Modern-industrial luxury along the Chicago River
IL
Service area
Holds ceremonies and receptions
AWARD WINNER
Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot
River Room at Burning Bush Brewery is a stylish, versatile wedding and event venue located in Chicago, Illinois. Hosting occasions of all kinds, from corporate events to fundraisers to weddings, it's the perfect setting for a cool and contemporary celebration.
The interior of River Room at Burning Bush Brewery can be configured in various ways to suit events of different sizes and styles. It can accommodate a maximum of 225 guests standing, or 250 if the outdoor deck is included. It can also host between 150 and 200 guests for a seated event. The exposed-brick walls give the space a chic industrial feel, while floor-to-ceiling windows and 14-foot ceilings make it bright and airy. You may opt to open the space up to the outdoor deck, which offers picturesque west-facing views of the Chicago River and Horner Park. This secluded setting is perfect for sunset ceremonies and cocktail hours. What's more, the venue also boasts a luxurious get-ready space for your pre-wedding prep, complete with three vanity stations, a refrigerator, and a wardrobe.
River Room at Burning Bush Brewery works with some of the best local caterers and vendors to ensure your event runs flawlessly. They may also welcome outside vendors on a case-by-case basis.
A wide range of amenities are included with your rental, such as:
- tables
- chairs
- glassware
- a video projector and screen
- and a state-of-the-art sound system.
You'll also have the use of a mobile bar with six beer taps. Your booking comes with an on-site manager present throughout your event to provide support. In addition, the venue is wheelchair-accessible and equipped with WiFi, and offers free parking for guests. To find out more, contact River Room at Burning Bush Brewery today.
3+ years in business
Small team (2-10 members)
Amenities + details
Amenities
Ceremony Area
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Liability Insurance
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Ceremony Types
Civil Union
Commitment Ceremony
Elopement
Interfaith Ceremony
Non-Religious Ceremony
Religious Ceremony
Second Wedding
Vow Renewal Ceremony
Settings
Beach
Waterfront
Brewery & Distillery
Industrial & Warehouse
Loft
Park
Trees
Venue Service Offerings
Bar & Drinks
Bar Rental
Food & Catering
Planning
Service Staff
Awards and Affiliations
2026 'Best of Weddings'
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
Join couples who chose award-winning vendors for their wedding
Reviews
5.0
out of 5.015 reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help
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Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
The River Room at Burning Bush Brewery in Chicago is highly praised by reviewers as a stunning and ideal wedding venue with indoor and outdoor spaces, natural lighting, and beautiful views of the river and Horner Park. The exposed brick interior, spacious layout, and flexibility for different event sizes were highlighted positively. Reviewers commend the helpful and accommodating staff, particularly mentioning Monica’s exceptional service in ensuring a smooth planning process and flawless execution on the wedding day. The in-house brewery, affordable drink packages, and quality service make the River Room a top recommendation for future weddings.Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 9
Tyler M
5.0
11/17/2025
The River Room is one of the best wedding venue finds in Chicago. The moment I walked into it, I knew it was going to be where I got married. The actual space is stunning with the ...
exposed brick, tons of natural lighting, and the patio outlooking Horner Park and the river. Every one of the vendors recommended by them was an absolute hit and the beer tasting at our final walk through was a real treat. Monica was a super star in making sure I had all my questions answered and that every detail was executed on the day of.
We got married in the River Room in November and absolutely lucked out with weather. We were able to have the ceremony outside overlooking the river and it was gorgeous with the changing leave colors. We took pictures at Horner Park prior to the ceremony (highly recommend!!). We also got ready in the bridal suite, which was perfectly set up for hair and makeup and came with a lot of treats. We ended up taking a lot of photos in the bridal suite too since it was so beautiful. We added on the champagne toast to dinner, but held off on the space heaters and fire pit because of the nice weather- though we loved having the option if needed to make sure we could utilize the outdoor space.
Lastly, our wedding was 120 people and the space fit it perfectly. We had 13 tables with a sweetheart table fit in there no problem with still a ton of space for mingling and dancing. There was definetly room for more people and tables if desired. I loved our venue so much and wish I could redo the whole day, thank you River room!!
Nina M
5.0
10/06/2025
We're so happy that we picked the River Room at Burning Bush Brewery for our wedding! We felt so taken care of throughout the entire process. The team was incredibly communicative ...
and ensured that we were happy at every point in the planning process. Monica and the team were also flexible with changes that we made closer to the wedding. The wedding night ran so smoothly due to the River Room team working directly with our vendors to ensure everything was just right for us and our guests. We'd definitely recommend the River Room as a wedding venue to friends getting married in the future!
