251-300 guest capacity
This venue can host up to 300 guests
About this vendor
Make your wedding one for the history books
The Chicago History Museum is a wedding venue located in Chicago, IL. The property exudes timeless elegance and historic charm, treating couples and their loved ones to captivating views at every turn. With its modern amenities, dedicated event staff, and stylish decor, this property provides guests with the opportunity to host the wedding event of their dreams.
The Chicago History Museum is a historic building that features charming Georgian architecture. From its high ceilings, wall molding, and large illuminating windows, guests are certain to feel as though they have stepped back in time when visiting. For your ceremony and reception, the Chicago Room offers endless versatility for your needs. Its open-plan layout allows space for both a romantic service and a celebratory dining experience, as well as a night of dancing. In addition, the Outdoor Plaza is the ideal choice for those looking to gather in the warmth of the sun. Hidden away in the heart of Lincoln Park, this romantic space provides stunning views of the city skyline.
The team at Chicago History Museum provides couples with a wide range of services to choose from. They will work with you to ensure that every last element of your day is carefully curated and expertly executed. To begin your day, you and your beloved will have access to the venue’s Get Ready Rooms. Here, you can enjoy a relaxing preparation experience with your wedding party. The in-house event planner will ensure that every detail runs smoothly on the day of your event. Set-up and clean-up services will be provided, allowing you to enjoy your day without worrying about the smaller details.
Pricing details
Starting prices
Reception:
$6,500
Ceremony:
$2,000
Bar services:
$20 per person
Catering:
Contact for price
Starting prices don't include service fees, taxes, gratuity, and rental fees. Guest count and seasonality may also affect prices. Peak season for this venue is Apr-Nov.
Amenities + details
Ceremony Area
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Liability Insurance
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Covered Outdoors Space
On-Site Accommodations
Ceremony Types
- Civil Union
- Commitment Ceremony
- Elopement
- Interfaith Ceremony
- Non-Religious Ceremony
- Religious Ceremony
Guest Capacity
- Up to 300
Settings
- Ballroom
- Historic Venue
- Museum
Venue Service Offerings
- Destination Weddings
- Planning
- Rentals & Equipment
Awards and Affiliations
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
5
out of 5.0149 reviews
Review photos
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Everything about this venue surpassed our expectations. Erika and her team at CHM were accessible, responsive and paid attention to every detail. The beautiful, classic setting was the perfect backdrop for our ceremony, outdoor cocktail hour and reception. They allowed our DJ to bring in pin lighting which changed colors as the evening progressed creating an amazing glow. I remember looking out across the venue when I first arrived and seeing the ceremony set and all the flowers and thinking - this is absolutely perfect and just want I always dreamed of. They do require you to use their bar service and the drinks and service were excellent. All of our guests commented how beautiful the venue was and how elegant the whole evening felt. Pricing for the venue overall was very reasonable but gave the feeling of a VERY expensive and extravagant event. We just could not have been more pleased with the whole experience and are so glad we choose CHM!
Not only is CHM a beautiful venue, but their whole team is top notch. Erika was amazing to work with and extremely accommodating, same goes for Brad. You can’t go wrong having your wedding here!
The wedding venue is immaculate and Lynette, our events coordinator, was an effective communicator through the entire process. We always felt like we were in good hands and she helped coordinate the process of the day. We had contingency plans for rain, we had options for cocktail hour and ceremony locations, and had clear conversations about order of events and logistics through planning phase.
Any questions?
We hosted our wedding reception at The Chicago History Museum, and the day was just perfect! The museum is such a beautiful space and our day-of team was excellent. We did have one hiccup in the booking process regarding date availability - the upfront communication could have been a bit better, but we were able to work this out with Lynnette and her team. We could not have imaged a better reception for our big day! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!
The Chicago History Museum was our dream wedding venue! Our ceremony and cocktail hour were outside on the terrace and the stairs and pillars were the perfect backdrop. The reception flowed seamlessly inside and we couldn’t have been happier with the space. Erika and team were so attentive and easy to work with. They made the whole planning process easy and we felt like we were in good hands the entire day!
An absolute dream of a wedding venue! We would choose CHM again for not only the beauty of it but the people as well! Lynette was so easy to work with and accommodating. They definitely care about their couples!
We had a truly amazing experience getting married at the Chicago History Museum! We had a petite wedding there and had the best day. The staff was attentive, helpful, and accommodating. Lynette and Brad were very helpful in making sure the day was smooth. I really appreciate how helpful they both were. The museum itself is beautiful too!
Working with the CHM team has been nothing less than amazing. From the minute we saw the venue we knew that it was the right place for our wedding. The space is gorgeous and the team was incredibly supportive during the entire planning process. They went above and beyond providing us with all the information and guidance we needed to plan our wedding, allowing us to feel stress free. We are so happy to have gotten married at the Chicago History Museum.
