Floating World Events Reviews

We have done numerous events at this venue, and it is one of our favorites for weddings. They have a very quick turnaround time from ceremony to reception. Guests also enjoyed AirBooth Social Photobooth at cocktail hour and the reception. The bride and groom also wanted the new theGuestbookPhone service. We were happy to present a cute little vintage player with all their guest voice messages from the phone at the night's end.

I absolutely LOVED working with Allen at the Floating World Gallery, and having our wedding ceremony and reception in his space. All of our guests raved at how beautiful the gallery was, and Allen was an absolute dream to work with. Allen was easily reachable and on-hand to answer any and all of our questions, anywhere from a year out to the morning of. I felt like we won the lottery getting the amazing space and such an amazing event manager all in one! I would highly recommend that everyone host their events at Floating World and work with Allen.

Allen and his team were incredible. My wife and I were both the first of our families to get married, and there were a lot of unknowns in the process. However, Allen was consistently available and accommodating-the venue was everything we could have dreamed of and more! We can't say enough wonderful things about their services and flexibility-and our day went off without a hitch!

We had an absolute dream of a time working with Allen at Floating World Gallery. From the very start, he provided a calm atmosphere for us, which was necessary during the turbulence of planning a wedding! He made us fully aware of what the space came with, and his entirely transparent way of speaking with us was incredibly refreshing! We had unlimited access to ask questions and plan our day, and the absolutely mind-blowing professionalism we enjoyed the week of was second to none. If we could get married there all over again we would! Thank you Floating World, and endless love and thanks to Allen!

We love Floating World Gallery. We originally had our wedding planned for summer 2020, but had to postpone due to COVID. We had originally picked FWG after touring the space and meeting Allen, who was so amazing. Not knowing a lot about what we wanted in a venue, he helped us in figuring out logistics and more, all while working to save us money. FWG is great in that they don't upcharge for many of the things that other venues add extra costs for. When we had to postpone due to COVID, FWG was so flexible.

Floating World Gallery is an absolutely perfect space for small to mid-size weddings! We had about 70 guests, and loved how intimate the space felt. Special touches, like the ability to hang our own photos on the gallery walls, made the evening feel even more personal. Allen was incredible to work with throughout, responsive to all of our questions and very helpful in guiding our decisions given his extensive experience in the space. Almost everything you need is already there (chairs, tables, etc.), so we were able to do a lot with what was provided. We cannot recommend Floating World Gallery more highly!

Allen was great shepherding is through the process and we loved the venue. It was a wonderful wedding! The price of the venue was also reasonable as compared to other venues we researched and the location can’t be beat.

The venue was perfect! Loved it

We used Floating World Gallery as both our ceremony and reception site. Allen and his staff were a breeze to work with. We looked at lots of venues and the value that FWG provided was unmatched! We had the most wonderful wedding day! I highly recommend!

Apparently planning a wedding is stressful and we can honestly say that there was almost no stress in planning our wedding in large part because of Allen and Floating World Gallery. Every time we had concerns about our plan, Allen always made himself available to respond (almost immediately!) and talk us through how we could achieve our vision. He was always prompt and reassured us that our plans were not only possible but easy get done. Allen and his team at Floating World Gallery are one hundred percent dedicated to making sure that your day is exactly the way you want it to be. So many venues place restrictions on catering, alcohol, entertainment, and offer almost no time to set up for your day. Allen and Floating World Gallery have none of those restrictions and it really allows you to have a day that you will never forget. For us, that was having a celebration that was not just about us getting married but that honored the friends and family that wanted to see us get married. This is exactly what we got - our guests STILL rave about how wonderful our wedding was.

You can’t go wrong with Floating World Gallery! We held our wedding here on NYE and it was spectacular. Great location and great venue. I loved the warmth of the space and utilizing both rooms. Allen and his staff are soooo easy to work with and make sure that everything runs smoothly. It was perfect.

My husband and I recently had our wedding at Floating World Gallery and everything was fantastic! The moment we stepped inside the space we fell in love. We loved the feel, the exposed brick walls, and how we could have the entire wedding and reception in one location. After talking with Allen, we knew it was the one. He was always so accommodating and willing to help us in any way, whether it was venue related or not. Allen is a true gem and I’m so grateful for him and his staff for making our wedding day so wonderful!

