Carleton of Oak Park

s character and history. Katie Fox was amazing to work with, she was always available to answer any of my questions and work with me to create my dream wedding. She also made the day run so smoothly and I was able to completely enjoy myself and have no worries or stress. Gio and the team at La Notte made the most amazing Italian meal- the food, drinks and ambiance were all so memorable! I highly recommend having your wedding here!

nerous. She answered my questions quickly and with such enthusiasm and did everything in her power to make our day perfect. I feel like Katie was our wedding fairy godmother with everything she took care of, from our initial walk through of the ballroom to working the room the whole night of our wedding (and even getting a group photo of us at the sweaty end)! I can't say enough positive things about our experience at the Carleton. La Notte Catering was so good, the drinks were fantastic, and the hospitality is unmatched!

e affordability of the venue. But we could have never imagined the way that the venue and the people who worked there would make us feel like family by the end. Katie Fox was the most accommodating, most enthusiastic, most amazing hostess and her "can do" attitude allowed us to together design the most perfect day we could have imagined. The family run feel of the hotel made all of our out of town guests feel at home and the experience of the hotel and the staff in hosting weddings shown through as our wedding reception could not have run more smoothly! Katie and her team made the wedding planning so fun and stress free, and I would recommend this venue to absolutely anyone.

, even our DJ team Remix entertainment who were from further out in the suburbs. They made the entire night seamless, free from concern, and accommodated all of our guests. The culinary team provided some of the best food any of our guests had at a wedding (real steak!). We'd also like to thank the bar tenders who nailed our wedding drink down to even the more obscure ingredients and made sure everyone enjoyed it. We highly recommend the hotel not only for its cute, vintage atmosphere & comfy rooms but also for the incredibly personable staff who were there to make our special day one of the easiest & happiest days.

erful choice for us to have hotel accommodations for ourselves and our guests. They were incredibly flexible and helpful during the uncertainty of the pandemic and were so accommodating for whatever I needed. We rented a suite for the girls and then used that room for myself and the groom, and rented another room for the guys to get ready in too. They helped me out with my cake problems and all of the staff was very kind to us. The response time for whatever questions or concerns I had over email or over the phone was great too. Katie Fox was so nice to work with and I am very satisfied with the services provided. Everything was clean and the rooms were very nice! There are multiple parking lots nearby too, so even if one lot is full they have plenty of other free lots available. I don’t have any complaints and I would recommend them to anyone in need of hotel accommodations in the area.

amilies. When we saw the Carleton in person, we were sold. Maura was fantastic in helping us identify our needs and make our wedding perfect. From cocktail hour in the Columbian Exhibition era library & bar to dinner and dancing in the ballroom, we had a blast and so did our guests. The Carleton made many aspects of getting married so much less stressful for us and for that, we are grateful! Highly recommend!

friendly and provided great recommendations, such as where to purchase flowers (which was also great!) She really eased my stresses working through day of details and answered all of my (silly) questions! Once we got to the rehearsal and day of, it was so seamless thanks to her! All accommodations were amazing and I couldn't have asked for a better venue/coordinator/day!

ing with Maura we knew it was where we needed to hold our reception! The space is absolutely beautiful and (pre covid) having a ballroom, sitting room (two!), a small room for gifts and a beautiful huge bar was so perfect in addition to the fact that their food has amazing reviews (and our tasting proved just that too)! The guest rooms in the hotel are also beautiful and huge. Maura has been so wonderful to work with, answering even our most ridiculous questions. We planned everything pre-Covid for our wedding in October. As the state has made changes, Maura has been transparent regarding the hotels cleaning and sanitation practices as well as the state guidance. While we will not have the wedding of 150 people we imagined, we will still have a beautiful and enjoyable wedding for our 50 guests. At the end of the day, we are just excited we still get to get married in the beautiful historic hotel.

r event. From room set up to dietary modifications, every request we had was met without question. Our experience at The Carleton was absolutely delightful; a beautiful venue, excellent food, and a friendly staff with top quality service. Thanks Maura and Team, you are outstanding!