My husband and I had our absolute dream wedding at the Chicago History Museum! We could not have been happier with our choice to work with the wonderful people at CHM for our wedding day! Erika, Anna and Lynette are an absolute dream team. From our first tour to our big day, they were there every step of the way to help answer questions and put our minds at ease, ensuring that our day would go as smoothly as possible, and it absolutely did. They were all an absolute pleasure to work with, and on top of that, CHM is an absolutely gorgeous venue for a wedding. From the chandelier in the lobby, to the exhibit you can choose to have open during cocktail hour, to the beautiful floors and walls and stained glass in the Morse Genius Chicago Room, the Chicago History Museum offers such a beautiful backdrop for such an important and celebratory day. The bridal suite was a great space to regroup in, in between events, and the grand set of stairs off the back of the museum offered the perfect space for our first look and portraits. Thank you to the team at Chicago History Museum for everything!!
CHM was absolutely perfect. We knew we wanted something small and were SO HAPPY to discover their Petite Wedding package and options. It was a huge help to not have to sweat additional details and perfectly fit what my husband and I were looking to do.
A huge thank you to Lynette and the CHM staff for helping create a beautiful, memorable day!
The Chicago History Museum was the perfect venue for our wedding. We worked with Lorelei who was AMAZING, she was so organized and helpful throughout the entire planning process and made things so easy for us. The museum itself was gorgeous on the day of our wedding, the layout is perfect for dinner and dancing no matter what time of year you are getting married. All of our guests also loved that they could view some of the museum exhibits during cocktail hour, and kept complimenting how beautiful the space was. We had such an amazing experience here I would highly recommend this venue to anyone!
Lynette and the team at CHM did an excellent job hosting our wedding! Everyone was so professional, personable, and fully invested in helping make our wedding day so incredible. It was a huge comfort to know that the whole team at CHM was experienced in hosting weddings, and could answer all our questions. From our first visit to the weekend of the wedding, everyone was helpful, competent, and happy to walk us through all the logistics. Additionally, the venue itself is beautiful, and was a perfect space to invite our out of town friends and family to experience Chicago-- over a month later, we're still hearing nice things about the big day. Thank you again, CHM!
Talk about a dream come true! From the moment I stepped foot in the Museum, I knew it was the one. The space is absolutely stunning and we have received a ton of compliments from our wedding guests about how blown away they were by the venue. Lynette and the entire team were great to work with. They made it easy for us to ask questions and stop by if we wanted to see the space in person again during the planning process. Once we had our final venue walk through one month before wedding day I knew we had made the right decision because the entire team was so professional and easy to work with. I loved that there were so many options for where to have the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. They know what they're doing at CHM and put us at ease which made our wedding day stress free! I 100% would recommend this space to anyone who is looking for an elegant, breath-taking, amazing, versatile venue!
We got married at the Chicago History Museum in August 2023. We have only wonderful things to say about the experience. The venue itself is beautiful but, beyond that, Erika and her team were so wonderful throughout the planning process. She was attentive and responsive to all questions and was flexible in accommodating our vision. We have received so many wonderful messages from family and friends saying how great our wedding was, and we ourselves had the most incredible day. I cannot recommend CHM enough.
We absolutely loved our wedding at the Chicago History Museum in June 2023. It was the perfect location that felt formal but also didn't feel like a typical hotel-ballroom type of wedding. We had our ceremony and cocktail hour outside in the garden and there was enough shade that no one was too hot at all. The gardens and steps were also so lovely, we didn't really need that many florals outside. Our reception was inside and the pictures with the black/white floor as so lovely.
Response from the Vendor on 08/23/2023
Hi Maggie, Thank you for your kind words! We were thrilled to host your wedding and help make everything special for you!
The Chicago History Museum was the PERFECT venue for our wedding. The indoor and outdoor spaces are elegant, beautiful, and downright dreamy. The staff at CHM was wonderful to work with—from booking to event planning to running everything day-of. We received a lot of compliments from guests on our venue choice, and I'm so happy we chose CHM.
Response from the Vendor on 08/23/2023
Hi Kate! Thank you so much for your kind words. It was such a beautiful wedding and we're happy to have been a part of it!
CHM was such an amazing venue for our wedding. It was absolutely magical! The Chicago Room, Outdoor Plaza, and Robinson Gallery were gorgeous. CHM also handles the bar and some equipment, which made it easy and, in general, they were very easy to work with. Specifically, Erika at CHM was so helpful! We knew we were in great hands when we started working with her, and especially at the final walkthrough when it was clear she had everything dialed in. As expected, everything went swimmingly the day of. We recommend doing your wedding at CHM and working with her!
Response from the Vendor on 07/18/2023
Roxi, you're so sweet! Thank you for the kind words about CHM and Erika. You are what made it magical! We were honored to host your wedding. Congratulations again!
