CHICAGO ILLUMINATING COMPANY Reviews

My husband and I knew we wanted to get married at Chicago Illuminating Company several years before we were even engaged after seeing a picture of the venue on Instagram. It truly is one of the most beautiful venues in the entire Chicago area (and beyond) and is such a lush hidden gem in the middle of busy South Loop. Marta, the owner, is amazing. It was so helpful to be able to lean on her expertise and recommendations because she knows what works well in the space better than anyone. Both the indoor and (covered!) outdoor spaces are stunning in their own right so it was super easy and fun to add our personal touches. We really couldn't be happier with the experience and space. Highly recommend!!!

I think CIC is hands down the best wedding venue in Chicago. I toured SO MANY beautiful places and this one took the cake. The owner- Marta, is so on top of it and has wedding at the venue down to a science. It was impossible for anything to go wrong. It’s unique because you’re guests can be indoors and outdoors (a rarity for a city wedding) and the venue is just stunning. The clean white walls and classic interior makes it so easy to take your wedding in whatever design direction you want.

Our wedding at Chicago Illuminating Company was perfect! We had to reschedule our wedding multiple times due to the pandemic, and our original venue ended up closing. We were so lucky to find Chicago Illuminating Company because they have the absolute best setup for social distancing and Covid-19 precautions. Their outdoor space is gorgeous, and the indoor space (used for cocktail hour only) allows for open air flow through their multiple huge doors. Marta was very easy to work with. She was extremely flexible and supportive given all of the circumstances and adjusted her cancellation policy to allow for any last minute changes. Thankfully, we didn't have any issues and we were able to have our beautiful event. We highly recommend Chicago Illuminating Company for a gorgeous wedding in Chicago, either during or after the pandemic!

When I got engaged I went full planning mode and scheduled 9 back to back showings of different venues around the city. It was snowy and cold and a crazy day, but the first time I walked into CIC I knew- it was love at first sight. It is absolutely the most beautiful venue in the city. During the year I have heard of so many wedding planners having their own weddings there- and they know! Marta is awesome and I really enjoyed working with her. She responded to all my questions- shared photos of different setups and decor and provided great advice. Leading up to the wedding the weather was looking bad and we had to change up some things last minute- I really relied on Marta's advice and everything worked out perfectly!

My husband and I got married here in November of 2017. The outdoor area was beautiful, with a magical feel from the lighting. And of course the interior is very elegant and our guests loved the ambiance. Marta was lovely to work with and made the entire process very effortless. She was on-site the entire day of the wedding to keep things running smoothly and it ended up being the perfect location for our dream wedding!

I have so many positive things to say that I couldn’t fit it all on here, but my full review is on the CIC Facebook page.

Here are a few aspects of the space that warrant a 5-star rating in my book:
- GORGEOUS outdoor courtyard: It initially attracted us to the space! The ivy walls give it a natural beauty by day, and the canopy looks absolutely gorgeous when it is lit up at night.
- Beautiful iron gate with big split door; allows for grand opening into the courtyard.
- Large and spacious bar to give guests more room to spread out - the only bottlenecks should be from the guests' drinks and not the guests themselves!
- Indoor and outdoor space with seamless transition to accommodate various needs.

The venue owner, Marta, was really FLEXIBLE - for which we are super grateful! To elaborate on the flexibility, we had a *very* tough time finding a venue in Chicago proper that would allow us to have an open flame, which is an integral part of a traditional Hindu ceremony. Marta totally understood, and we were able to light the flame in the open courtyard. I can't describe how much performing this part of the ceremony "properly" meant to my husband's family, especially his parents and sister. Except for having to use a particular lighting company if we wanted extra lights (we didn't end up needing them anyway), Marta gave us great leeway with our vendors, which proved to be key for hiring our ideal caterer (who she also suggested), when a majority of the other venues we considered had big catering restrictions and very limited food options. Finally, Marta allowed us to start setting up and bringing some supplies to the venue the night before, so that was really helpful in allowing us extra time to get organized.

Overall, the natural beauty of this unique, seamless indoor/outdoor space and Marta's awesome flexibility helped make our dream multicultural wedding a reality. We could not have picked a better venue for our special day!