Maura and she assisted us step by step (we didn’t know what we were doing) she helped us make a flawless night to remember.

g I really appreciated about the Carleton was the ability to store things in the week before the wedding. I was able to drop off our favors, guest book, old family photos, etc the day before and so no one had to worry about anything day of. And Maura helped set up everything and make my vision complete. It was also much appreciated that the Carleton staff just gathered up everything in the ballroom after the reception and my husband and I didn't have to think about it until the morning instead of making us clear everything out right away. My guests have been very complimentary about my wedding and I believe in large part it is due to my excellent reception venue. I can't imagine having had my big day anywhere else. Thank you so much for everything!

ng incredibly fun and special to us. If you're looking for a unique, beautiful, and affordable place to have your wedding, you can't go wrong with the Carleton. We couldn't have imagined a better place to celebrate our big day.

t our minds at ease. She really doubles as a day of coordinator she’s willing to lend a helping hand decorating, she set up the place cards, led the bridal party in the ballroom when to walk in for introductions, brought our cards back up to our hotel room, her and her staff took care of boxing up all our decorations at the end of the evening. She was always present during the evening which we really appreciated! The venue itself is beautiful it’s not just a ballroom like typical venues. So many places to take great photos. There’s a separate seating area and bar area for guests who don’t want to hear loud music later in the evening to relax and chat in. Another small room called the Colombian we set up a photobooth and had a second bar there(both were huge hits). Our wedding was 3 weeks ago but everyone still is complimenting us how awesome their food was and how much they loved the venue!

nd in the final week, helped us with a slide show that we wanted to be played during our reception. Special shout out to Maura, she was absolutely amazing. Very responsive and helped us remain calm. We made our wedding a weekend that people are still talking about. It was elegant, intimate and stress free. Plus they just did some upgrades, which looked amazing. For a one stop shop I highly recommend the Carleton Hotel of Oak Park.

antastic and the price point is something we never could have found in the city. The area around has some great places for pictures and the hotel itself is beautiful and well kept.

lpful and kind! The Carleton of Oak Park is so beautiful and I could not think of another place that I would have had my wedding reception at.

erience to a new level. Our guests raved about the unique venue. I did very little to decorate - I added lights behind the window curtains in the Grand Ballroom and candles on the tables. The hotel is so beautifully decorated, you really don't need to do much more. And, I love that guests can walk safely to their hotels rooms after a night of (over) indulging. The private bar is designed in a way that created an intimate vibe without feeling overcrowded. Friends and family who had never met were suddenly talking and interacting like they'd known each other. The food was great. We ordered off the menu, but the chefs were open to creating dishes upon request, if we wanted. Maura, the Carleton's event planner, did a wonderful job of making sure the night ran smoothly. We wanted something untraditional, so got married on the dance floor of the reception hall. She totally went with the flow and showed up to the rehearsal with a plan to help us do it. I can't recommend this venue enough!

o say looking at different wedding venues and the high cost can make you want to elope. However, when we stepped into the Carlton of Oak Park we fell in love with the neighborhood and the venue. The price for our wedding was so affordable and we were right in budget. Along the way we heard Candice gave up her position and we were now working with Maura. It was such an easy transition to work with Maura. She worked so hard so that we didn't have to. She was open to our menu and decorating ideas, along with answering a million of our questions. The staff that worked our wedding were amazing they were polite and considerate. We were so happy to hear the wonderful feedback from our guests regarding the staff. Thank you to the Carleton of Oak Park, Maura, and staff for hosting a night we will never forget.

to the full course dinner. The open bar is amazing, the drinks are mix to perfection. Prices are excellent. Our suite room is very clean and spacious, it got everything that you need. The staffs are very professional, friendly and accomodating most especially Maura. Thank you Maura for all your patience and help in the planning of our wedding. You made us feel at home and comfortable from the beginning of planning until our wedding day. Overall, I give this hotel a 5 star. I'm not kidding! If you want a memorable wedding that won't break your bank with the perfect ambiance, great food, great venue, great staff then you should check The Carleton of Oak Park Hotel! More power to you guys! Hope you get to help other couples achieve their dream wedding like we did.

and outside on the cobblestone under the twinkle lights. We had both our ceremony and reception there and they were able to quickly flip the space while hosting a beautiful and fun happy hour. Maura was super helpful leading up to the wedding. The food was excellent, we've since had a number of compliments about the salmon and the ribeye. Most of our guests stayed the night and all enjoyed the accommodations. It is also nice that Poor Phil's is there on site, we had fun post-reception there and the next morning for brunch they reserved us a small space to all recap the night together. Highly recommend!

