me feel like the wedding was going to be a huge success. My suggestion--correspond by phone or in person.

When it comes to Michael Raymond, the wedding coordinator, I believe every bride needs a Michael. At the beginning, he just listened to me and showed me how to make all my wishes a reality. I never felt pushed, and he worked really hard to put together a menu that fit my budget. He also has a great deal of knowledge about etiquette. His tips and pointers helped us be socially graceful at our reception. He organized who would be speaking at the wedding in what order so that no one would be offended, and he even gave my fiancee and I a dance lesson. The wedding reception was like clockwork; I just got to sit back and enjoy the ride. The Metropolis was beautiful, but I think that Michael really made the reception everything we had imagined.

Overall, I would highly recommend this venue to other brides; I would choose this venue again without hesitation.

Sarah Sent on 06/16/2010

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The Metropolis Ballroom is a BEAUTIFUL venue for a wedding - and a rare, unique find in the suburbs of Chicago! Coordinator, Michael Raymond is very professional and very flexible - he has been working in the field for over 30 years and knows what he is doing! The outdoor veranda off of the ballroom is a great touch and guests appreciated it. the food is fantastic as well! I highly recommend this space, even though it was a bit costly.

Carolyn Sent on 06/09/2009

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The Metropolis Ballroom is a great location if you are looking for a downtown feel in the suburbs. The service is outstanding and the overall feel is elegance and romantic. It IS expensive, but the night was well worth the cost. Michael, the event planner, is the best and had a great eye. He made everything perfect for our night.

Kelly Sent on 05/23/2022

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Everything was great until the reception was over...

I want to preface this by saying that I would have given 5 stars had the venue completely followed through with our wedding. Everything from planning through the reception was great. The venue was beautiful, the staff was amazing, and the food was incredible. The disconnect happened after the reception. The event specialist was not on site and it didn't seem like a lot of communication was done between her and the banquet servers. The banquet servers were extremely helpful with helping my parents load everything into the car, but they failed to mention that we could bring our cake home & also did not ensure that everything on our inventory list was packed. My parents did not leave the venue until about 1:30am so they did not even think to ask about the cake, and weren't aware of everything on our inventory sheet. Two weeks later, after returning from our honeymoon, I went back to pick up a few things that were left behind. One of those things were our extra favors, which were lottery tickets. Somehow, the box was "missing" and the event specialist did not take any accountability for it not being there. They also let me know that they threw our entire cake away because we did not pick it up in time. How were we supposed to know that? Why wasn't the cake given to us the night of the wedding? To top it off, they also threw out our cake topper, which was supposed to be a keepsake of ours. This could have easily been prevented had there been communication between the event specialist and the banquet team, or, if the event specialist had actually stayed through the end of the reception. I understand that it is a long day for them, but that is their JOB. What is sad to me is that despite the wedding being an absolute hit, is that I will never forget how mis-managed the end of the event was. I am also sad that my husband and I won't get to enjoy the top of our wedding cake on our first anniversary, and how our personalized cake topper was carelessly thrown away. People spend so much time and money to plan weddings and the venue and events specialists should make it their goal for everything to go as close to perfect as possible, from start to finish. Like I said before, we had an overall great experience with planning everything and the wedding itself. The events specialist we ended with was not who we signed our contract with and was still relatively new to her position. I am hoping she learned from her mistakes with us and can ensure that this doesn't happen with any future couples.

Aaron Sent on 05/14/2012

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Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

The best suggestion we got during the entirety of our wedding planning came from a friend-of-a-friend on Facebook. We called out for reception hall ideas, and one of the responses was “Hey, check out Metropolis Ballroom.” We called Metropolis, and lucky for us, we were there viewing the space no more than 1 hour later. We immediately fell in love with it. For two people who wanted a modern, urban city venue, but wanted to save our guests the hassle & expense of an actual wedding in the city, it. was. perfect.

