Catered By Design

We used Catered by Design Sept 2025 and had an amazing experience. Throughout the planning process, the staff is overly helpful, pleasant to work with, and makes sure you are on the same page every step of the way. If you have a chance to work with the coordinator, Rachel, you will be very impressed. Overall amazing staff on the day and of course the food was amazing! Very accommodating to the B&G as well on the day to make sure we had all the food and drinks we wanted in the bridal suite.

My husband and I couldn't be happier that we chose to work with Catered by Design! Rachel was so incredibly helpful and responsive throughout the entire planning process. The day of our wedding both the service and quality of the food were amazing. The catering team played a huge role in making our wedding day run so seamlessly! Thank you!

Catered by Design served up great food and drinks at an affordable price! They went above and beyond for our bar menu, serving up 3 signature cocktails (with two variants) and a mocktail alongside our open bar. The appetizers, desserts and main course were all delicious! We did specify in the planning that we wanted a nut free wedding, and learned after the fact that one of the desserts had nuts. Fortunately, none of our guests with allergies experienced a reaction. That said, Erin is super personable and a joy to work with, and I'd still recommend them for any couples seeking wedding catering

The food was delicious! They were a huge help on the day of our wedding and had great service. Definitely recommend them!

Catered by Design was the absolute best choice we made for our wedding day. It was the #1 recommended catering caterer by our venue, and we were able to request and work with Erin, who knows our venue well. Erin was a dream to work with throughout the whole planning process. She is organized, timely, and creative. She has an amazing attention to detail and had us think of things we never would have thought of without her. Erin made the planning process stress-free for us with all that she handled on her end. We also had a great experience at our tasting at the Morton Grove office last fall (with lots of leftovers to bring home!). Our guests raved about the food, and the night went off without a hitch. The set-up was perfect, and the day-of staff was friendly and executed everything perfectly. We are so glad we chose Catered by Design!

Catered by Design did an outstanding job at our wedding! The food was delicious and beautifully presented — our guests are still raving about it. What truly stood out, though, was the incredible team behind it. Our main contact, Erin Ley, was phenomenal. Her organization, attention to detail, and hard work made the entire process smooth and stress-free for us. On the day of, she made sure everything ran seamlessly. Our team captain, Izzy, was also amazing — so attentive, hardworking, and on top of every detail to keep things flowing perfectly throughout the night. We are so grateful to Erin, Izzy, and the whole Catered by Design team for helping make our wedding day unforgettable. We couldn’t recommend them more!

Catered by Design was undoubtedly the best catering company we could have chosen for our wedding. From the initial tasting, to the follow-up tasting, to the vendor walkthrough, and finally the big day itself — everything was absolutely perfect. Our guests are still raving about the food to this day, and we’ve had several soon-to-be brides ask us for their contact information because of how memorable the meal was. The menu was creative, delicious, and beautifully presented — a true highlight of our day. The team went above and beyond to make sure everything ran smoothly. They checked in on both Brian and me multiple times during the night to make sure we had everything we needed, which we truly appreciated during such a busy and emotional day. And the room flip — wow. It was so fast, flawless, and beautifully executed. When we walked into the room for the reveal, I was brought to tears. The tables were set up exactly as we had envisioned, down to the chargers, menus, and every detail of our decor. We are beyond grateful for the care, professionalism, and excellence Catered by Design brought to our wedding. Highly, highly recommend!

Working with Catered by Design and specifically Rachel was amazing for our wedding last month! Rachel was so flexible with us and made the planning so easy and seamless. The wedding flowed so perfectly, from the drinks to the food and everything in between - we could not be more thankful. Would 100% recommend for your wedding!

Catered by Design was our favorite vendor to work with. Our point of contact, Erin, was highly organized and professional. She was very friendly and easy to work with. Our complimentary tasting was impressive and on the day of the wedding the food was phenomenal. Everyone raved about our food! CBD did a fantastic job - definitely book them for your events!

We have nothing but positive things to say about working with Catered by Design for our wedding! Erin was wonderful throughout the whole planning process, and the whole team helped create the perfect catering experience for us. We already knew going in they were amazing, but our guests have been sharing rave reviews on how our wedding food is the best they’ve ever had! We also used their bartending services, with each drink made perfectly. Highly recommend Catered By Design for any of your catering needs!!

