Michelle Sent on 05/20/2013

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Beautiful location and wonderful food and service. Made our wedding the most memorable day. Michelle Walsh-Gallegos

Anna Sent on 08/16/2015

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Denise and Elana were our dream come true! I cannot thank them enough for all their hard work, attention to detail, and going the extra mile to make our dream wedding come true. From day one to the very end of the night, everything went off smoothly because of their help. They both work incredibly hard and will go above and beyond to make sure your vision comes to life. The entire team at the Arboretum was a pleasure to work with as well - we received incredible compliments on the food as well! Delicious short ribs!!!

Alex Sent on 04/14/2017

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Everything about our experience working with the people at the Morton Arboretum and their preferred caterer, Ginkgo Catering, was overwhelmingly positive. They have so many beautiful locations—indoor and outdoor—to choose from (for ceremony and reception sites alike), and phenomenal staff to help you realize your dream wedding, whatever its size or scope. The information available on their website and in their brochures made it really easy to select specific sites and seasonal packages best suited to our needs, and their team of dedicated customer service staff and coordinators guarantees a smooth planning process from beginning to end. Thank you Dana and Colleen! My beautiful wedding wouldn't have been possible without you two!

Danielle Sent on 01/08/2013

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I'd give them 10 stars if it were an option. Of course the location is stunning, but the service and food were spectacular! People are still telling us that our wedding was the most fun they've ever been to. We had cocktail hour outside in front of Thornhill so people could walk around the grounds a little. Dinner was in the Arbor Room and dancing in the Founders Room. Denise and her team were responsive, flexible, friendly and did an absolutely amazing job setting everything up for us. We didn't do a slide show, but instead put out several framed pictures of us and family at all ages, which Denise displayed perfectly. She was very open to all of our unique ideas for the space and layout, but had tons of great suggestions. We were concerned about having 2 separate rooms, but it actually worked out better than having just one room because it gave people options to mingle somewhere away from the loud music and sit if they didn't want to dance. The transition between dinner and dancing was completely smooth.
We worked with Alana for catering and she was just as magnificent. She was responsive all along, and very flexible. For example, my family has a joke tradition of having a tiered rice krispie treat "cake" out and she let us bring that in no problem. I also had my heart set on having cookies that people could take home with them in goodie bags in lieu of a late night snack. It wasn't on the menu but she made sure we had chocolate-dipped cookies set out on the table for people to take.
They do have a steep rental facility fee, which almost caused us not to look at them at all. But their standard bar package was one of the most comprehensive we saw and not having to upgrade that made the total price we paid very comparable to other places we looked at (Maison SAbica, Danada House, Hotel Baker and a few others). We had the chicken with mango salsa, and it was delicious. The Cakery, the security gentlemen and pretty much everything was wonderful. Zero complaints.

C Sent on 04/26/2016

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We had our wedding ceremony and reception at the Thornhill Education Center a few weekends ago and could not have been more thrilled with the Morton Arboretum! The Arboretum was already a place that we loved visiting and when we discovered that it also serves as a wedding venue--and a wedding venue that makes planning the event super easy--it was just a matter of availability. The moment we saw the Thornhill Building we knew it had the look and feel of what we wanted. We thought that if the weather cooperated that we would do the ceremony outside, but the weather was chilly on the day of our wedding and we did the ceremony inside in the Founder's Room (the library). Ultimately, we think this worked out even better! Although the room was a little tight given the number of guests (we had 115), it ended up being such an intimate setting for the ceremony, and also totally gorgeous with sunlight streaming in to the vestibule. The Morton staff was also spectacular. We worked with Denise as our primary venue coordinator and Colleen on catering. Both were wonderful to work with and had everything running like a finely tuned machine on the big day. The Morton catering and event staff was also fabulous--so thoughtful and so very good at what they do. It was a great feeling to sit back and watch our event unfold so perfectly as we were in the hands of professionals who really know how to do their jobs well. Thank you to everyone at the Morton Arboretum for making our day one we will never forget.

Pamela Sent on 10/13/2012

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The Morton Arboretum was a great choice for our wedding. We had a wedding list of 100 people and wanted something classy, unique, and affordable. We not only had great service, beautiful surroundings, but the staff is so well mannered and gave us great detail in attention. The Morton Arboretum not only gave us a ceremony location but also had a backup plan for us in the even that it rained. We plan to visit the Arboretum every year on our anniversary to remember where we started our marriage.

User2456212 Sent on 12/07/2015

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Even though our Wedding was held during their Illuminations event, there were absolutely no issues. They even flexed the start time for us to avoid the crowds at the front gate. The Founders Room at Thornhill was the perfect venue for our very small group (30 People). The guests raved about the dinner.

Michelle Sent on 12/01/2015

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We had an absolutely perfect wedding in the Ginkgo Room at Morton Arboretum in November 2015. The venue itself is so beautiful and unique, and the customer service throughout the whole process was top-notch. The grounds made for beautiful pictures, our food was great (and we received multiple compliments on it from guests) and everything that day (from the set-up, to the "flipping" of our ceremony space into the reception space, to the dinner service, etc.) ran seamlessly. Our planner Dana and our catering manager Jackie in particular were both fantastic. They had every detail handled; answered every question with patience and great recommendations; and were just very kind and easy to work with. We felt so confident in them on our wedding day it was extremely easy to sit back, relax and enjoy the moment. Thanks to Morton for a perfect day and I highly recommend it as a venue for any future brides/grooms.

Suzanne Sent on 11/02/2011

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At the risk of looking over the top, I am assigning 5 stars to every aspect of my wedding and reception experience at the Morton Arboretum. We were married and had our reception in the beautiful, intimate Founder's Room. The staff (Margaret and Brenda) were wonderful to work with great advice, flexibility and excellent oversight on the wedding day.
They worked with the florist to make the room stunning and the food was outstanding from the passed hors d'oeuvres, delicious entrees and sides, and a beautiful delicious cake from The Cakery. The value was outstanding as well, as the price included full liquor and wine service. The dining staff were also lovely and very prompt and professional. Everyone of our family and friends committed favorably on every aspect of their experience at the Arboretum. We selected the Arboretum because of attending a large outdoor wedding and reception in the Gingko Room last summer. We were impressed then and thrilled now!

Allison Sent on 05/08/2018

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We were just married at Thornhill Education Center this past Saturday. Denise Martinez was an amazing venue coordinator. Even though we booked the venue over a year in advance, she was easy to reach, always enthusiastic, ever patient, and organized! I am hearing endless compliments from the bridal party and guests on how smoothly the event went, and how fun and beautiful the venue was. Even when guests were running late due to a line at the entrance, Denise handled the situation, and I never stressed. As a nervous bride, she was a blessing!

Kathryn Sent on 12/28/2021

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The best venue

The Morton Arboretum was the only venue my husband & I visited when planning our wedding back in 2/19. We were sure it was the venue for us after meeting with Kim Wilson, coordinator, and, oh my gosh, was it meant to be... Our original wedding date was 3/21/20 and we had to reschedule multiple times due to COVID safety concerns/mitigations. Each & every time, Kim made clear we would get the SAFE, beautiful wedding we were hoping for when we booked; she & her team followed through on that promise and our wedding was more perfect than I could've even dreamed of. First, let me say that Kim is an absolute angel & one of the hardest working people I've ever known. I was a very worried bride BEFORE the pandemic, and that was amplified with everything going on... but Kim treated me with only kindness, respect, empathy, & patience each time we spoke. She always took the time to write me thoughtful, thorough responses to my millions of questions and concerns, & called me to ease my mind if my emails were especially frantic :) It was a long and stressful process for us to have our wedding, but the stress had nothing to do with the Arboretum- they were on top of everything and consistently calmed my nerves. On our wedding day, the coordinators were on top of everything. They communicated well with all of our vendors & everything was seamless. I am a very anxious person by nature, and because of the tireless work of the Arb staff, I had NO anxiety on the day of our wedding (a few guests/wedding party members even commented on how calm and happy I was). I had so much trust in Kim & her team, I was able to be in the moment & worry about nothing. The bartenders were totally amazing too. Heather was a JOY & Anthony was hilarious. They made sure my husband and I were always taken care of. My family was extremely impressed because they asked that my nephews bring their dad over for the official OK before serving them soda :) Everything was done with such care. The drinks were delicious & there was never a line. I noticed almost all people had drinks in their hands/in front of them throughout the night. It was such a testament to how great the service was. Each and every server was extremely kind & hardworking . They were very intentional about checking in with my husband & me too. Additionally, they were very on top of getting empty and unattended glasses. I didn’t see a single random cup all night. We also had the best experience with catering. First we worked with a lovely individual, who personally called me before our wedding to let me know she had a job change, but she would make sure our new catering contact, Jill, knew every detail - SHE DID & she didn't miss a beat. We know she was insanely busy, but she really took the time to make sure we were happy, satisfied, and taken care of. The food was outstanding. My dad, who is insanely picky, couldn't get over how perfectly the filet was cooked. We had Jim the tram driver for our pictures, and he was so knowledgeable, kind, and flexible. He was a lot of fun to have with our crew. I give all of these details because I want to highlight how personable and caring the staff was at the Arboretum. It was an amazing experience working with them. They have hundreds of weddings a year & made us feel special and valued every step of the way. I would recommend the Arboretum a million times over. Thank you to all who helped make our long-awaited day more perfect than we ever could've imagined.