The Chicago History Museum, and particularly Erika, facilitated our beautiful and extremely joyful wedding. Our guests are still telling us how much they loved the venue, including how beautiful it was and how much fun they had exploring the galleries. Our wedding happened to be on an extremely rainy day, and we are extremely appreciative of the Museum's excellent rain plan. We appreciate how professional, communicative, and supportive Erika was during the wedding planning process. We had a traditional Jewish wedding and the museum had great space for a tisch, bedeken, chuppah, and reception - and great dance floor space for simcha dancing! The Museum was an integral part in making our wedding day a beautiful one (even in a deluge) - thank you.
Response from the Vendor on 07/18/2023
Ranana, thank you so much for the kind words about CHM and Erika. We never want to see rain ruin a wedding, so we work so hard to make the Plan B just as lovely as Plan A. We were delighted to host your wedding. Congratulations again!
We loved our wedding day at the Chicago History Museum -- everything was beautiful! The checkered dancefloor, stained glass portraits, entry room and outdoor patio was all perfect. We had a great experience working with Erika, who shared all important information, was very responsive and very attentive to all our details. It was perfect!
Response from the Vendor on 07/18/2023
Kristen, thank you so much for the kind words about CHM and Erika. We were delighted to host your wedding. Congratulations again!
We loved working with Erika and the entire Chicago History Museum team. Our wedding was in early November and their team helped ensure everything was seamless. From the beginning, we knew we were in good hands with how organized and helpful they were. Not to mention the venue is absolutely gorgeous. When we walked inside, we instantly fell in love with it. It was perfect for our fall wedding. You will not regret it if you decide to get married here!
Response from the Vendor on 01/04/2023
Thank you so much for the kind words, Heather! Erika loved working with you, too!
I cannot express how happy my wife, damn that is cool to day, and I are that we had our elopement at the Chicago History Museum. From the first contact with Erika to Anna helping us out on the actual day, it was nothing but a pleasure. Everything feel into place better than we thought it would, and the experience as a whole made our wedding day that much more enjoyable. I would highly recommend the Chicago History Museum!
Response from the Vendor on 11/30/2022
Thank you so much, James!
The Chicago History Museum is an absolutely stunning venue, and is sure to make your wedding memorable and unique. The event space is gorgeous, classic, and elegant. We were able to have the Chicago Crossroads exhibit open for our cocktail hour, which added a special touch to our day. We worked with Erika, and she was so attentive, knowledgable, and a pleasure with work with.
Response from the Vendor on 11/30/2022
Thank you, Charlotte! You are too kind!!
The Chicago History Museum provided such a unique wedding experience which was everything we could have dreamed of and more. The grand background of the building was the perfect backdrop, and the natural beauty and historical touches indoors meant that little additional decor was needed, and anything we did bring in complemented the space perfectly. All in all, it was even more stunning than we could have envisioned. The staff understood from day one what we wanted to achieve for our wedding, and we could not have been happier to have had the opportunity to have our guests explore the museum during our cocktail hour. We loved having a private space for our wedding party to leave their items off the main rooms, and wonderful spots to take photographs both indoors and outside. CHM was a special place to us before we got married, and now will be forevermore.
Response from the Vendor on 11/05/2022
Thank you for the kind words, Christina!
We got married at CHM this weekend and I could not have asked for a better venue, a better staff, or better coordinators in Erika and Anna. In addition to just being a stunning venue on it’s own- everyone at CHM put in work for over a year to make sure we had a seamless day and everyone who came to our wedding enjoyed themselves. I would choose CHM over and over again.
Response from the Vendor on 11/05/2022
Thank you so much, Ashley!
A truly beautiful venue and the perfect place to have a wedding. We initially wanted to have the ceremony outside, though the rain had other ideas for us, but the inside of the venue is truly stunning. An elegant space that truly matched what we were going for (and that required no work to decorate minus the flowers) and working with the team at the history museum was awesome as well. It was plenty roomy for our guest size (150), and enough space to fit at least 100 more comfortably and the dance floor was plenty spacious as the party got started. You can even open up exhibits for guests to look at during cocktail hour (though we didn't end up doing so). Only thing to note is they have a limited caterer list you can work with there (four total) so if you have your heart set on a particular caterer, that would be the only drawback.
Response from the Vendor on 10/13/2022
Thanks so much, Christian!
I knew going into looking for a venue that I wanted to do something meaningful and potentially historical. My husband and I love history and museums, and we met in Chicago, so this seemed like a perfect fit! (I will say we looked at almost all other museums in the city as well) Talking to Lorelei from Day 1, she was so friendly and helpful, I felt that throughout the entire process I had a trusted partner. She advised on everything from bar placement to cocktail hour planning. She also has relationships with most of my other vendors, which made everything a breeze on the day of. In addition, I have to say that the actual space itself is breathtaking. It's difficult to tell when you're seeing it with nothing in it, but on the day-of, it truly is incredible. The steps in front were our favorite part, and we were able to get a picture with all of our guests on the steps! We also noticed that our guests tended to use the steps as their photo backdrop, which was perfect because we chose not to do a photo booth. We had one built in!
