The Crystal Ballroom & Lounge - Evanston, Illinois

Katie

I could not recommend the Crystal Ballroom enough for your wedding!!! When I say it was an absolute dream space. We had our ceremony in the city and wanted to keep the reception within 30 mins from the city. We toured a total of 6 venues and this was by far that we were most impressed with. From the start, Jessica, coordinator at the Crystal Ballroom made everything very smooth and easy. We booked in summer 2022 for our Summer 2024 wedding. First off, I love how much is included. It took a lot of stress off having less vendors involved and so much in house. We did the Gold package which included "open bar" for 4 hours, which for us was enough as the bar was shut down for dinner. We also got table linens, cocktail hour bites, dinner (salad, entree- we did the chicken, cabernet short rib, and Shiitake Risotto) and the wedding cake. It also comes with a late night snack bar, which we did a his and hers hotdog bar. So many people commented how beautiful the space was. I am a Disney girl and I felt like Belle in this space the whole night. Staff was phenomenal- from the cooks, to the servers, to the maintience crew, to the bartenders and everyone in between. You couldn't ask for better professionalism. There is also a dressing room for both sides of the bridal party which is so nice that we could all get ready at the same location. Second- Jessica!!! I mentioned her earlier but she was amazing to work with. Quick responses and very flexible! She took away so much stress from the already chaotic wedding planning process and was amazing with communication. I could go on and on about the Crystal Ballroom, but if we could relive this night all over again- no doubt we'd be doing it here. You will not regret booking your wedding here.

Hillary K.

We had the most beautiful, fun, and stress-free wedding reception thanks in part to Crystal Ballroom.
I came across Crystal Ballroom in December 2020 while frantically searching for a reception venue after our original venue cancelled our date for September 18, 2021 due to COVID. That's when I met Amy who was very helpful with setting up a venue tour and tastings for an out-of-state couple planning a wedding from 2000 miles away.
Originally there were some planning details missed in email correspondence, but that all got cleared up by the day of the wedding.
Speaking of that, one of the definite perks of the venue is a dressing room for the bride's use all day to get ready. Amy was there bright and early offering coffee and mimosas for myself and bridal party. Amy and the staff did an amazing job decorating the ballroom and lounge-- it fit my vision perfectly.
I loved the cocktail hour and dinner--- the food was incredible and the servers and bartenders were very professional and attentive.
Crystal Ballroom worked with all of our vendors to make sure my husband and I and all of our wedding guests had an amazing time. We definitely had the best party/wedding ever. Our only complaint is it went by too fast...

Nena C.

I came here for an event and was pleasantly surprised not only by the event space, but by the food!

The ballroom is gorgeous- I love the antiques mirror wall.

The food was yummy- the risotto was my favorite. Although I usually don't like pesto, I enjoyed the pesto here.
The desserts- WOW! What a spread! The key lime, fruit Tarte, tiramisu cake, and the eclair were my favs! But the brownie bite, cheesecake, caramel, and pana cotta were also great.

Also- there is street parking as well as a public garage around the corner- I think it's $2 for 1 hour or less, $3 for 2-3 hours, and I'm not sure what the prices are above that. But very reasonable for Chicago area.

Joy G.

A great place to host a destination wedding! Plenty of lodging and attractions within walking distance. Restaurants nearby for a rehearsal dinner. The Crystal Ballroom has great accommodations and staff for all needs. My daughter and son in law were so happy with everything. A perfect evening!

Allie S.

My brother and sister-in-law had their wedding at this venue and it was absolutely amazing! The venue, decorations, food, and staff were all outstanding. We worked directly with Jessica Moore and she was extremely helpful, professional, and exactly who we needed there that day (you know sometimes weddings get out of hand with family drama, and Jessica made sure to keep it quiet & under control and made sure not worry the bride about anything!!) I cannot rave enough about her. We will be recommending this location and Jessica's services to every engaged couple I know. Thank you!!!!!

KPK

The second we walked in the ballroom, we knew it had to be our venue. In addition, our wedding planner, Liz, made everything a piece of cake. She told us she wanted to make the entire process as fun and easy as possible, and she certainly delivers on that process. She was available whenever, the entire time, to answer any little question that arose throughout the process. Plus, she was just fun to be around.

That's not to mention anything about the ballroom itself: it is absolutely stunning and the array of things you can do to customize it and make it your own is incredible. They make everything incredibly easy, their staff was very professional and respectful, and the food and cake were absolutely outstanding. Many people commented on the quality of the various foods. At our tasting, it was sincerely difficult to narrow down the various amazing options into 3 offerings for our guests.

You absolutely cannot go wrong at the Crystal Ballroom. They have two spaces: one for the cocktail hour and one for the actual reception. I like that they do this because when the doors are open the guests get to see the actual ballroom for the first time and have a memorable "wow" moment. That's not to say the cocktail space isn't incredible, it is, but the ballroom is something straight out of a movie.

Thank you for helping make our wedding day perfect.

Corrie P.

Do yourself a favor and have all of your events here. We attended a friends wedding here and not only was the place gorgeous and the food great, but the staff, especially Jessica Moore, was amazing. When everything went wrong, Jessica was there to save the day! She was kind, professional, extremely organized, and made a day amazing that easily could have gone wrong. My friend couldn’t have been happier on her wedding day!

Dimokratia A.

The venue is beautiful, the food was good, and the cake was really awesome. Our contact Jessica was not as awesome. Unfortunately she was rude to me on my wedding day after I pointed out the tables were wrong because our families were not seated by us. My family was seated at the farthest table away from us. She responded with attitude when I mentioned it to her and said rudely, “Thats what you said you wanted.” There were emails to prove that that’s not what we said we wanted. She also made other mistakes that weren’t as significant. Although she apologized in general for all of her mistakes and “any issues that happened,” she never directly addressed how she spoke to me that night which for me was the worst mistake she made. It was uncalled for and absolutely out of line, especially on your wedding day. She also spoke to my brother with attitude when he asked why he was sitting so far. Overall, the venue was really nice but if Jessica is your contact then I would go somewhere else.