InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile

ering, and lots of moving pieces (and trying to plan these events while not living in Chicago) the IC team made everything absolutely amazing.

e still raving about it!

o fulfill our every need with a high level of service. Shay and Tara were especially responsive and accomodating through the planning process. The catering staff were incredible and the food was amazing - many of our guests commented on the level of service and how good the food was. The bartenders were also fantastic. Our custom cocktail - the espresso martinis - made the night - each one was shaken and served in a martini glass. The space itself is obvisouly gorgeous and one-of-a-kind when it comes to ballrooms in downtown Chicago. The Presidential Suite was truly out of a fairly tale and being able to take phoots from the rooftop was epic! We couldn't be happier we chose the InterCon and would recommend to anyone!

uld stop talking about how beautiful the hotel was and how amazing every single person that worked there was. I could not imagine a more perfect place for our big day! Plus the food is unmatched!

lanning a wonderful event for us! The venue is spectacular, the team went above and beyond to accommodate our preferences and ensure that our vision for the day was realized, and the planning process was collaborative and always constructive. Thank you Intercontinental for everything – couldn’t be happier that we had our event with you!

tunning, we would give our venue 10 stars if we could! Thank you Tara and your team for everything! It was the most incredible night of our lives.

ousekeepers, to the bellhops, everyone was incredibly accommodating and welcomed us like family. From start to finish, Tara was open and transparent, willing to work through any hurdles with us, accommodated all our requests and more. She really does go the extra mile for her brides and has a passion for her job that is so rare to see. By the end of the planning process, Tara had become like family and we will forever be so grateful for her! The hotel itself is so beautiful and historic. We had a large portion of our guest list stay at the hotel and by the end of the weekend, we received SO many compliments. It's in a premium location within the city and has so much to do both within the hotel itself, and in close proximity. The Grand Ballroom is STUNNING and so elegant without being too fancy. The food was INCREDIBLE, especially the filet (seriously one of the top 3 most received compliments from the day was on the food). I just assume at any wedding the food will be cold since it's prepared in mass quantities but somehow everything was hot! Overall, every aspect of the weekend was completely perfect and I just cannot thank the team enough. 1000% recommend to any bride!

astings to the many questions/requests a bride has, Tara’s attentiveness, dedication, and passion for her industry never faltered as she went above and beyond! Our guests had only positive things to say about their rooms in our wedding block and the dreamy Penthouse Bridal Suite is STILL being talked about by my entire bridal party. Our reception couldn’t have gone any smoother or been more jaw-droppingly beautiful. The Renaissance Ballroom and Tara will forever hold a special place in my heart.

anning process (~10 months), and Kristen was our banquet manager during the night of the reception. First off, the location is absolutely gorgeous, so no need to bring in lots of rentals, decor, etc. - I was in the Renaissance Room, which speaks for itself and is versatile enough to naturally adapt to intimate or large weddings alike. The hotel itself was a convenient location for guests, but most importantly, since guests were staying in the same hotel as our reception, comfortable shoes, a couple minutes of rest, medications, the baby sitter, etc., were just an elevator ride away from the party. The food was out of this world, rest assured! (Thanks, Chef!) Tara was the incredible captain of my wedding vendor team. She [generously and patiently] answered my many questions, had a lot of experience and gave me context on what is typical/works best, and brought my vendors on the same page, since many had worked together before. My wedding day was absolutely perfect - no vendor hiccups/people running around late-lost-confused/drama because people are too tired & overreached - none of that! Being at the InterCon was probably the #1 factor in how seamless the day went because of their incredible service/staff & expertise. (#2 factor being the excellence of the other vendors, & #3 being my own quirky penchant for detailed planning + a healthy dose of luck.) The evening of, Kristen kept everything running so smoothly - she was such a warm person that she might as well have fit right in as one of our honored guests! She had the perfect amount of communication that kept us on track so that the service staff and vendors could deliver a first-rate experience to our friends & family. 10/10 would do it all again at the InterCon, & I recommend it to anyone seeking a downtown Chicago venue!