I highly recommend using the Chicago History Museum - not only is it a gorgeous location (with a newly renovated patio) but it means your event is a small piece of their history!
Response from the Vendor on 10/13/2022
You're the best, Chelsea!
The CHM is an awesome venue for a wedding. We had an outdoor cocktail hour on the newly renovated patio. It is such a beautiful setting. The indoor site for dinner and dancing once filled with tables and flowers is stunning. Lorelei is great to work with. Everything was as ordered. The bar staff was great (CHM provides this service). Highly recommend the CHM as a venue.
Response from the Vendor on 10/13/2022
Thank you, Charles. Hope you and C are well!
We loved this venue! Even with the rain, we were still able to plan a beautiful indoor cocktail ceremony. The CHM staff ensured our day went off without a hitch, and we were so grateful to share a historic part of Chicago with our guests.
Response from the Vendor on 08/30/2022
Thank you so much, Lindsay! Congrats, again!
We got married on May 14, 2022 at Chicago History Museum! This was the first venue we toured and and immediately fell in the love with the space! Since we were going to have a May wedding, we wanted our venue to have a good "back up" place for ceremony in case it was cold or rainy. The inside ceremony space is as beautiful as the outdoor space. We were lucky and had great weather so we were able to do our ceremony outdoors. We also wanted a venue that was timeless and CHM definitely fits that vibe!
The team at CHM is amazing (we worked primarily with Erika and Samantha). They are very knowledgeable and responsive. We received so many compliments from guests on picking such a beautiful place to get married.
Response from the Vendor on 08/08/2022
Thank you so much, Jenny!
Getting married at the Chicago History Museum was a dream come true! Erika was AMAZING to work with! She always went above and beyond to help and was quick to respond throughout the process. For many people, rain on your wedding day would put a damper on the event, but thanks to the incredible set-up at the museum, their "plan B" was beautiful and the staff perfectly executed the transition from the ceremony to the reception. THANK YOU!
Response from the Vendor on 07/19/2022
No amount of rain can stop you, Danielle! Congratulations and thank you so much!
The Chicago History Museum brought our dream wedding to life! The team at the venue was incredible to work with, responsive and thoughtful in every regard. Being able to open an exhibit to our guests during cocktail hour made our evening perfect and unique. We couldn't have imagined our reception anywhere else; the space is beautiful and one of a kind.
Response from the Vendor on 07/19/2022
Thank you so much, Taylar!
When it came to finding the perfect wedding venue, we knew the Chicago History Museum was it from the moment we walked in. Even my husband was blown away by the uniqueness of the space and how elegant it felt. But it was Lorelei, the event coordinator that sold us most of all. From our first meeting, we knew she was someone special and would go to the ends of the Earth to make sure we had our perfect wedding. And that she did.
Our wedding was originally scheduled for October 2020, but was postponed to June 2021 due to COVID. Even after we moved the date, Lorelei continued to communicate with us throughout the planning process so we felt like we were always top of mind. As the day got closer, she went above and beyond to help us navigate the ever changing COVID regulations, while also making sure we weren't sacrificing the elements of the day that were most important to us. She was always transparent and honest when dealing with pandemic related challenges, so we knew we could trust her to have our best interests in mind.
The food and the bar options were key factors for us when picking a venue and CHM did not disappoint! All of the caterers that they work with are top-notch and picking just one was one of the hardest planning decisions we had to make. We ended up going with Food For Thought and couldn't be happier with how the food turned out. The bar packages are handled by CHM, so Lorelei worked with us to ensure we got everything we wanted and was able to accommodate all of our special requests. People still talk about the fact we had Casamigos at our wedding :)
We will forever be grateful to Lorelei and her team at CHM for making our wedding day everything we hoped for and more!
Response from the Vendor on 07/19/2022
You're the best, Laura! Thank you!
Could not recommend CHM more! Their team was extremely helpful and overall wonderful to work with, especially Erika. Super knowledgeable and connected to many other wonderful vendors in the industry in Chicago. The space is absolutely stunning and they went above and beyond to help make our vision a reality. Plus the newly renovated outdoor area is gorgeous. 10/10 would recommend this venue for any size wedding.
Response from the Vendor on 02/02/2022
Thank you so much, Erin!
We had a New Year's Day wedding at the Chicago History Museum and it was a wonderful experience! The space is lovely with plenty of space, and Lorelei was great to work with. You have the option to have a museum exhibit open during cocktail hour, and the stained glass windows make a beautiful altar. We would absolutely recommend it to anyone considering it for their wedding.