Catered by Design is amazing. Matt is so friendly and helpful. Our food was great, we received lots of compliments. The staff was fantastic during our wedding and so helpful! We had an absolute blast! They provided alcohol as well, we did run out of a few things but all in all a great night!

We used Catered by Design for our recent December wedding and we recommend them highly! Choosing a wedding caterer felt overwhelming at first. We found that many vendors were not transparent with their pricing or offerings and it could be difficult to get in touch with them for personalized information. The team at Catered by Design helped me rethink this stereotype. From our very first outreach to the day of the wedding, Catered by Design were so attentive and communicative to our needs. I have severe food allergies and many of our guests had dietary restrictions. At every point I felt my allergies and the needs of our guests were not only accommodated, but masterfully attended to. I find that wedding food can be notoriously average for how expensive it has become. Let me just say - this was NOT the case with Catered by Design. On the day of our wedding our guests raved about the quality of the dinner and went out of their way to let us know how whimsical they found the appetizers and how tasty dessert was. The servers also went out of their way to be kind and hospitable to our guests, another touch that guests raved about. Choosing a caterer for a large event can be a big ask, but Catered by Design made our design easy, enjoyable, and dare we say fun too! If you are looking for high quality service at a fair price, they’re the caterer for you.

Catered by design was one of my best choices on my wedding day! The guests have not stopped raving about the food and our specialty drink, an espresso martini! They were so thorough, helpful, professional, and kind throughout the entire wedding process! I 1000% recommend them to all couples looking for great food, great staff, and a great experience!

Catered By Design was one of the most critically important vendors we ended up working with for our wedding! Every part of the collaboration process was so seamless, artfully approached, and gracefully executed. We worked closely with Erin who brought such a lovely energy to our meetings. We were absolutely floored by the quality and flavor in everything from our initial tasting to our reception desserts! It's been a month, and we are still hearing from our guests how much they loved the hors d'oeuvres and how tasty their meal was, something most people forget about weddings they attend. You cannot go wrong with Catered By Design; they will leave you happy and carefree on your wedding day and leave your guests with full bellies and memories of one of the greatest culinary experiences they've had at a wedding!

Catered by Design was excellent. The food was absolutely delicious, and their staff were very professional and kind. Sam Gray and Erin Ley were very collaborative and creative in the implementation of our requests.

Worked with Erin at Catered By Design for our wedding and were so happy with how everything went. From our tasting, to helping with the setup/organization, to the event, communication was great and they helped make everything work how we had hoped. The food was delicious, so many of our guests were telling us about how much they loved everything from the appetizers during cocktail hour to the desserts and late night snacks. We are so happy with our choice to have them for our wedding and would definitely recommend them!

We used Catered by Design for our wedding day this past Friday. We worked with Rachel for the entire process and I cannot thank her enough! She communicated well and answered any questions we had. Our food was amazing in every way! Our guests have been raving about the food and how wonderful the entire CBD team was the entire evening. Thank you again!

Catered by Design is the best! You CANNOT go wrong with Catered by Design! The food at my daughter’s wedding at Artifact Events was outstanding. From the start of the planning process, to the day of the wedding, communication with Erin and Sam was easy and efficient. The CBD staff on the wedding day was professional and very responsive. And the food is exceptional!! Do yourself a favor and work with Catered by Design – they’re the best in the business!

Catered by Design was an absolute highlight of our wedding. Beginning with Rachel, who was so flexible with us in scheduling, and rescheduling..and rescheduling our tasting, to Aukse who went so far above and beyond on our wedding day. Rachel was so kind and patient in the planning process and the tastings were set up with so many custom touches. She worked with us on our tablescapes and helped settle on beautiful satin tablecloths/napkins that added a stunning level of elegance to our set up. All of the food options were so delicious that it made it hard to decide, I was so excited for our wedding so that we could eat the food again! Aukse made sure that my husband and I got some of everything served- I have heard so many stories of couples who did not eat on their wedding day and she made sure we ate the hors d'oeuvres, multiple plates of food, and desserts. I was, of course, very emotional throughout the evening and she stepped in to cheer me up and helped me to gather myself. The servers passed the hors d'oeuvres during cocktail hour and our guests were so impressed with the service throughout the evening, the food was somehow even better than at the tasting. Everyone has continued to rave about them, and we even joked about having to get married a second time so that we can have them cater again!

