Rialto Square Theatre

AGE!! AND NO REFRIGERATION! I was unfortunately a Covid bride and had to push my wedding back, which the event planner Nancy took a 9 month hiatus and left no notes or instructions for the person filling in for her, and was unreachable. I found out there was no water for guests or even a fridge (which they have several but will not allow access too) at my rehersal! I had to hire a company to bring gallons of water and rent a fridge. Also there were cock-roaches where my decorations were being stored. WOULD NOT RECCOMEND!

d to do our ceremony at the Rialto also and let me tell you.... DO IT. It was so fun, so many surprises for the guests and we loved that it was a one stop shop since we had guests coming from out of state. All the staff working at the Rialto was amazing, Nancy was just an angel! She answered all of my questions, helped me with anything I needed and made sure to reassure me that everything will work out. She was so right with not going over the top with decorations since there is so much natural beauty in the building. Wish I can do it all over again there! Thank you so so so much again Nancy.

. Nancy L. was great to work with. So kind and accommodating. Our guest were astonished at how fabulous this property is. We had the wedding in the tundra with curved staircases, our cocktail our on the theater stage, complete with chandeliers and lighting, and our dinner reception in the grand hall. Top to bottom, side to side, this was the perfect place for us! I could not have found a better setting for our very special occasion.

aving not visited before) and was immediately reminded of the hall of mirrors at Versailles which the building is designed after. The space has an immediate wow factor and hosting our cocktail hour on the stage was another great area for entertaining. The venue is really one of a kind and there aren’t venues like it in Chicago or the Chicagoland area. The wedding coordinator, Nancy, was easy to work with and we couldn’t recommend this venue enough. We are still hearing from family and friends how beautiful the venue was.

our guests, and provide a different and memorable background for our special day. While traveling the banquet and event venue circuit, we came across the Rialto Theater thanks to Google. Loved the location in downtown Joliet and being blocks away from the Harrah’s Casino and Hotel was definitely a plus. We would have never thought of a historical theater for a wedding venue. After seeing pictures we had to check it out for ourselves and we were not let down. The marquee, tall ceilings, marble, gold, mirrors, and carpentry, provided an aura of originality, history and class. Venue wedding coordinator Nancy showed us all the theater had to offer, is well experienced in hosting wedding and was helpful with the planning process. The planning folder and questionnaire ensured our requests were met and nothing was missed. Having the ability to personalize the exterior marquee and the groom rise from the orchestra pit, are just a few things that have our guest still talking about our special day. Staff was friendly and catered to our guests. With all being said the Rialto Theater most definitely met our wedding needs and offered us and our guests an awesome experience. Five stars to Nancy, her staff, and the Rialto Theater.

ne of beauty and the beast. I promise you... you feel like a princess that day. It truly becomes your castle. And they make sure you feel at home. It has history. It has your whimsical.. it has your fairytale.. it has your romance... it has your surprises.... and best of all it has a Nancy! Nancy is the Rialto’s wedding coordinator. And she knows the venue, she knows weddings, she knows people. She would answer the most bizarre questions. I’m not kidding.. I sent her an email randomly and then also called her because I was afraid of the stairs to get on the stage. And then she reminded me I was not crazy. Lol. She also helped me figure out situations that she really didn’t have to. She helped me with the florals, the linens, the schedule. She was just there for me through the entire thing. Even when I was anxious and needed to talk it through. She knew every single detail of our day. She went above and beyond with our wedding and because of that i was calm and confident the entire day. And the day of your wedding she is always there. Anytime I would look for her she was there. And that honestly made me positive everything was going perfect. As a matter of fact... after everyone was cleared out and I was about to get into our car to leave I simply couldn’t without going back and hugging her one more time. She was such a huge part of our day. And I made such a wonderful friend. Don’t hesitate

ue that wowed our guests starting with just walking in the door. Nancy was awesome to work with and organized everything beautifully. The whole night ran so smoothly thanks to their efforts and we didn’t have to worry about a thing. It was the perfect night at the perfect venue! Thank you for making our day so beautiful!

enue. Nancy was SO helpful throughout the planning process and the day of the wedding went by so smoothly. Rialto staff was amazing. I love, love, love everything about this venue. It's a hidden gem in Joliet, IL.

tor and helping my husband and myself make all our dreams come true. Truly blessed to have had my wedding at such a beautiful place !

erfect fit. When I first saw pictures of The Rialto Square Theatre online, I was in tears at how beautiful and perfect it felt for our day. The moment we stepped inside the rotunda, we knew it was the location for our dream wedding. Nancy Lindmark, the coordinator, was absolutely fantastic from day one. She was so helpful, offering tips on the best way to use the reception space, seating tickets, and encouraged us to take time to have a private dinner just the 2 of us after the ceremony - which is one of the best decisions we made on the day of our wedding. If you want to use the stage for your wedding ceremony, as we did, Lisa (the stage manager) and her crew made sure everything was perfect - lights, sound, and my hubby even got to enter using the pit! Which is now one of my favorite memories from the day. The Rialto Square Theatre was the perfect setting for the beginning of the next chapter to our love story. We loved that we could have our ceremony and reception in the same venue, that there was ample parking for our guests, open bar service included in our package, and most of all we loved how stunningly beautiful the space is. We wanted our wedding to be a night to remember, not just for us, but our guests as well. We have received so many compliments on what a beautiful venue we chose, and couldn't be happier with how the day went.

ests felt like stars. We then were allowed to have our guests sit while our bridal party did all speeches on the stage. For dinner our guests were brought into the most beautiful set up room in the rotunda. We spent all night dancing and enjoying the theatre space. Nancy took the time to sit with myself, my now husband, and our mothers to go through all wedding logistics and work out the perfect plan for our wedding day. She and the Rialto volunteers did a wonderful job of making our 300 guests feel welcome. She worked with our vendors and went above and beyond making sure the venue was all set. I could not say enough wonderful things about the Rialto. I highly suggest anyone looking for a unique and beautiful wedding to visit the Rialto Theatre in Joliet.