Elizabeth Sent on 08/05/2019

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Most beautiful venue

We had a small ceremony in the fragrance garden, and it was absolutely beautiful! It exceeded my and my husband's expectations, and blew our families away.

Matthew Sent on 06/19/2022

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Beautiful venue with kind, helpful staff

We had a 100 person wedding at the Thornhill Education Center at Morton Arboretum and it was absolutely perfect. Margaret from Morton and from Ginkgo Catering were both terrific to work with -- incredibly responsive and helpful.

All of the staff during the wedding event were kind and attentive. Had a terrific bartender, too, who people absolutely loved. Great experience!

Elsie Sent on 10/28/2021

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Absolutely amazing!

The Morton Arboretum was the only venue we toured because we knew that it would be beautiful and perfect, and we were not disappointed. Rachel was so easy to work with and answered all of my questions immediately even though she was out of the office on vacation, so you know she cares about her couples! Caryn with catering was also great at answering questions I had about anything at all, and thanks to her suggestions our linens were magnificent. Everyone was so flexible about changing our date due to COVID, and made the situation so much easier to handle. The scenery and venue were beautiful, and our guests also loved being able to explore before the wedding. We basically had the wedding of our dreams!

Elizabeth Sent on 08/14/2015

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I knew all along that I wanted to have our wedding reception at the Morton Arboretum, but my mom needed some convincing. After meeting with Kim Wilson, we immediately booked for our July 2015 wedding! Kim was helpful in answering our questions, responding to emails, and reaching out to determine our needs. Since she works weekends, she does have flexible weekly hours, but I never had trouble getting in touch with her. A few other benefits to a Morton Arboretum wedding are of course the beautiful grounds for taking photos, the free admission for your wedding guests the entire day of your wedding, as well as the ability to bring transportation in on the roads around the Arboretum to get the wedding party to unique and beautiful photo locations. But a really unique service that we decided to offer were tram rides around the Arboretum for our guests! Since we had a church wedding, with photos following the ceremony, there was a bit of downtime for our guests. We decided to offer the narrated tram tours around the Arboretum for our guests to have the opportunity to see the grounds and also to pass their time in between the wedding ceremony and wedding reception. We also offered the tram tours during our cocktail hour so that our guests could grab a drink and go for a 30-minute tour of the Arboretum. Our guests definitely took advantage of this activity and reported that it was amazing!
One of the best features of a Morton Arboretum wedding reception is the beautiful wedding tasting event that couples, along with their family, get to attend. There you get to see set tables, sample the wines, sample the cake, sample much of the food offered, hear music for hire, and even meet floral representatives for hire. It is a beautiful event and is well-organized. At that point we began
working with Jackie in catering, which was a dream come true. Jackie is extremely attentive to details asked questions and made recommendations that I didn’t even know I needed!

Irene Sent on 04/08/2012

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The Morton Arboretum was gorgeous. For my wedding in november, I worked with Denise, the event planner at Morton, and she was fabulous. She was super nice, accommodating, listened to everything I had to say, and worked well with my wedding planner. She is very experienced and down to earth, and she will guide yu in th right direction. The pictures were beautiful. The food was fantastic as well- several people told me it was the best wedding food they ever had. They are very flexible and provide you with a list of preferred vendors but it is not necessary to use them. I would definitely plan another event there!! We had our reception in the ginko room and our ceremony in Thornhill.

Laura Sent on 09/04/2011

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We had been looking at nearby hotels for our wedding when I decided I wanted to check out the Arboretum. Of course it was gorgeous and there was no need to look anywhere else; this was where I had to have the wedding. We decided to have the ceremony indoors in the Founders Room, the cocktail hour on the terrace, and the reception in the Arbor Room. This place is beautiful and made all the hotels that we looked at disgusting. They make you use their caterer and they have a specific cake provider. The cost of the rental is high, but in the end their quote was about the same as the quote one of the hotels gave us. The plate cost isn't as high as most other caterers' which kinda balanced everything out.

Our contact at the Arboretum was Margaret and Classic Fare was Elana. Both were very easy to work with and replied to all my e-mails promptly. The only downside was the contract because you're basically held responsible for all costs if something were to happen and there wasn't a way to get out of that.

I was blown away the day of the wedding. My husband's aunts did a lot of setting up, and the staff helped them as well. I had made a joke to one of my friends to save me some hors devours because we were taking pictures during the cocktail hour. Five minutes after the ceremony and we had our own waiter with a tray of hors devours and he asked if I needed anything else. I was thirsty and he had a glass of water for me within minutes. I felt like a princess the whole night because the staff was on top of everything.

The food was really good so in the end it was actually nice not having to deal with finding a caterer. The reviews I read for The Cakery were awful, but they blew me away too.

Demi Sent on 08/31/2023

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Great experience with Morton arboretum

Morton arboretum was a perfect venue! All of the coordinators were so helpful, from setting up our venue to the way that we wanted- down to the detail, to making sure our food and drink was just as we envisioned. The food was delicious and our venue had stunning greenery in every shot- what more could you want!

Rebecca Sent on 06/19/2013

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When we were not impressed with several other venues that we looked at, I called and spoke with Denise at the Morton Arboretum and she immediately suggested we come see the Thornhill Education Center, since we were having a smaller wedding. It was significantly more affordable than the Ginkgo room in the Visitor Center and when we went to visit, we found that Thornhill was gorgeous and further away from the main entrance, allowing for a more private event. We immediately knew that this was the place we would be married. Leading up to the event, Denise and Brenda (the catering manager) were very responsive and helpful. On the day of our wedding, we were able to take gorgeous photos in the gardens before the ceremony. It started raining about an hour before the ceremony, so we moved it inside to the beautiful Founders Room. They had set up the outdoor site and the indoor site, so we were able to wait until the last minute to make the call about having the ceremony inside or outside. I can't say I am at all dissapointed about moving it inside, as it was equally as beautiful as the natural setting. The ONLY negative part of our experience was the next morning, when we realized that our wedding favors were never put out for our guests to take. I went back to the Arboretum, and we were unable to find them, so I assume they were thrown away. Fortunately we did not spend a significant amount of money on our favors, but we are dissapointed that our guests weren't able to enjoy them. Many of our guests did comment on how much they loved the food, and that the bartenders were excellent. I would recommend this venue to anyone, it was more beautiful and perfect than I ever imagined.

Karen Sent on 08/07/2018

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Thank you to the Morton Arboretum for helping us to create a magical momentous wedding celebration for our daughter at Thornhill on 8.4.18.

Jacqueline Spreengo was amazing to work with as our catering coordinator from beginning to end. Her recommendations and attention to detail were impeccable, and we are grateful for all of her help and to the chef and kitchen staff for preparing such delectable meals!

Jennie Polloway also was incredible with planning every aspect of the venue set-up and her expertise and calming presence were very much appreciated!

We were very impressed with all of the servers, bartenders and set-up crew who attended to every guest and need flawlessly!

It is our great pleasure to highly recommend the Morton Arboretum for it’s beautiful atmosphere and impeccable service!

Holly Sent on 11/18/2021

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They delivered the perfect day!

