Metropolis Ballroom of Arlington Heights

, which otherwise could've been terrible because of covid, really fun and enjoyable. 5 stars all around. From the professionalism to response time, Shawna was fantastic. The day of our wedding everything went perfectly. Everything we discussed was taken care of and the only thing we needed to do was enjoy our perfect day. Thank you, Shawna, Tom and the whole Metropolis staff for making our wedding day wonderful. I would absolutely recommend this venue and use them again in the future for more events.

ut the best for you. Brides, if you book this venue, getting ready in the bridal suite is a must!

they moved venues a couple of months out). They are very quick to respond, which we appreciated!

wn for my showing, but she referred me to the owner, Tom. I was told he had multiple appointments that day and would be happy to show us the grand ballroom. On the day of our appointment, we arrived 5 minutes early and were immediately greeted by another couple who asked us if we had an appointment with Tom. We confirmed and asked who they were. They said they too had an appointment with Tom scheduled 30 minutes prior to our arrival. The entire place was dark, everything was locked, and the couple said they couldn’t get a hold of anyone. I immediately replied to Shawna’s email I received the day prior that Tom was cc’d on to ask if there was a miscommunication or generally what the situation was. No one reached out to us, but we waited for 15 more minutes before leaving. To this day (over 2 weeks later), neither Shawna nor Tom have reached out regarding the appointment or to apologize for their incredibly unprofessional behavior. We were lucky enough to book another hall, ironically the one we went to see immediately after being blown off by Metropolis, one week later. However, I’m wondering about the couple we ran into because they were looking for an emergency venue this summer. While I understand employees have the right to vacation time and emergencies may happen, the lack of communication, follow up and utter disregard for potential business left a very bitter taste in my mouth.

. They worked hard to make sure your vision of the day came through perfectly. I can not say enough wonderful things about the Metropolis Ballroom and the staff!!

process and was honest, friendly, and calm, which is so appreciated especially during the last few stressful months of planning. Shawna and the staff went above and beyond in making sure every detail of our big day was taken care of, so that on the day of, all we had to do was show up! It was completely stress-free and allowed us to truly enjoy the day. The venue itself is absolutely gorgeous and EXACTLY what I envisioned for our October wedding. The ballroom is elegant, romantic, and timeless and everyone kept talking about what a beautiful wedding it was. It was well worth the investment. Thank you so much to everyone at Metropolis for making our wedding a day that we will never forget!

She knows her stuff and made great suggestions when I was at a loss. Food was unbelievably good, venue is beautiful, and it's so conveniently located! So glad we picked the Metropolis!

e hoped for more. One piece of feedback I received from the guests was that the food was cleared away too quickly. Some of my guests went up to dance with us (we requested everyone to join us on the floor for 1 dance) and came back to see that their cake was already cleared away. Some guests didn't even get a bite in! I would recommend that the staff give guests a bit of time to finish their meal. Other than that, the venue was ideal. There is a Metra station close by, a parking garage just a few steps away. the downtown area is super cute and we ended up taking our photos there.

to make sure every detail we envisioned happened. The day of wedding, everything was setup and went just as we wanted! Shawna and our photographer even went above and beyond and asked for a soundcheck for a concert in the park across the street to be postponed until after the ceremony was over. Luckily they obliged! It was the little things that really made a difference in making out day perfect!

th our planner and Kosher Caterer. Our wedding day was seamless and all the extra details Shawna and her staff added in made it so magical!

25% markup. Although we were disappointed by this, we still feel that overall our wedding was fairly priced. We have, and will continue, to recommend Shawna and the Metropolis Ballroom to family and friends. Thank you to the team for helping us create the wedding of our dreams!

re. Shawna always promptly responded to our phone calls and emails, and we certainly got lucky as far as venue planners go. We highly recommend this venue, and are still daydreaming about our perfect day!

informed (and comfortable) as your big day gets closer. We were impressed with every aspect of the Metropolis, and they were so flexible to our needs (including letting us have access to the bridal suite an hour early so we could take pictures in downtown AH before it got dark). Since we were doing a winter wedding, we also had a surprise of Christmas decorations throughout the venue (free decorations!) I would strongly recommend this venue to anyone!

g. She was organized, kept us on track, and she was constant and timely in all of her communication with us throughout the process. We were able to enjoy our wedding celebration because we knew every detail was being taken care of by this amazing staff. They naturally handled every responsibility from start to finish without even being asked. I cannot say enough good things about our experience. I highly recommend this venue for your special event!

create our vision within our budget. She had a to do list for each meeting that really kept us on track. The venue was gorgeous,the food was great, and the staff really made you feel special. So happy we chose this venue for such a special day!

work with my large family that all wanted a say in wedding planning and allow us to still have fun in the process! The day of, Shawna and her staff set up the ballroom to look like it was straight out of a bridal magazine. My jaw literally dropped when I first waked in the room! I wouldn’t trust anyone more with all the details of my big day, Shawna is a blessing and her team creates memories to last a lifetime at Metropolis!

food just for them so that they could enjoy their meals with everyone else. Most venues cannot accommodate those types of requests. Shawna was meticulous in the planning, attention to detail, and suggestions. The day of, some things did not go according to plan (not their fault-- just us forgetting things or not having time for things), and the staff just went with it. We couldn't be happier. The space was beautiful- lots of wood and exposed brick. We were even able to use the heated veranda overlooking the fountain (60 degree day in January!!) One thing we loved was the use of the entire 2nd floor-- bride's room, groom's room, cocktail room and the ballroom-all ours, all night. Pricing is competitive for the area, and we felt that it was worth every penny when compared to other similar options. So glad we chose the Metropolis!

