Events at Refinery

h the ceremony and reception at the Refinery, and it was a huge win for multiple reasons. I suggest it! Thanks so much to Michelle and to the Refinery in Champaign, IL. It was my first choice from the beginning, and there was never a comparison made to any other location or service which caused me to waver. Truly awesome. We are glad for you!

ully entrusted in the staff that they would make our dreams a reality. I organized all my centerpieces and decor and boxed them individually with pictures of how they were supposed to look on the table. I had 0 reservations about it not getting done and being perfect. Then my expectations crashed to the ground the day of my wedding about an hour and a half before guests started to arrive. 2 family friends showed up early to double check to make sure everything was in order and perfect. They walked in and 1 single table was set up and ready out of 40!! The wedding planner was simply just sitting there doing nothing. Thank goodness they arrived because my 2 family friends set up 40 table centerpieces and decorated the entire venue in an hour and a half. The wedding planner left in the middle of it all to “go change”. Unfortunately the nightmare didn’t stop there. After being told in 2 pre-wedding meetings to prepare for a very drinking crowd they didn’t. They ran out of booze countless times during my reception. On top of it all, the toilets backed up and the entire venue smelled of sewage. They didn’t didn’t do something immediately to fix this issue or help resolve it, instead they told guests to use the restroom outside in the parking lot. My family ended up having to get upset for something to happen. When it was all said and done, we got a $250 gift card to Amazon and 2 hours of free beer. For paying over $10,000, it’s not worth all the back and forth, rumors and lies to be spread about your wedding day. I would recommended anywhere but The Refinery.

thing, making our day stress free. We could be as involved as we wanted to, and had the option to bring in any outside decor for set up. Last, we are big beer nerds, and Chris made sure the bar was stocked with the craft beers we requested. Our guests all enjoyed the venue as well, and had many positive things to say about the aesthetics and the layout. Highly recommend!

the night of. We got so many compliments from our guests! I cannot recommend The Refinery enough!

t up. He took the decorations I gave him and created a beautiful entryway table for our guests to sign the guest book with no direction from me, and I couldn’t have been more pleased! Chris offered his expertise in every fine detail down to helping me choose a napkin color that would look best with the centerpieces. My husband and I felt reassured that he was managing our event and knew that he along with his event staff would make it as beautiful as he would want his own to be, with our vision in mind. He set up a couple of meetings with us prior to the wedding date to go over details and talk with us about our options for upgrades etc, keeping in mind our budget. He was never pushy or made us feel like he was trying to take us for our money. In fact, we initially chose the Refinery because it seemed like the most organized and best deal of all the other venues in the area we had looked into. I really didn’t want to be stressed about all the little details and set up/tear down on my wedding day, so having that all taken care of within their packages was wonderful. Chris also coordinated independently with our vendors to make sure that was a smooth process. The bartenders were friendly and worked their butts off making drinks and taking care of our guests. We even won two Yeti drink holders from the Refinery, which were perfect for our beverages at the wedding and on our honeymoon. Overall we had a great experience with Events at Refinery and would highly recommend this venue for a beautiful and stress free event.

ery and chandeliers all the way down to the little details like the table numbers and charger plates. The room came together flawlessly! I started working with Chris part way through my planning process and couldn't be happier that he was the coordinator for our big day. His demeanor, friendliness and personality are exactly what you'd want in a coordinator for your wedding (or any event!). I was always greeted with a genuine smile and throughout the planning process he was knowledgeable in giving me just the right suggestions in order to make sure I achieved the goal I had in mind. He is very easy to communicate with, organized and didn't let any detail slip through the cracks. Working with him made the process very fun. He even accommodated us with a last minute request to play a video during a speech! :) The entire Events at Refinery staff did a great job in making sure that everything went off without a hitch during our reception. Because they take care of the setup and tear down, our day was much less stressful. They did an amazing job ensuring that our reception had the look/feel that we dreamed of - and we received MANY compliments too! I would recommend Events at Refinery to anyone planning any type of event. They make sure the focus is on you and your needs and wants. Chris and the crew did everything in their power to make sure the space looked elegant and our wedding day was perfect! Thank you!