for from the first meeting, down to the day of the wedding! We had our ceremony and reception in the Renaissance Room, which was perfect for our guest size of around 100 people. The room didn't seem too big or too crowded at all! Everyone continues to RAVE about the food and how wonderful everything about the venue really was! I can't thank Tara and her team enough for making my wedding day picture perfect! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

a tour by someone who was on a schedule and trying to get us in and out. We had our ceremony in King Arthur's Court and our reception in the Renaissance Ballroom; both of which are gorgeous. The best part is the venue, decor and food/beverage are all part of a package so you don't need to worry about so many vendors. We just worked with one person for everything! HUGE shout out to Tara Hubbard, who made everything perfect. She was seriously a joy to work with. It ended up being no-stress at all working with her. Let's talk about the food. It was no-joke, hands down the best, freshest food we've ever had at a wedding, and all of our guests agreed. I still have people telling me how amazing it all was. And the service was impeccable. There was never a lull, and we never wanted for anything. It was all so seamless, I couldn't have asked for a better experience. TL;DR - For real, if you're considering this venue, at least take a tour. It was above and beyond what I could have imagined and hoped for. Not only was Tara phenomenal, everyone that worked there was so helpful and attentive. We felt like royalty! And who doesn't want to feel like that on their wedding day!?

il was His attention to detail was phenomenal. There were some challenges and additions throughout the day and he was completely flexible and accommodating to our clients needs. Thank you Chris for all of your help and hospitality! We are excited to work together again! Michelle with NORA Events (wedding planner)

special about this venue. As we checked in with the concierge to meet our tour guide for the day, the bellmen were telling us how beautiful weddings are at this venue and how everyone has such an amazing time and is happy having their weddings there! This was a good sign. Then, it was time for us to meet the catering sales manager who showed us around the venue. From the moment I met Tara Hubbard, I knew I not only wanted to work with her, but I wanted to be her friend! She was so kind and generous with us and helped us finalize every single detail for our wedding in the Grand Ballroom. During wedding weekend, everything the InterContinental did to help us was perfect!!! The suite we stayed in was INCREDIBLE, the staff was AMAZING and we took the most amazing pictures here. You cannot go wrong with choosing this venue!!

tel itself, and the amazing value they offer with their wedding packages. We also loved the privacy the hotel offered our event. Upon doing the walk thru, they explained that our event will have access to the whole floor depending on what ballroom we choose. This prevents any strangers from walking into our event uninvited. My husband is a chef and so our guests had high expectations with what we are serving for our wedding, and most importantly, the quality and execution of the meals. Both of our steaks were cooked perfectly, just as good as it was in the tasting. We were both extremely pleased with their food consistency. I was also very observant of the rest of the staff and they took great care of our guests the whole night. Above all, the service captain was so attentive and helpful, anticipating almost every need we had along the night. We were told that their staff have all been working for the hotel for at least 5 years, some even 15 years!! Therefore, they are very knowledgeable of their weddings and events while remaining passionate with the work they do. Finally, the catering manager was so patient and personable. She made it easy for us to choose the hotel as she highlighted all the details that the hotel had to offer to couples like us. It was convenient to communicate with her and always responded to my emails or voicemails at a timely manner. I highly recommend the InterContinental Hotel Chicago to other couples looking for a city wedding. They will impress you and your guests above your expectations!

uine people I have ever worked with. She answered all of our questions so promptly and truly took the time to get to know us and understand what we were hoping to achieve for our wedding. The weekend of the wedding we were treated so well. The hotel went above and beyond to accommodate us as well as all of our guests. We are still receiving compliments about the level of service and the quality of the food. The Chef truly is top notch. Not only is the food delicious, but the presentation is remarkable. If you are in search of a venue for your wedding, look no further. Tara and the staff at the IC are unmatched.