Any questions?
Josephine G
5.0
8/18/2025
This is a great local in the northern side of the city. The ceremony location has a natural Chicago river background. Then the reception location is indoor but once it is dance tim...
e, it basically turns into half-outdoor, half-indoor. Staff are friendly and professional. We really enjoyed our time working with them, and we are really thankful that we chose them.
Katie B
5.0
7/04/2025
The River Room was the ideal wedding venue! They were one of the most reasonably priced and most flexible venues we visited. We decided to go with an outside caterer (we wanted to ...
use a local restaurant) and Burning Bush was extremely accommodating. They were very easy to work with throughout and were patient with us as we continually updated our numbers and adjusted our drink package. Monica and the whole team answered all of our questions and ensured that we had nothing to worry about on the day. The River Room is an absolutely stunning location both inside and out and we had the best wedding there!
Julie N
5.0
5/12/2025
We had our May 2025 wedding at the River Room and was truly our dream venue in every way! My husband and I hoped to get married at a brewery and River Room is the perfect space - y...
ou have the brewery vibes and craft beer but all the amenities of a wedding venue. The space itself is gorgeous and so much attention to detail was paid into making the space as functional as possible - the sound system, uplighting/chandeliers, pipe and drape, lounge furniture, getting ready suite are all amenities that even super high-end venues don’t have. Plus the location is naturally beautiful being along the north branch of the river across from Horner Park (makes for beautiful photo and ceremony backdrop). Then there’s the wonderful experience of working with the River Room team - the service from everyone was amazing. Specifically, Monica was phenomenal - so responsive and helpful and provided so many vendor recommendations that we ended up using! Even little things like her suggesting we have signature cocktails (we were on the fence) turned out to have such a positive impact on our wedding (I need to know what is in their house made spicy margarita mix!!). We would recommend River Room (and Burning Bush Brewery) to anyone in a heartbeat and we hope to be guests and other River Room weddings in the future!!
Garrett K
5.0
3/12/2025
The team at River Room was amazing start to finish. This is a hidden gem in Chicago venues. It's in a really picturesque spot right on the river and the interior is great and mal...
leable with a low lift on decorations to look great (or at least I hope our wedding looked good!). The team was very fast and knowledgeable with all communications. Any shifts we asked for were very coolly handled. The beverage package is through them and it was affordable with some great beers. Load in/load out was a breeze because of the location and the flexible timing. Our wedding was ~125 and it was more than perfect in size. It felt like the space could flex and deflate really easily to accommodate different sizes. Honestly, can't think of a hiccup or anything that wasn't handled great.
Beth S
5.0
3/11/2025
We had our 150 guest wedding here in early November 2024, and I cannot recommend the River Room enough! The space is beautiful inside and out! We love the patio space along the Ch...
icago River - luckily the weather cooperated with us and we were able to set up an arch/trellis outside to make the ceremony both indoors and outdoors. We loved all the exposed brick inside and the high ceilings in the space. The beers were great and the bartenders were hustling! Monica was super helpful leading up to the event and over the course of the day in making sure everything went smooth. Honestly everything was perfect 10/10!
Will R
5.0
3/07/2025
We were married at the River Room in October and it was a dream venue from start to finish. Monica and the entire River Room team were wonderful in the planning process and were ex...
cellent on the day of. They could not have been more helpful and excited to make sure the wedding felt unique to us.
The venue itself is a perfect all-in-one location which is what we wanted for our day. It started with our wedding party pictures across the street at Horner Park, then some pre-ceremony cocktails leading to beautiful outdoor ceremony right on the river, followed by more cocktails before a chandelier lit dinner inside, capped off with a dance party with party lights. The patio was also perfect for those who wanted to chat under the stars away from the music. The audio system inside and out were great. The kitchen is huge and and your vendors will love it.
Could not recommend River Room enough. Amazing people. Special place.
Jonathan G
5.0
3/07/2025
Long overdue review for our wedding in October 2024 - and there's so much to say! The River Room caught our eye from the very start of our venue search, and even though we toured m...
ultiple spaces after the RR, there was never even a competition.
Monica was super helpful throughout the process and served as a wonderful point of contact with any inquiries we had about set up, tech, logistics, and the area. She was also super flexible with our day-of timeline and helped everything run smoothly.
The space itself is stunning, but also provides a more down-to-earth atmosphere. We loved that the space allowed for flexibility on an indoor/outdoor ceremony if the weather changed for the worse. And we're also just suckers for exposed brick. They also had an incredible in-house sound system that made it easy for our DJ to streamline their set up. The location was also great for party photos, since it sits right across from a beautiful park with gorgeous sightlines.