This venue was incredible and Allen was a dream to work with. He held our hand throughout the entire process and kept our nerves calm. The venue was perfect for what we wanted with 2 separate areas. We were so happy to be able to have the ceremony and reception in the same place and it kept it easy for us and our guests. Everyone kept complimenting the venue and how beautiful and "us" it was. We also loved the flexibility of what vendors we could use as we wanted to do a more fun food option (food truck) rather than the traditional caterer and this venue was great at helping us get everything coordinated. Thank you!!!

I would give this venue 6-stars if I could! We had our wedding at Floating World Gallery this past May and from the beginning, it was the best choice we made in our entire planning process.

Allen, who manages FWG's events, is incredible. He'll tell you from the start, he will try and save you money - and he's not lying. He has great vendor recommendations and was really key in making our vision a reality. He was so responsive and helpful throughout the planning process - I wish every couple gets to work with an Allen during their planning.

Then the space itself is not only beautiful, but so flexible. The two room layout really makes for the perfect flow of the event. There are plenty of spots for photos, but also enough nooks & spaces for vendors to do their thing.

And then there's the value! Talk about bang for your buck - it's very competitively priced compared to any other Loft/gallery-type space in the city, and comes with tables, chairs and the flexibility to bring in your own vendors.

We absolutely loved Floating World Gallery! You won't regret hosting your event there.

The venue (and Allen) were great! Guests absolutely loved the space and for a smaller-sized wedding it was perfect! The place was clean, great bathrooms, and easily accessible for guests out of town and in the area. Allen was super responsive and flexible with everything - he also had some great vendor referrals and is fine if you go with someone else as well. Would definitely recommend this venue for the creative type - remember - you need to get vendors for nearly everything except the chairs : )

We loved Floating World Gallery! You won't regret hosting your wedding here. It is the perfect solution for having a city wedding that doesn't blow through your budget. It is affordable but has everything you need (and it is gorgeous!).

Allen is incredible to work with. He's a pro. Super attentive, helpful and responsive. He is well respected by all the vendors we worked with and made everything so easy in terms of coordinating. For not having a wedding planner, he was a lifesaver when it came to helping us figure out small details.

Floating World is so great because you can easily have the ceremony and reception in the same venue. We had our ceremony in the front gallery room, cocktails in the back room, dinner in the front room and dancing in the back. The flow worked super well. It was a great size for a group of 130. There are also nice photo opportunities in the gallery. We did family formals in front room and lots of portraits and wedding party photos on the roof and in the stairwell. There's truly not a bad thing I can say about Floating World. Thanks to Allen for helping us have the perfect day!

FWG was an amazing venue, with great value for money. The venue is the perfect balance between DIY/Pinterest ready and beautiful on its own. Everyone complimented us on our choice, and it was the perfect size for our guest count. It stayed cool throughout the evening, even when folks were tearing up the dance floor.

Allen is the best! Seriously, when we were interviewing other vendors in Chicago, everyone knew Allen and couldn't say enough good things about him. He was responsive, served as a mini-wedding planner (I would email him and ask his ideas about things non-venue related), and also was a great gut-check. His day-of assistant Karen was also great - kept an eye on the card basket and helped me get down the backstairs in my huge dress! This is how classy Allen is - we tried to tip him, and he kept refusing to take it! If you select Floating World, you won't regret it for a minute!

We went with FWG in huge part because of Allen, the event manager. The space could facilitate a ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, a reception and is completely customizable. I personally LOVED the art gallery setting, hang your own pics! The rental price is really affordable relative to other spaces in the city. We could provide our own alcohol through Binny's who delivered and picked up (we got hundreds of dollars back whilst on our honeymoon.) If there's no other events scheduled you can get in there to set up day before, really met all our requirements. Also it's just been remodeled (new bathrooms, better sound absorption for the neighbors), and it has a parking garage (rare in Lincoln Park.) Also, ALL our vendors had worked there before so it was super easy setting everything up such as the pipe-and-drape company Allen recommended. Our wedding was beautiful!

We cannot say enough great thing about the team at Floating World Gallery.
Allen, the events manager is wonderful to work with and really understand his space, he know how many guests are too many, where things look best, how not to decorate the space etc, and is so full of advice and guidance on the big day.
Allen was responsive throughout the entire process, suggested great vendors for the day, and was a big part of the day, and made sure the bride got down the aisle.
The price for FWG is very fair compared to other venues of similar size/capacity out there.
You are not restricted to a list of caterers, you can bring your own.
You can bring in your own alcohol, big plus, when on a budget.
The team is flexible about getting in and out of the space before the wedding (within reason)
There is a separate room for dancing/cocktails, major plus if you have a lot of older people that loud music be an issue for.
if you have your wedding at FWG Gallery, you'll be as pleased as we were, it was the perfect location for our big day.