We visited the Morton Arboretum first as a venue in January 2020, and fell in love with Meadow Lake Point (even in the frost!) as a wedding venue. We initially planned to have our wedding in the Gingko Room, but were able to work with the Arboretum to switch to the White Pine Pavillion when concerns about eating indoors prompted us to make alternative plans. We can’t say enough about how terrific the Arboretum were to work with through the whole process, and how much we will cherish being able to come back here for years and decades to come.

We worked with Jennie Polloway from start to finish, and with Caryn Adams on catering in the last few months. Jennie was a true star, a seasoned veteran, who made sure everything worked out perfectly and just as we wanted it. Caryn was enormously attentive and kind, and made us feel like really special clients. They both delivered a perfect event on the day of, with seamless service and delicious food. They were even able to make possible our signature cocktails, a gin-gin and an aperol spritz! We didn’t add any additional lights or decorations to the tent beyond florals, but the strings of lights they have and the included tablecloths are bright and cheery enough to make the space delightful.

Guests told us, and keep telling us months later, how much fun they had at our wedding and how perfect the location was. It’s a great place, the Morton Arb. We couldn’t recommend it more.

Jill Sent on 11/26/2014

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Everyone at the Arboretum was wondeful. We had so many guests tell us that the food/catering was amazing and it was!!!!

User980728 Sent on 10/19/2012

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The Morton Arboretum was a beautiful venue for my wedding! Margaret Martin was so helpful and always responded to my e-mails and questions in a timely manner! The servers were amazing and paid attention to all the little details. My husband and I actually had our own server that followed us around and got us whatever we needed! They were so attentive and helpful!

User2118698 Sent on 05/04/2015

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I booked with Dana in December for an October wedding and have been thrilled with everyone I have worked with. Dana went on maternity leave and I worked with Denise while she was out. Both women have been speedy with communicating and great assisting me with any questions I've had. I am extremely impressed with the teamwork they have shown and feel confident that I am in good hands with everyone I have worked with.

Courtney Sent on 11/02/2011

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The Morton Arboretum was great to work with! They made my wedding day at the Arboretum (both ceremony and reception) seemless and handled everything! The wait staff was very proffessional and took care of any needs we had and the rest of the staff was also very professional and did an amazing job! I would recommend this venue to anyone wanting to have their wedding at the Arboretum. Everything went smoothly and I didn't have anything to worry about. From the very beginning, working with everyone over there was great- they were professional, courteous and responded quickly to any need we had prior to the wedding. The day of- things I didn't even think of, they handled it for me. They went above and beyond to make our day extra special. Everyone I speak with who attended our wedding, said they had a great time and enjoyed being at the Morton Arboretum and it looked beautful! I definitely recommend this venue if you are looking to have a ceremony and/or reception in a beautful venue.

Rachel Sent on 01/10/2025

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We loved our Morton Arboretum wedding!

We were very happy with the Morton Arboretum and Ginkgo Catering for our June wedding! Our ceremony was in the beautiful Founders Room, and our reception was just down the hall in the Arbor Room. Jennie and Lisa, our venue and catering coordinators, were both easy to work with and answered all our questions throughout the process. The food was tasty, and we felt so taken care of by the staff on our big day! Also, one of the biggest reasons we chose the Morton Arboretum is because of their dedication to sustainability and environmentalism. It was so reassuring to know that our money went toward such an important organization and that they follow sustainable practices, like composting uneaten food instead of just tossing it. This is probably the most waste-producing event we’ll ever host, so having a venue that cares about sustainability was incredibly important to us. We definitely recommend the Morton Arboretum!

Megan Sent on 05/17/2013

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We recently had our wedding at Morton Arboretum on 4/20/13. We worked with Denise and she was absolutely amazing! She made sure our day was just as we had hoped and went above and beyond to accommodate our needs. The food was amazing we have guests that are still commenting how good the food was... The transformation of the room was beyond my expectations!

Amanda Sent on 12/30/2019

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Beautiful venue and amazing staff!

When we decided on a fall wedding, my husband and I immediately thought of the Morton Arboretum for its beautiful grounds. We met with Kim and she was extremely kind, thorough, and professional in explaining all of the pricing options and packages. We also had our tasting with Jacqueline (since Morton requires use of their in-house caterer) and she was very flexible and helpful! The food was AMAZING - we had a brunch wedding with mimosas and everyone loved it. The staff during the wedding were so on top of things and everything was extremely well run. For a beautiful venue, amazing food, and professional staff, I highly recommend Morton Arboretum!

Cameron Sent on 06/12/2024

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A Perfect Day

We recently had the pleasure of hosting a wedding at the Morton Arboretum, and it was an exceptional experience. The venue itself is breathtaking, with beautiful landscapes that provided the perfect backdrop for the ceremony and photos. Working with Denise was an absolute delight; she was incredibly flexible, kind, friendly, and responsive throughout the entire planning process. Her professionalism and warm demeanor made everything run smoothly and stress-free. We highly recommend the Morton Arboretum for anyone looking for a stunning venue with outstanding service.

Heidi Sent on 08/06/2017

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The Morton Arboretum is beautiful!! It's easy to have a beautiful wedding here because the setting is gorgeous. We went with ceremony on the Thornhill lawn, dinner in the arbor room and dancing on the Thornhill lawn patio - chose this site because the lawn space was so expansive and the arbor room opened right onto the lawn. It was a very convenient layout with an indoor/outdoor feel. We worked with Denise throughout the entire planning process, and she was incredibly responsive and helpful. The food was wonderful and the service was great - Denise was on site throughout the entire event to ensure that everything went smoothly.

Roxana Sent on 08/28/2017

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Our July 2017 outdoor wedding ceremony in The Hedge Garden was absolutely stunning!!
Our coordinator Jennie P, has been phenomenal during the entire planning process! Jennie welcomed us on our wedding day as well! Jennie was prompt and very responsive to emails! It was an absolute pleasure having her as our coordinator.
The Hedge Garden is a gorgeous setting for an outdoor ceremony! It was beautiful and perfect. We had plenty of time within our rental timeframe. White ceremony wooden chairs were beautiful and Morton Arb takes care of their setup and take away.
The Morton Arboretum is gorgeous and so well maintained!! Staff is very friendly and courteous.
All of my questions and requests were listened to and respected for our ceremony!

Thank you so much Jennie P!!

Roxana and Dan

Emliy Sent on 06/30/2013

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We chose the Morton Arboretum for our ceremony and reception. We wanted to have an outdoor wedding and their Hedge Garden was the perfect spot for that. It was secluded and inmate and the weather turned out to be absolutely gorgeous on our wedding day. We had our cocktail hour both out on the terrace and in the Visitor's Center. Our reception took place in the Ginkgo Room which has floor to ceiling glass walls overlooking the lake making it seem like you were still outside. We loved that you could still enjoy the gorgeous views of their grounds the entire evening.

Margaret and Brenda were wonderful to work with. They were both very professional, flexible, and timely in their responses. They made sure everything was just how we wanted it and were happy to make adjustments.

The wait staff were also very professional and made sure that all of our guests were taken care of.

The overall experience of having our wedding at the Morton Arboretum was so magical. I would not change a thing!

Michael Sent on 09/24/2011

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We had a very beautiful reception at Morton Arboretum on August 27 with wonderful weather. Margaret and Elana were a joy to work with, even up through the final weekend allowing us to get everything just right. The venue is beautiful, and all the guests were raving about the location and the outdoor beauty. The staff was also amazing, I even had a waiter following me around with a personal appetizer tray! I also heard from multiple guests that the filet was "the best they ever had". I would definitely recommend this location for receptions for anyone!

Cherina Sent on 06/20/2019

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Beyond Expectations

The Morton Arboretum is beautiful with it's landscaping, flowers, and lakes. You cannot go wrong with this venue. Whether you are looking for indoor or outdoor - they will exceed your expectations.

Catherine Sent on 09/22/2013

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The Morton Arboretum was a perfect venue for my wedding. I had looked at many places large enough to host 300 guests and most places I toured looked like a banquet hall and lacked character. As soon as I saw the Ginko Room, with the floor to ceiling windows, I knew the arboretum was the place for me. I was extremely happy with how everything came together the day of the wedding. The entire staff from the wait staff to the security man were very professional and helpful throughout the evening. Many guests commented on the beautiful location and wonderful food. I would highly recommend the Morton Arboretum to future brides!