. As theater folk, we had a great time planning our own ceremony on stage. Between Trish, tech director Laurie, and Marietha we felt like there was nothing we couldn't do! They made the planning process feel seamless. You do have to get vendors outside but they have an amazing list of folks who know the space and were equally wonderful to work with! We were able to purchase our bar package here. We had the ceremony on stage and then our reception in the hall with the rotunda serving as the dance floor. Such a beautiful, opulent space! We had a great time meeting with Trish and Laurie a few weeks before the big day for a "production meeting" to work out the details of the day. It was like planning a theater production. So much fun! They were very open and played with the lighting and sound to really amp up the drama we wanted. We got to enter and exit through the orchestra pit! Our names were on the marquee. There was a red carpet entrance in the lobby for guests. It felt very old Hollywood. I have never felt so glamorous in my life! They did an amazing job with keeping everyone on time (as a working theater this is no surprise) and also keeping up the sense of play. Everyone was enthusiastic and as joyful as we felt the whole day! They all love what they do and go above and beyond. The space is a dream, the staff is stellar, and the experience is one we will cherish forever.

lso offer the ceremony on location. There are so many interesting details you can incorporate with the unique theater setting. From distributing escort card tickets from a vintage ticket booth to photos in the historic theater to being announced for the first time entering down the grand staircase, this venue provides an experience like none other. As this is not a standard wedding venue, all vendors come from outside with the exception of the drink package which must be purchased through the Rialto. The Rialto has a list of preferred vendors which are familiar with many of the unique considerations needed for this venue – we chose to use a caterer, bakery and linen provider all on their list and it worked out great. We ended up hiring a day of coordinator to make sure that everything went smoothly with all of the different vendors, but the Rialto does have a coordinator who helps you leading up to the day of. Trish was very helpful in providing information on what the venue allowed and providing some suggestions on what works best there. One thing I will point out that is important to consider is that the acoustics at the venue provide somewhat of a challenge. As guests are seated in the main hall and the DJ is located in the Rotunda, it is difficult to regulate the volume for all guests to hear. Our DJ added speakers in the main hall to help with this known challenge. The dance floor was situated in the Rotunda and was perfect – it was a great size and it was nice to have a few tables nearby for family to sit after dinner ended. Our DJ welcomed everyone around the rotunda to watch our special dances because if guests are seated at their tables in the main hall, it will be difficult to watch. This seemed to work out fine for us. We would absolutely recommend this venue for a wedding – it truly is a fairy tale setting!

over 2 weeks after we requested the contract for it to get to us---and another 2 to get our copy. We had a very in depth meeting with the management about how things would run. All the details were to be forwarded to the house manager for rehearsal & the wedding day. the house manager was extremely rude & spoke to our entire bridal party like children when explaining the rules of the facility. (We understand we shouldn't run up and down the aisles with alcohol...) After belittling all of us, we were finally able to move on with our rehearsal. The problems the day of began with the rain & the doors that were locked--- the entrance we had discussed using was not available for people to enter. The house manager actually told us that she was not given the complete notes (the notes we had discussed in depth for an hour with the other manager) So instead of relaxing and preparing for our wedding, we were being pulled in different directions before the wedding. My husband was not even able to get the pictures he needed b/c he was being pulled away so much. Why did we have a meeting beforehand if they weren't going to communicate with each other? The next issue occurred when a theatre volunteer took my placecards out of the box they were in (in alphabetical order) and scrambled them up. Clearly causing some issue at the ticket kiosk with my volunteers, because she didn't bother to read the instructions on the box-- Again, the venue is beautiful, but the staff is very difficult to deal with & not very organized.

oughout the seating area, and garland with lighting along the long marble stair case. The day of the wedding, I could have not have asked for more from their staff that included an onsite manager, A/V Director, Stage hands, security, coat check, bartenders, barbacks and numerous volunteers. Prior to the day of, you work with the Event Coordinator, Trish, to handle the logistics. As the bridal planner, you have to understand this is not a typical resort/catering venue to book with. Almost everything needs to be brought in and there are several restrictions as it is a historical Landmark. I asked hundreds of planning questions throughout the year and received a lot of reasoning why some of my concepts could not come to fruition. Just understand the Rialto KNOWS what works and they will make sure by the week of your wedding that you are in the know. At times correspondance was not as quick as I would prefer, but that is because they are not a wedding only venue. The host many shows and have Rialto Charity events, throughout the year. With one person handling the year's events, you have to respect the lag time. We were fortunate to have the ceremony on stage and this was by far the best decision. How could you not after taking in the ornate beauty and seeing the organist play on that famous organ? I would never change the decision to host my wedding here and glad my little childhood dream of having it at the Rialto came true. Everyone in attendance is still making remarks of the unbelievable beauty. Thank goodness I booked the best photographer and videographer to capture it all. Note: glassware is not included so this would need to be rented from a caterer.