Riverside Receptions and Conference Center Reviews

From the beginning of venue searching to the day our wedding occurred, the staff at Riverside Receptions has been absolutely amazing. They are a well oiled machine and made our wedding everything we could have imagined and more. Can't forget to mention the absolutely stunning view from every window. We envisioned an indoor wedding that captivated nature and Riverside Receptions is it!

Renee was fantastic! She really did make planning a wedding so easy! The venue is absolutely stunning, the food is fantastic (all our guests raved about it), our dessert table and cake were beautiful. Renee and team worked with our vendors and we literally did not worry about a thing on the day of our wedding! Renee truly is so professional, personable, and organized! She was very easy to work with! Plus, the pricing was extremely fair considering how fantastic and stress-free everything was!

The staff at Riverside Receptions is amazing, the food is to die for (guests called and texted for days to tell us how good) the space itself is just gorgeous. Did I mention the food. Clean plates and happy bellies for sure. They are all inclusive, and made the process so simple without having to chase down a bunch of various vendors, which is the way to go. I would not hesitate to book any type of event there.

The coordinators were so helpful and they did so amazing making sure everything was set up how we wanted and on time. The only thing i heard from the guests was that their champagne glasses were cleared before the toasts, but that was probably just a miscommunication.

Riverside Receptions and Amy Hardersen we’re absolutely fantastic to work with and Riverside is an incredible venue with beautiful views. Amy was so helpful and responsive to emails when asking questions and scheduling the food tastings and various meetings. The food here is so delicious and the wait staff is so professional and kind. I cannot thank Amy enough for her professionalism, responsiveness, kindness and positive attitude. Riverside made my reception everything I could have dreamed of. Now I just need my other friends to get married here so I can enjoy another evening there!! Thank you

Nothing but greatness from this venue! Amy & Tina were amazing to work with. Planning a wedding during covid was anything but easy, but they made it so much better! They were helpful, had responses immediately and overall just great to work with. Venue is breathtaking. We rented the whole building for our wedding (ceremony downstairs, reception upstairs) but also had the option to rent upstairs to get ready for the day, and it was so peaceful to have the river in the background while getting your hair and make up done . Food is AMAZING! We had nothing but compliments from everyone! Thank you Riverside!

We couldn’t have had a better experience with Riverside. They were so flexible with us - we made so many changes due to covid and budget restraints. Amy was the sweetest, most kind person and helped every step of the way. Our wedding was absolutely gorgeous and everything I could’ve ever wanted.

I don't know where to start. Riverside Receptions was the best decision we could have made for our wedding reception. Frances is no joke, extremely professional, kind, helpful, and one of the sweetest people I've ever met. The whole staff is wonderful too, Amy and Jessica helped along the way and always got back to me quickly whenever I'd reached out with a question. Our wedding ceremony and reception were perfect and I have Riverside to thank forever! The food... INCREDIBLE! BEST chicken I've ever had, everything was amazing and was served hot food hot, cold food cold! The service was outstanding and the staff all friendly and accommodating. My husband and I LOVED how us and the head table was served with the staff parading out to kick off our entree course! I can't compliment enough, choose this venue if you want the best experience!

Riverside Receptions is exceptional. Don’t even waste your time looking at other venues if you want to get married in the Geneva area. We had our ceremony and reception there in March of 2019, and everything was perfect. The only reason it has taken me so long to write this review is because I’ve been worried I won’t be able to do them justice, but I will try my best.

The wonderful staff are so friendly, knowledgeable, and responsive, and they will gently guide you through the process from start to finish. Throwing the perfect reception/party is all they do, and they have it down to a science, yet make it look like art. That’s one of the many advantages you get when you book your event here. This isn’t a restaurant or gallery, etc. with a back room that is trying to be an event space; this is a one-stop shop of event-planning excellence.
Amy, Frances, and Jessica are so helpful and positive, they want to help make your dream event come true. Everything is so well organized, and they make it simple for you make sure all of your bases are covered. They know what questions to ask and think of all the little details you might overlook or not think to plan for.

Our day-of-coordinator Neal was also a godsend. He made sure everything ran smoothly and again, asked questions I wouldn’t have thought to ask. He was our point of communication with our band/emcee, photographer, and florist to be our eyes and ears when we were getting ready/occupied. His service is invaluable because you as the bride(s) or groom(s) simply will not have time to do/oversee everything yourself that day. Also bar/waitstaff is top-notch and were so attentive, ensuring every one of our guests was comfortable.

