The Carlisle Reviews

If I could give The Carlisle a 100 star rating I would because they certainly deserve it! We held my daughter and son-in-laws wedding reception at The Carlisle this past weekend and to say that it was incredible is an understatement. This venue is a hidden gem in the western suburbs of Lombard and hands down beats some of the swanky hotels in the Loop. The room was beautiful and immaculate. We chose the Elite package and upgraded to the seafood/hors d’oeuvers table instead of passed hors d’oeuvers. There were 3 long tables loaded with raw oysters, baked clams, raw and breaded shrimp, caviar, eggrolls, meatballs and vegetable tarts just to name a few of the huge selections offered. We had 300 guests who were able to choose from a filet, sea bass or chicken as their entre’ and every meal was served piping hot. Lastly, the sweet table was spectacular and plentiful. Our guests have all been raving about the food and Martini luge.
Last but certainly not least, Laura Papa, the event manager, is nothing short of AMAZING! She was such a pleasure to work with throughout the planning process and was on site the entire evening. She wasn’t just on site she was in the room throughout the evening making sure everything was perfect. She is truly an asset to this venue. I would not hesitate to book future events at the Carlise.

We had our kids wedding there yesterday (9.28.24) just wanted to say thank you to the whole team and especially to Laura. The event was just perfect. And Laura went above and beyond. Highly recommend this place for any event
Thank you for making our kids ( Bailey and Kamil) day special
Eva Ambroz

We had our wedding ceremony and reception at The Carlisle in November of 2023. As most people, we looked at multiple venues to select the best one for our special day. After visiting several locations, we went to The Carlisle and from the moment we entered we knew this was the one. The Carlisle is very elegant with a lot of mirrors and crystal chandeliers and after meeting with the event planner we were sold. Laura Papa was welcoming, professional and explained everything clearly. She answered all our questions with great detail and made suggestions, but never tried to upsell us. We had found the perfect place for our wedding! Every time we met with Laura, we became more sure that the Carlisle was superior to all other venues. My husband to be, wanted the evening to be magical for me and magical it was! Laura and the staff at the Carlisle were phenomenal. They listened to what we wanted and delivered beyond our expectations. We highly recommend The Carlisle to anyone looking for an elegant, well-run establishment to host any event. There are many venues to choose from in the Chicagoland area ,but if you are looking for a perfect experience, The Carlisle is the best choice hands down.

Can’t recommend enough. Everyone was awesome, food was great, guests had a great time

Our wedding was everything we dreamed of!
Working with Laura was a pleasure. She was so understanding and accommodating especially during a pandemic. She went above and beyond to make sure we were happy and our day was as special as we dreamed it would be!
I will be having other future parties at the the Carlisle and working with Laura!

Overall we had a great experience with the Carlisle for our September 2018 wedding. Nikki was a great coordinator to work with. She was extremely prompt in communicating with us and always answered our emails or phone calls quickly. During the planning process she always contacted us when we had to make decisions or update her on things and gave us more than enough time to make decisions and give her information. We could tell that what we wanted was her first priority. Even when I made the decision to change our chairs a month before, she was happy to do it for us and gave us no grief about it. I was often fickle with some of my decisions, and she was always there to help me. The one thing I wish we had been made aware of more was the different options we could have had for the room, such as curtains or other drapery throughout the room. I brought these up after seeing pictures on the website or other weddings I've seen there, but they were never brought to our attention originally. Because of the extra cost of these we didn't end up using them, but it still would have been nice to be given all options as to how the room could be decorated. Even so, Nikki and the rest of the staff helped to make the room look absolutely beautiful the day of our wedding.

The week before our wedding, we brought in all of our items for the room and wedding for the staff to organize and set up in the room. This was extremely beneficial for us and it was a huge time saver. We had our table numbers, place cards, guest book, card box, etc. all packed up and ready for them, along with directions of where everything needed to go. The fact that we did not have to come in the day before to set this all up was awesome. Some banquet halls will require you to set this all up on your own ahead of time. We loved this aspect of the Carlisle.

The food was delicious and we got endless comments from our guests about how delicious every course of the meal was, especially the steak.

Great Food-Excellent Service-a wonderful place to have a wedding. The Carlisle gave us everything we wanted and more. They went above and beyond to make our wedding day amazing and memoriable. Highly recommend this venue for any special event.

Our wedding reception was a dream! People haven’t stopped talking about how the food was beyond delicious. Our family from New York City said it was the best filet mignon they've ever had and the seafood buffet and pasta and lamb carving stations were amazing. The dessert tables looked gorgeous! The entire place was magical. Most importantly, the wedding coordinator and everyone else at the Carlisle involved in making our night perfect, were the BEST and nicest people to work with!!