We loved that the drink package included options from their in-house brewery and a free tasting to determine the menu. Lots of fun options for every taste.
We cannot reccommend the River Room enough.
Kristin J
5.0
2/27/2025
We had the most magical wedding day at The River Room in Chicago on August 24th. The ceremony space provided stunning views of the river and the perfect backdrop for our celebratio...
n. We were blessed with a beautiful sunny day, and right across the river at Horner Park, we had an unforgettable spot for our first look and portraits.
A huge thank you to Monica, The River Rooms event manager! She went above and beyond to ensure everything ran smoothly, taking care of every detail with grace and efficiency. Monica made sure a constant flow of cold beer was available for me, my groom. What made me so happy was seeing her provided drinks throughout the night to my father, who is disabled, which was a thoughtful and much-appreciated gesture as his needs are even more important to me than mine!
We cannot recommend The River Room enough to anyone seeking a breathtaking venue on the river. It truly made our wedding day unforgettable, and we’re so grateful to have had our special day there. It was truly the most beautiful day of our lives. & if your beer lover, their selection of beers is incredible!
Breigh C
5.0
10/18/2024
We booked River Room to host our post-elopement reception and it could not have possibly been more perfect. The space itself is absolutely gorgeous, and I really feel it’s such a g...
reat value for everything you get between the indoor/outdoor space, lounge furniture, beautiful bridal suite, planning assistance, and the extremely reasonable drink packages. We even had a firepit and s'mores! Monica was an absolute DREAM to work with; everytime we met with her it seriously felt like we were spending time with a friend we’ve known forever! She brought all of our visions to life and was there the entire night to ensure everything ran smoothly. A really fun part of booking with River Room is that you get to use their beers as part of your drink package. We were able to go in for a tasting with some friends in order to determine which beers we wanted to offer our guests, which was such an exciting pre-reception event that we really appreciated. We are so grateful to have booked River Room and to have worked with all of their staff, and it will always be such a special place to us!
Breanna U
5.0
10/08/2024
We got married at river room and our day was absolutely perfect. The venue is gorgeous. A perfect backdrop to the river and the inside is spacious and gorgeous. Monica was an absol...
ute pleasure to work with. She pays attention to every single detail and makes sure it is all executed properly. Her communication is spectacular and she is also such an awesome person. Our wedding was literally flawless thanks to this venue. We didn’t have to worry about a single thing as it was being taken care of by Monica! she truly is incredible and we couldn’t have asked for a better place to get married!!!!
Eva B
5.0
9/29/2024
River Room is an absolutely gorgeous space in Chicago, right on the river and across from Horner Park! We worked primarily with Monica, the event manager there and she absolutely w...
as so helpful in making our dream wedding happen. We had a magical day, thanks in part to the venue. A bonus of booking this venue is that you will get a selection of Burning Bush brewery beers, great for beer fans. It’s also a perfect setup for catering, with an industrial space, and a BEAUTIFUL bridal suite. They also have a fantastic and thoughtfully designed audio set up. We had live ceremony musicians that performed outside and they were heard clearly. You’d never know they were outside! Truly, this venue was designed to be a winning wedding space and you couldn’t go wrong with the fantastic amenities and people that RR has to offer.
Stephanie R
5.0
8/16/2024
Not only is the River Room absolutely gorgeous, but they are incredible to work with. They were great at communicating very timely throughout our entire planning process and throug...
h the entire wedding weekend. Monica really helped our vision come true and all of our vendors loved working with her. Professionalism and high quality is top of mind for the River Room, and it showed throughout the entire process. We also loved getting to feature their beers and had many wedding guests (and our DJ and our Day of Coordinator) commenting how much they loved it. Many friends now have a new go-to brewery and are planning on ordering some beer to go as well. We took a majority of our pictures there as well and they all looked so stunning. We loved being able to use the patio and give our guests options to be outside on the perfect summer night. You won't regret booking the River Room for your big day!
Tanya R
5.0
1/01/2024
We couldn’t have been more pleased to have had River Room at Burning Bush Brewery as our venue. It’s a beautiful multi-purpose space with gorgeous exposed brick and chandeliers, s...
itting on the north branch of the Chicago River, with outdoor space at your disposal. The bridal suite is beautiful with skylights and the bathrooms are brand new (actually the entire space is brand news). Adam and his team are incredibly accommodating, allowing us to visit many times to view the space even after we signed the contract. He helped us plan our wedding and we are grateful to him and the entire River Room team for their kindness, flexibility, and professionalism. To put it succinctly, I highly recommend this venue!
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River Room at Burning Bush Brewery
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