as incredible, everyone was blown away by how great the food was and the service was top notch all evening. The cake was included from Cake Chicago and was also outstanding. In addition, the events coordinator Tara Hubbard was the greatest person to work with, she was friendly, helpful and accommodating. She helped us plan not only the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception but also the Sunday Brunch in Tower Lounge. You could not ask for a better place to get married and better people to work with for planning an event. The only troubles we had were with the room block and reservation group, we had to fight quite a bit to make sure we had enough rooms available for our guests. We knew it was marathon weekend and were concerned about having enough rooms for our guests; however, we were initially assured that we could continue adding rooms as long as they were available. Unfortunately, we hit some troubles a few months out from our wedding when we were informed that we could no longer add rooms even though rooms were still available which caused a lot of back and forth and arguing to make sure all of our guests could stay. Ultimately we worked this out with the hotel, but it took much time and energy on our end. Overall, we would still recommend having an event at this hotel, but making sure to work out room reservation issues earlier.

is our dream come true wedding. The venue has an elegant and romantic feel that was perfect. The Chef is creative and listened to what my daughter wanted and created a meal that our guests are still raving about. The guest rooms are clean and spacious. The location was perfect for our guests to experience the Magnificent Mile. We were pleased with every aspect of our experience there.

First and foremost, we need to thank the event coordinator Chris Schmidt. He promptly responded to the nearly 100 e-mails we sent him, as my wife were indecisive in picking a wedding day/ballroom/menu, etc. Despite our indecisiveness, he was always friendly and professional. He made our food tasting a fun experience and offered many helpful tips (like to serve the lobster bisque!) so we could personalize a delicious dinner menu. The food and service are incredible! The lollipop lamb chops and mini beef wellingtons were a hit with everyone. The filet mignon was seasoned and cooked perfectly to the quality of a Chicago steakhouse, not the generic bland piece of beef one usually gets at a banquet. We had our ceremony and reception in the King Arthur ballroom. The room has such beautiful woodwork and decoration and a magnificent stained glass window in front that we needed to do minimal decoration. The hotel has an elegant, historic vibe but has also been tastefully modernized so all our guests loved the stay. The location cannot be beat, as we just needed to walk across the street to take photos along the Chicago river. A final added perk is that the wedding packages include a cake from Cake in Chicago, which hands down made the best tasting cake we’ve ever had. The all-inclusive wedding package takes away a lot of the stress of planning and is really an amazing value. A big thanks to Chris and all the other staff at Intercontinental for making our wedding even better than we could dream it to be.

ood was top notch, and the IC team was wonderful! During our venue search, we knew the IC was the one for us as soon as we stepped into the Renaissance Room. Beautiful wood beams, chandeliers, character, and history created this great warmth and feeling that was fit for a wedding. Most of the other hotel ballrooms we visited felt sterile or business-y, whereas this one felt so special and meaningful. We were in love! We also loved the versatility with the cocktail hour space spanning 2 levels which gave our guests room to spread out during the room flip before the ballroom was transformed into a dinner & dance party! Once we were hooked, we quickly learned that Tara was an absolute joy to work with. She took the time to get to know us, was always quick & thorough to reply to my (many) email questions throughout the entire planning process, and went above & beyond when it came to our tasting, menu selection, last minute details & changes, and final walk-through. On the wedding weekend itself, Tara was present throughout the entire weekend - from the rehearsal, to helping with our rooms, to the wedding day & evening itself. She was an incredible partner with our wedding coordinator and vendors, and we were always so reassured knowing that Tara was there making sure everything went perfectly for us. It wouldn't be a thorough review if I didn't mention how impressed we were with the food! We always hear people make comments about "typical hotel banquet food" and have experienced some pretty average food at hotel weddings in the past. Well, the IC was nothing average - everything at the tasting was so delicious that we could barely choose! We went with short rib, chicken coq au vin, and eggplant parm. The presentation was so high-end, too. Our guests were raving about the food during the night, and I still have friends telling me how good it was and how full they were! As for the hotel itself, it really can't be beat! Located in the heart of it all right on Michigan Avenue, it was perfect for our out-of-town guests to get a feel for the city. The hotel is beautiful inside with tons of great spots for photos, and we loved having the MJ's Bar downstairs to continue the fun both Friday & Saturday night! THANK YOU Tara and the IC team! You made our wedding dreams come true!