I am so happy we chose the Carlisle for our wedding reception. They treat you like family from the moment you walk in. I looked at over 15 venues before deciding to book here, and they gave us the most for the best price. I worked with Maureen and she was AMAZING!!! I cannot recommend the Carlisle enough!!

My new husband and I just had our wedding at the Carlisle on Friday, and we could not be happier with our experience. From the beginning of our search process, the staff at the Carlisle (primarily Stephanie and Maureen) were kind, helpful, and timely in getting back to me. From the time we booked them, I must have sent Stephanie close to 50 emails with all sorts of questions, and she was always kind and incredibly thorough with her responses. Another great thing about the Carlisle is that they were extremely flexible and generous with the contract. There were some aspects of different packages that we loved, some that we didn't love, but Stephanie and Maureen worked with us to be sure that the package we decided on (from the appetizers to the food to the liquor to the chair covers) was exactly perfect for our vision. As the wedding date got closer, and with SO many other things to worry about the day of, I knew that the reception hall was in good hands. We had a very large wedding (250+ people), so we had two of the three rooms, and it looked absolutely stunning. Even though I wasn't there to actually set everything up, the Carlisle staff took care of everything, and when we walked in the doors, EVERYTHING was executed exactly as we wanted it to be (things like our place cards, card table, grandparents' photo table, table numbers, favors, etc). As the night went on, the whole staff was attentive to our needs. The bartenders (we had two bars set up because of the size of the wedding) were fabulous, and many of our friends told us how generous they were with the drinks they were making. The biggest and most common compliment we got throughout the night was how delicious the food was. It was SO GOOD. We had the minestrone soup, Carlisle salad, chicken, steak, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans with red peppers, and hot fudge sundaes, and all of the guests were raving about everything. The night was everything we hoped it'd be and more. Thanks, Carlisle!!

The Carlisle was great! We were able to accommodate our guests with all the food and sweets they could want. The facility was clean and organized. Everything moved nicely and it was smooth sailing all evening. The Carlisle is definitely a great place for a wedding.

The Carlisle was a a perfect choice for our wedding. Kris was amazing to work with very flexible and knowledgable. She added so many little touches that just made the room look stunning. The food was excellent! Everything was over the top and just enchanting.

From the first meeting with the Carlisle to the day of the wedding they handled every aspect of the wedding perfectly! As Parents of the Bride they were fantastic to work with on the details! I would plan another event with them with out a doubt. We have had many compliments about how great the steaks were and the chicken dinners. they worked with us to the very last detail including the surprises that we threw in for the bride and groom!

Very helpful throughout the entire process. Completely on their game the night of our wedding. Everything was perfect and my bride and I did not have to worry about anything, it was all taken care of.

The Carlisle exceeded pur expectaions! They made our day extra special!

The Carlisle was a wonderful venue to have my wedding. I visited the Carlisle and just fell in love with the whole experience. The venue is elegant and has so many different options to make your wedding special. I actually booked my wedding on the first visit to the Carlisle. The event staff there was so accommodating and helpful. When I need assistance or had questions they were quick to respond with ideas. The communication was awesome! The food was unbelievable! The cooks and serving staff met my expectations by going above and beyond with service. I had over 250 guests and was serving a 5 course meal and ALL the food was out on time with great presentation. The Carlisle made special arrangements for the cake I wanted and also added in other great extras. The room was gorgeous and they worked so well with my wedding planner on the design, so that the room was exactly how I pictured it. I would recommend this venue to anyone. The entire package was just wonderful!

The coordinators were amazing and everything turned out perfect! Couldn't have asked for a better reception venue.

The BEST venue! All in one package! The people working there are so accomodating, Megan and Maureen teamed up for my wedding and are very helpful. The manager Peter don't mind if he had to be a bartender on my wedding night as long as they keep the party going! I don't have anything to say bad about them, in fact if I had to get married again, I would do it there! The place is well kept, all the chandeliers are gleaming!

My wedding was the most amazing wedding in the world! The carlisle is a dream to work with!

The Carlisle was amazing. I would recommend them to anyone. They were very flexible and helpful. Our reception was amazinga nd looked amazing because of them.

We loved the Carlisle. They put the room together for the ceremony and then the reception exactly the way I wanted it, and it looked more amazing than I imagined. They set up items such as escort cards, signing book and table favors just the way we asked them too. A lot of attention to detail and the staff was the best. The food is amazing and the service was spot on. The bartender did a great job with our signature drinks and having some requested no alcoholic beverages available.