Response from the Vendor on 02/02/2022
Thank you so much, Cailin!
Erika and the CMH team were a pleasure to work with! We rescheduled our wedding in 2020 due to the pandemic and the team was so accommodating. They put all of our worries at ease and made the planning process seamless during a crazy time. The venue is absolutely iconic. We were able to put our own twist on a truly classic institution. The staff and bartenders were amazing during the reception. Our family and friends can't stop raving about how amazing the venue! We'll never forget how much love filled the room and how beautiful the evening turned out!!!
Response from the Vendor on 11/30/2021
You are too kind, Mandy!
Lorelei and the entire team at CHM are outstanding! I'd dreamed of a wedding at CHM for years and Lorelei turned my dream into a reality!
Lorelei's care for her clients truly shines through in all she does. She wants for your wedding day to be exactly as you envision and will work with you to make things perfect. Lorelei is transparent and honest. Her bubbly and friendly personality make her a joy to work with for your special day.
The museum's newly renovated plaza is GORGEOUS and the perfect place to host a cocktail hour. On my wedding day, Lorelei and her team made sure that everything went off without a hitch! Thank you Lorelei and CHM!
Response from the Vendor on 11/30/2021
Thank you so much, Jill!
Everything about this space and experience was perfect. We wanted a church-like vibe for a ceremony (without an actual church) and an elegant (but still fun and not stuffy) reception and it was everything we wanted. The space is so beautiful you truly need minimal decorations and the location and museum gave our wedding a true Chicago feel. I also cannot speak highly enough of how CHM helped us navigate the pandemic. They helped us reschedule our wedding more than once and when it finally happened (July 2021) I was very reassured by the fact that they held us to even higher standards of safety than were required by the city. A huge thank you to Erika and everyone else at CHM who played a role in making our day happen!
Response from the Vendor on 11/30/2021
FINALLY! Hope you are well, Lili!
We had the most amazing wedding at the Chicago History Museum, from the staff, preferred caterer choices and beautiful spaces inside and out! The venue is timeless and the perfect setting for a Chicago wedding. We were able to enjoy our cocktail hour on the newly renovated pavilion, which our guests raved about all night. Navigating a pandemic wedding is no easy feat, and we could not have done it without the coordinator Erika. She was so responsive, helpful and accommodating to ensure the day was just as we envisioned. I recommend this venue to everyone who is looking for a gorgeous and timeless wedding venue!
We had to change our wedding plans three weeks before our date due to Covid, and the Chicago History Museum was fantastic. Erika was incredibly helpful in getting things planned last minute, and was so accommodating in answering all our questions and working out the last minute details. We used minimal decor for our ceremony, and our photos turned out beautifully as the interior detail and natural light in the space are fantastic!
We held our intimate 20 person wedding ceremony at the Chicago History Muesem in July 2021. Lorelei and Anna were wonderful to work with and helped make the ceremony perfect without any hiccups. The space was absolutely beautiful and exactly what we envisioned. Thank you CHM and the entire staff for making our day extra special.
Chicago History Museum was the perfect venue for our wedding reception. Planning (& rescheduling) a wedding with all the changes in the pandemic was by no means easy, but Lorelei and the rest of the team helped make our June 2021 wedding run as smoothly as possible. While our original 2020 wedding would have ideally included the beautiful outdoor plaza, this summer it was under construction. That will truly be another lovely benefit to this venue once that space is completed. Honestly...after the tears of losing that plaza space with our postponement--it didn't even matter! The cocktail space inside is so elegant. Various relatives loved the opportunity to explore some of the museum exhibits, while others were quite content with the friendly bartenders in the room with the chandelier. At the time of our booking, CHM worked with four preferred catering companies and CHM provided the alcohol/drinks. We met with each catering company and all of them were great options. Paramount was fantastic to work with and our guests all said they loved the food. CHM had friendly bar staff and they worked with us to come up with a package deal. The room for dining and dancing is so elegant and bright. Plenty of space for a band and dance floor. It's nice when the space speaks for itself and you don't need to go crazy decorating other than floral. The CHM team was responsive and kind. Couldn't have asked for a better wedding venue.
The Chicago History Museum was my dream venue to get married. We had the best small and intimate ceremony at the CHM this fall. Lorelei and Erika did an amazing job walking us through the process before our big day and I couldn't be happier about how everything turned out.
The Chicago History Museum is an amazing and unique venue that worked tirelessly to make our day special! We had to change plans many times due to COVID, and ended up having a small ceremony here last year in 2020, with the much larger reception taking place this past weekend in 2021. Erika was always quick to answer questions and make accommodations at every turn. She was so kind, considerate, organized, and responsive. Even though she was managing MANY other weddings we never felt like she was working with anyone but us. We had the most amazing wedding thanks to the beauty of this location as well as the tireless efforts of our coordinator Erika. We are so grateful! I would recommend this location to anyone and everyone who wants a unique, beautiful, and organized wedding!