Catered by Design was great! Highly recommend getting the Mediterranean Chicken as one of your meal options because all my guests LOVED it. And the mashed potatoes were a huuuuuge hit! I wasn't expecting the food to be as good as it was on the actual wedding day as it was at the tasting, but it was almost exactly the same. Rachel was amazing to work with, and I'd be happy to work with her again :)

Start to finish professionalism and elegance! Food is spectacular, they are the easy choice for catering a wedding. We worked closely with Rachel who was so fabulous. She ensured all our needs were met and honestly took on the role of coordinator a bit! Love her and the team!

CBD was WONDERFUL to work with for our September wedding! Rachel is organized, kind, and really understood the food and environment we wanted to create for our guests. Some of our guests' favorites were: the artichoke hearts au gratin (don't sleep on this - it's incredible), cheesecake lollipops and of course the wine tree (such a hit)! On the day of, Laura really took the time to make sure we were well taken care of and got to try all of our food - from all of the appetizers in the room after the ceremony, to putting dessert and late night food at our table when we got a break from dancing. The CBD team really felt like family and the food is delicious - would highly recommend!

My husband and I got married at Rockwell on the River in Avondale where Catered by Design was listed as a pre-approved vendor. We explored them as well as a few other options and we are BEYOND pleased with our decision to go with CBD. Erin and her team were extremely professional, responsive to emails, and helpful during the planning process. Not only did the food turn out excellent (which can be difficult when producing in mass portions) but Erin and her team went above and beyond to help set out all of our decor on the day of the wedding. This was a huge weight off our shoulders especially due to us not having a day-of wedding planner. We cannot recommend Catered by Design enough!

Absolutely thrilled with the experience we had with Catered by Design! From start to finish, everything was perfect. Each dish was not only beautifully presented but also a delight to the palate. Our guests couldn’t stop raving about the appetizers & the hot dogs as a late night snack—it was the highlight of the evening! The team was incredibly professional and attentive, seamlessly handling all our requests and making sure everything ran smoothly. Their attention to detail and genuine enthusiasm for their craft truly shone through, making our special day even more memorable. We worked with Rachel from the start who was incredibly accommodating and such a delight. We couldn’t have asked for a better catering experience. If you’re looking for top-notch service, exquisite food, and a touch of elegance, Catered by Design is the way to go. Highly recommended!

Highest recommendation!!! Rachel was fantastic to work week. So kind, professional, organized, and great with communication. No issues from start to finish. The team was top notch on the day of the wedding & truly went above and beyond our expectations

Rachel and her team at Catered by Design are fantastic; truly, the best of the best! We booked Catered by Design a little over a year before our wedding and Rachel was amazing throughout the entire process, including tastings, finalizing the menu and floor plan for the venue, answering our (many) questions, and more. We would recommend Catered by Design to anyone getting married or hosting any other event. We are truly grateful!

The food, service and communication were fantastic. Rachel made the planning process seamless and we received so many compliments about the food after dinner. Definitely the best wedding food I have had. Highly recommend Catered By Design!

If you want a stress-free, perfectly executed wedding with DELICIOUS food & drinks, Catered by Design is a must. Rachel was the coordinator we worked with, and I can’t say enough good things about her. She is incredibly organized, knowledgeable, professional, and an overall kind & pleasant person to work with. There was not a single moment throughout the planning process where I had even an ounce of stress when it came to our caterer because of the meticulous care they took with everything. Most importantly, the food and drinks were PHENOMENAL. We heard so many compliments from guests about the meals, dessert, and our custom drink. I’m so grateful we found CBD for our catering & event rental services and wouldn’t have changed a single thing. We will be using them for all our family events going forward, and recommending them to anyone and everyone we can. Thank you Rachel, Sofy, and the entire CBD team!!!

Catered by Design is an excellent company! They were a pleasure to work with for our wedding. Erin helped us so much with the event coordination. The day of the wedding, rain forced us to move the ceremony inside at the last minute, but CBD staff was so helpful with setting everything up inside so quickly. All our guests were very complimentary about the food and service at the wedding. The staff was amazing! We were very impressed. Izzy is a great captain.

We used CBD for our wedding. They were amazing. Rachel was super easy to work with and communication was great. We loved the tasting and the food on the big day was just as good. We had many guests tell us how much they enjoyed their food. Would use them again!