s so responsive to every detail we requested and on the actual day executed our vision perfectly. The Carleton staff is equally awesome; they went out of their way to make us, our family, and the rest of our guests have an amazing evening. On a slightly different note, everyone said the food was amazing! I wish I could give the Carleton 10 stars!!!!

anted say thank you and that I can not recommend this venue more highly. From the food to the service to the atmosphere, this venue delivered on all accounts. We are still receiving compliments from our guests about how much fun they had, how good the food was and how unique the venue was. Maura made us so comfortable and we did not worry about a single thing. Our wedding could’ve not gone smoother and that is all thanks to her.

nd everything that was wanted in a reception venue. We are absolutely thrilled with Maura, the events manager, and her incredible staff. We know that other couples will find their accommodations to be wonderful, just like we did!

said they had a wonderful stay. The food at our dinner was fantastic and we got a lot of complements. Overall, the Carleton made planning very easy and fun.

ps. They even helped us get street parking outside the hotel for us to park some old Model A's that drove the wedding party from the church to the hotel. Couldn't be happier with our choice in wedding reception.

uge convenience.

, which she answered graciously. The bride and groom had a very large king's table and she made sure that it fit. She was professional and flexible when we wanted to make changes to our original plans. Kudos to Maura!

g coordinator Maura, was AMAZING - handling every little request - and lightning fast in her responses. On the day of the wedding, she made sure everything went off perfectly. We've all been to the weddings where everything goes according to plan, and all of the guests say, "wow, that was so well put together!" - and we've been to the ones where you say "well, at least the bride and groom had fun!". This was hands-down the former. All that, and they won't break the bank (as so many places do). If you want the complete package, just get it done for me, all-in-one wedding, where all of your vendors all talk to each other, and are all in the same spot, call the Carelton and ask for Maura.

ony there too and everything went super smooth even though they had to flip the room for the reception in a short time. All of my guests have complimented me on the venue and the food as well. The wedding planner was super helpful and answered all of my questions. I felt very at home here. Great to have the hotel attached for all of our out of town guests.

nd exceeded expectations. Our ceremony and reception were held at the Carleton, making it very convenient for all guests, including our out-of-towners. Our head count was just under 100. There was not one thing we worried about; we trusted Maura and the team wholeheartedly. The communication was always clear, professional, and upbeat. We chose The Carleton Hotel for the gorgeous decor and its convenient location in beautiful, vintage downtown Oak Park.

t. The hotel is centrally located in downtown Oak Park which allowed guest to enjoy local restaurants, bars and a movie theater all within walking distance. The Grand Ballroom was beautiful and the adjoining Colombian room and vintage 1920’s bar allowed sufficient room for our guest to mingle. Hotel staff was very accommodating and made sure my big day was a success. Thanks Carleton of Oak Park for an unforgettable wedding reception!!!

vent manager went over details with me and took care of the all the communication the day of the wedding!

ial conversation with the wedding coordinator, Candice, was relaxing, fun, and extremely informative. Candice is also the Catering manager for the hotel; the knowledge she brings to the process is priceless! Throughout our wedding planning process, Candice and her team were extremely supportive and willing to work with us to make every detail we wanted come true. Our DJ stopped by the Carleton unannounced to check out the venue, and the staff was totally okay with giving our DJ a quick tour for where he would be setting up. We had our rehearsal dinner, ceremony, and reception at the Carleton. This was so convenient! In addition to spending the night after our wedding, we slept over the night before as well. This was an opportunity for myself and bridesmaids to spend one last evening with me being a single woman! My husband stayed the night in another suite with a few groomsman, and we were able to wake up and just begin the day, no traveling required! My girls and I were able to have our hair and makeup done in the suite. There was more than enough room; I strongly recommend doing this. The rooms have an antique feel, but they are very clean and smell fresh. Our entire wedding day went off without a hitch. We feel very blessed to have the experience we did. All of our vendors were fantastic, but each and every one of them came back to us and told us how accommodating and put together Candice and the hotel were. The Carleton is a beautiful place that speaks for itself but the staff is really what made my husband and I thrilled to have our special day here. We even had compliments on the hotel front desk staff. They were extremely polite to our guests and made them laugh. I could go on and on about how great Candice and the Carleton is!!! Please check it out for yourself!!!!

