Deer Path Inn

Where Traditional Becomes Exceptional

Holds ceremonies and receptions

5.0

Verified reviews from real couples

We are still floating from our wedding at the Deer Path Inn. From the very beginning, the team was simply incredible. It started with Mary Ellen, who is kind, responsive, and unbelievably knowledgeable. Her professionalism is second to none, and the guidance she offered—based on truly listening to what we hoped for—was unlike anything we experienced while planning. She provided thoughtful recommendations that genuinely shaped our day in the best way. The entire DPI team took care of us like we were their own family. Michelle at the front desk treated us with such warmth, and the valet staff and waitstaff were exceptional. Al and Felix, who supported us throughout our wedding dinner, were amazing—genuinely excited for us, attentive in every moment, and clearly proud of the work they do. Their positivity made such a difference. The space itself is stunning. Richly stained wood, a cozy fireplace, windows everywhere, beautiful ivy—it felt like stepping into a beautifully curated storybook. We also appreciated the second valet dedicated specifically to wedding guests, which ensured everyone felt welcomed and taken care of. And the food… wow. Wedding meals don’t always get rave reviews, but ours sure did. We’re still receiving compliments. The value for the quality is exceptional. The flexibility was another huge plus: we didn’t need to submit our final count until a week before, and they made it easy for us to bring in our cake and sweets table from our favorite bakery. One of the highlights was being able to have a live band for our wedding size (125), and coordinating those details with Mary Ellen was seamless. She made everything feel simple. The accommodations, especially the Cornwall Suite, deserve special mention. They are truly beautiful. My hair and makeup vendors were shocked by the size of the suite, and our friends and family are already talking about coming back after feeling so cherished during their stay. We feel so lucky to have found the Deer Path Inn. It was the perfect backdrop to the most important day of our lives, and we cannot recommend it highly enough.

Mary Grace M.

5.0

We had our rehearsal dinner (75 guests) at the Deer Path Inn and had a great experience! The space was perfect for cocktail hour which forayed into a beautiful dinner. The private entrance was convenient, and the pub in the basement was a fun after spot for those who wanted to keep the party going. The atmosphere was warm, classic and old school - perfect for a special occasion. All of our guests enjoyed the setting, as well as the food and service. We were impressed all around! Mary Ellen was very helpful and responsive throughout the lead up to the event - you are in good hands with her! As a wonderful surprise, they upgraded our room to one of the best suites in the hotel for our wedding weekend, since we had our rehearsal dinner there. So nice!!

Claire M.

5.0

The North Shore's Most Iconic Wedding Venue There is something about the simple elegance and charm of the English wedding that makes it truly covetable. For generations of North Shore families, the Deer Path Inn has brought the same sophistication, romance, and meticulous attention to detail to weddings in Lake Forest. Windsor Hall, our iconic and incomparable event space, offers over 4,500 square feet of space suitable for entertaining up to 200 seated wedding guests with a dance floor. This warm and inviting event space, with its oak beams and charming detail, is divisible into three rooms, allowing for plenty of pre-function space as well. Deer Path Inn is a wedding venue located in Lake Forest, IL.

97+ years in business

Speaks English

5 team members

Amenities + details

Amenities

Ceremony Area

Handicap Accessible

Indoor Event Space

On-Site Accommodations

Outdoor Event Space

Reception Area

Wireless Internet

Ceremony Types

Civil Union

Commitment Ceremony

Elopement

Interfaith Ceremony

Non-Religious Ceremony

Religious Ceremony

Second Wedding

Vow Renewal Ceremony

Settings

Ballroom

Historic Venue

Hotel

Restaurant

Venue Service Offerings

Bar & Drinks

Cakes & Desserts

Food & Catering

Rentals & Equipment

Service Staff

Any questions?

Meet the team

Mary Ellen Powers

Catering Sales Director ~ Deer Path Inn

I am inspired by the history of the Deer Path Inn and the joy of bringing a couple’s vision to life. With 18 years dedicated to this historic venue and over 35 years in the event planning industry, I pride myself on being a supportive and insightful partner from the first tour to the final dance. From the grandest logistics to the tiniest finishing touches, we are committed to ensuring your day is flawlessly executed.