a stressful process easy from the start. She was detail oriented, professional, always responded timely to our inquiries, and fun to work with. She listened to our vision and perfected making it a reality. Her experience in the wedding industry was extremely helpful as she provided us with a lot of insight and suggestions. Our other vendors went out of their way to comment on how much they enjoyed working with her as well. Our entire family was very impressed with the service they received from the InterContinental and how beautiful the venue was. I honestly could not have been happier with the InterContinental and would highly recommend hosting a wedding there.

impressed by how professional and accommodating everybody was. Chris was always very easy to contact and was very prompt with getting back to us with any questions we had. The day of the wedding went very smoothly- Chris and the staff were prepared and always ready for the next step. Throughout the night my husband and I received numerous compliments on the staff and how great the service was. Moreover, guests frequently told us the food was the best they ever had at a wedding. Everyone, including Chris, went out of their way to make ourselves and our guests feel like family. Overall, we couldn't have been more pleased with our wedding at Intercontinental.

ess so easy and enjoyable. The hotel and staff were amazing ! Our wedding day was perfect thanks to Chris and the intercontinental staff. Would highly recommend this venue to anyone.

e were more then 10), he was always professional and patient and ready to answer to them. Our King Arthur ballroom was BEYOND beautiful with a romantic feeling. Just what we wanted. So classy and elegant. Perfect location for Chicago’s energy. Would definitely recommend!

aff is exquisite. You can tell that everyone there is dedicated to making this event special. Tara was amazing to work with. The food was so delicious, we got so many compliments from our guests. Our guests were so happy with the location. So close to many of Chicago's best attractions. The rooms and staff were excellent and responsive!

he food , the service --everything was impeccable. From check in to check out, in my bridal gown or in my pajamas running through the lobby, our family and guests were treated like royalty. I can't recommend this place enough if you want a fairy tale wedding that will take your guest's breath away just by entering the ballrooms. Thank you Chris and team for making our wedding the most special day of our lives! I promise you won't be disappointed!

inks, environment and service were top notch and perfectly executed. We are extremely happy with the wedding and very grateful for all the support and hard work of Chris Schmidt and his team! In addition to the wonderful venue the hotel has to offer, we selected the InterContinental Chicago because of Chris Schmidt; he is detail oriented, patient and has vast experience working with couples to create their dream wedding.

Chicago area and recently had a wedding at the Intercontinental. Steve was so helpful in making the day run smoothly. As a planner it is so incredibly helpful to have another person on site that knows the venue and schedule inside and out. I also have to rave about the staff, the event captains and wait staff were polite and efficient. The bride and groom were so incredibly happy with how everything turned out. (Also the food was amazing!!) Over all great event! Thank you Steve and the team at the InterContinental!

finitely have the staff at the Intercontinental to thank for that. My food was beyond delicious. We had so much fun planning, and it just turned out perfect. Thank you, Chris!

want or need the convenience of a hotel, there is no better hotel. The guests were awed, I was awed, it was amazing. Also the ballroom is by far the best in the city. Even though it's big the ovular space with the balcony feels so intimate and is really just the best space ever for a party! The Renaissance room for the ceremony was perfect as well. Chris at the Intercontinental is an incredible person to work with. He's a professional who will work with you to make your wedding dream a reality!!

re pleased. We have gotten so many compliments on the food and service. You really can't beat the location of this venue. Your guests are right on Michigan and have walking access to all major tourist attractions in the city. Another perk was the wonderful rate they gave us for our wedding block. The rate was so great that all of our wedding guests stayed at the hotel. I would recommend this venue to anyone looking to have a downtown venue!