lent, service was great, and the rooms were perfect for all overnight guests. We also held a brunch there the morning after the wedding. Wish we could go back and do it all again!

portant for us to make it comfortable and convenient for them. Everyone stayed at the hotel or motor inn next door (which cost a little less, but is very cute and convenient!), and they didn't have to move their car again until they went home after the wedding. It was a huge bonus to have everything in one place! Our ceremony and reception were in the hotel ballroom with cocktails in the bar/library area in between, and it worked out perfectly! Plus the downtown Oak Park area provided shopping and restaurants within a couple of blocks, which made it a great weekend getaway for everyone. My husband and I also stayed in the hotel, and the Hemingway Suite was beautiful and became a great home base for the wedding party on the day of the wedding. With all of that said, the people we worked with to plan our event were all spectacular! Dana and Katie in the Sales office took care of our guest rooms and reservations, and everyone was very happy with their rooms! Meghan was a pleasure to work with on Catering and details for our ceremony and reception. They were all very professional, helpful, knowledgeable and friendly and also very flexible to accommodate our special requests. Meghan made my vision and wedding theme come to life! And best of all...the food served at our reception dinner was AMAZING. We have received many compliments on how good it was, and I had to agree. We chose our menu carefully, and the chef and staff did not disappoint in any way. I highly recommend having an event at the Carleton!

r seeing the venue space I knew this was the perfect place for my reception. The bar area is so decorative and has classic charm and the ballroom is a perfect setting for a night of dancing and celebrating. Being able to have the entire back half of the hotel for just our wedding was awesome. I cannot say enough about the staff, especially Meghan and Annie. They were so responsive all of my questions and helped in anyway possible. They even saved the top of my cake without me knowing! I would recommend this venue to anyone looking to have a classic wedding without the downtown price.

reception. Annie was amazing to work with and was very accommodating, informative and available! As a nervous bride to be she always found a way to reassure me that it would all be done to my liking. One dreams of what all the bits and pieces of décor that seemed to take forever to pick, would look like on the day of. Annie made sure that we went in before anyone else, to check it out. Needless to say we were left speechless. It was beautiful! And exactly what I had envisioned! The night was amazing and everyone raved about how beautiful the reception/hotel was, how great the food and drinks were and the service was amazing! Not enough thank you's to Annie and the Carleton staff for making our wedding amazing! Thank you! Erika & Jorge

throughout the 18 months of planning! The banquet staff was very professional and accommodating at the Reception. Would definitely recommend to anyone!

helps make the wedding go smoothly. The food for the reception was even better than when we did the tasting. I will also say their location on Pleasant St. allows for some amazing photos.

uld say was how amazing the food was! Anne was amazing when it came to the details. My husband and I did a lot of the decorations ourselves and Anne and her team did all the setup just as we requested down to every little detail. She was very prompt in responding to e-mails and never complained if I just popped in for a quick question for her. If I could do it all over, I would I would have our reception at the Carleton again and again!!!!

and the ballroom. it was handicap accessible. the food was phenomenal! the wedding coordinator Annie Parker was wonderful and made sure that things went smoothly without having to bug us. would HIGHLY recommend them for your wedding!

ed and I always had a sense that they wanted my wedding to be as perfect as possible. With the amount of stress you have to deal with while pulling all of the details together for a wedding, the people at the Carleton put me at ease every time I interacted with them. We stumbled upon the hotel after finding our beautiful park ceremony venue at the Columbus Park Refectory and I feel like it was meant to be. The food is top notch.

hotel was personable and easy to work with. She was always willing to help us and offer suggestions. She even let us drop off various decor items, like table numbers and favors, and took care of getting everything set up on the day of. The food was amazing and we were able to accommodate all of our guests with vegan and kids' meal options. The only down side was that while we were able to reserve a block of rooms for our guests, the woman in charge of making the group reservations (different from the front desk) was hard to get ahold of. However, as the bride and groom, we received a free stay at the hotel. The room was beautiful and the event coordinator even checked us into our room and made sure our gifts and other items were put in there for us. It was a huge help in the middle of all the chaos of saying hello and talking to our guests.