About this vendor
Something Special, Something Unique, Something affordable.... Just an hour and twenty minutes outside the city. Sitting right off of Interstate 88, interstate 39. No one is too far away! Storybook Gardens has MULTIPLE sites to choose from and ALL on ONE Property. Hosting only one event per day. From urban vibes to rural styles and everywhere in between! All right here. Storybook Gardens specializes in ALL elite custom design, décor and spaces. All inclusive, and at NO EXTRA COST. We want your day to be as unique as YOU without breaking the bank. Truly BIG city Elegance Without the BIG city COST! Storybook is like no other!
Amenities + details
Ceremony Area
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Liability Insurance
On-Site Accommodations
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Business Attributes
- Woman-owned Business
Ceremony Types
- Civil Union
- Commitment Ceremony
- Elopement
- Interfaith Ceremony
- Non-Religious Ceremony
- Religious Ceremony
Settings
- Backyard
- Barn
- Farm & Ranch
- Beach
- Waterfront
- Estate
Venue Service Offerings
- Bar & Drinks
- Bar Rental
- Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Packages
- Destination Wedding Planning
- Planning
Awards and Affiliations
3-Time 'Best of Weddings'
2025.2017.2015.
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.
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help
you make those big decisions with ease.
4.7
out of 5.064 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 9
My husband and I got married at storybook Gardens in August 2024 and we could not have had a Better experience. Not only is this one of the most beautiful venues in the northern Il...
linois area, but it also has the most knowledgeable and creative staff I’ve ever encountered in this industry. Jana Laid everything out for us clearly and was very straightforward with price and upgrades. Angie Did everything in her power to capture our vision perfectly And everything turned out so much better than we ever could’ve imagined. Every guest commented about how beautiful the venue was and how awesome the staff was. We give storybook gardens five stars and will continue to recommend it to everyone we know.!!!
My husband and I can't say enough about how much we LOVED having our wedding at Storybook Gardens!! We actually want to turn back time to do that again because it truly was the bes...
t day ever! ❤️ Not only did we love every aspect Storybook had to offer we also loved how much care, time, energy, and the amount of beautiful details they will put into your wedding!! We had a 250 person wedding and It's no joke that they know what it takes to help you have the wedding of your dreams!! We had the pleasure of working with Angie Shrimplin on our wedding and she truly has the best heart! She took the vision of what my husband and I had and made into a breathtaking day for us. ANGIE, JANA, and THE WHOLE STORYBOOK TEAM ARE THE BEST!!!! We could go on and on about how gorgeous every detail was, like our amazing sweetheart table!! :) With us living in California it also was so nice to not have to worry about decorating either! They literally can make any theme work! What's also nice about the venue they have many different options for where you would want to tie the knot on the property. Not only do they tell you about the venue they also have worked with so many vendors and can really guide you to whatever you you're thinking for when it comes to booking hotels, food, rehearsal dinner, photographers, videogaphers, hair stylist, music, florist, and more! Storybook is a beautiful hidden secret that everyone should know about! You will not go wrong when it comes to this magical place and with the wonderful people working there! ❤️
Also, shout out to everyone below who worked our fun big rascal wedding that work with Storybook Gardens! :)
Angie. Callie, and Wendi!
The bartenders:
Jenna, Grace, Eric, and Jacob
The Runners: Jett, Conner, Mason, Ryan
Our bridal shuttle driver:
Joe
Thank you again Storybook Gardens! You really helped our marriage start in the BEST possible way! 🥰
📸 : Jon Larson Photography
Hair and Make up: Skye O'Neill Smith
We got married at Storybook Gardens and could not have asked for a better experience! The pricing was fair, the venue was beautiful and the staff was incredibly kind and helpful. O...
ur planner Miranda was not only fantastic at her job, but also handled our wedding with the utmost kindness and care. Despite being one of many couples getting married there in a season, we felt as though they had nothing but time and attention to pay to every detail of our day. If we could do our wedding all over again, we would pick Storybook Gardens every time!
Angie was amazing! She was so helpful and knowledgeable throughout the entire process. I was a bit worried at first because I’m pretty type A and liked things done a certain way. B...
ut Angie answered every questions and helped us plan the most beautiful day. I highly recommend Storybook Gardens especially Angie and her team.