Speaking of value, I don’t think Riverside can be beat. The venue itself is gorgeous, with all of the ammenities of a banquet hall, yet none of the cookie-cutterness/tackiness. This place has charm/character for days. Also so many places will nickel and dime you with linens, chair upgrades, etc. Not Riverside. Their packages include linens, chiavari chairs, centerpieces, 4-course meal, your cake, their expert coordinators/staff (priceless), and so much more for a very reasonable price. Also I know all the reviews talk about how amazing the food is. They are 100% correct. All of our guests raved about their meals, not one complaint. Even my cousin who is a professional chef couldn’t believe how good his steak was and was so impressed that all 200 guests were served their food at roughly the same time, hot and delicious.

In summary, do yourself a favor and book Riverside and some of their preferred vendors for your next event. You will not regret it!

***We had Riverside do a brunch the day after our wedding for our out of town guests, and it was delicious! Such a nice, relaxing way to get some more time with your friends/family.

My husband and I got married at Riverside Receptions this past June and we can't say enough great things about the venue and staff! First of all, Amy, Frances, and Jessica were a pleasure to work with. We met with them on a few occasions throughout the wedding planning process and they were always so helpful (answered our many questions, gave vendor recommendations, etc.). We didn't hire a wedding planner so having staff there day of to set up and take down was a huge weight lifted off our shoulders and when we met with Amy we knew we were in good hands. The staff was very attentive to our guests the entire night, the food was delicious (we received many compliments) and the outdoor space was great for taking beautiful scenic photos! We are so thankful for the Riverside staff for helping us from the start of the planning process to when the very last guest left on our wedding night. They even boxed up our leftover late night pizza to take with us to the bar next door. They are truly awesome! If we could give 10 stars we would :)

The staff at Riverside Receptions made my dreams come true in every way; thank you so much to Amy, Jessica, and Neal, (and my now husband, Andrew, of course) for the best day of my life. I’m writing this review and posting it everywhere I can so that other brides can have the wedding of their dreams too; I recommend the Riverside in every way.

From start to finish, booking a wedding at the Riverside is a joy. When we first toured the Riverside, I knew I needed to have my wedding there. I was looking for my inspiration words – romantic, whimsical, elegant, historical – and the Riverside was a perfect fit and more. The venue and the people impressed me right off the bat. In every room, the venue is unique and has so much character. We loved the fireplaces, the mantles, and the opportunity to decorate them so that the wedding was full of our love and personalities. The views from the windows are also a GORGEOUS backdrop for a wedding. Amy and Jessica, who showed us around, were so kind and helpful; I was in love with the venue almost as much as my now husband.

After booking at the Riverside, everything was a breeze. The tasting event that we attended helped us choose our meals – DEFINITELY recommend the chicken. It is not your average chicken; it is decadent, flavorful, and delicious. I also recommend the New York Strip Steak with boursin mashed potatoes - YUM.

In addition to the tasting event, we also enjoyed all correspondence with Amy. Communication was easy and she was so helpful and patient with questions we had. I cannot compliment her enough; she is truly a pro at weddings and is an absolute joy to work with and be around.

When it came time for the rehearsal at the Riverside, everything ran smoothly. Big thanks to Amy and Jessica for helping coordinate our group and my sassy grandma 😊.

On the day, we were so happy and we were not at all disappointed. Amy and Jessica made sure everything we worked so tirelessly to plan went off without a hitch. They were on top of everything! My ceremony was so romantic and sweet and well-organized; they made sure of it! They made sure everyone had the right cue into the ceremony, the string trio was given their cues, and that the LEGO props were given to the bridal party as they entered into the reception (to Everything is Awesome!). At night, Neal took over for the reception and was an absolutely wonderful help coordinating the different details of the night: making sure the parents were enjoying themselves, ensuring the bride/groom had what they needed, and helping to clean up and organize the huge amount of décor we brought with us (we rented a U-Haul…I went a little overboard but it was so worth it). The security gentleman Louis was also a treat! I enjoyed some brief chats with him. Really, the entire staff – bartenders, waiters, waitresses, everyone did a FANTASTIC job and guests have not stopped complimenting the kindness of the staff. Also, THE FOOD. It was even more delicious than I remembered from the tasting event. The appetizers were a hit (everyone loved the charcuterie table!), the sweets table was AWESOME and the late night snacks (pizza and wings) were amazing. We honestly wish the Riverside delivered pizza regularly – it was that good…and we’re pizza people who live in Chicago. Lastly, the VENUE itself was just perfect. We had 160 guests and rented both floors (downstairs ceremony and happy hour, upstairs reception) and it was so, so lovely. Everyone had a blast and it was a perfect day.