The ballroom itself is beautiful, and the balcony overlooking downtown Arlington heights is just one more thing that separates Metropolis from other reception halls. However, it’s not the only thing. Our contact at Metropolis, Michael Raymond, was an incredible resource on etiquette, and made us feel like we had a wedding planner, without having to actually hire a wedding planner. He was ready to help us with ANY problems we had. We made our own wedding invitations, and we needed someone to review them, he didn’t hesitate. He not only looked for errors, but also helped take a symbol from the invite, and turn it into a consistent “theme” throughout the wedding. They even drew the symbol on the wedding cake! Also, when the wedding dress didn’t come in, he was ready to help in any way he could. By the way, NEVER go to Bridal Mansion in Lisle. Excuse me for that…I still haven’t gotten over it.

Anyways, Michael has Metropolis running as a well oiled machine. The food was incredible. It is not your typical reception hall food. The service was immaculate. The cocktail hour servers were nonstop, for both the guests and for the personal server for the bridal party in the bridal suite. The bridal party champagne toast upon arrival was nice too. Michael kept the whole night running like clockwork. Lastly, the room itself is just so different than other reception halls. It’s just a fantastic backdrop for all your wedding photos!

We could not be happier with how great everything came together at Metropolis. We have several friends and family who are engaged to be married, and we’ve had several of them tell us that when they picture their “dream wedding,” they’re picturing Metropolis Ballroom.

Nichole Sent on 05/08/2012

4.4 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
4 out of 5 rating
Value
4 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

My husband and I were married at Metropolis Ballroom in November 2011. My wedding planner found this gem after we looked at over 20 venues in Chicago. The first time I walked into the ballroom, I was in love and thought it was so beautiful. Hard wood floors, high ceilings, exposed brick, huge outdoor balcony - everything that I was looking for in a wedding venue. Some other perks of Metropolis is that they have tons of free parking next door, it is in a beautiful area in downtown Arlington Heights and very close to hotels. During our planning process, Metropolis made some updates to the venue. They painted and refinished the already gorgeous hardwood floors and in the area where the cocktail hour was held, it was originally two separate rooms. They knocked down the wall separating the two rooms which was a win win for us.
Michael Raymond is the manager and will be your primary point of contact. Some may have differing opinions about Michael but here is my honest opinion as the bride - I liked Michael Raymond a lot and believe that it always strived to make the bride happy even if that means stepping on some toes. I read in another review that "every bride needs a Michael" and I couldn't agree more.

Over the next 6 months, we emailed and met with Michael about different things such as our vendors, the timeline, linens, the menu, decor, etc. He was very good about getting our questions answered. The Metropolis Ballroom has on-site catering which was great because it is one less thing we had to worry about. We had a great tasting of the menu (we actually had two because we did not like the second part of the meat entree) and had the hors d'oeuvres for cocktail hour tailor made. It was just my husband and I, my in-laws and our wedding planner. The presentation was great and private. Michael was able to come with a new items that were off of the menu to our liking. They were also able to accommodate our vegetarian guests as well as our guests who keep Kosher. The food at the actual wedding was just as delicious as it was at the tasting which was a concern of ours since most weddings do not have good food.

We had a lot of issues with wanting mixed nuts and candies on the tables for cocktail hour and on the tables at the reception before dinner. Michael said that they would provide this for $6 per person. We had 220 guests at our wedding and this was just ridiculous. After much negotiating, we were allowed to bring in our own mixed nuts and candies for the tables which were bought from Costco and saved TONS of money - more than $1,200!!

For our rehearsal, Metropolis Ballroom booked a last minute event so we weren't not able to do it there. We had our rehearsal and dinner at the nearby restaurant, Las Tascas. Michael came and conducted the rehearsal and put me at ease about our wedding the next day. It is free to run a rehearsal and I believe it helps to do a quick walk through.