Choosing this venue was easily the best decision we made in planning our wedding! It set the tone perfectly with the chic Chicago wedding I was going for, and Allen was a treat! We ended up choosing a caterer (TwoMayToz) and draping specialist (Millenium) that Allen recommended, with great results. He is very aware that budget is important, and in the wedding industry that is always a challenge. He was so flexible, allowing us to drop off items ahead of time (even with a wedding the night before ours), and to pop over a few times as I was finalizing how I wanted the décor to look. Allen and his team also hung up concert posters for us in the front room, which looked beautiful for the ceremony and dinner. Our guests definitely noticed the personal touches, and they loved the vibe of the venue.

We had around 110 for our final guest count, and the size was so perfect. Before ours, I actually hadn't been to a wedding with a room flip. I was nervous if guests would stay in the dancing room or if it would be deserted. Because of the size, all the guests were able to mingle and dance the night away in the back room! I would definitely add some seating in the back cocktail/dancing room to keep older guests comfortable. We had four highboys with a few stools at each. Having a parking garage right next door, and two restrooms was so convenient as well.

The whole night was a dream thanks to Allen and Floating World Gallery!!

We had our September wedding at Floating World and everything was perfect! This is a great venue for a smaller wedding and really unique. We did not want your typical hotel ballroom wedding and we knew when we walked in, that it was where we wanted to host our wedding. There are a lot of cool loft buildings around Chicago, but FWG is one of a kind and much less expensive than many of the others. We were allowed to personalize the space as much as we wanted, which we loved. Allen was so helpful throughout the planning process and his years of experience were invaluable. We used several vendors he recommended and they all worked out great. He was very flexible and accommodating for our super busy schedules and had an open door policy with us.

FWG is exactly what we wanted for our August 2015 wedding: The perfect space with a friendly, approachable staff.

The venue:
We wanted to get away from the banquet hall and into something with a lot more character. The brick, wood, and exposed ceilings were perfect for our look, and we were able to hang our own artwork on the walls for the event, but we did not need to do much to enhance the space: it is beautiful on its own. Our guests loved the cooler vibe, and we were able to utilize the two rooms for both the ceremony and the reception; the flow in between was seamless. The Lincoln Park location is great for Chicagoans like ourselves, and it was easy to get to for our in and out of town guests. A plus - there is parking right next door.. You could say all of our boxes were checked. Keep in mind you bring everything in, so you can customize the space to your heart's content!

Allen Nichols - FWG Manager:
To be honest, Allen was one of the main reasons we chose the space. From the moment we met, we got the feeling he was going to be someone we could trust with questions, opinions, and true honesty, and he was. I never had any doubts about how FWG was managed, and Allen was there for us every step of the way. We had true confidence in his knowledge and opinions, and couldn't have asked for a better person to work with.

If you're looking for a cool space in Chicago for any event, I urge you to check out FWG. I promise you'll be glad you did.

Allen Nichols is absolutely phenomenal to work with. He is responsive, creative, helpful, and well-informed about local vendors.

We had our wedding at FWG, and it was beautiful. Our guests could not stop raving about how classy, elegant, and Chicago-chic the venue was. We were also able to secure parking spots in the parking garage next door--which itself is a hidden gem. We would definitely choose Floating World twice over. It's the perfect space for a small-medium sized wedding.

Oh my!!! FWG was the best choice we made for the wedding. The space was beautiful and was transformed into everything we imagined and more. Allen Nichols was awesome and a lifesaver. He's been in the business for a long time and knows how to make brides happy while keeping them calm. There were a few snafus at the beginning of the ceremony and Allen handled them like a rock star, what more could a bride ask for other than to have someone as great as Allen make that special day run smoothly. The space is beautiful and can be transformed into whatever your city chic wedding desires are. Our wedding was absolutely wonderful. So very special. Great place for a smaller wedding.

We booked Floating World Gallery for our August 1, 2014 wedding. Allen Nichols was down-to-earth and a little quirky but more importantly, looked out for us as his customers, telling us what he thought about our setup based on his experiences and guided us in some directions that saved us money with vendors. The venue is beautiful and is a versatile space. And of all of the vendors, we probably stopped by, emailed, called and talked to Allen more than any other vendor and every time, he greeted us with a smile and helped us with everything we needed. He was very accommodating with early deliveries (dependent, of course, on what else is booked near your event) and if you are looking, consider this space!