5.0

out of 5.0

14 reviews

Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

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Mary Grace M

12/10/2025

We are still floating from our wedding at the Deer Path Inn. From the very beginning, the team was simply incredible. It started with Mary Ellen, who is kind, responsive, and unbel...

ievably knowledgeable. Her professionalism is second to none, and the guidance she offered—based on truly listening to what we hoped for—was unlike anything we experienced while planning. She provided thoughtful recommendations that genuinely shaped our day in the best way. The entire DPI team took care of us like we were their own family. Michelle at the front desk treated us with such warmth, and the valet staff and waitstaff were exceptional. Al and Felix, who supported us throughout our wedding dinner, were amazing—genuinely excited for us, attentive in every moment, and clearly proud of the work they do. Their positivity made such a difference. The space itself is stunning. Richly stained wood, a cozy fireplace, windows everywhere, beautiful ivy—it felt like stepping into a beautifully curated storybook. We also appreciated the second valet dedicated specifically to wedding guests, which ensured everyone felt welcomed and taken care of. And the food… wow. Wedding meals don’t always get rave reviews, but ours sure did. We’re still receiving compliments. The value for the quality is exceptional. The flexibility was another huge plus: we didn’t need to submit our final count until a week before, and they made it easy for us to bring in our cake and sweets table from our favorite bakery. One of the highlights was being able to have a live band for our wedding size (125), and coordinating those details with Mary Ellen was seamless. She made everything feel simple. The accommodations, especially the Cornwall Suite, deserve special mention. They are truly beautiful. My hair and makeup vendors were shocked by the size of the suite, and our friends and family are already talking about coming back after feeling so cherished during their stay. We feel so lucky to have found the Deer Path Inn. It was the perfect backdrop to the most important day of our lives, and we cannot recommend it highly enough.

Claire M

8/17/2024

We had our rehearsal dinner (75 guests) at the Deer Path Inn and had a great experience! The space was perfect for cocktail hour which forayed into a beautiful dinner. The private ...

entrance was convenient, and the pub in the basement was a fun after spot for those who wanted to keep the party going. The atmosphere was warm, classic and old school - perfect for a special occasion. All of our guests enjoyed the setting, as well as the food and service. We were impressed all around! Mary Ellen was very helpful and responsive throughout the lead up to the event - you are in good hands with her! As a wonderful surprise, they upgraded our room to one of the best suites in the hotel for our wedding weekend, since we had our rehearsal dinner there. So nice!!

Any questions?

Samantha M

5/30/2024

Our wedding at Deer Path Inn was absolutely perfect and went even better than we could have imagined! The team was incredibly attentive, helpful, and friendly and answered every qu...

estion throughout the planning process and the day of. Michelle, Al, Felix, and the rest of the team were amazing from the start of the day all the way through the end, keeping the evening on track and ensuring we had everything we needed. We were beyond lucky to work with them and they made our wedding weekend perfect!

Adrienne M

3/10/2023

The Deer Path Inn is an incredible hotel and venue. Mary Ellen is so great to work with and made the planning process easy for me. She is readily available and was so accommodating...

to our requests. I can't speak highly enough about working with Mary Ellen! She was so kind and professional during the entire planning process and wedding weekend. The day of event coordinator was also wonderful. She made sure my husband and I were okay all throughout the day and assisted in escorting us around the hotel while we took photos. Our entire wedding day went without any hiccups and this speaks volumes for the entire team at Deer Path Inn. I highly recommend this venue for your wedding day!

Yasamin K

8/30/2019

We held our rehearsal dinner here. Mary Ellen was great from beginning to end. She answered all of my questions so quickly, and she was great at keeping in touch and following up. ...

During our rehearsal dinner, the staff was amazing. The food was out-of-this-world good. They even stored our stuff the night before the rehearsal dinner. I would recommend using this venue if you are looking to host a classy rehearsal dinner in Lake Forest.

Alicia G

5/02/2019

We had both our wedding ceremony and reception at the Deer Path Inn and highly recommend this venue! Mary Ellen at the Deer Path Inn is fantastic, she was always available to assis...

t with any wedding need or question leading up to and on the big day. The staff created a warm and welcoming atmosphere for our guests during the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. The food is delicious, all of our guests could not stop raving about how great their meals were. Overall, this is a wonderful and elegant venue that has such a warm, homey feel. The rooms and outdoor spaces are beautiful, and served as lovely backdrops for our pictures.