I cannot recommend the Chicago History Museum enough! Lorelei and her team made sure that everything went without a hitch for our special "Quarantine" Wedding! The space is amazing, the entire party felt safe, and everything was honestly spectacular. Lorelei is easy to work with, and she is incredibly accommodating - we moved our ceremony in and outside three times before the weather decided to cooperate for our picture-perfect outdoor summer wedding. We are having our larger ceremony with the rest of the wedding guests next year, and I am counting down the days to special day number 2!
So amazing. They took care of us like we were royalty. They worked so well with all our vendors and accommodated all my crazy requests. I am so greatful to CHM. They were the one and only venue we looked at and we are so glad we did.
I cannot emphasize enough how grateful I am for the team at the Chicago History Museum. My husband and I had our dream wedding there this past November, and are still pinching ourselves over how gorgeous and perfect it was. I am a wedding caterer myself, and actually work at CHM quite often on the vendor side. Once I got engaged, I had zero doubt as to which venue I wanted to get married in. I worked directly with Erika, but I do love all of the ladies there. The space is so beautiful and versatile, and the location and views are amazing. We kept the gallery open so that our guests (mostly out-of-towners!) could enjoy and learn more about Chicago. It was a huge hit. We wanted a timeless and elegant but unique wedding, and couldn't imagine hosting it anywhere else. I <3 CHM!
We spent the most special day of our lives at CHM. The venue speaks for itself but we don’t have a shortage of amazing things to say about Lorelei and her team at the museum. She was the beat of the beat from day one up until even after our guests departed.... both my husband and I are both OBSESSED with her and everything she did for us and to make our day even more magical then we imagined. Thank you Lorelei and to your team for going above and beyond for us... We will never forget you!!
My husband and I are so happy we chose CHM for our wedding reception venue. It is such a timeless and elegant space. We were able to have our cocktails outside which was so beautiful and many of our guests didn’t even know that space existed! The stairs and pillars were beautiful backdrops for our pictures. We also had a band and they said CHM is a great room for the acoustics. Erika was great to work with. She was very experienced and always responded quickly. It is a perfect wedding venue and I can’t recommend the space enough!
Our wedding at Chicago History Museum was exceptional! Lorelei was a pleasure to work with throughout the whole planning process. Her expertise of the facility and weddings was evident as we dialed in all of the details for our dream wedding. The wedding night went off without a hitch as Lorelei and her staff coordinated with all of the vendors. Lastly, the room and grounds are obviously beautiful and don’t require much additional decor. We highly recommend getting married at Chicago History Museum.
The Chicago History Museum was the best reception venue we could have ever dreamed of. The room is absolutely beautiful as is, it hardly needs any decorating. The people at CHM were extremely helpful throughout the planning process and helped tremendously in bringing our wedding vision to life. It is such a romantic and beautiful space and we are so happy that we had our reception here!!
We loved our wedding at the Chicago History Museum, and Brittany was so wonderful to work with! It is such a beautiful venue with equally lovely indoor and outdoor options, easy access, and so many great spots for photography. They have a nice list of preferred vendors, and we found that many vendors outside of the list in Chicago are familiar with the space anyway, making it easy to coordinate. Communication was always easy and we never felt worried about the space throughout the planning process. We took pictures outside and ended up having our ceremony inside due to rain, and it was just perfect!
Erika was phenomenal to work with. She was caring and helpful and so sweet all wrapped into one. I never once felt like I was just another bride having her wedding at CHM. She helped when I didn’t know what to choose and was always a phone call away when I needed her. Chicago History Museum is breathtaking especially when you can take advantage of cocktail hour on the patio. Thank you CHM and staff for turning my dream into a fairytale!
I am so delighted that we were married at the Chicago History Museum. Much of this has been said here before, but the venue is absolutely stunning and the team who helped us put (and keep) everything together was fantastic. We saw a fair amount of staff turnover, but that never hampered their workings or the results. Our team worked so effectively within the limits of the venue rules to realize our vision. I appreciated that the venue had a select number of options for catering available and a huge list of vendor recommendations for other components of the night. Everyone we worked with from different vendors already knew everyone else, and I thought that spoke well of everyone involved, including CHM--they are clearly a big part of the wedding vendor community in Chicago, with all the contacts and seemingly positive relationships to other members of that community. We had both the ceremony and reception on-site and I just really couldn't be happier with how everything turned out. We are still getting compliments on how perfect the venue was for us and how magical the entire evening felt. The space is a gorgeous palette for your own ideas: it is lovely regardless, but has incredible potential for individuality based on what else you bring into the rooms. I think it's a perfect venue choice for someone seeking history and elegance in their wedding venue.