ered just that! Our initial wedding corespondent left midway through our working with the venue, she left us in great hands with Chris Schmidt who really delivered as far as being responsive, working with our budget and being in attendance to aid us the day of. He even arranged us our same room for a rehearsal the day before, which was much needed. Roughly 120 of the 140 guests we had flew into Chicago for the wedding and you really cannot beat the location on Michigan Ave, near the river, near trump tower, 3 block walk to the red line train, a 6 block walk to Millenium park one way and the Hancock Observatory the other way! The accommodations in the rooms were lovely and our parents were both upgraded to suites for their stays. While the elevator did break down on one side of the tower leaving only 1 out of 4 working, that is an issue that could not be controlled by the hotel and our guests were able to make other arrangements to get to where they needed to be in a timely fashion. Bob, the concierge, was extremely knowledgeable giving our guests information about the city and attractions/restaurants. As for the venue itself and the way the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner and reception all were held were absolutely perfect. The wait staff was very friendly and answered requests quickly. The set up was flawless (especially for having only 60 minutes to flip the entire room from ceremony to reception). The maitre 'd and Chris both worked with us when our dinner ran long to extend the open bar, therefore keeping us and our guests very happy. Everything ran smoothly with the exception of one of our guests dropping a glass on the dance floor; but it was quickly cleaned up by some of the waitstaff causing only a minor delay in the amazing party we were able to have there. All of our guests claimed it was the most beautiful wedding they have been to and everything was perfect! We would not have changed a single thing!

were exceeded! The catering team was very easy to work with, proactive in helping us and accommodating to our needs. Our dog was able to be in the wedding!!! We did NOT want a venue that looked like another hotel ballroom. The IC's historic tower was built in the 1930's, and it feels like a castle with old world decor. It also gave us lots of fabulous options for photos. Our guests were WOW-ed. Some told me it was the most beautiful wedding they had ever attended. I wanted a breath taking wedding that would WOW guests - and I got it!! Absolutely everything was perfect. My husband and I would not change a thing for the whole day.

or an engaging yet not stuffy feel. The director of events was a pleasure to work with and involved in our night to ensure everything went smoothly. My husband and I even went back to our suite afterwards to find a very gracious note from him. The wait staff was impeccable. The food was delicious and we received endless compliments on the food and service. I would highly recommend the Intercontinental for a fun yet elegant and classy affair.

Flan Salad Bibb Salad with Grilled Pear, Stilton Cheese and Caramelized Pecans, Dressed with a Dark Balsamic Vinaigrette Entrée Petite Filet Mignon Paired with Crab Cake and Garlic Pesto Mashed Potatoes, accented with Asparagus, Carrots and Broccolini Dessert Wedding Cake and Chocolate Dipped Strawberries We received so many compliments on how wonderful the menu was, and how delicious the food was at our cocktail hour and our reception. Everything was prepared and presented perfectly thanks to the Chris Schmidt who handled the catering for our wedding at the InternContinental Hotel which is where we had our wedding and reception. Chris made sure everything was handled so professionally, and the wait staff was incredible - going above and beyond offering our guests last minute alternatives for those who had not specified dietary restrictions or preferences. They are the best of the best and I would highly recommend Chris and his group if you want to present your guests with an amazing meal. They are true professionals which is what you want for your special day. Give Chris a call for your special day - they will not disappoint you.

y the venue. Plus the wedding consultant we worked with - Budi Tanzil - was AMAZING. No regrets - our wedding was magnificent.

ome confusion when we were booking our rooms and I completely forgot the date that they release rooms (a reminder would be nice) but they worked with me on that. When we checked in, I was really impressed because they upgraded us to the vice presidential suite. After that, things went down hill. We came back late from rehearsal dinner and found out that the groom's mother who was supposed to have a one bedroom suite was put into a double room. This was problematic because that was the room where the groom an groomsmen would get ready the following morning. I talked to the hotel that night and they couldn't do anything until the morning because they were sold out. In the morning, it took some back and forth on the phone while I was getting my hair done and there was more confusion, but they got them in a one bedroom suite around 11, which was in time for people to arrive at noon. As we were leaving, the porter dropped the entire cart filled with our wedding presents and other stuff and my wedding dress was laying in a heap in the street. Then, somehow the billing got screwed up for the rooms and we got charged for the groom's family's 1 bedroom suite even though one of the groom's family asked them to charge her card. When I brought this to the attention of my sales contacts, they didn't respond. So, overall it was a mixed experience. The vice presidential suite was amazing but it didn't make up for all the night before and morning of headaches or the problems we had after the fact.

, Chris!