Loyola University Chicago

I did not have my reception at LUC, just the ceremony in Madonna della Strada chapel on campus. Meg Hogan, Cookie Krupa & Steve Betancourt were super easy to work with via email (we met for the first time in person on the rehearsal day). Meg sent along a list of all of the documents needed in advance of the ceremony, how to locate them, where to send them, WHEN to send them, etc. Steve sent along a list of readings/songs to select from and it was very clear what the options were and user-friendly. Cookie was the day-of and rehearsal Director of sorts (included in the cost) and she helped with making the rehearsal and ceremony run smoothly and on a tight schedule. Bear in mind that you have to factor in at LEAST an extra half hour if not an extra hour for the wedding day travel if you're bringing a limo/bus of any kind because it's harder to navigate and takes a longer time. We were really rushing to get to the chapel day-of. But it's obviously a spectacular space and great for pictures.

When we interviewed Loyola and toured the grounds, we were very impressed by their attentiveness. The venues were beautiful and the coordination between Madonna Della Strada and catering seemed to be flawless. This was not true, as it was very difficult to email between 2 sets of people who could have called each other to coordinate. It took a week to finally get details together. After that we were told to fill out forms and get "event insurance" which was not very clear. All the forms were turned in before January and we thought everything was set. As the wedding approached, I tried to contact Dana but failed. He did not return any emails and his correspondents did not discuss his whereabouts. During our walkthough he made several inappropriate comments about new mothers and their need for a pumping room. This was both inappropriate and unprofessional behavior. If you decide on Loyola, make sure your coordinator is not Dana.

My husband and I had our wedding ceremony and reception at Loyola University Chicago. I corresponded with Cathy O'Sullivan and Cookie Krupa for the wedding ceremony. They always responded to emails promptly and made sure everything went smoothly. We were very happy with their communication and service. We worked with Erin Daubert for our reception in the Donovan Reading Room. She responded very promptly to emails and made sure we were happy with everything for our reception. The employees who worked at our reception were friendly and responsive. The only thing that was briefly problematic was that they kept all the lights on throughout the dancing until I (the bride) asked an employee to turn them off. When they finally turned them off our guests applauded. I only mention this so that other couples can make sure to ask about this ahead of time. It worked out fine and was not a big deal for us. Overall I would highly recommend using Loyola.

My husband and I met at and graduated from Loyola University Chicago; choosing a space at the beautiful Lakeshore Campus was a no-brainer. We were married in the Madonna della Strada chapel and chose the Donovan Reading Room across the quad. The room has high ceilings, Art Deco design, and great lighting. It is part of the Cudahy Library and is traditionally the quiet study area. The room fits up to 200 guests at a seated reception and has space for a band or DJ. To use any Loyola venue, you must use Aramark catering. They are in charge of the food, tables, and help you make a schedule of events. I found this service very helpful. The only hiccup of the day was that our ceremony was significantly shorter than planned (I basically ran down the aisle), and it was raining outside. Hence, our guests wanted to go inside for the cocktail hour. At first, the staff was reluctant to allow guests to enter before the cocktail hour's start time, but the ceremony planner resolved the issue. As the bride, I had no clue this issue was happening, which I was thankful for. Overall, Loyola is a very expensive place to have a wedding. However, I could never imagine getting married and celebrating in a more beautiful place that is so special to both my husband and me. I would 100% recommend getting married at Loyola.