Wow, I cannot say enough wonderful things about Storybook Gardens. They made our wedding truly magical! Our wedding managers, Angie & Shawn, were so lovely to work with and they we...
re just as excited about our wedding as we were! They made the process so easy and always got back to us quickly with any questions or concerns we had. They let us be as creative as we wanted in the theme/design process and they pulled it all together so beautifully. The grounds are already unbelievably gorgeous and somehow they made it even better than I had imagined! We had a fantasy themed wedding where all of our guests dressed up like it was the Renaissance Faire and the Storybook Gardens staff loved the idea so much that they dressed up too! They made our dreams come true and all of the staff, including the vendors we hired that they recommended, looked like they were having so much fun even though they were technically working. It gave the night an extra sparkle! They made everything run so smoothly and the event went on without a hitch. Our guests kept telling us all night that it was the best wedding they'd ever been to which I believe couldn't have been possible without Storybook Gardens. As someone with a lot of anxiety, the thing I loved most about them is how involved they were. They do so much of the design and set up for you that I felt so relaxed about the wedding leading up to the big day. We are so grateful to them for all of their help & I will be recommending them to anyone who is looking for an event venue in the future!
Storybook is absolutely amazing. They created the perfect wedding day for my husband and I. Every detail was impeccable and I could not have asked for more. Highly recommend!!
My husband I recently had our wedding at Storybook Gardens; to say it was a dream come true is an understatement! We worked directly with Angie who is kind, supportive, and quick t...
o respond to any and all requests/questions. Our planning process with Angie was smooth and thorough. We had several calls, zoom meetings, and in-person meetings that left my husband and I with seriously nothing to worry about or coordinate. The team did a fantastic job of making the entire event full of ease and enjoyment! As for the day of, we had some unfortunate bouts of rain, but Angie and Jana worked hard to give us our dream outdoor ceremony (it went off without a hitch). We had a lovely ceremony in the pines and an even more beautiful reception in the grand tent. The reception space truly took our breath away- it was everything we had hoped for and more. The staff working the event itself were helpful, attentive and kind. They constantly tended to everyone's needs and sent their well wishes, but it never felt intrusive- just seamless, authentic, and well run. Thank you again to the Storybook team, and specifically to Angie, for helping us to have the wedding we had always hoped for!
This review is well overdue, but recently married couples understand how busy the first year of marriage can be! My husband and I were married at Storybook Gardens (SBG) on Septem...
ber 30, 2023, and Angie, our planner, and Jana, SBG owner, helped create the wedding of our dreams!
Starting from square one when we were venue shopping, SBG stood out among all other venues as Angie and Jana made us feel they cared about our wedding day. When touring other venues, you will notice that many are businesses where the owner is absent and an event coordinator has been hired to acquire your business. In these instances, my husband and I always felt that we were just a number and the venue’s priority was charging us extreme amounts of money without care that our wedding day would be the most important day of our life together. Thus, when we toured SBG we noticed the difference it makes when the owner puts their heart and soul into their business. We felt SBG was the perfect match for our wedding day because we trusted them.
From there, we only have fond memories of working with Angie in preparation for our wedding day! We had regular meetings where Angie carefully listened to our likes and dislikes. We were so impressed to see our visions come to life during the design trial six months before our wedding, which looked even more spectacular on our wedding day. In addition, Angie guided us in planning every detail of the day to ensure it ran as smoothly as possible which was extremely helpful given that we didn’t know where to begin and felt overwhelmed. Angie helped us stay sane during the process. Last, it should be recognized that SBG went above and beyond to fulfill special requests for us that weren’t readily available, which speaks to the passion and love they have for their business and clients.
Almost nine months later, we still have friends and family telling us how unique and stunning every detail of our wedding was! After our wedding, my mom heard one of the guests shouting, “This was the most amazing wedding I have ever been to!” Additionally, my stepfather’s coworker went to the dentist for a cleaning where her hygienist casually mentioned she had just been to the most beautiful wedding at SBG. The hygienist was one of our wedding guests (small world)! If you are in the market for a wedding venue, I assert you can fully trust SBG with your special day. I am confident that SBG will make your wedding as memorable as they made ours.
The venue itself is beautiful, unfortunately there is no organization or systems in place. Communication was well below what one would except for such an important events, in the l...
ead up and in the actual day of. We felt we were having to direct the coordinator and assistant for the smallest of things. The term “quiet quitting” was thrown around quite a bit..