Kristopher Sent on 05/04/2015

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We had a short list of wedding location possibilities and our first visit was to the Morton Arboretum. We decided then and there that it was the perfect place to hold our ceremony and reception. They did a fantastic job with our wedding. Our ceremony was outdoors and it was beautiful. The reception was in the Ginkgo Room and it was breathtaking. Also, the service was fantastic. Our main contact, Denise Martinez, was with us every step of the way from our first visit to making sure we each got to taste the hors d'oeuvres on our big day, which we otherwise would have been too busy to try. The servers and bartender were great. The food was delicious. One of the words that people keep using to describe our wedding is "classy" and we believe that a big part of that is the location. Thank you for helping make our big day perfect!

Christine Sent on 12/24/2011

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Morton Arboretum did an outstanding job. The venue was beautiful, the team was professional and the food was amazing! So happy we chose this venue!

Brad Sent on 10/03/2018

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We had our wedding on Sept 21 at the Thornhill Education Center and it was gorgeous. The flowers were still in bloom and everything was so green that it was easy to find great spots for pictures. We would highly recommend Thornhill as it is tucked away on the other side of the Arboretum and there isn't a lot of traffic from other Arboretum visitors. It was the first venue we looked at and no one else could even come close. Dana was our event coordinator and she was so sweet and let us come in and meet with her to discuss details as things changed and we picked out our colors as much as we wanted. She was happy to make any adjustments to seating and venue layout and was there the day of to make sure everything went smoothly. The catering package was top notch and our guests commented on how good the food was (anyone who has been to a catered wedding knows this is high praise). The cake from the Cakery was just as we wanted and Elana in the catering department even made sure our Vegan vendors got an appropriate meal even though that wasn't one of our meal choices. Highly recommend for a wonderful wedding day!

Caitlin Sent on 12/03/2021

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Wonderful experience from start to finish

I have nothing but glowing things to say about the Arboretum. My husband and I were supposed to get married in March of 2020. Two weeks before our day, the world shut down. It was chaotic on a lot of levels, but Margaret and Elana were incredible. They helped us reschedule (twice) and then helped us plan a much smaller intimate ceremony when it was clear we could not have our planned wedding in 2020 at all.

Fast forward 1.5 years to August 2021 - the day was perfect. The venue really is stunning, the food was very good, and the staff were absolutely wonderful. Friendly, attentive, and kind to us and our guests. Our reception was in the Gingko room and I can honestly say I was stunned by how beautiful it looked (we were very fortunate to have a sunny day). You do not need to do a lot of "up-lighting" or anything to make the venue beautiful (which is what I was looking for). Long review to say 10 stars, if you are considering the venue I can assure you the staff will do everything possible to ensure your day goes off without a hitch.

Jeanne Sent on 11/02/2015

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We had our ceremony and our reception at the Morton Arboretum (the Thornhill Education Center building) two days ago on Halloween. It was a dream come true. We worked with Denise to plan the wedding and Jackie in catering. Both ladies were extremely kind, thoughtful and a real pleasure to work with. My wedding was exactly what we had in mind...they helped to make it effortless and beautiful. I am still receiving emails letting telling me how lovely the venue was and how flawless everything went. Denise, Jackie and the staff that continued to "cover" things as the evening wore on were on top of everything....I didn't have to worry about a thing. The wait staff was polite, kind and very attentive as they served us during the cocktail hour and dinner. I couldn't possibly be happier.

Shannon Sent on 10/25/2022

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Amazing and detail oriented. Superb staff!

Denise, Jill, and their staff were amazing! Even in our first visit in the middle of winter, Morton Arboretum looked like a magical place to get married. Both Denise and Jill were so helpful to work with during the course of preparing for our wedding. We had a daytime wedding and chose the brunch menu. All of our guests commented on how beautiful everything was and of course about the tasty food!! When I wasn’t totally sure about tablecloth colors and menu items both Denise and Jill were able to offer up suggestions from their expertise. Thank you so much! Our day was made extra special because of Denise and Jill.

Aimee Sent on 07/29/2008

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A beautiful place to get married and a beautiful reception site. The rental staff was great, so helpful and considerate. The accommodations were breath-taking. I can't imagine my wedding any other way. It was perfect.

Meghan Sent on 10/28/2012

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We had our ceremony and reception here. The venue is breathtaking, and my guests were thrilled with the location. Perfect location, great people to work with. Could not have asked for a better place.

Christa Sent on 07/21/2021

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The perfect venue

Jenny and her team at the Morton Arboretum are amazing! We were so stressed about canceling due to Covid but she always kept in touch and let us know about any updates. We were able to simply push it back a few weeks and change sites and everything was great after. It was a beautiful day in May and flowers were in bloom. Everything was perfect!

Katie Sent on 03/25/2021

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Beautiful Day

Everything was easy to work with and loved the online portal! It was beautiful and everything was perfect!

Ryan Sent on 11/11/2024

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Denise is the very best!

My wife and I got married this summer, and chose the Thornhill Education Center for our wedding venue. The Morton Arboretum had everything we needed for a beautiful wedding and reception, where all the photos from our special day feature scenic trees, flowers, and rolling grassy hills.

We had the privilege of working with Denise for all our wedding needs. Denise was incredibly experienced, helpful, and guided us through the entire process. She recommended great vendors and was always there when we had questions. She anticipated so many of our needs, and made the big day so special!

Denise also helped us connect with Jill, our contact for the venue's catering team. The food was extraordinary. It might sound a bit weird, but my wife and I didn't know our wedding day would feature the world's most delicious mashed potatoes. Jill and the team were so friendly, personally stopping by to make sure the food was perfect (it was) and made sure we had everything we needed. And seriously the mashed potatoes were SO GOOD!

I cannot imagine our wedding anywhere but the Morton Arboretum, and we are so grateful for the perfect weather and the beautiful memories we created there!

Rachel Sent on 12/19/2014

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Margaret was very helpful and responsive from the beginning. They entire place just made me feel comfortable and confident that I would have a very special wedding there! The catering company that they have in house is also demonstrating a lot of flexibility to help create my perfect menu!

User1118984 Sent on 03/26/2013

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My husband and I wanted to have an Enchanted Forest themed wedding, and the Morton Arboreum was the perfect location for this! His cousin had gotten married at the Morton Arboretum's "Ginko Room" in the Visitor's Center so we were familiar with the location. We both wanted to get married in the suburbs to make it easier for our guests, but we knew we wanted something more unique. The Morton Arboretum had another location available for weddings at the "Thornhill Education Center" which boasts an all birch library for the ceremony (we got married in the winter) and a beautiful neutral, hard wood floor reception space in the room next door. The location was absolutely stunning --- guests drove through the forest to get to the building and the library was such a hit. In the reception space, the Morton Arboretum lit the outdoor patio so all of the guests could see the forest shining through in the floor to ceiling windows behind our head table. For a small wedding of 75 this location was stunning. In regards to the service, I cannot say enough amazing things about my wedding coordinator Denise Martinez. She was my favorite part about the wedding planning process. She was always there to meet with me (on-site!) everytime I wanted to see the space again and to discuss details of what we could do -- and I honestly was there at least 5 or so times in a year and a half. A lot of our wedding was DIY by me and Denise was more than willing to accommodate ALL of my DIY projects by setting everything up. I was very worried that the decor wouldn't be set the way I planned but Denise was amazing! Everything looked exactly the way I wanted and she was so helpful as we planned, during the rehearsal AND during the wedding itself. I can't say enough great things about the location and Denise. Please, please, please go see the Arboretum if your looking for a unique space that boasts STUNNING views for a smaller sized wedding.

Elyse Sent on 07/03/2018

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My now husband and I chose the Morton Arboretum for our wedding reception this past June. We worked with Dana and Caryn. Throughout the entire planning process, these two ladies were fabulous to work with. Both had great availability to meet, they responded to all emails and phone calls promptly, and were overall extremely accommodating. Dana and Caryn always had a smile on their faces and were excited to help us make this our dream wedding. The reception itself was wonderful. The food and service were outstanding, which we received multiple compliments on from our guests. We could not have asked for a better planning experience or wedding day!