Getting married at the Chicago History Museum was absolutely perfect. From our first tour of the venue to the day after the wedding when we picked up our leftover flowers and decorations, everyone was so helpful and responsive. The space was gorgeous and all our guests commented how much they loved the venue. The fact that CHM gives you four caterers to choose from was incredibly helpful since there are hundreds of options in the city; it was nice to get a head start on narrowing down the choices. We picked Blue Plate and couldn't have been happier. The bartenders CHM provides were awesome and choosing a bar package was super easy. The CHM staff helped keep us organized and on track throughout the whole planning process and on the day of our wedding. We loved working with them and would highly recommend getting married at the beautiful Chicago History Museum!
We couldn't have picked a better venue for our wedding. The Chicago History Museum is timeless, classic, and absolutely stunning. We are still getting compliments on how perfect of a venue the Chicago History Museum was. The Museum was easy to work with and their recommended vendors were fantastic, which made the evening run smoothly.
Not a lot to say that hasn't been said before, but CHM was an absolutely perfect wedding venue. We were planning on an outdoor wedding for late April but it ended up being freezing cold on the day. Jessica and her team there made the transition to an indoor ceremony 100% seamless. It looked like we had been planning to be indoors all along. Jessica was super helpful and provided as much guidance as we needed, which was a lot as we were planning the wedding long distance. She went the extra mile in a few different ways, especially when it came to putting together our beverage package. Her recommendations for table set-up were also spot on. We chose not to have the exhibits open and didn't feel that we missed out on anything, but most of our guests were local and had been to the museum before. The list of caterers to choose from seems limiting at first but I ended up loving not having to crawl through the thousands of caterers in the area, and every company on the list is very highly rated. Although CHM was near the top of our venue budget, in the end it was 100% worth it to have a team of professionals who are used to the entire process and have seen it all before; not to mention the money going to support a Chicago institution rather than a more generic venue. Worth every penny, and we'd book our wedding there again in a heartbeat!
We had both our Ceremony and Reception on site. Simply put, it was incredible. Erika picked up our event about halfway through our planning (as the person previously helping us had moved on to a different job), and she absolutely nailed it. She was always available to talk, schedule meetings and be kind and courteous when we felt like we were losing our minds with little details. She helped us pick what she thought was the best choice when we needed it - it was super helpful having someone who had done a lot of events and knew how to create a WOW effect. She was with us from start to finish on the wedding day to make sure everything ran smoothly (and it did!), and we couldn't have asked for a better coordinator. Oh, and the venue is gorgeous. We had some of the exhibits open to have our guests roam around them during cocktail hour and being able to move from indoors to outdoors on a warm summer night was a great plus as well! We could go on forever with details but will leave it at: Don't sleep on the Chicago History Museum!!
Our wedding at CHM was absolutely perfect!! Erika was so easy to work with and great through the entire process! Her and her CHM team flawlessly ran the event. We could of not asked for a better events team and an even more gorgeous venue to work with for our wedding.
We loved having our wedding over Labor Day weekend at the Chicago History Museum. The venue is so beautiful - both for indoor and outdoor wedding. We did our ceremony outside and cocktails / dinner / dancing inside. I didn't work directly with the venue very much since we had a wedding planner but everything went great and people were talking about how beautiful and cool of a venue this was for weeks!
Our wedding at the Chicago History Museum felt like a true fairytale. We knew we wanted to get married at a venue that had the flexibility of outdoor and indoor space, and CHM had just that. I was immediately drawn to CHM. It is timeless, elegant and absolutely unique. I really did not have to look further than the beautiful marble and wood floors, but when I looked out onto the Plaza, I just knew this was it. We had our ceremony and cocktail hour outside, and our dinner and reception followed indoors. CHM was a dream to work with. Erika was extremely professional and there to help us literally every step of the way. We honestly felt that she wanted to do everything in her power to make sure we had the most beautiful wedding, and we know she went above and beyond for us. From beginning to end, we were not only blown away by how beautiful the venue looked throughout the entire night but also how we were able to transform the space into our vision, which reflected our true personalities. We are so thankful to CHM and all of the staff who made our night hands down perfect.
We had the most beautiful, elegant wedding and reception at the Chicago History Museum in August 2018. The Robinson Gallery is absolutely stunning and having the ability to take photos on the back steps was perfect. We worked with Brittany, who was quick to respond to any questions, and was willing to work with us to make sure we had all of the details we needed for our perfect day. Their staff at the event were friendly and professional and helped make everything smooth all the way around. They have a list of 4 caterers to work with and all of those caterers were very helpful as we were designing our menu and pricing out the dinner, and it is clear that they respect and value the weddings held at CHM. Overall, I can't say enough amazing things about our venue and how perfect it was for our day. Thank you, Chicago History Museum!!