The Carlisle in Lombard, IL was the best place I could ever have my wedding reception at. The staff was friendly and provided excellent service to my guests. We ordered the chicken picatta, New York strip steak and the seafood mixed grill and all of the food turned out great for 150+ guests. Lauren at The Carlisle did such a lovely job putting out all of my old wedding pictures, guest seating chart and the countless list of other items that were out at the reception. This venue is a great value and the ambiance is sheer elegance!

Amazing venue. My husband and I paid for our own wedding and we were able to make it work. They will work on pricing with you and give you the biggest bang for your buck!

Excellent food and a beautiful venue. Carlisle wedding coordinator provided assistance with every facet of the reception...even a harpist! Highly recommended.

My husband and I had our wedding in June at The Carlisle. We worked with Maureen Micek, she helped us create the wedding of our dreams. The Carlisle went above and beyond what we had expected of our reception venue. They are extremely helpful and are willing to work with the bride and groom with everything they want. We had a wedding of 338 people and each table had amazing service. The food was amazing, the room came out beautifully decorated and our matre'd for the night was super helpful, anything that came up during our reception was taken care of by him. I would definitely recommend The Carlisle to my friends and my family for all of their banquet needs.

Tammy - you are amazing! You really helped us out in every way possible and exceeded any and all of our expectations :) Our reception was beautiful and the food was delicious.

This was a beautiful hall and I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful service!!!!

We had our wedding booked for next summer, and my husband found out he was being deployed this year... they were very flexible and let us move our date. Their packages are wonderful, and they still provide room for changes. I would recommend them to anyone.

Also, invest in the chair covers... it makes the room.

The Carlisle exceeded every expectation I had for our reception. They were so accomodating and the room looked exactly as I imagined it. Many guests have commented on how excellent the food was. Even the cake was outstanding.

The food was excellent, and the room was beautiful!

My wedding was March 20,2015. Stephanie and Maureen were absoutely amazing. These two ladies genuinely care about your special being unforgettable. Every moment was full of bliss..... I know theres no such thing as perfect but my wedding came so close to perfect it was like a fairytale. I received so many compliments on the food and quality of service. Thank-You Carlisle for exceeding our expectations

I would highly recommend working not only with The Carlisle, but Tammi as well. They helped make sure our day was perfect beginning with the planning process through the end of our Wedding Day. Everything was perfect!

It was a very very beautiful reception because of those hard working ladies!

We just had our wedding at the Carlisle on Saturday, April 5th. Everything was wonderful! Megan was our planner, and she was so responsive and helpful with everything. The rooms turned out even more beautiful than I could have imagined. Our only little complaint is that not all tables got served cake. Other than that, it was amazing! :)

Maureen was ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL.. She was very flexible with me by me being an out of state bride. The food was FANTASIC I recommend the Chicken Picatta! I still hear how good the food was. They also did my cake as well. They have a great package that I think people should take advantage of..The Venue is beautiful Peter is very funny as well. I really think that you would have a wonderful time if you decide to have your venue there. Make sure you look on Wedding wire for "Memior of Love" to help you plan your event there. She has AWESOME packages as well and I would highly recommend using her "Full Coordination" package. She is based out of Houston but she traveled to Chicago to help with our day!

they were great to work with and made our reception beautiful, fun, and stress-free!

An amazing place for a wedding, extremely flexible, very easy to work with, and so caring. They included my cake in their rate which was already very reasonable. I got to design my cake myself (sent them photos of what I liked from different cakes) and it turned out BEAUTIFULLY!! Rates were so much value for what I got and during the reception we were so well taken care of from the minute we arrived to the very end. We had a host who stayed for the entire event, even helped packed up gifts at the end, waited on our guests - as they arrived he offered to deliver thier gifts for them to the gift table, etc etc.

The Carlisle did a great job with putting together all our ideas for our wedding day! The food was amazing, the staff was friendly. I highly recommend working with Stephanie. She was so amazing with giving us everything we wanted and somehow making it work with out budget. She's very prompt and always can get in touch with. She was the main reason we didn't go somewhere else!

The Carlisle was phenomenal! Not only did we use this venue for our reception but wedding ceremony as well. One month before the wedding, my on-site coordinator at the Carlisle no longer worked at the venue and I was nervous about who ever they would place us with so close to the wedding, but I could not have been any more satisfied! ALL of the staff were AMAZING! The quality was great! The facility is up to date with a modern feel and I have heard nothing but great things about the food! They were beyond accommodating, making sure they met our every needs. The value was beyond comparison of any other local banquet hall with the same quality! The Carlisle has made my wedding experience one to remember. I am forever grateful for the amazing staff for taking care of us and ensuring that I had the wedding that I ALWAYS dreamed of. Thank you very much!