I used CBD for my December 2023 wedding at The Library at 190 S LaSalle. The services were impeccable. I obtained proposals from several caterers from the venue's preferred caterers' list and went for tasting with two caterers. CBD's pricing is competitive compared with larger caterers, and menu options and tasting experience were better than smaller caterers. Lots of great hors d'oeuvres. Erin is very responsive, organized, and flexible. We were able to customize sides for entrees. On the wedding day, the captain (Aukse) was extremely professional, competent and attentive. We fully trust her and went with her recommendations for an on-the-spot change. The set-up was beautiful without any supervision. Flipping from ceremony layout to reception layout was done quickly. I believe they collaborated with the florist very well. They were also nice enough to box leftover cake and entrees for confirmed guests who could not show up. I would definitely recommend CBD.

From the staff to the food, Catered by Design deserves more than 5 stars. We used them for our wedding reception of ~215 guests. Rachel was detail oriented and personalized our experience from the initial food tasting. Even our tiniest critique was taken into account. It felt like we received the attention of a personalized chef while choosing our menu. They asked us about details down to what flavored water we'd like as the bride and groom. The food was executed with all of our initial edits at the next tasting. At the wedding, the staff was professional and attentive. Rachel attended our final vendor meeting to ensure her team knew all the details of the night. Dinner was served in a timely fashion and piping hot. Each one of my guests commented how amazing the food and mini dessert bar was. Without a doubt, I will be using Catered by Design for any big event I have in the future.

Hire them if you can!!! We had a unique vision for our wedding food, and Catered by Design was extraordinarily accommodating in bringing it to life. Their service was impeccable and made our day stress-free. Rachel and the team made sure we were only brought in when our input was needed and were always a step ahead in the planning process. This is a team of great people and true professionals.

Rachel and the team at Catered by Design were so wonderful to work with and made our wedding experience seamless and stress-free. They made recommendations when we asked, but also let us offer our opinions and really brought our vision to life. Our guests raved about the food and overall, we highly recommend them. We'll for sure be keeping the team in mind for any future catering event. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

Heading into wedding planning, I did not full appreciate how many parts of your wedding your caterer will be involved in. From designing the event layout for the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception, setting the decor tone with our rentals and linens, helping the days timeline run smoothly, to providing the folks that interact with ALL of your guests - a wedding caterer is responsible for so much beyond the food! Catered by Design was flawless across the board. Rachel was a dream to work with from our tasting, to our venue walk thrus, to emails and calls week of. And the team at our event (Bridgeport Art Center, Skyline Loft) night of took such good care of us! From making the food look beautiful, serving all of our guests including MANY with food allergies and dietary restrictions, and offering to grab me and my husband drinks so we could keep mingling with guests, I couldn't recommend Catered by Design more. Great service and a fair price point, so many food options, including custom orders - I am so grateful they were part of our big day!

We contracted Catered by Design (CBD) to provide catering services (appetizers, entrees, desserts, late night snacks) for our outdoor wedding at The Grove - Redfield Estate in August 2023. We could not have been more pleased with how everything turned out, and we were 100% satisfied with the food and service provided by CBD. The entrees were superb and beautifully presented on each plate. We commend all the effort and time Matt Gray put in to make our wedding day truly special. I would highly recommend CBD for any our your catering needs. There are hundreds of decisions you and your fiancée will make over the course of planning your wedding. Some of these decisions are easy; some are hard. In my opinion the selection of a caterer is easy; choose Catered by Design.

Catered By Design truly exceeded our expectations at The Luse Companies' 100th Anniversary party! With 250 guests gathered on the 99th Floor of the iconic Willis Tower, we needed exceptional catering, and they delivered flawlessly. From the moment we began planning, their team demonstrated unmatched professionalism and attention to detail. The food selection was exquisite, offering a delightful array of flavors that left our guests raving about every dish. The presentation was equally impressive, adding a touch of elegance to the event. The staff's service was impeccable, ensuring that every guest felt well taken care of throughout the evening. Their seamless coordination made our celebration feel effortless. Catered By Design played an integral role in making this milestone event a resounding success. We couldn't be happier with their service, and we highly recommend them for any occasion. Thank you for making our 100th Anniversary party at the Willis Tower an unforgettable experience!

We loved working with Catered by Design! Rachel was so helpful and easy to work with! Not only did she help us make great food choices, Rachel helped us pick out great linens and glassware that really created a great ambiance for our room! We also got so many compliments on our food from our guests!