A few reasons why Metropolis did not get 5 stars:
For setup, Metropolis requests you drop off all decor that you can on the Wednesday before your event. It will be locked in a closet, which was great. More stuff that we didn't have to think about the day before or day of. We were supposed to have access to the bridal suite and setup to start at 3:00 p.m. However, Metropolis squeezed in another an event for the day and it was scheduled to end at 5:00 p.m. and then they would flip the rooms to get ready for our 6:30 p.m. ceremony. Sounds like a lot to do in 90 minutes, right?? They assured us it would not be a problem. In the end, this put us behind for the REST of the night. Not only were our guests left standing around, but Metropolis didn't even open the bar to keep people entertained while they were continuing to set up the room. The late start put us behind schedule for the rest of the evening. Before Michael left for the night, we confirmed with him that because of the late start, it wouldn't be a problem for the party to run longer - which he didn't communicate to the woman who took over for him. This caused unnecessary friction for us, as well as our families. None of us should have had to deal with that.
For some reason even though I was clear that I wanted our cake to be one layer is chocolate cake and one layer is yellow cake with strawberry filing, it was wrong. I only had one bite and didn't love it like the one at the tasting.

All in all, our wedding was gorgeous - the cocktail hour was great, the food was fantastic and the service was good. I would recommend Metropolis Ballroom to other brides and grooms.

Meggan Sent on 10/22/2013

4.3 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
4 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
5 out of 5 rating
Value
4 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
3.5 out of 5 rating

Metropolis and staff was one of the many factors that made our wedding such a fairy-tale come true! We loved it the second we walked in. Michael, Danielle, and all the staff far surpassed our expectations! We are a husband and wife that can say that not a thing went wrong at our wedding or reception! Any little detail or plan that we were worried about went better than we could have imagined! We had read in reviews about Metropolis that Michael Raymond was a "jack of all trades"...that was an understatement! Can't even begin to count all the times during and after our wedding that our parents and bridal party ranted and raved about how "Michael was such a blessing to this experience and helped it be pulled off flawlessly!" The waitstaff and bartenders were SO attentive and professional. Making food decisions was difficult because there were far too many great options that all tasted and looked great!

A few things that we weren't thrilled about but were not deal breakers: 1. You must get every consumable good from Metropolis and pay the expensive price for it. My husband wanted him, groomsmen, and fathers to drink his favorite whiskey while getting ready. We were not allowed to bring this in, we would have had to get it overpriced through Metropolis. They did give us a beer and champagne toast though for the bridal party and parents before the ceremony. 2. Very limited beer selections even on the upgraded bar package. Great top shelf alcohols but no craft beers. Very pricey if you want to get it through them. 3. Underage people not getting kids meals get charged bar package. We fought this many times but Michael wouldn't compromise.

This review cannot begin to capture how truly happy and grateful we are to have had our wedding at Metropolis! Happiest day of our lives this far. Most expensive party we'll ever throw but honestly was worth it!

Caitlin Sent on 11/15/2011

4.2 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4 out of 5 rating
Average response time
4 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
5 out of 5 rating
Value
4 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

I had a beautiful wedding at the Metropolis. They did everything to make sure the night was flawless.

Magen Sent on 02/06/2008

4.2 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4 out of 5 rating
Average response time
3.5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
5 out of 5 rating
Value
3.5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
5 out of 5 rating

My overall experience was pretty good.

Our coordinator did all the work and told me all I had to do was "show up and be beautiful".

It took a lot of stress out of the planning aspect of the wedding,
ALTHOUGH....

When the wedding was underway, he was no where to be found!

I was to have music playing during the cocktail hour, that was loud enough to be heard so people could dance. You couldn't hear anything.

I was to have music playing before the ceremony while the guest were being ushered to their seats. NO MUSIC and NO USHERS!!!!!!

I was to have a throw away bouquet. I didn't have one, he whipped up one at the last minuted.

Basically in my eyes, it was a free for all.

Our guests said it was beautiful and well put together but, then again, they don't know what was SUPPOSED to happen.

I would recommend not coming here. Unfortunatley, even though the coordinator is sweet as pie.