Melissa Sent on 08/06/2008

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The arboretum was beautiful and perfect for our outdoor ceremony in July. Besides the amazing background for pictures, the arboretum uses Classic Fare catering, which did an excellent job with our reception. We couldn't have asked for more. Everything was wonderful and we received many compliments of how beautiful everything was. We worked closely with Steve Fyfe, the catering manager, and he was extremely helpful and professional. I would highly recommend having your ceremony and reception all at the arboretum!

Lara Sent on 10/24/2018

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Natural beauty and professional and efficient staff

The Morton Arboretum is an absolutely gorgeous place to get married. My husband and I got married at Meadow Lake Pointe, and had our reception at the Gingko Room. The Gingko Room has floor to ceiling windows that overlook Meadow Lake as well as the tree where we got married :). We loved this combination. Everyone at our wedding commented on how beautiful our venue was. We also had our first look at the Spruce Plot, and we absolutely love the pictures! Kim and Elana were our venue and catering contacts, and they did an excellent job coordinating with us. One of the groomsmen also got married at the Arboretum in the past, which is how we got the idea to get married there, and one of the bridesmaids is going to get married there next year too! We love the Arboretum!

Amy F. Sent on 03/21/2019

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Beautiful Space

Beautiful space, amazing atmosphere. Intimate and romantic. Thornhill Center was the perfect site

Julianne Sent on 10/16/2022

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A Beautiful Venue!

We loved having our wedding at the White Pine Pavilion of the Morton Arboretum (about 95 guests) and got so many compliments about the venue! We ended up booking the arboretum for our wedding just 9 months before our planned June date after finding out our original venue was going out of business. It was such a stressful scramble to get everything back on track after the venue shift, but Denise was an absolute pleasure to work with. My husband and I both agree we are so glad that we ended up changing venues (even if it obviously wasn't our original plan)! She was so patient with my many questions and was super prompt in responding. Not only that, but she was so much more flexible than our original venue to accommodate our vision and the preferences of the other vendors. There ended up being severe weather (including lightning!) on our wedding day and Denise worked with our wedding planner through several different iterations of plans as the weather forecast kept changing in order to make sure our guests were safe and that we could execute our original vision as closely as possible. It was a huge success! We also enjoyed working with Alicia in Gingko Catering who was also very accommodating through the food selection process. Thank you so much to the whole arboretum team for all of your hard work and for helping make our day so beautiful and special.

Tia Sent on 06/17/2012

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I just had my wedding at the Hedge garden & Gingko dining room and I just wanted to say they were amazing to us. They offer an amazing array of catering service and I had a hard time narrowing this down. Everyone love the food and the venue and they were so accommodating to us. They were so helpful during the wedding that I just couldn't ask for anything more. The service was so on time without interrupting the flow of the wedding. It could not be a more perfect day for us and I am so glad we choose this venue. Our photo couldn't have turn out more beautiful.

Monika Sent on 09/08/2015

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We booked with Denise at the Morton Arboretum and couldn't be happier with her service. responsiveness, professionalism, and overall everything she did for us, including going out of her way to help us last minute with something I forgot to purchase! She is a truly caring and passionate person and we consider her a friend! The space is beautiful and she accommodated our needs in every way she could! I am so sad our day is over but I hope that someone else can make their dreams come true by using her! Feel free to message me with any more questions! Colleen was our catering coordinator and she also was a great pleasure to work with! She saw me at my worst when I had a panic bridezilla attack for something that was silly and she found a way to calm me down, relax, and helped me enjoy the moment!

Christina Sent on 11/23/2023

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Stunning Wedding Backdrop

We couldn’t have been happier to have our wedding at The Morton Arboretum. From the start of the planning process, we felt supported by our facility coordinator, Jennie, and Alicia, our catering coordinator. The grounds were absolutely stunning for pictures and guests appreciated the opportunity to visit the arboretum on our wedding day, prior to festivities. The regular communication and updates from Jennie and Alicia were very helpful throughout our planning and helped us prepare for a very smooth day of. Our only surprise was seeing around 200 other people at the group tasting, which made it difficult to get one on one time with the staff. Alicia, Jennie, and the Chef went above and beyond to accommodate our additional requests. We were very happy with the food on our wedding day and our guests have been raving about it too! The partnership with DeEtta’s Bakery worked out perfectly and we were incredibly happy with our cake. The Ginkgo room was the perfect backdrop to our special day. We are so happy with our experience at The Morton Arboretum and look forward to visiting again.

Amanda Sent on 10/24/2020

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Pacetti/Huff Wedding 09.25.2020

Where and how to I even begin to put into words how wonderful our wedding was because of The Morton Arboretum. I'd like to start off by saying Jennie and Jacqueline are angels! We had them both to aid in the wedding planning process. Jennie made planning a wedding during a pandemic less stressful. It's comforting knowing no matter what the world threw at us, we would get married at The Morton Arboretum. They both assured us everything would work out and it did. Jennie and Jacqueline suggested so many beautiful ideas in order to make our day perfect. Pandemic or not I wouldn't change anything about our day and I can't thank this beautiful place enough. Not only does The Morton Arboretum have natural beauty but the food is AMAZING! If budget is a concern, they have many options to fit your budget and wedding size. Our family still rave about how perfect our wedding was and beautiful. I promise if you visit there, it will be impossible to not fall in love with this beautiful place. Here are some pictures to prove it!
The Thornhill Education Center
Ceremony- Four Seasons Garden
Reception- Arbor Room

+6 photos

Michele Sent on 10/12/2009

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We used the Gingko room for our reception. The grounds are beautiful, and the catering was the best around. All of our guests said that this was the best wedding food that they had ever had. Great quality...Steve was the person in catering that we worked with. He was great. Denise was our facility contact, and she also was great to work with. This place is great for the people that have a small to medium/large wedding planned, but do not want to go the traditional banquet route.

Pamela Sent on 09/19/2012

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I loved this venue. Our wedding was magical and the food was fantastic. Ask to work with Kim Wilson as she cares so much and does such an amazing job.

In the summer months, make sure you scout the location of your wedding because there are mosquitos everywhere. We simply moved our ceremony site from the shade to the sun and solved the problem.

Michael Sent on 09/22/2019

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Amazing Venue

My Wife and I loved this choice of Venue secondary to the setting of the arboretum and how beautiful the place is. We had our ceremony in the Thornhill Education center out on the patio and the reception in the same location in the Arbor room. The guests really enjoyed the inviting scenic background and the quality of the venue.

Jessica Sent on 10/03/2016

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We had our ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception at the Thornhill Education Center at the Morton Arboretum a couple of weeks ago. We could not have asked for a better venue and team to work with. Denise was our facility coordinator and she was super easy to work with since day 1. I don't know what we would have done without her and the catering team. The day of our wedding went very smoothly. The scenery, space, and food were amazing. Our guests are still raving about our wedding. We definitely recommend hosting a wedding or any event at the Morton Arboretum.

Amy Sent on 09/15/2011

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The Arboretum is a beautiful place to have a wedding! We had our ceremony on the Morton Terrace off the Arbor Room, with our reception being in the Arbor Room. The weather was great the day of our wedding, but if it would have rained the ceremony would have been inside the Arbor Room, not the ideal situation. We worked with Denise for the room rental and set-up. We worked with Brenda for the catering. Both were very easy and accomodating to work with. The responsiveness from both were not always the best, but I will say that they do a lot of weddings so they know when contact with the bride and groom is needed. I would not let their responsiveness turn you away from having a beautiful wedding at the Arboretum.

April Sent on 09/22/2013

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The Morton Arboretum was the perfect backdrop to our wedding and made for a very memorable day! It was a pleasure working with Margaret and Brenda. They were both very accommodating throughout the entire process and allowed for the day to run very smoothly. The menu selections were amazing and everything looked and tasted great! Everything was setup perfectly for our ceremony and reception and the entire staff at the Morton Arboretum and Classic Fare Catering were courteous and professional and did an excellent job. We certainly enjoyed having our wedding at the Arboretum and we definitely recommend this venue to others.