Rachel and the entire Catered By Design team were absolutely fantastic throughout every phase of the wedding planning process. We couldn't believe how delicious the food was at our tasting, and every guest we've heard from felt the same way about the food at the wedding. Moreover, Rachel and her team were unbelievably flexible – they made so many adaptations to accommodate our needs and desires, big and small, even adding custom dishes that weren't on their already-exhaustive menus. Everything was delicious, incredibly professional, and done with love! And the service and timing on the wedding day was impeccable, leading to the smoothest possible evening, with every guest well-fed and cared for, properly fueled for the dance floor! And on top of everything else, they were definitely more reasonably priced than other caterers of the same caliber. Can't recommend highly enough.

Catered by Design (CBD) did an incredible job at our wedding this past June. The food was amazing -- guests are still obsessed and talking about the tiny chorizo tacos during cocktail hour! CBD were amazing to work with --professional, very responsive, friendly. I'm so happy we chose them to cater at our wedding and we would definitely recommend them. Shout-out to Rachel for helping make our big day a success, and shout-out to the incredible wait staff and captain that worked our wedding. They were fantastic and always made sure we had everything we needed.

I don't even know where to begin with our rave review for Catered by Design. From our initial meeting and tasting, throughout the entire planning process and the actual wedding day, Catered by Design is TOP NOTCH. My daughter is a "foodie" and having delicious food was so important to us for her wedding. My daughter stumbled upon Catered by Design and it literally was the BEST decision to hire them for her wedding. We worked with Rachel throughout the planning process. she was professional, knowledgeable, detail oriented and great with communication. The food is not your typical "wedding food" at all!! It is ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!! We literally had such a hard time narrowing down our choices for appetizers, main entrees and desserts! (A lot of our friends just couldn't get enough of those potato cups so I would highly recommend those! LOL) I was loving working with CBD so much that we actually ended up hiring them for my daughter's bridal shower food, too. They went above and beyond to accommodate what my vision was for the shower food. On their actual wedding day the food was AMAZING (just like we had sampled at our tastings)! We received so many compliments on the food. Not only is the food incredible, but the presentation of the food is beautiful (and it was served HOT which I know isn't always the case at big events like weddings). The staff from the chef to the servers were absolutely extraordinary. My family commented how attentive the staff was to refilling water glasses to taking away dirty dishes. I have nothing but WONDERFUL things to say about CBD. It is extremely stressful to find wedding vendors and especially a caterer (food is such an important part of a wedding!) who you can trust and know will make your wedding day "perfect". I can guarantee you that using Catered by Design is the BEST decision to guarantee delicious food and amazing service. We have received so many compliments on the food and I have said we hired the "A Team." Catered by Design was a huge part of why our daughter & son-in-law's wedding was such a success. THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS, RACHEL AND THE ENTIRE CATERED BY DESIGN TEAM. We are truly indebted...

Very professional, loved the options they offered us, service was great, the food was delicious, the staff was on top of every little detail. Thank you!

We used Catered by Design for our wedding caterers and they were fantastic! Rachel was our point of contact and managed our requests and changes with ease. The day of Laura was our captain and everything ran smoothly and efficiently! They have a wide range of option to choose from and everything was delicious. We received so many compliments on the food and bev. I highly recommend!

We had a great experience working with Catered by Design for our wedding. Matt was very friendly and professional, and communicated promptly. They have a large and varied menu to choose from. The tasting was a nice experience. And when we changed our minds about the vegetarian entree, we were able to sample another option by picking it up like a take-out order. On the day of the wedding, the catering staff was very courteous and efficient, and they moved so fast setting everything up when our ceremony had to be moved inside due to lightning! My husband and I really felt like they had things under control, so that we could just focus on what we needed to do. The food was delicious, and we loved the watermelon agua fresca that they made as our signature mocktail. We particularly appreciated that they had packed up the leftover cake so that we could take it home at the end of the night. Also, one of the catering staff brought us some appetizers while we were taking photos during the cocktail hour. We're not sure if anyone asked them to do that, but it was a great idea, at any rate.

Catered By Design was one of the recommended caterers by our venue; we are so glad we worked with them. The food was fantastic (even at our tasting), and they gave us exactly what we wanted. My husband specifically requested a pizza station in our buffet, and they made it happen. The staff was friendly and very professional the day of, making sure we had everything we needed. They did a great job working with our venue to make sure tables and the small details were put together. I will say they are on the pricier side, but it was well worth it for the amount of work they put in.