The Morton Arboretum Reviews

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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

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

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!

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.

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.

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

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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

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.

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!