Liz-Marie S

3/15/2019

My husband and I had our winter wonderland wedding (ceremony & reception) at the Deer Path Inn last month. We also stayed at the Inn the night before/after the wedding. We had our ...

absolute dream wedding! Mary Ellen and her entire team were attentive, professional, organized and so easy to work with. They went above and beyond to assure everything was beyond our expectations for our special day and it absolutely was. More than that, the whole staff at the Deer Path Inn (from the valet to the Concierge to the cleaning team) was amazing - the service here is truly unparalleled. Not only were we so impressed, but our guests were as well. We received SO many compliments about the venue (every last detail of the architecture, decor, and the layout is well thought out), the food, the service, the bathrooms.. the list goes on. We are so thankful for everything Mary Ellen and her team did to assure our wedding was perfect!

Jamie S

12/05/2017

10 stars!!!! I don’t even know where to begin to describe how amazing this place is. It truly was the most magical day of my life. Starting with the space itself, its such an ama...

zing canvas to build your dream vision of what you want – best part is that Mary Ellen is the most accommodating and professional person to work with. Her and her team are just so responsive and right there to help you with whatever you want or could ever need. I brought these lanterns and totes full of items and they were ready to go to help store things and get it ready for my big day. And the staff – WOW, I mean everyone is so nice there, polite, and just ready to help with whatever is needed. AND PLEASE GET ME STARTED ON THE FOOD – the DPI just takes the food to a level that gets everyone to join the clean plate club – that was one of the main things people said – from the cocktail hour to the main dinner everyone was blown away by the food and not just the amazing taste but the amount – when you do your tasting, what you see is actually what you get. I really couldn’t have asked for a better venue for the biggest day of my life and thank everyone at Deer path for all they did. If you are debating on your wedding look no further.

Jackie L

10/26/2017

We recently had our wedding at Deer Path Inn and it was absolutely perfection! Mary Ellen was beyond excellent during the planning and execution of our wedding. She is very respons...

ive, professional, and a joy to work with! After months of planning, Deer Path Inn felt like home to us. Every single employee we dealt with at the venue was beyond helpful whether it was the valet, a server, the general manager, you name it. Along with it being such a beautiful venue, our guests have raved about how delicious the food was! Oh! And how could we forget, the guest rooms are BEAUTIFUL. Very spacious and luxurious! You don’t want to leave the room. We can not wait to celebrate our anniversary with a staycation weekend at Deer Path Inn, but we will be back sooner for brunch in the Garden Room! Thank you Deer Path Inn for everything!

Wendy B

6/08/2017

The Deer Path Inn really made our dream for a perfect wedding reception a reality. Mary Ellen provided responsive, helpful and fun guidance for a year. The garden and ballroom wer...

e absolutely gorgeous. The service and food were truly wonderful. The "day of" services of JoAnn made everything work perfectly - such a gift for the MOB. Caring attention by everyone and an exquisite venue and truly delicious food - nothing could have been better! Thank you.

Anna S

2/16/2017

We had a wonderful experience with the Deer Path. They were very attentive during the planning process, answering every question we had and adjusting things as needed. They were fl...

exible and understanding when we had changes even the week before the wedding. We felt at home in the hotel and the wedding suite was perfect.

kaitlyn g

9/11/2014

I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the Deer Path Inn. The staff and service was beyond exceptional. We couldn't have had a more perfect wedding.

Judy G

9/04/2014

I spent 13 months emailing with Mary Ellen Powers about my daughters wedding. Always received prompt, helpful answers. She was invaluable. Joann Stewart and Felix were on site coor...

dinators the night of the wedding and were terrific. I highly recommend the beauty and ease of the Deer Path Inn. Would use them again in a heartbeat!! One can't go wrong with professionals like this!

Amelia S

6/22/2014

My husband and I had our wedding reception at the Deer Path Inn last month. It was all that we could have wished for. The food was delicious, the catering staff was extremely att...

entive, and the venue itself was gorgeous. We had nothing short of a 5 star experience at the Deer Path Inn. Mary Ellen was the contact I worked with to plan the event, and she was phenomenal - anything that we needed was accommodated for. The wedding reception itself went off without a hitch, and it was thanks to the amazing staff/preparation. We were able to stay at the Deer Path Inn for the wedding night, and the suite was spectacular - we got the star treatment! We were also given beautiful wine glasses to commemorate our special day. I would recommend this venue to anybody who is looking for a beautiful wedding reception that is ALSO budget friendly. Thank you to the Deer Path Inn for making our wedding unforgettable!

Service area & Contact info

255 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL

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(847) 234-2280

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