We couldn't of chosen a better venue to host our wedding! There is truly no other place in Chicago that offers the amazing Indoor / Outdoor space that CIC does! Our guests were truly in awe of how beautiful everything was and we couldn't be happier with how our wedding came to life! The venue owner Marta allowed us to really transform the entire space into the perfect wedding we wanted. From bringing a 13 piece band under the tent to adding additional lighting inside and out. Never once were we told "no you can't do that" which was told to us a lot by other venues we visited. We cannot say enough with how well everything was taken care of and how easy Marta and her team were to work with not only before and during but also after the wedding with their flexibility of allowing us to come back into the venue a couple days later to pick up any left over items, instead of demanding that everything was to be removed the same night or charging extra "late exit fees" that some other venues put in place.

My husband and I recently had our July 2016 wedding at the Chicago Illuminating Company and I can't tell you how amazing it was. The venue is literally to die for. It is beyond perfect and for sure a diamond in the rough in the city. There is nothing quite like it. Its beautiful, big, modern and basically a blank pallet you can do a lot with. All of the fixtures are gorgeous. The bar inside is stunning. Trust me once you go see it, your jaw will drop. When my husband and I were looking at various venues in the city, we wanted one that really spoke to us and that was special, different and not super popular. The second we got to the Chicago Illuminating Company we knew it was the venue we wanted to have our wedding at. We had our ceremony outside. The trains didn't affect us at all the whole night. We had our cocktail reception in the back of the courtyard, which worked well with the flow to carry on from ceremony. We had the dinner inside which was also a good transition from the courtyard to the dinner as a change of pace. After our cake cutting and dinner our guests joined us in the courtyard for more drinks and dancing for the rest of the evening. All in all it was a lovely, picturesque night. The venue is so fabulous on its own that it doesn't require a ton of extra décor.

I would strongly, strongly encourage you to get in contact with Marta and meet her in person and go see the venue. You will be so glad you did. We got countless compliments from guests about how amazing our wedding venue was and how they never have been to something quite like it. If you are looking for a venue that will impress your guests this is the one. All in all our wedding was amazing. Literally something out of a magazine. All of which would not have been possible without the exquisite venue as the setting and the professional assistance of Marta.

I was in love with this venue from the start. But when I saw it on my actual wedding day, it was amazing!!!! Love it!!!! Marta was so helpful and wonderful!!!! Definitely recommend it!

A friend recommended this hidden gem and the second we walked in we instantly knew it was going to be our wedding venue. The indoor space is elegant and gorgeous, and the beautiful tented courtyard was the perfect way for us to achieve an outdoor ceremony without the stress of Chicago's unpredictable weather (and yes, it did rain on our wedding day). Both spaces are big enough to accommodate a large guest count, but small enough to still feel intimate. The venue manager, Marta, is a no BS straight-shooter who doesn't shy away from giving advice and recommending vendors she trusts. On our wedding day we learned first-hand why. Having a team that had all worked together before (coordinator, caterer, florist, lighting, DJ) made a huge difference when our timeline got thrown off thanks to the guest shuttle being an hour late. Bride tip: stay FAR away from Infinity Transportation. Marta also went to bat for us on a few occasions during the planning process and used her relationships to get us discounts so we could afford to create a beautiful event that was within our budget. I don't suspect she does that for everybody but we always felt a mutual respect and she really helped my husband and I out in a bind. Our wedding at Chicago Illuminating Company was magical, romantic, and everything we dreamed of <3

Chicago Illuminating Company was every bit the dreamy, garden-y wedding space I'd dreamed of, and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect wedding reception venue.

I started planning my wedding *weeks* after my engagement, which luckily gave me my pick of venues. From the first time I saw Chicago Illuminating Company, I knew it was the one. My fiancé and mom both said the same thing! The indoor space is bright and airy, with tall ceilings, bright white walls, the most perfect herringbone wood floors, black & white tile in the bathrooms, and a stunning gray tufted bar. Molding detail on the ceilings makes it feel slightly french and completely beautiful. The outdoor space has a glass tent, string lights, and ivy covering the walls. You can see some South Loop skyscrapers for that bit of city feel, yet still feel like you're in this enchanting garden space.

Initially, I was scared off by the negative reviews. Yes, Marta, the venue's owner, has a strong personality and strong opinions. And it seemed like all the wedding vendors I interacted with had strong opinions about her, one way or another. But although I only saw her briefly on the day of my wedding, I have no doubt she was why things went as smoothly as they did. Leading up to the day, we had multiple phone calls to go over various concerns with vendors and how to fill the space, and I felt so lucky to have her on my team. She talks so proudly about "her brides" and I'm so happy I was one of them!

If you're the kind of person who wants nothing to do with the boring hotel wedding or cold loft-like feel, CIC truly can't be missed.