Chicago wedding guide 2027

This guide is for couples planning a Chicago wedding in 2027 and for the parents, friends and planners helping them. It covers five things: where to hold the wedding, who can photograph and plan it, who feeds everyone, where out-of-town guests can sleep, and what the whole thing tends to cost here.

The venues run from a Ravenswood warehouse to a South Loop high-rise, with a few suburban picks for couples who want gardens or a North Shore inn. Along the way it flags the costs that tend to surprise people: guest minimums, BYOB rules, coat check fees and parking.

Venues by neighborhood and size

Industrial lofts on the North and West sides

On the North Side, Ravenswood Event Center fills a converted print warehouse at 4021 N. Ravenswood Ave. in Ravenswood. The reason to look here is transparency: the venue posts prices online. A Saturday from April through December in the Atrium and Loft is $7,000, dropping to $5,500 from January through March, and a weekday is $3,500. The Atrium seats 180 for a ceremony and the Loft seats 180 for dinner. Catering is in-house, with dinner receptions starting at $165 a person and a 150-guest minimum on Saturdays. Alcohol is BYOB. The Brown Line’s Irving Park stop is a short walk, and Metra’s Union Pacific North line runs along the same street.

In West Town, Salvage One is an architectural salvage store at 1840 W. Hubbard St. that also rents out three floors and a garden courtyard for weddings. Every rental is a full buyout with one event a day, and the courtyard works for outdoor ceremonies. Plan for the logistics: you choose from an exclusive caterer list, you can supply liquor but the caterer must serve it, and there is no parking lot. The venue says free street parking is normally easy in the evening and can recommend a valet. The Green and Pink lines stop at Ashland and Lake, roughly a 15-minute walk.

Big rooms for 200 to 400 guests

For a downtown wedding with a view, Venue SIX10 uses the ninth and tenth floors at 610 S. Michigan Ave. for weddings in the South Loop. The package covers up to 300 guests, with cocktails in a 10th-floor atrium and terrace and dinner in the ninth-floor Crown Family Great Hall. The Red Line’s Harrison stop is two blocks west, and the package includes discounted parking at a nearby garage.

Farther south, The Geraghty is a former paper mill at 2520 S. Hoyne Ave., on the Lower West Side in what the venue calls Pilsen. The room comes with 45 round tables and 400 lucite chairs, and a gated lot holds 150 cars, which is rare for a city venue this size. Rental prices are quoted on request, the deposit is 50% and nonrefundable, the venue is not BYOB, and weddings must have at least a day-of planner.

Gardens and public spaces

North of the city in Glencoe, the Chicago Botanic Garden rents several outdoor spots. McGinley Pavilion, a canopied terrace at the water’s edge, seats 230 for dinner with a dance floor and is available May through October. The English Walled Garden holds ceremonies of up to 175, with an indoor backup space held for bad weather.

The cheapest route to a lakefront or garden ceremony is the Chicago Park District. An outdoor ceremony in a park garden or on a beach needs a special event permit no matter how few guests attend, and no food or drinks are allowed. For a reception, the district rents places such as the South Shore Cultural Center and Promontory Point, with a $35 application fee plus rental fees, according to its wedding permit page.

Photographers and planners

Photographers

For a known starting price, Steve Koo Photography is a Chicago wedding photographer who works in a documentary style and publishes his starting price: Chicago weddings start at $4,900. He travels for about a quarter of his work, so book early for peak Saturdays.

At the higher end, Madi Ellis Photography is a Chicago wedding photographer who shoots on digital and film and covers everything from City Hall ceremonies to large receptions. Her site says most couples spend $8,000 to $10,000 for full-day coverage, which is useful context: that is well above the national average photographer cost in the budget section below.

Planners

For full-service planning, Birch Design Studio is a Lincoln Park planning and design firm at 401 W. Fullerton Pkwy., run by owner and principal designer Marina Alexandra Birch. The studio handles the whole event, from invitations and menus to florals, lighting, transportation and security. The studio posts no pricing, so expect a quote after an inquiry.

If a full planner is out of reach, check what the venue includes. Ravenswood Event Center has an in-house planning team and folds day-of coordination and a rehearsal into the $2,500 on-site ceremony fee. The Geraghty requires a day-of planner at minimum, so budget for one there.