We had our ceremony and cocktail hour in the plaza outside CHM and had our reception inside. We chose the venue because we wanted a place that had sufficient space for a ceremony and cocktail hour inside in case it rained. The building is truly beautiful and the location is amazing if you have guests visiting from out of town because they get an amazing Chicago experience. We worked with Erika Johnson at CHM to plan the event and she was very responsive. She worked well with our wedding coordinator (Erika B from Plum & Ivy) and caterer (Paramount), and was able to provide other vendor recommendations. She also was very accommodating with our specific beverage requests. I would definitely recommend CHM to anyone!
I had visited this museum several times while I was doing my Master's degree in Chicago and always knew that it would be a perfect location for a classic and timeless wedding. If you want a place that stands the test of time in terms of look and feel, book this place. I got a lot of compliments from guests and many guests noted that the ballroom space even felt like a church (during our indoor ceremony), because of the clean white walls/pillars and beautiful stain glass art pieces.
The only potential downside would be flexibility in terms of start time for ceremony/cocktail/dinner, due to the hours of the museum. However, since 95% of our guests were out of state & country, having everything in one site for back-to-back events was perfect.
We stumbled into the Chicago History Museum somewhat on accident after looking at multiple (as in 10+) other venues and immediately knew it was the place we wanted to hold our reception. The space is gorgeous and all of the staff we worked with were amazing, competent, and clearly so committed to making our experience the best if could be. From our initial tour to our contract execution to all of the day of services, everything was perfectly organized and ran even better than we could have hoped. We were hoping for an outdoor cocktail hour but also wanted to get married in the Spring, in a Chicago, and we loved that the museum had great options for both indoor and outdoor needs. We were bummed when it ended up being a rainy day but honestly didn’t even notice that everything was inside since the space is so well laid out. We chose to have the Chicago exhibit open for our guests and the old el train was a huge hit. We primarily worked with Jessica and she was amazing! I can’t say enough good things and I can’t recommend this venue (or just visiting the museum in general) enough!
From start to finish, the planning, options, and wedding reception were all one could hope for to make for a memorable evening. Our daughter's August 2018 wedding reception was loved by all who attended. Our CHM coordinators provided good tips and responsive coordination during the process. On the evening of the wedding reception, they made sure that all elements ran smoothly. The bar staff and security were also very friendly. The CHM venue makes for a perfect setting in the summer with outdoor cocktails and dinner and dancing inside.
Our wedding was in June 2018 and we are so happy to have chosen CHM for our ceremony and reception. It is a beautiful setting. Our coordinator, Jessica, at CHM was very experienced and made our planning process as easy as possible. The wedding day was smooth and incredible. Thank you CHM!
Our daughter's wedding was in December, 2017. The reception was held at the CHM. The space was beautiful and conducive for conversation, mingling, and fun. All staff, from the special events coordinator to the bartenders, to the security and coat check staff were friendly and professional and helpful. This was a perfect venue for this perfect wedding.
The cocktail area allowed easy flow so that we could mingle with guests and musicians could stroll easily, and accommodated the cake service and a photo booth during the reception.
The noise level was quiet. There was convenient seating for elderly, and the video area provided for easy viewing of the bride/groom video. The space allowed for 2 bars - and the bartenders were terrific. The banquet area mirrored the cocktail area in being a great space for dining, visiting and dancing. The middle area worked very well for the bridal party table, cake cutting, bride and groom's dance and speeches/toasts. The stage provided a good space for the band and the dance floor was a good size. This was a wonderful experience.
My husband and I recently got married at the Chicago History Museum in October 2017. It is a stunningly beautiful event space. Despite the fact that it was raining throughout our entire wedding day, I didn't care because the space was so, so gorgeous!! The Tiffany stained glass walls make for a lovely ceremony space that has a church-like feel, but is also cozy and welcoming. Our event coordinator, Erika, was so wonderful throughout the whole process of planning our wedding, from providing helpful vendor recommendations to ensuring that the big day went off without a hitch. It was the perfect place to get married and such a lovely event team to work with :)
We were married at the Chicago History Museum on Memorial Day Weekend 2017, and it was an absolute dream! We were lucky enough with the weather to have an outdoor ceremony and cocktails out on the plaza, coming inside for the reception. The space is elegant, lovely, and spectacular. I couldn't imagine a more character-filled, special venue that could actually accommodate our wedding size. We began working with Melanie as our event coordinator and was then switched to Erika. The transition was very seamless, and they both were great to work with. Erika was fantastic in the weeks leading up to our wedding, working with our wedding planner and all the vendors to make sure we didn't need to worry about anything. She knew I really wanted an outdoor ceremony if we could swing it with the weather, so she made sure we had the extra garden chairs available until the last minute for that flexibility. She also helped make our wedding day logistics simple and was extremely responsive. We had the most wonderful wedding day, CHM was the absolute perfect place!