she possibly could. I cannot thank Shawna enough for everything she did for us!

ling to make the menu very customized which was awesome! You can essentially make a suggestion and they will make it happen (we had a shot of tequila and a mini taco as our appetizer). On the day of our wedding, my husband and I walked into the ballroom and were blown away by the beauty of the set-up. The lights, linens, and arrangement were perfect. The staff was amazing and were pretty much willing to do anything for the entire wedding party(ie more food, wine, etc) as well as all the guests. I would highly recommend the Metropolis Ballroom. It gives a modern and city feel but with the convenience and modesty of the suburbs.

ate cocktail hour rooms, and the outdoor terrace. The food was fine, not great. What really made us upset, though, was the whole planning process. There were a lot of things that were not pleasant, and they all happened because the main wedding coordinator there, Shawna, did not know what she was doing. She was horrible with communication, unaccommodating, rude, and apathetic. Often times, we’d send her emails updating her on rentals, guest lists, menu choices, etc. but wouldn’t receive a response/confirmation for weeks and usually only after we reminded her to get back to us. Along the same lines, when we would send her these updates, we’d ask that she update the proposal and send it back. Most of the time, the proposal was never updated, and when it was, it was updated incorrectly. At the onsite planning meetings, we would typically just go over the details that we had previously communicated in our emails, which made them pointless. It was frustrating because we kept being told we needed to have these pointless planning meetings, but she was never able to meet when we were available. We always had to leave work early or take time off work to accommodate her schedule. The tasting was another particularly bad experience. Shawna didn’t know anything about the menu. We found bones in our fish. The dirty dishes never got cleared. We were given a very rude response when we started to ask questions about our rentals, being told we’ll have to schedule another day to discuss that because this wasn’t a planning meeting. On our actual wedding day the wait staff was nice, but as the bride (and the one that was paying for the event) I was served last. I’m pretty sure that wasn’t supposed to happen, and it was pretty disrespectful. The only way our event ended up alright is because our planner was phenomenal. At the end of it all our wedding turned out well, but because of all the other vendors that did their job well. Looking back our wedding definitely was not worth all the disrespect and poor planning by Metropolis. We felt like they cared about our money more than they care about us. I do not recommend using the Metropolis Ballroom for your venue.

guests were very complimentary.

tale come true! We loved it the second we walked in. Has a classy, comfortable, lofty feel in the quaint downtown area. During planning and even on our big day we were nervous and skeptical of how the day would pan out and trying to guess what would go wrong! (not because of anything that had happened or because of any staff, but because we are type A control freaks who like to do everything ourselves to make sure it's done right). Michael, Danielle, and all the staff far surpassed our expectations! We are a husband and wife that can say that not a thing went wrong at our wedding or reception!! Any little detail or plan that we were worried about went better than we could have imagined! We had read in reviews about Metropolis that Michael Raymond was a "jack of all trades"...that was an understatement! He is more than perfect at his job and literally has a great knack for being able to bring a brides dream to life! Can't even begin to count all the times during and after our wedding that our parents and bridal party ranted and raved about how "Michael was such a blessing to this experience and helped it be pulled off flawlessly!" Making food decisions was hard because there were far to many great options and all tasted great! When we weren't crazy about one if the chicken dishes, Michael and the chef quickly gave us more options and wouldn't settle until we were excited about the dish. At the dinner, everything was just as good as at the tasting. Michael also was so great at making sure we were able to eat some of every course since as the hosts of the party you easily get distracted and before you know it, you didn't eat or drink a thing! That was thankfully not our situation thanks to the waitstaff and Michael. A few things that we weren't thrilled about but were not deal breakers: 1. You must get every consumable good from Metropolis and pay the expensive price for it. My husband wanted him, groomsmen, and fathers to drink his favorite whiskey while getting ready. We were not allowed to bring this in, we would have had to get it overpriced through Metropolis. They did give us a beer and champagne toast though for the bridal party and parents before the ceremony. 2. Very limited beer selections even on the upgraded bar package. Great top shelf alcohols but no craft beers. Very pricey if you want to get it through them. 3. Underage people not getting kids meals get charged bar package. We fought this many times but Michael wouldn't compromise. 4. Pricier than a lot of other venues in the area. Some Quotes from our family/guests: "the wait staff was amazing and so attentive!" "There was never a line at the bar. The bartenders were so efficient, cool,and friendly" "bartenders took such good care of the bridal party and parents!" "The food was awesome" and lastly, I'm sure a lot of guests tell any bride and groom this but we still are hearing from so many people that "it was the best classy and fun wedding they've ever been too!" (We of course think it was too!) This review cannot begin to capture how truly happy and grateful we are to have had our wedding at Metropolis! Happiest day of our lives this far. Most expensive party we'll ever throw but honestly was worth it!

e used every one of the vendors he recommended and could not be happier with the whole event. Michael Raymond designed the invitations; the flowers; the layout of the ceremony and the reception. He had incredible ideas, ones we would have never, ever dreamt of. The day of the ceremony, my soon-to-be-husband asked Michael Raymond to surprise me in the bridal suite. He did! He set my dress and displayed it in a way that when we walked in, it was the first thing we would see, with pale pink rose petals in the shape of the heart surrounding the shoes, the display of the dress, everything. They were all extremely accommodating (we have food allergies) and sensitive to the needs of some of the guests. I have heard from our guests that it was some of the best food they have ever had and that it was amazing. Believe me, this group is a tough group to crack. I could not have asked for a better venue, a better expert (one who was able to figure out what I wanted when I did not even know) that the Metropolis Ballroom and Michael Raymond. It was perfect!