Kelly Sent on 05/03/2019

4 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4 out of 5 rating
Average response time
5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
5 out of 5 rating
Value
3 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
3 out of 5 rating

Meets Expectations

Overall pretty easy to work with and I wouldn’t say they go above and beyond but I’d say reliable. Whatever you agreed with them on will be executed in the agreed upon way- no surprises or last minute changes.

Traci Sent on 06/08/2008

4 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4 out of 5 rating
Average response time
4 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
4 out of 5 rating
Value
4 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

We LOVED the ambiance at Metropolis Ballroom with its upscale "city loft" feel. The veranda (balcony) was one of the best and most loved features by our guests during cocktail hour and throughout the reception for those who wanted to escape for a smoking break or just to get some fresh air. It was particularly nice because while guests were on the veranda they could still see what was happening in the entire reception room through the tall glass windows/wall that connected them....unlike many venues where guests have to completely leave the reception in order to smoke outside. Overall, it was a great site in my opinion because it's not a typical reception hall with ugly outdated carpeting and old school chandeliers. It was much more modern and a lot of the guests commented on how unique of a place it was. The only difficulty we encountered was about 5 months before our wedding when they suddenly changed management. A few things got lost in translation while switching from the old management to the new, but in the end, we made it work. The food was very good, but not "out of this world". The cake that they provided, on the other hand, was not very good at all. Thus, we ended up using an outside vendor for our cake, which was excellent! Overall though, everything went off without a hitch on the actual day, and I couldn't have thought of a better place to have had our reception.

Amanda Sent on 02/26/2013

3.2 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4 out of 5 rating
Average response time
2 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
4 out of 5 rating
Value
3 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
3 out of 5 rating

This 3.2 should not be perceived as negative, because overall I was very happy with the venue. My husband and I had our reception here on 11/3/12. We had about 165 guests, all of which fit comfortably - however we had to move tables after dinner to make the dancefloor bigger. The head coordinator at the Metropolis is Michael Raymond. He really loves weddings and definitely has a lot of experience, but sometimes I thought he was a little stubborn and forgetful. For instance, he had to ask my ~5 times whether or not I was having a head or banquet table (I was not). Also, don't expect to get quick responses from him until you are about 1-2 months pre-wedding. He is not an email person. However, I DO believe they just hired a coordinator to help him since they were booking more weddings than they could manage, and I'll admit the responsiveness did get much better once she had been hired.

The food and service that night were great. We received so many compliments from our guests and everyone had a blast!! The venue isn't cheap - with a 20K minimum spend on food/liquor alone PRE Tax (11%) and Gratuity (20%). That doesn't include chair rentals (if you want Chivari), lighting, etc. If anything I would've preferred more automatic upgrades for that price, but I guess Chicago is the 2nd most expensive area to get married so I shouldn't be too surprised.

All and all, you will have a beautiful wedding here -especially for UNDER 175 guests.

Emily Sent on 09/17/2009

3.2 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4 out of 5 rating
Average response time
2 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
3.5 out of 5 rating
Value
3 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
3.5 out of 5 rating

The Metropolis Ballroom is an absolutely gorgeous and sophisticated venue. The hardwood floors, tall ceilings, modern chandeliers, and huge balcony make for a simple yet elegant feel. We had our ceremony and reception at the Metropolis. The cocktail hour was held in a separate room with a large dark bar and exposed brick. The space here is to die for. The service on the other hand....average at best. I must elaborate because not all of the employees are terrible, just one in particular. Unfortunately their wedding coordinator/event planner is an extremely difficult person to work with. He said from the start that he doesn't like emails, yet wholeheartedly took on a wedding from a long distance couple. Communication was beyond frustrating with him. In the weeks leading up to the wedding I was leaving several messages that took a long time to return causing an unreasonable amount of stress. He needed to be reminded of several details anywhere from 5-10 times. We were able to upgrade several things for our wedding to meet the minimal food/drink cost. We decided on a specialty drink (mojitos) which took nearly 1/2 hour into the cocktail hour to be served. We had a small-medium sized wedding and the line at the cocktail hour was ridiculous, plus no mojitos being passed. We had to ask THREE times for them to be served before they were. The groom and I were served vegetarian meals at dinner when we weren't vegetarians (why would 2 vegetarians serve steak at a wedding?!?!?) They served 3 EXTRA snacks which we did not order for our "late night snack", but I'm definitely not complaining about that :) There was also some confusion with the contract and when the event was supposed to end which resulted in the party being over and an unhappy bartender that still wanted to serve drinks. I must say that their Banquet Manager who I worked with closely the night of our wedding was WONDERFUL, so the actual day did go relatively smoothly. However the year+ of planning and communicating (or lack of communicating) with their planner/coordinator leaves a slightly bitter taste in my mouth. We booked the Metropolis back in 2008 and since that time we have heard the price rose 40%. Not worth it at that price if you ask me. Happy wedding planning. Hope your day is as wonderful as ours was.