Christina Sent on 11/25/2016

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We recently got married in the Hedge Garden at the Morton Arboretum. The ceremony was absolutely beautiful! We had enough chairs to support all 220 guests. In addition, we took some beautiful pictures around the grounds both before and after our ceremony. Our cocktail hour and reception were in the welcome center and Ginkgo room. Once again, we were blown away at the beauty of the space. The food was delicious all the way from appetizers, to salads, to dinner. In addition, the staff was friendly and accommodating. The space available for dancing was also perfect. All in all, we had the PERFECT wedding at the Morton Arboretum and I would strongly suggest using it for a wedding!

Shannon Sent on 05/29/2010

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The Morton Arboretum was one of the best choices we made throughout the wedding process. Hedge garden/Ginko room were amazing venue choices for the ceremony and reception! Worked with Denise and Chris, who both did so much to make our day great and work within our means.
Staff and food were wonderful! My only issues were that our emails took a little while to receive responses and the building fee was a little high for what it included, but Denise did her best to get the price down a little.
Overall, we LOVED the Morton Arboretum!

Amanda Sent on 11/19/2010

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The Morton Arboretum was a wonderful place to host our reception. They allowed us to take the morning to take pictures on the grounds prior to our reception. The wedding assistant (Denise) and Classic Fare Catering Head (Steve) were both wonderful and easy to work with. The place looked more beautiful that I could have imagined our our wedding night.

Kim Sent on 07/14/2019

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Gorgeous venue with excellent staff

The arboretum is beautiful, has amazing food, and excellent staff who make everything as stress free and easy as possible.

I got married at the thornhill building. We had our ceremony on the patio and I did not need to worry about any decor, because it is already surrounded by flowers with a vast field behind it. We moved into the founders room for cocktail hour. The founders room has magnificent woodwork and stained glass windows. From there we moved into the arbor room for the reception. The arbor room is more plain, but great when decorated.

Everyone loved the food. I always hear that brides end up not able to eat at their own wedding, but I made sure I wasn’t left out.

Most importantly was how well the everything was under control. I had great meetings in the planning process to pick out food and linens. All of my vendors had a contact at the arboretum for set up, so I didn’t need to worry about logistics. They even helped cue the bridal party for the ceremony.

User988253 Sent on 10/24/2012

4.8 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating

Morton Arboretum was my primary choice for my wedding venue. We were married in the Founders Room in the Thornhill Education Center, and I received so many compliments on the beautiful setting. Our pictures were outside near the Fragrance Garden, Joy Path, and the Morton Terrace and everyone commented on how beautiful it was. Parking was easy and free, and the breathtaking drive to the Education Center was amazing. I would definitely recommend the Morton Arboretum to others, its a unique, beautiful setting!

Amber Sent on 09/27/2016

4.8 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
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We booked our wedding and reception at the Thornhill Education Center of the Morton Arboretum. It was perfect, and off the beaten path. We had an outdoor ceremony and indoor reception and the staff at the Morton Arboretum was professional, easy to work with and made my life a little bit easier. Plus, the grounds are stunning (as always). The nice thing about working with the Arboretum is that you are given a coordinator to work with. Dana was amazing! My only complaint would be that she was a little hard to reach during the final few weeks, but I understand that she works an off schedule (weekends and whatnot). All in all, it was the perfect day and I would recommend picking the Morton Arboretum to anyone! Oh, and the food & wine was fantastic.

Marnie Sent on 12/19/2019

4.8 out of 5 rating

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4 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating

perfection!

Our late fall wedding at the morton arboretum was absolutely perfect! We worked with Denise for all room rental/logistic details, and with Caryn for all catering details. Both were lovely and did a great job making sure our vision came to life! We used the ginkgo room for both the ceremony and the reception. All of our guests raved about the food, from the passed appetizers, to the salads, to the main course. We loved being able to use the gorgeous grounds for all of our photos. We also were able to use the beautiful founder's room in the thornhill center for our first look! And an added bonus, the illumination lights were on at night, which added an amazing element to our reception since the ginkgo room is full of windows to see them! Our day couldn't have been more perfect.

Michelle Sent on 09/28/2008

4.8 out of 5 rating

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4 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating

The staff was extremley helpful and responsive. The area is beautiful. It was perfect!

Deanna Sent on 09/01/2015

4.8 out of 5 rating

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4.5 out of 5 rating
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4.5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating

We could not have picked a more beautiful venue. My coordinator was very responsive and helpful when it came to all of my questions and needs. The ceremony, cocktails, and reception room all looked beautiful. My only reason for the -0.2 was that on the day of I couldn't get a hold of my coordinator a few times when I needed to and hoped she and the MA would be a bit more helpful guiding guests and the groomsmen on where the go when the arrived. But overall we could not have picked a better venue.

Kim Sent on 11/03/2011

4.7 out of 5 rating

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4.5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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4.5 out of 5 rating
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4.5 out of 5 rating

It was truly a pleasure to work with Denise and Elana at Morton Arboretum/Classic Fare Catering. I sensed we were in good hands based on the meetings, follow up, communication and overall reputation. In addition, their experience, input and guidance was invaluable. On our wedding day I was truly overwhelmed at just how much care, dedication and professionalism were demonstrated by the coordinators and staff. We were treated so very well, all of our wishes were respected and our vision became realilty that day.
In a nutshell, our expectations were exceeded.

Cm Sent on 01/11/2012

4.7 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4.5 out of 5 rating
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4.5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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4.5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating

I could not have dreamed of a better place to have my wedding reception. Everything about my experience at the Arboretum was top notch. As I am sure every bride does, I received compliments throughout the night about how beautiful the grounds were and how great the food was.

The staff was great both leading up to our event and the night of the wedding. I called the event coordinator about 3 days before our wedding and asked if we could do a signature cocktail, to which they agreed. This was a nice personal touch that all of my guests enjoyed.

Coming from a family of foodies, I wanted to make sure the food was great. All of my guests truly enjoyed all of the food that we sereved. The only two things that kept me from giving 5s are 1) They told us that they would hold a few pieces of each hours d' vours aside for myself and my husband. This never happened and I never even got offered any by the wait staff. 2) If you have guests that don't show up, they apparently keep the food that you have paid for and feed it to the wait staff. These two things kid of ticked me off a little.

Sara Sent on 10/24/2012

4.7 out of 5 rating

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5 out of 5 rating
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3.5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating

I just had my ceremony at the Morton Arbortetum and it blew my mind. The venue is GORGEOUS!! It rained on and off all day and I was still able to take fabulous pictures outside. The staff was amazing at the reception as well. My husband and I had are own servers that brought us whatever we needed all night long. Kim and Elana were amazing at putting all the details together and were so patient when my dad wanted to meet with them a million times prior to the wedding. I have received so many compliments on my wedding venue - it was completely breathtaking!

Erica Sent on 01/24/2019

4.6 out of 5 rating

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5 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating

Beautiful venue, even in winter!

We had our wedding in the Morton Arboretum Thornhill Education Center in early January and were thrilled with the quality of service and experience at the venue. The venue is beautiful, convenient to use - especially for elderly guests, and reasonable (especially with the winter discount!). But what really made the venue special was the people. Jacqueline at Ginkgo catering and Dana from the Arboretum's event planning team were both genuinely kind, warm-hearted people who made us feel comfortable, heard, and appreciated as clients. I really appreciated their flexibility and attention to detail, and I know working with them made our day that much more enjoyable because we knew we were in good hands.

Maggie Sent on 12/31/2012

4.6 out of 5 rating

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5 out of 5 rating
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3 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating

I had my wedding at Morton Arboretum in early August and could not have been happier. I worked with Margaret and Brenda and they were both so fantastic.

We had a smaller wedding (75 people), so we were able to do it on the west side. Our ceremony was on the Morton Terrance, dinner was in the Arbor Room, and dancing was back outside on the terrace. We also rented the Founders Room as a ceremony back up site. I can not empasize enough how reasonably priced this was. The Ginkgo Room and catering requirements are expensive, but that's only if you're having a larger wedding. Morton Arboretum has so many great ceremony and reception site options for medium and smallish weddings!

My husband and I wanted to be a little different and serve all bar type food for dinner. Brenda worked with me to come up with the perfect menu, again at a totally reasonable price. She even got us a nacho cheese machine for our nacho station. I had a signature cocktail of blueberry vodka and lemonade served during the cocktail hour and they helped to make that special as well. They really just do everything in an elegant and tasteful way.

