The main takeaways that we had from planning our wedding are twofold: (1) select professional vendors who know what they’re doing; and (2) select vendors that, personality-wise, you enjoy working with because you will be spending a lot of time with them in the time leading up to your wedding. The Hilton Cleveland Downtown--and, in particular, Emily in the Hilton’s Event Department--absolutely checked all of these boxes for us in connection with our November wedding.

Interestingly, when we were initially searching for wedding venues, we were convinced that we didn’t want a hotel reception. We wanted something “unique.” Nevertheless, we went to the Hilton, just to check it out. Almost instantly upon our first meeting with Emily at the Hilton, all of our preconceived notions about a hotel reception disappeared entirely.

First off, the Hilton itself is a gorgeous hotel and venue. We were completely blown away by the incredible panorama of Cleveland visible from the Hilton: Lake Erie, the Rock Hall, Browns Stadium, the Old Courthouse, just to name a few. Ultimately, the location of the Hilton enabled us to have an incredible background for all of our photos, without really even venturing far away from the hotel.

Second, the Hilton is unique for having a modern, contemporary feel, with all the conveniences of a hotel. Being in Downtown Cleveland, the Hilton is within walking distance to all of the downtown restaurants and attractions, which is great for out-of-town guests. All of our guests commented on the hotel and how nice it was to be able to easily explore Cleveland. Further, a number of our guests took advantage of the food and drink options in the hotel itself, including the Burnham, Bar 32, and Eliot’s.

Third, the relatively “all-inclusive” nature of the venue really helped to take a lot of the planning burden off of us. We didn’t have to worry about procuring silverware, tablecloths, napkins, plates, etc. for our wedding reception: it was just included. This wasn’t the case at all of the venues that we looked at, so the convenience factor with the Hilton was an added plus for us.

Fourth, and finally, the quality of the service at the Hilton was impeccable and was worth every penny. The food at our wedding reception was fantastic--from the hors d'oeuvres, to the main courses, to the desserts, to the late night bites. It was all delicious, and we received rave reviews from our guests.Every member of the hotel staff that we encountered (check-in, valets, bellmen, wait-staff, bartenders, housekeeping, etc) was incredibly professional and polite, and really went the extra mile to make us and our wedding day feel like a truly special occasion.

However, no one did more to make our day absolutely perfect than Emily. From day one, Emily was incredible to work with, and she made every aspect of planning our wedding reception (and event) easier. Emily communicated promptly and in a helpful manner, always going the extra mile to make sure all of our questions were answered. Emily is a true professional, and she is also just an incredibly nice person, so it was truly a pleasure every time that we got to interact with her (which was a lot!). With Emily, and the Hilton, we were confident throughout the entire planning process that our wedding was in good hands. And that confidence was not misplaced, as we would not have changed a thing about our wedding day. So, even if you are convinced that you don’t want a hotel wedding, go check out the Hilton. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

I used the Hilton Downtown Cleveland for my August wedding. It was very small compared to most weddings, but the hotel still gave me excellent service. I was lucky as I had to plan a whole wedding in two weeks since my husband’s family was in town from India and the hilton had the whole 5th floor available! Now we only used two rooms and the foyer but it was just my party so no other guests were around.
Jaclyn was the catering sales manager and I can tell you she is the best. She answered all my questions and made sure I didn’t miss anything as I had to plan in two weeks. If you are looking for a nice venue near lake erie with great views and great service, look no further the the Hilton!