Catering and cakes

Caterers

Among the big caterers, Blue Plate has catered Chicago events for 40 years from an 80,000-square-foot building at 1362 W. Fulton St. in the West Loop. Blue Plate is on the exclusive caterer list at Venue SIX10 and has a dedicated weddings contact. If your venue requires a caterer from a set list, check whether Blue Plate is on it before you start tasting elsewhere.

On the South Side, Nicole Jordan Catering is a South Side caterer based at 10225 S. Western Ave. in Beverly, founded in 2016 by chef Nicole Jordan-Reed. Nicole Jordan Catering is also on Venue SIX10’s caterer list, and the social catering side handles showers, dinner parties and anniversaries; that is a good fit for a rehearsal dinner or engagement party. The company asks clients to reach out early because the calendar fills.

Cakes

For cake, Alliance Bakery is a French-inspired bakery with shops on Grand Avenue in West Town and on Division Street in Wicker Park. The draw is posted pricing: tiered wedding cakes start at $7.95 a serving, with vegan or gluten-free cakes from $12.40. Tastings are to-go kits for $30 that feed two, picked up Tuesday through Saturday, and the fee is waived when the cake comes through certain venue packages.

In Lakeview, Bittersweet Pastry Shop at 1114 W. Belmont Ave. has made wedding cakes for more than 30 years and also does petite wedding cakes for small weddings. Pricing is by inquiry. The Belmont stop on the Red, Brown and Purple lines is about two blocks east.

Hotels for out-of-town guests

In the city, The Robey is a boutique hotel in the Art Deco tower at 2018 W. North Ave., where Damen, Milwaukee and North avenues meet in Wicker Park. The Blue Line’s Damen stop is at the corner, and that train runs straight to O’Hare, which saves guests a cab ride. There are 69 tower rooms and 20 loft rooms, and the Double Queen Loft sleeps four, handy for friends splitting a room. The trade-off is noise: the intersection is busy on weekend nights.

For a North Shore wedding, the Deer Path Inn at 255 E. Illinois Rd. in Lake Forest is a short walk from the Lake Forest stop on Metra’s Union Pacific North line, so guests can get there from downtown without a car. The inn also hosts celebrations in an English garden setting.

In the western suburbs, The Drake Oak Brook at 2301 York Rd. is an Autograph Collection hotel that sells wedding packages, including packages for South Asian weddings. Guests will need a car or a shuttle; this is not a transit-friendly location.

Wherever you book, ask about a courtesy room block as soon as you have a date, and give guests the booking deadline in the invitation.

A realistic budget

The average wedding in Chicago cost $54,000, according to The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study, which surveyed couples married in 2025 (The Knot, updated June 24, 2026). Only New York City and New Jersey ranked higher on The Knot’s list of most expensive markets. The national average in the same study was $34,200, with 117 guests and $292 spent per guest.

The Knot’s vendor averages are national, so treat them as floors for Chicago:

• Reception venue: $12,900
• Catering: $80 per person
• Photographer: $3,000
• Florist: $2,800
• Live band: $4,500, or a DJ at $1,800
• Wedding planner: $2,100
• Cake: $540

Zola’s 2026 figures put the national average at $36,000 and give Illinois a range of $32,000 to $48,000 (Zola, updated March 6, 2026). Zola does not break out Chicago.

Here is how the posted local prices stack up. A 150-guest Saturday at Ravenswood Event Center between April and December is $7,000 for the room, at least $24,750 for dinner at the $165 starting price, and $2,500 for an on-site ceremony. That is $34,250 before tax, service fees, alcohol and dessert, and you pay the 150-guest minimum even if fewer people come. At Venue SIX10, a May-through-December Saturday is $10,800 for the room plus $1,200 for a ceremony, before food and bar. Add a photographer at $4,900 to $10,000 and a 150-serving cake from Alliance at roughly $1,200, and the $54,000 average looks realistic, not inflated.

The cheapest levers are the date and the guest list. Ravenswood’s January-through-March Saturday is $1,500 less than a summer Saturday, and Fridays and Sundays cost less at both venues that publish rates.

Good to know

Checked September 28, 2026. Venue SIX10 requires paid coat check from October through April. The Chicago Botanic Garden’s outdoor event spaces are available only May through October. Alliance Bakery is currently offering to-go tasting kits only. Ravenswood Event Center says to book at least six months ahead and holds a date for up to 72 hours after a formal proposal. Venue prices change without notice, so confirm current rates before you sign.

Know a place that belongs in this guide, or a detail that has changed? Send a correction.