Future brides and grooms, I speak the truth here: the Riverside really has everything – indoor space if you have weather concerns, a picturesque outdoor space, two floors with twinkle lights on the windows, a big dance floor, DELICIOUS, DELICIOUS catering, and a staff that works so hard to make a perfect day.

Riverside Receptions staff – THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!

I got married at Riverside on Sunday, May 27, 2018. I can't say enough good about these people! I worked with Frances, Tina and Neal and all of them were so accommodating and kind! Everything went smooth with them and the place was absolutely beautiful! I would definitely recommend them for your event! Thank you Riverside for the amazing night!

We held our wedding reception at Riverside Receptions in June 2017. We were extremely happy with our experience from beginning to end! Everyone in their office is friendly, helpful, and genuinely wants you to have the event of your dreams. We were looking for a venue with gorgeous views, delicious food, and a price point that we could afford. Riverside Receptions delivered on all accounts!
We reserved the second floor for our reception with the floor to ceiling panoramic windows overlooking the Fox River. THE VIEW IS SPECTACULAR! We fell in love with the view immediately and our guests are still talking about how picturesque the venue was.
As a bride on a budget, I greatly appreciated that Riverside offered us the option to use one of their birdcages for cards, their cake server, and a variety of centerpiece options. This was a big deal for me because I wanted beautiful décor, but I did not want to store 18 lanterns after the wedding was over. We used their lanterns and floating candles as part of our centerpieces.
We primarily worked with Frances throughout our wedding planning process. Frances is very knowledgeable about the wedding industry and was happy to answer all of our questions. She was amazing!

We had our wedding here back in September and absolutely loved it! Riverside Receptions is such a beautiful venue! From the beginning of planning with Riverside, the staff were so helpful and quick in getting back with emails or phone calls. They gave a folder of informaiton and a timeline/checklist for when we needed to get things done. That was so helpful! We worked a lot with Amy and she was great to work with! Also the minimums were very reasonable compared to other places in the area that we looked at. It made paying for the wedding that we wanted, so much easier.

The food tasting gave us a great sense of their delicious food and the food was just as great (possibly better) on the wedding day. All of our guest loved the food! It was very helpful to us that Riverside also included the cake in the price (they work with The Cakery) and that cake was delicious too!

We had our ceremony outside but had the reasurance that we could be inside given the weather (and no additional charge either!). This was a huge relief and we ended up having the ceremony in their beautiful courtyard. Everything during the reception went smoothly and the staff were so great.

This was the perfect venue for us; from how great the staff were through the planning and the actual wedding, to the food, to the decor. I still can't get over how beautiful it all was and our pictures our gorgous!

We are completely thrilled we chose Riverside for our wedding reception. We worked mostly with Frances, but anyone on their sales team was available at any time to answer our questions. We had a larger guest list, so we booked the upstairs area for our Friday night wedding. Riverside could not have done a better job, they were attentive, extremely helpful with any questions I had, and the "night of manager" even worked hard to figure out an issue with our florist that they technically shouldn't have had to worry about. I had a specific vision for our reception and the staff was able to accommodate our every request, from the drink list to decorations and table layout. The food was great, we picked, NY Strip, Chicken and Salmon for our guests as entrees, with several butler passed hors d'oeuvres, and a table of additional appetizers. Our only food compliant was the Tomato Basil soup... it tasted like marinara sauce instead of a traditional cream based soup. But out of everything, that is the one and only complaint. Book with Riverside Receptions, whichever level you book (or both) you will not be disappointed with the outstanding service, quality, food and view of the location.

I had big dreams of a city wedding, but after looking into over two dozen venues unsuccessfully, I had hit a breaking point. That's when a friend suggested a few places and there was one on the list I had never heard of -- Riverside Receptions. After visiting the venue, my fiance and I were in love.

The views were gorgeous and the venue itself has a lot of personality and charm. The staff runs a tight ship and several of our guests complimented on not only how good the food was, but also how great and speedy the service was. Everyone at Riverside was easy to work with and made sure our day went off without a hitch.

The other perk to this venue as opposed to others we looked at was that SO MUCH was included. Not only are the caterers on site, but the cake and centerpieces were handled by the venue as well, so the number of vendors we had to coordinate with was much more manageable.

Now that our wedding has come and gone, I could not be happier to have had my wedding in Geneva, IL. While not a big Chicago wedding, it was more affordable, more charming, less expensive, and such a great space. Plus, Geneva is a great place for weddings; the perfect getaway for friends in the city, and a charming location for suburban and out-of-town guests.