Nicole Sent on 11/10/2011

2.6 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
3 out of 5 rating
Average response time
2.5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
3 out of 5 rating
Value
1.5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
3 out of 5 rating

Quality of Service->Waitstaff very nice and attentive during the wedding reception.
Responsiveness->Not very good, don't answer emails or phone calls the way someone handing over $20,000 should be answered.
Professionalism->Once again, waitstaff and bartenders right on top here.
Value-->$20,000 minimum...you do the math
Flexibility-> Not much room to move. It is what it is. Make sure you get everything in writing.

Corey Sent on 07/28/2009

2.4 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
2.5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
2.5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
2.5 out of 5 rating
Value
2 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
2.5 out of 5 rating

It pains me to write this because the day of, things were great. However, the months leading up to it were, to say the least, the MOST stressful and frustration months of my life. I was a pretty laid back bride...I didn't really care about certain aspects (like the cake, party favors, candy buffets, wedding programs and extra embellishments for the reception), but it got to a point with this vendor that I had to literally fight about the littlest things.

1) we signed our contract in 2008 with guarantees that our prices would stay the same. However, after MONTHS of asking for the updated menu, we were finally presented with a menu and a 25% increase in our prices (not including the 20% gratuity and 11% tax).

2) our contract said nothing about not allowing outside vendors for such things as chairs, chair covers or linens. when we tried to have someone who could provide those services for us at a much lower cost - the response of Metropolis was "you can't do that because no one has ever done that before." maybe you should put that in your contract?!?! they wanted to charge us $9.50 per chivari chair, plus 11% tax, plus 20% gratuity, PLUS $100 set up fee.

3) the cake. i cared the least about the cake; however, this was the straw that nearly broke my back. we were told numerous times that we could choose our cake from 2 vendors (the cake was included in our package). i set up a tasting and decided on the cake one month before the wedding, only to be told by the bakery: you can't order with us because Metropolis hasn't finished setting up their account. it took Metropolis 2 weeks to get back to us about the cake situation. their response was: you can get your cake there, but it'll cost you $500 extra. FOR A CAKE I CARE NOTHING ABOUT?!?! i finally said, "just give me a cake with these flavors that looks like this. i don't care where you get it from."

4) did i mention that they charge you for alcohol consumption for every single person -- even those who weren't drinking (for various reasons, including being 10 years old)!

5) communication was very, very poor. we had to contact Tom, the owner, several times because the "wedding coordinator" failed to get back to us.

6) there were many more problems, but these were the major ones.