The staff really worked to make sure everything was perfect and made the day special and totally stress-free. I don't usually write reviews, but I used them a lot in my wedding planning process. If you are considering this venue, I can tell you that I would go with it again in a heart beat!

April Sent on 11/19/2009

4.6 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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4.5 out of 5 rating
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4.5 out of 5 rating

This is one of the most beautiful outdoor wedding locations we found. Perfect for photography, good location out of the city with ample parking. The staff is very knowledgeable and assisted in every angle, from set-up to making sure the entire day ran smoothly. The caterer that is on staff and does all the weddings, does a fantastic job. We received many compliments on the food.

It's truly a perfect place for any size wedding whether indoors or outdoors. Just make sure to plan ahead and mind the weather... make the back-up plan just in case it does rain.

Jenna Sent on 10/11/2012

4.6 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4.5 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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4.5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating

I had both my ceremony and reception at the Arboretum.
Denise and Elana were exception in assisting me with planning my entire event. They provided suggestions and assisted with my every need. The ceremony and reception were ABSOLUTELY STUNNING. You may pay a bit more in reception rental but well worth it. The food was rather good and at a very reasonable cost for 4.5 hours of open bar as well. The wait staff was very attentive and professional. The Morton Arboretum security was also well informed and very helpful in any need I had. I strongly recommend this venue, along with Denise and Elana

User1978958 Sent on 03/04/2015

4.6 out of 5 rating

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5 out of 5 rating
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3 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating

This is a beautiful place, and Kim really seemed know what she was talking about in terms of what couples would be looking for in various venues and what would work best for us. My only complaint is that she can be difficult to get in touch with, but she will invariably be very helpful when you do finally reach her.

Jennifer Sent on 03/13/2008

4.6 out of 5 rating

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3 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating

This place is so beautiful!!! I can't recommend it enough! There are so many wonderful photo opportunities here. The staff at the Arboretum is just wonderful. We could tell that they love their jobs! Steve, our caterer, was so accommodating and on top of things. The servers were very professional and I felt that we received such elegant dinner service. The food was incredible. We offered 3 different entrees, as well as appetizers. I couldn't believe how many compliments we received on the food. They have nothing but top shelf liquor and they had a huge selection. One guest even commented that he was able to get his favorite drink and he's usually not able to at weddings! Our reception was held in the Ginkgo Room. It's a very modern room with floor to ceiling windows that overlook a lake. It was exactly what I was looking for in a reception hall. We could not have had a better experience than at The Morton Arboretum. Everything was truly amazing!

Jamie Sent on 06/17/2015

4.6 out of 5 rating

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4 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating

Venue was absolutely stunning and food was amazing!

Amanda Sent on 12/15/2009

4.5 out of 5 rating

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4.5 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating

We loved the scenery for our wedding pictures. The food was great and we got a lot of compliments from our guests. Every once in a while it was difficult to get a hold of the catering contact, but he was always friendly and flexible. Both the venue and the caterer contacts were very nice people and gave suggestions and feedback to make the day beautiful. The room looked amazing and the staff was great during the reception. I felt like the Morton Arboretum had the whole day in control so we didn't have to worry about a thing. Expensive, but worth the cost.

Heather Sent on 04/27/2015

4.5 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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3.5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating

Kim Wilson with the Arboretum was absolutely amazing!! Leading up to the week before my wedding, the weather was mid 60's and sunny. The week of my wedding, the weather changed. It was cold and raining. Kim was brain storming all week trying to figure out how we could still make our outdoor ceremony a reality. She initially gave us a lot of flexibility on start time in case there was a break in the weather, and then found a beautiful indoor space for us to use so we could stay dry and warm! It has floor to ceiling windows, so we were able to bring the natural beauty of the Arboretum indoors! Even with the weather shift, our ceremony was beyond beautiful and everything I could have asked for. Kim's attention to detail and concern for helping make our day perfect lifted the only weight off my shoulders that I had (the unfortunate weather) and allowed me to enjoy the 2 days before I said "I do" to the love of my life. The Morton Arboretum is absolutely beautiful, and I would highly recommend for any event you are looking to celebrate.

Brittany Sent on 07/16/2018

4.5 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
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4.5 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating

Our wedding at the Morton Arboretum was PERFECT. They had a few options for spaces for the ceremony and reception, and we feel in love with the Thornhill Education Center. I cannot imagine a more beautiful setting for our big day. Denise was an amazing on-site coordinator and was so easy to work with in the months leading up to our wedding. We also enjoyed working with the on-site catering team at Gingko Catering. We had a brunch reception and the food was stellar. All of our guests raved about the buffet (the french toast was a hit!), and the team did a great job with servicing the event as well. The Arboretum allowed us to have our dream wedding and I cannot say enough positive things about the venue and team there.

+3 photos

Meghan Sent on 05/08/2012

4.5 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4.5 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
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4.5 out of 5 rating
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4.5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating

We got married in the Founder's Room, which was so beautiful for our small-ish wedding (75 guests). The small alcove and library feel fit our personalities perfectly and I knew the second I walked in that it would be perfect for our wedding. Our wedding day went off without a hitch, and both Brenda and Kim were on scene to make sure things went well. A safety and security guy was even there, I guess to make sure we didn't have any unwanted crashers or something! I felt that everything was under control and I wasn't stressed about a thing. We delivered our favors, programs, etc. the day before and they were set up exactly how we asked. Our server was attentive, the venue was very clean, and the food was pretty good (you have to use their in-house caterer). My only complaints are that sometimes my emails didn't get returned as quickly as I would have hoped during the planning process, and some smaller details were a bit overlooked, but I think I might have been the only one who noticed. We also had a bridesmaid with a food allergy who had a reaction to an appetizer that was supposed to be safe for her to eat, which kind of put a damper on things, but otherwise it went great. I definitely recommend the Arboretum though and had an absolutely wonderful wedding!

Kathryn Sent on 08/30/2013

4.4 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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3 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating

Denise and Amy were great with helping me plan my wedding. Sometimes responses are a bit slow but probably because they are so busy. Overall everything was pretty much how we wanted it. The wedding was absolutely beautiful. Our entire vendor list is much to thank for making it just perfect. We had a problem with a couple lost checks but I would think Morton Arboretums mail processing has some flaws. I would suggest not sending a check in the mail to them. Overall everything was great and I'm happy we chose to have it at Morton.

User1706929 Sent on 07/11/2014

4.4 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4 out of 5 rating
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3 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating

We chose the Arboretum for our ceremony and reception. We had a short ceremony immediately followed by a cocktail reception in the Sycamore room. We chose the Sycamore room because our guest count was going to be relatively small (about 100 people) and because it comes with a covered patio which was a wonderful safety net when planning an outdoor ceremony, as we were. The Sycamore room also does not have a minimum guest count or catering purchase as the other bigger rooms do.

We worked with Denise for the facility and initially Jeff, but ultimately Elana, for catering. Denise was very flexible and easy to work with, but sometimes response time was a bit slow. However, I understand how busy they are and in the end everything worked out perfectly fine.

There is only one catering option for the Arboretum, Classic Fare. I believe they were undergoing some staffing changes while we were wedding planning, but it was very frustrating at the slow response times. We didn't even meet with them until about 2 weeks before the wedding to go over the menu and only after I emailed at least twice asking about when we were going to talk about it. In the end, it all worked out, but it was an unnecessary point of stress when you're planning a wedding to have to chase down the caterer. However, the food was great, the service was great, all our guests were happy, and we were happy with our choice.

The bakery is The Cakery in Aurora. Awesome cake. It was hard to coordinate a tasting time since their hours are so limited. But, again, everyone loved it, it was beautiful and delicious.

Sarah Sent on 02/10/2017

4.4 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
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4.5 out of 5 rating
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4.5 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating

My husband and I had our ceremony and reception at the Morton Arboretum a few months back, and it was AMAZING! We originally were going to have the ceremony in the Hedge Garden and the reception in the Ginkgo Room, but due to some iffy weather we ended up having the whole thing in the Ginkgo Room. Truly, I think it turned out even better that way- the space was gorgeous (even with the rain), the food was great, and Kim and company did a great job helping us figure out seating and tables and working with us to pull everything together. We had definitely had a little bit of sticker shock while we were planning, but it ended up being great. Highly recommend!