best experience of my life!!

other venues, and catering is not included in that, and coordinating the bar package is a whole separate thing! When we went to tour the space, the guide took us through the room where an actual wedding/reception was taking place at the time, and then took us through the back room to sit down and talk about what our options would be if we used the space. As we were leaving, there were several gym members that had just finished workouts that were walking out as well. Overall, just not the way we pictured having our reception, so we ended up going with a different venue.

that made it seem like a good deal. I put my deposit down the day I saw the place to save the date (the date was very important to me and my fiancée). My check was cashed and I thought I could relax for a bit. However, I was informed a month later that the date “accidently” got double booked and when I was told the situation would be resolved by Friday. I did not hear back that Friday and was not informed until I contacted them, that I was just out of luck for that date. Trying to get my deposit back was another hassle. All in all, this was an extremely frustrating and disappointing experience, and I would never recommended this place to anyone.

r. I was so sure I'd go with Events at Refinery. ...Then came my on-site visit/tour. Apartments are upstairs, and someone was moving in that day so furniture was spread throughout the lobby. Also, a child activity center is on the same floor and smelled liked a dirty diaper, and I was surprised a bit to see the venue was set up to be a multi-purpose gym room when I arrived. I knew the Refinery was a gym, but was hoping the floors would be at least buffed or cleaned before setting up an event. I sat there and saw a crew move machinery out and set up tables without cleaning the floor. I'm really hoping they cleaned it after table set up, but I didn't stay that long. I could have lived with the above, since the owner made it clear the moving in/dirty diaper situation was not normal. However, my fiancee and I sat in front of their office 15 minutes before our set time and they never acknowledged us. 5 minutes past our appointment, I asked if the person who made our appointment was there, and she was, but she only came out to get us then. The brochure she gave to me was the exact same thing as was emailed to me beforehand, and then I was instructed to look up photos of the venue online myself. (I was a little surprised by this since at other venues I've had people show me different room lay out possibilities and pictures.) We got about a 5 minute tour of the room. The total was still under my budget... but only $1000 cheaper than another venue that would provide more bells and whistles with a lot more professionalism, venue privacy, and service. Part of the reason it got expensive is because $1200 is the bar minimum, and since I have a small party and a morning/brunch reception, hitting $1200 wasn't possible for me. Additionally, when I asked about mimosas for a brunch, I was suggested to provide beer instead. It just wasn't a good fit for what we wanted. Both my fiancee and I drove from out of town (2+ hours), so we were disappointed that 95% of the information we received was already given to us online or we were told to look online. However, I still think the venue could be beautiful, and if the venue and location is what people want, I do think the staff can get the job done. They did care about getting things ready, and were just as upset about the diaper/furniture issues.

wedding they were really helpful making sure all the specifics were taken care of and even helped me come up with a signature cocktail for the night. Absolutely everything looked amazing and I can't think of anything that I would have changed about my experience there.

t of town. When the week of the wedding came, The Refinery eased my nerves the day we dropped off our massive amount of decorations. It felt amazing that the weight was off of my shoulders and I had complete trust that they would make everything look perfect. AND THEY DID! Not only that, they made sure that all vendors were in place and everything was up to their and our standards. We were completely in awe of the decorations, service, bar service, and overall quality of our reception and could not have imagine a more amazing night. The Refinery ensure everyone was happy, from our grandparents to the rowdy bridal party! We highly recommend Michelle and the entire refinery staff (the bar tenders are awesome too!!!) and will continue to recommend them to all of our family and friends planning weddings and events!

its own so didn't need extensive decorating. They helped make our day enjoyable and relaxing

njoying being a newlywed couple! The room rental was a little pricey considering that we had over 300 guests but it was well worth it knowing that the Refinery was taking care of all of our details for us! Thanks so much for making our wedding day such a blast, we had the time of our lives!

are a blank canvas that you can decorate to whatever color scheme/theme you have. I am so happy I chose this location over a country club and have the beautiful pictures to prove it!