Ask Chicagoist: Cool Wedding Venues?
By Thales Exoo in Miscellaneous on Apr 20, 2007 2:00PM
Dear Chicagoist,
Does anybody have any cool/unique suggestions for wedding venues here in Chicago?
Dear Soon-To-Be-Wed,
First of all, congratulations! Planning a wedding, to be completely honest with you, sounds to us like a remarkably stressful sort of task. This was accentuated even further by the loads of wedding websites we perused while researching some suggestions for you — some of these "bridezilla" types are rather frightening (and even more frightening is the fact that we know some people who fit the nutty-bride description to a tee)! We have to admit we don't get it, and therefore would like to wish you a drama-free wedding with minimal insanity.
That said, what better place to get married than here in Chicago! There are all sorts of different wedding locales around the city, depending on your taste. Of course there's the traditional religious-building-of-your-choice ceremony followed by a reception at a downtown hotel. Which, frankly, we won't knock. We can't say we know much about religious buildings, but some of those downtown hotels definitely do it up right as far as receptions go.
But you asked for cool and unique. There are some great locations in Chicago, including many museums, parks, restaurants, and art galleries. Chicagoist insists, however, that you go with your gut and pick a place that speaks to you and your loved one. A place with a personal memory, maybe? Or, check out what we've come up with, after the jump (links go right to rental pages, if they exist).
- Adler Planetarium (1300 S. Lakeshore Drive, 312-322-0331)
- Architectural Artifacts (4325 N. Ravenswood, 773-348-0622)
- Cafe Brauer in Lincoln Park (312-742-2400)
- Catalyst Ranch (656 W. Randolph St., 312-207-1710)
- Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St., 312-744-6630)
- Chicago Park District, including neighborhood and lakefront parks. Contact your alderman for help procuring a neighborhood park.
- Fulton's on the River (315 N. LaSalle St., 312-527-1417)
- Galleria Marchetti (825 W. Erie St., 312-563-0495)
- Garfield Park Conservatory (300 N. Central Park Ave., 312-746-5250)
- Germania Place (108 W. Germania Place, 312-573-1968)
- Harris Theater Rooftop Terrace in Millennium Park (312-742-1168)
- McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum (445 N. Michigan Ave., 312-222-4860)
- Museum of Contemporary Art (220 E. Chicago Ave., 312-280-2660)
- A New Leaf (1820 N. Wells, 312-642-8553)
- The Newberry Library (60 W. Walton St., 312-255-3595)
- Odyssey Cruises — weddings on a boat (866-826-3463)
- Pazzo's at 311 (311 S. Wacker, 312-913-1600)
- The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (2340 N. Cannon Drive, 773-755-5100)
- Prairie Production photo studio (1314 W. Randolph St., 312-829-7499)
- River East Arts Center (435 E. Illinois St., 312-321-1001)
- Signature Room on the 95th floor of the Hancock Building (875 N. Michigan Ave., 312-787-9596)
- Spiaggia (980 N. Michigan Ave., 312-280-3300)
- The top floor of the Swissotel — you can see the fireworks from Navy Pier Saturdays during the summer from the ballroom (323 E. Wacker Drive, 312-565-0565)
- West Loop Studio (17 N. Elizabeth St., 312-733-5762)
That's enough from us — what do you think? What are the coolest wedding or wedding reception venues in Chicago? Where'd you get married?
Image via Zesmerelda.
Feeling betrothed? Need some advice? Email ask(at)chicagoist(dot)com.