Julie Sent on 10/17/2012

4.4 out of 5 rating

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5 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating

We could not have been happier with our wedding at the Arboretum. The Ginko room transformed and looked beautful! We used the stations option for our dinner along with appetizers during cocktail hour and our guests raved about the food! Excellent venue if you are looking to an alternative to a ballroom setting.

Bryan Sent on 10/06/2014

4.4 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating

The Arboretum was our dream wedding venue. We booked the Thornhill Educational Center, since it had the picturesque Founders Room and the beautiful Thornhill Lawn patio. And by booking it in September, and by having it as a daytime event, we were able to rent the space at an affordable rate.

We toured the facility under the guidance of Kim Wilson, who showed us around. We booked very soon after.

The time leading up to the event had many long, informal emails laying out the many last details, but everything came together as the date approached.

On the day of, all the tables and personnel were laid out perfectly. We only had to walk in and set up a few minor details, and we were good to go with our event. Everything else was taken care of.

I recommend this venue highly for all the beauty that it has to offer. I feel there really are few places that you will find that have that open, rustic, natural feel to them. You might have to take the initiative in communication to make sure everything is as ideal as you'd want, but it's well worth it. I also recommend renting the space for a daytime event. At night, you don't fully get to enjoy the arboretum for what it offers: the beautiful, scenic, open, outdoor setting.

Karen Sent on 11/07/2010

4.4 out of 5 rating

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4 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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3 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating

Absolutely beautiful venue. A bit pricey & must use in-house caterer.

Leanne Sent on 05/09/2008

4.4 out of 5 rating

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4.5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
4.5 out of 5 rating
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3.5 out of 5 rating
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4.5 out of 5 rating

My family is from out of town and it was hard plan without them. The Morton Arboretum staff made it so much better...taking away some of the stressors away like finding a cater and a wedding cake. They provided excellent service and my guests are still raving about the food! On top of all that, it was a beautiful wedding! They set up all the chairs for an out door wedding...and the scenery all over is magnificent...we walked down the isle at the end into the sunset! Your guests will receive a free admission to walk the Arboretum grounds for the entire day...they even have a children's park/museum! I would highly recommend the Morton Arboretum! There are hotels nearby and it is easily accessible by freeway!

Erica Sent on 11/04/2010

4.3 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4.5 out of 5 rating
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3.5 out of 5 rating
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4.5 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating

The Morton Arboretum is beautiful – which is the main reason we chose it for our wedding reception. The catering manager is very easy to work with and the food was outstanding. We are still getting compliments on our food. The only downside to the Arboretum was that there was a concert scheduled the same night (which happened AFTER we signed our contract). At the end of the day we barely noticed it but it definitely added a huge amount of stress to the planning process (parking, crowds, noise, etc). The rental staff was a bit hard to get a hold of sometimes, but they worked with us and in the end we were happy with our decision. We had a beautiful wedding there and wouldn’t reconsider for a second.

Maddie Sent on 07/03/2013

4.3 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
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4.5 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating

We had a wonderful reception at the Thornhill Education Center! Denise was very helpful in making sure everything came together. We had some issues getting the catering in order, but the food was delicious! Since you are required to use their in house catering, it was good to know there were great options. A few of our guests served last did say their food wasn't very warm. The Cakery does all cakes for the Arboretum and worked with us to match the scrollwork we had on our invites. Overall, we planned our wedding in 6 months and Morton made planning a little less stressful!

Nick Sent on 04/22/2014

4.3 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
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3.5 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
5 out of 5 rating

We visited the Morton Arboretum first (my mom's suggestion) and it remained our first venue choice throughout the process. In the end, we are very happy to have picked them to host our wedding.

Four significant points in their favor:

1) If the weather cooperates, the grounds, the buildings, the rooms, and the scenery are incredible. This is truly a beautiful place.
2) They are quite capable day-of managers. There were exactly zero issues with the various vendors who provided services on our wedding day. If you reserve this venue, don't bother with a day-of planner.
3) They handle ALL table/chair/linen services - each are included in the *quite reasonable* facility rental cost (with premium options costing more). We were very happy with the choices available, and they were terrific day-of.
4) While catering is expensive (see below) the facility rental fee is very reasonable for the services provided.

Some points against:

1) The catering is quite expensive. Per-person we spent more than $100. I recognize that's somewhat typical nowadays, but there is no option to shop around - you must order from their caterer for all foods types they can make. Thankfully, they ARE willing to let you work with another caterer if they can't easily make a genre of food (Indian, or East Asian for example). They play nice - we got Indian food and it was all served quickly and without issue.
2) They can be unresponsive to emails - it didn't endanger any plans thankfully, but it was occasionally aggravating.

Overall, we are super happy with the results. Elana (Catering) and Denise (event) were both good contacts, and we recommend their services to any couple that loves nature/the outdoors.

Emily Sent on 11/14/2024

4.2 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
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3 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

Stunning venue and excellent food

My husband and I got married in September. We had our ceremony on the back patio at Thornhill Education Center. The dinner and dancing portion of our reception was in the Arbor room at Thornhill. We ended up using the Founder's room as a quiet room with board games and the photobooth. The Morton Arboretum had everything we needed for a beautiful wedding and reception. There were so many locations for great pictures. You have to use their catering but that wasn't a problem for us. Paula was our venue coordinator. Lisa was our contact for the venue's catering team. The food was fantastic. We picked a double entree which meant that we didn't have to ask people if they wanted steak or salmon. The bacon wrapped dates and the mashed potatoes were our favorite parts of the meal. There was a few hiccups that were quickly solved. I wish we had a little bit more communication about the layout and other things but everything went really well. Two staff members didn't seem to like each other but that didn't affect our day. Due to how many events they do, you should have a day-of coordinator. The amount of time there is for set up is very short. If you are looking for a stunning venue with delicious food, you can't go wrong with picking the Morton Arboretum.

Robyn Sent on 07/19/2017

4.2 out of 5 rating

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

From the moment we saw the Hedge Garden and Gingko Room, my husband and I knew it would be the perfect place for our June nuptials. Having an all-star venue was very important to us and Morton really offered the breathtaking views and landscapes that we had been hoping for. The grounds are immaculately maintained, so we had no issues finding stunning backgrounds for our portraits. We found the staff to be incredibly kind, professional, knowledgeable and responsive during the wedding planning process (which is no small feat considering the scope and size of a wedding!). It's clear Morton is very experienced with hosting weddings, but I never felt like I was working with a wedding factory so event planning here really felt customized.

The food here is delicious! Morton requires you to use their exclusive in house caterer and hosts 3 tastings per year. Our guests commented that the food was delicious and we received tons of complements from our guests. Portion sizes are also very generous - I'm not sure that my husband or I actually even finished our dinner - but I was happy that our guests were well fed.

All in all, I would definitely recommend Morton. It's a beautiful venue and we are so happy to have gotten married here.

Tony Sent on 02/03/2013

4.1 out of 5 rating

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

Our wedding at Morton Arboretum was absolutely magical. All our guests loved how beautiful the Ginkgo room was transformed and how it just "fit" us. While my wife and I got caught up in conversations with friends and family during dinner, all of our guests commented on how wonderful the food was. We had quite a large guest list, which consequently caused some last minute changes. Kim and Brenda were patient, accommodating and took good care of us. They were always willing to work with us, which made the wedding planning process that much easier. It's a great venue for anyone looking for a more outdoor feel.

User1075448 Sent on 01/23/2013

4 out of 5 rating

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

There was a lot that I liked about the Morton. The location was perfect for an outdoor wedding, the ginko room was beautiful once everything was set up and the windows along the entire wall made it more open. The only issues as to why I took off a star were: the person who was supposed to help us plan everything and coordinate really didn't do anything. There was another Polish lady who did everything on the night of our wedding and she was extremely helpful. Our wedding certificate --which the person who was supposed to help us told us she would hold on to --was left upstairs on a table. I took off only one star because although the coordinator did not help much, the Polish lady--sorry can't remember name--helped a lot!! Overall, I was very happy that I chose the Morton because it was extremely beautiful there.

The Morton Arboretum Reviews

Reviews

The Morton Arboretum