We had such a great time at our wedding at the Carlisle. The food and service were amazing! I recommend working with Megan as she gets back to you in record time and is very flexible.

I would recommend The Carlisle to anyone getting married!!! My husband and I checked out a ton of places before we decided upon The Carlisle and we chose them because the venue is beautiful, the pricing very reasonable, the staff was easy to work with and very helpful, and the location is convenient. The day of the wedding was perfect. They listened to everything I had told them and they made my room look more beautiful than I could have even imagined. We did modified family style for dinner and there was a lot of food and everything was delicious. Every time we talk to someone who came to our wedding they always talk about how wonderful the food was. There was not one problem with my experience at The Carlisle and I am so happy they helped to make my wedding day perfect!

The carlisle was beautiful and the staff were very professional

While this place was expensive, I would still highly recommend it. The Carlisle has beautiful rooms, and though we used one of the smaller ones, they really were able to make it look huge.

I had my doubts when I saw it empty, but on my wedding day, it looked like a completely new room. My husband raves about the food, but I thought it was average. Not bad, but nothing that blew me away, either. We had a chicken meal that I thought was a little dry.

The cake, though, was perfect. Unfortunately I was so busy that I didn't get to finish mine, but we ordered a devil's food cake, and the taste and way they decorated it were beyond what I expected.

We had some issues with the music when our bridal party was introduced, but aside from that, The Carlisle was great with accomodating our needs. I have to add, my mother-in-law had also booked HUGE events here for her charity, and paid upfront, so needless to say, the staff there knew they could benefit from her good experience. I hate to say that I think this had a little to do with how well they treated us. I hope not, and do hope that they treat everyone as well, but I think they really focused on impressing my mother-in-law specifically.

The Carlisle was definitely the place where our budget stretched a little further. It was nice to have everything included. However, the process of getting to our wedding was stressful. The venue always seemed to get things incorrect. Several things were not as promised on our wedding day.

We were really impressed with the services offered by the Carlisle, so we booked the hall a year and a half in advance. Over the course of that year and half, we experienced awful customer service, which left us feeling incredibly dissatisfied. Our original wedding planner was let go, without our knowledge, & it took over a month for us to get in touch with our new wedding planner (who failed to reach out to us). Although nice, she was impossible to get a hold of, & almost never returned our phone calls. We left so many messages & were promised so many returned phone calls, yet never received them. My husband, inconveniently, had to go in there a few times to confront the staff face to face, just to get our questions or concerns addressed. We were told a week before our wedding the were unable to get that the wine we wanted to be served during dinner (that was written in as a part of our contract), mind you, they had a year and a half from the time we booked to do so. We dropped off our reception decor with instructions as to where and how we wanted it set up, yet the night of our wedding, it was not set up at all how we asked it to be. A big part of the dessert package that we paid for was missing at our reception, & although they have been contacted about that, as well as the refund for the people who did not show (which was also a part of our contract), we are 3 months out & still have yet to receive the reimbursement check, let alone even hear from them about the situation or status of the refund. We haven't even received an apology from their management staff. Although we were thoroughly impressed with the Carlisle and all they had to offer at first, it was truly a planning nightmare to work with them. And as a bride, it means the world to work with people who you know will have your back & make the planning process as smooth & easy for you as possible, since you have SO many other things to worry about. Unfortunately, I can not say that for the Carlisle.

My fiancé and I had an appointment and came in for a wedding tour and information on pricing a few months ago and it was the worst experience we have had in a banquet hall. We were excited to check this place out but our moods changed completely after talking to a lady named Maureen. The moment we walked in, we did not feel welcome. During the quick five minute tour and during our brief meeting, I had the feeling as if we were bothering her... Her attitude really killed our day and hopes of liking this place. She was not enthusiastic or interested in our views; she never asked what we liked. She acted as if it was a problem that we were there and that we weren’t “good enough” for them. The funny thing is that she didn’t even give us a dollar estimate on how much a wedding would be… That didn’t seem to make sense at all to me. When we sat in her office, she simply put the meal options packet in front of us and didn’t say a word, it felt awkward. She also seemed to not give me straight answers on the questions I asked. We really wanted to like this place, but Maureen killed it for us. I wouldn’t recommend this place if you want to be treated with respect or want to feel important. Lacking customer service.