A hidden gem in Geneva!

Riverside was absolutely amazing to work with and did a fantastic job! The venue is gorgeous and has a great rustic feel with exposed stone and a beautiful view of the Fox River. We had compliments all night about the look of the venue. On top of that, their food was fabulous! I had multiple people come up and say that it was the best wedding food they have had. Riverside was great to work with during the planning process as well as the day of. Naomi was great during the day and would handle anything that would come up wonderfully! Tina and Frances were great to work with beforehand. I do not regret our decision to have our wedding there at all!

We LOVE LOVE LOVE this place! We had the lower level because we loved the charm and feel of the old stone and brick and the beautiful wood bar. We had a smaller wedding of about 100 people so the area was perfect size for people to move around. The bar is separated from the room where the dancing was and most people tended to gather in the bar area but we expected that. The staff placed everything exactly where we discussed and also made sure to gather everything to take home at the end of the night. The food was fantastic! Even though we regretfully didn't get to eat much since it was hectic like most bride and grooms. Wish we had thought to set some aside for us! Kathy was so nice and helpful in all the decision making and plans. I would absolutely recommend this place to everyone!

I cannot think of enough kind words to say about this venue. We stumbled upon their website by chance. My moh, mom and I took one tour and that made up our minds. In fact, Riverside had all of the features that I wanted in a venue including atmosphere, menu selection and a wonderful staff. Our guests are still giving us complements on Riverside. I primarily worked with Frances and she is such a wonderful woman. The element of my wedding celebration that I am most proud of is Riverside Receptions. They really set the standard for weddings.

Riverside Receptions is a beautiful venue to have a wedding. They are right on the fox river so you will be able to take beautiful pictures. We had our wedding in the lower level room and it was everything we could have ever wanted. Riverside's wedding coordinators and staff were all wonderful to work with. They set up our unique ceremony without any issues. Everything was seemless. They dont charge you for linens, they do all the center peices and they even include the cake in your package! Love them!

What a perfect place to get married. From the minute I walked into Riverside I knew this was the place I wanted to get married. The view of the river is absolutely gorgeous! We got married in July - we had the ceremony and reception at Riverside.

Staff: Everyone is so nice. I had many different conversations with the staff there and each of them was helpful, patient and good advice to give. The day of, I had someone running the ceremony making sure everything went smooth. The staff decorated the place perfectly. The dinner staff were excellent. They take great care of the bridal party.

Food: Let me just say people are still making comments on our food. We had fruit, the strawberry walnut salad and stuffed pork chops. Everyone loved it. many even made comments like "wasnt really sure about the salad but when I tried it, it was delicious!"

We are one of the last friends to get married and let me tell you how great it feels when many of them tell us, that was the best wedding they've ever been to. I'm sure part of it was the fun we provided but it wouldnt have been so perfect if we didnt chose Riverside!

Riverside is a beautiful venue with great staff! Thank you for the great experience!
Bride’s mom,
Linda

Riverside receptions made my dream wedding come true! The staff was on top of everything, the food is to die for and the venue itself is one of a kind. My husband and I couldn’t be any happier with the outcome!

This venue is a hidden gem! We saw this venue after late nights researching, and although it was a little further out than we were initially planning, we knew we had to at least take a tour. Honestly, we should have stopped looking at other venues after that. Every venue we toured was compared to Riverside Receptions, and nothing could top it.

Tina, Renee, and the rest of the team are all so wonderful to work with. They are in the business of making wedding dreams come true. They were so accommodating in ways that we never even imagined. We were in contact mostly with Renee. Renee showed us the venue, answered our seemingly endless questions, met with us for our drop off appointment, worked with us during our rehearsal, and coordinated the lineup for our ceremony. It was nice to see a familiar face at our meetings. She also was very helpful with her suggestions, and she knew what worked and what did not.

The venue itself is gorgeous. We had the lower level for our wedding day. The weather was beautiful in the afternoon, so we took beautiful pictures outside and behind the venue on the river. It rained during our ceremony and dinner. Luckily, we had planned for our ceremony to be inside regardless. The reception room was right on the river with full windows across the whole room and a gorgeous view. Later in the evening, when the rain stopped, our guests were able to spend time outside.

The food was delicious. We enjoyed all the food at our tasting, so we had a hard time making decisions. The food was just as delicious at our wedding. The drinks were also great, and there was never a long wait. Our guests had such a great time. Overall, if we had to do it all again, we would not change a thing.

We highly recommend Riverside Receptions.