User2457789 Sent on 12/07/2015

2 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
2 out of 5 rating
Average response time
2 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
2 out of 5 rating
Value
2 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
2 out of 5 rating

My husband and I recently had our wedding reception at the Metropolis Ballroom in Arlington Heights. Firstly, a couple good things about it are the location in the middle of downtown Arlington Heights, the modern main ballroom design, the separate cocktail hour rooms, and the outdoor terrace. The food was fine, not great. What really made us upset, though, was the whole planning process. There were a lot of things that were not pleasant, and they all happened because the main wedding coordinator there, Shawna, did not know what she was doing. She was horrible with communication, unaccommodating, rude, and apathetic. Often times, we’d send her emails updating her on rentals, guest lists, menu choices, etc. but wouldn’t receive a response/confirmation for weeks and usually only after we reminded her to get back to us. At the onsite planning meetings, we would typically just go over the details that we had previously communicated in our emails, which made them pointless. The tasting was another particularly bad experience. Shawna didn’t know anything about the menu. We found bones in our fish. The dirty dishes never got cleared. We were given a very rude response when we started to ask questions about our rentals, being told we’ll have to schedule another day to discuss that because this wasn’t a planning meeting. On our actual wedding day the wait staff was nice, but as the bride (and the one that was paying for the event) I was served last. I’m pretty sure that wasn’t supposed to happen, and it was pretty disrespectful. The only way our event ended up alright is because our planner was phenomenal. At the end of it all our wedding turned out well, but because of all the other vendors that did their job well. Looking back our wedding definitely was not worth all the disrespect and poor planning by Metropolis. We felt like they cared about our money more than they care about us. I do not recommend using the Metropolis Ballroom for your venue.

User1999014 Sent on 01/06/2015

1.9 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
2 out of 5 rating
Average response time
2.5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
1 out of 5 rating
Value
2.5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
1.5 out of 5 rating

The Metropolis Ballroom -

You will be dealing with the in-house staffing and the third party staffing:

1. The in-house staff - not very desirable. If you are expecting white glove service - bring your expectations down a few notches. - DO NOT rely on the in house wedding coordinator. The staff - short fused, over worked, under qualified, snatchy, rude, condescending.
- if you are not a detailed individual make sure you have someone that will be your representative and spoke's person and thick skin.

2. The staff during your event works for the preferred caterer which does their best. Friendly, pleasant and helpful. - Make sure you tell them not to throw away your cake topper ! DO NOT ASSUME ANYTHING!

Laura Sent on 08/25/2008

1.1 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
2 out of 5 rating
Average response time
1 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
0.5 out of 5 rating
Value
1 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
1 out of 5 rating

The reception venue is beautiful with the high ceilings, hardwood floors, and floor to ceiling windows....but that is where the good things with this venue end. Our wedding coordinator changed during the course of our time with the vendor. Our second wedding coordinator was unresponsive to email requests, and it took more of my time to follow up with him. We had worked with the owner several times to complain about the service we were receiving during the planning process, but nothing changed. Our tasting was canceled twice due to turnover with the chef, and the banquet manager also turned over during the time we were with this vendor. If you are looking for an smooth planning process and someone who is on your side, this is definitely not the vendor for you. This vendor will be a headache from the moment you sign your contract until the very end. For the most part things were pulled off on our wedding day(except for the venue completely screwing up our seating chart), but I think that is mostly because of the day of wedding planner we hired. The space looks amazing...but definitely think twice before you take the plunge on this one.

G W Sent on 07/03/2025

1 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
1 out of 5 rating
Average response time
1 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
1 out of 5 rating
Value
1 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
1 out of 5 rating

Think twice before booking this venue

Think twice before having your wedding or event here if you have guests with dietary restrictions. We were told they could NOT accommodate food allergies and that guests with food allergies should bring their own carryout food into the venue. Yes, you read that correctly. Metropolis is good with foam carryout boxes being brought into the venue in the middle of the reception or event. Metropolis wants the guests (perhaps in formal attire) to leave the wedding or event, pick-up carryout, and then bring it back to guests with dietary restrictions. With more than 10 percent of the population over the age of 18 having a food allergy and countless more with celiac and other dietary restrictions, we are not sure Metropolis can stay in business with this very close-minded and extremely outdated and lazy position. Multiple other venues will accommodate dietary restrictions and in fact highlight their goal of ALL guests having an enjoyable time at an event. Metropolis likely won't be around much longer with this policy.

Metropolis Ballroom of Arlington Heights Reviews

Reviews

Metropolis Ballroom of Arlington Heights