I have so much to say and I don't know where to start.
Jana (the owner) is the true definition of dedicated. We first met her in March/April of 2022 when we first toured the venue...
. It was our first and only venue tour before we booked the wedding. After meeting with her, I knew this was the place for me and my husband to get married at. The property, the details, the packages were all too good to be true. But, they were true. She was sweet, caring, and very understanding of us. We clicked, and we felt comfortable. We felt very at home. I couldn't have imagined getting married anywhere else.
Angie was our decor/coordinator/therapist/designer/bff during this whole process. Never in a million years did I want to have a biggish wedding because of all the stress of details/planning. Let me tell you something...Angie took it all off my shoulders. She took my Pinterest and designed my absolute dream. No no scratch that. It wasn't my dream. IT WAS BETTER! She dealt with some family drama and handled it with grace (and we couldn't be more thankful for that). We had so many compliments about how beautiful our center pieces and our floral was and that was all because of Angie. She calmed us down when we got stressed. She made sure special moments were built in for us. She just made our day so incredible. I would do it all over again and again and not ever change a single thing. That's how perfect it was.
If you're thinking of booking your wedding or party at Storybook Gardens, you will not regret it for a second. I never ever second guessed myself with any of this. I can't take the credit for anything, other than showing up on the day of.
Jana & Angie - Thank you for making our dreams come true. We will forever be grateful. We can't wait to return one day with our kiddos and tell them all about our perfect day.
Our day was absolutely magical! There was no way I’d would in a million years be able to make it as beautiful as Angie and Jana and their team did! Angie was our coordinator and sh...
e is absolutely the most wonderful woman! She made this process so and so stress free! I definitely think I gave her some stress back because only three months out I had to have back surgery- Angie was so kind and caring she sent me a get well card and made the last leg of the journey comforting as a bride who is laid up in bed and can’t make decisions due to medications she reassured me that everything was going to be ok! Through out the whole night everyone kept checking in on me to make sure I was doing ok being on my feet so long! We chose to stay at the suites they offer and it made the getting ready morning so much more special- we were the first to stay in them and the only things I would change about the suite was have them run the water longer before we got there- they were fresh out of winterization lol. The venue was absolutely stunning and everyone raved about how beautiful it was and the staff was great! All our visions came true for the design! I highly suggest going with the photographer they recommended and they also picked out an amazing dj and Skye and her team for make up and hair! 💗 THANK YOU Angie and everyone at SBG for making our day more than perfect ❤️❤️( I could write SO much more about how truly amazing SBG is!)
Storybook Gardes was a truly gorgeous venue, wonderful team, and I can't imagine we would have had the wedding we wanted without them.
We worked with Angie, and she was amazing to...
work with. When we chose Storybook, we described it as they allowed us to control what we wanted to control (namely the food) and they took care of the rest (like the decorations). Now having gone through it, I would say it's more than that. Whether it was the design process, connections to amazing vendors, or scheduling the day to makes sure we get the most out of it, Angie and her team took care of all the minutiae so that we could focus adding the small touches that made the wedding OUR wedding. Did I mention that all that work is included with the venue?
Overall, just a wonderful experience that I would recommend to any couple.
Storybook was fantastic from start to finish. They calmly and expertly guided us through the wedding planning process, which we were very apprehensive about. Miranda was our main c...
ontact and she organized most of the wedding, coordinated with vendors, designed the decor, and much more. The location was beautiful, and the decorations and design of everything else was also fantastic. Our guests keep telling us how this was the most unique and pretty wedding they've ever been to! I'm so glad we found and picked storybook as our venue. I was also requested by my guests to mention someone on the staff named Jake, who they found really great on the wedding day. So thank you Miranda, Jake, and Jana and the rest of staff for all your work making our day awesome. I couldn't recommend storybook enough to anyone reading this review. Go give them a call and a tour!
I am just so happy that we chose Storybook for our wedding! The day was all we could have wished for! Angie was absolutely incredible and so so helpful throughout whole process! St...
orybook makes everything so easy, and it’s budget friendly!!! All the vendors they recommend, exceeded our expectations as well. Jon Larson is literally the best photographer ever! He knows Storybook inside and out, and he makes everything so comfortable and fun! Plus he has some of the most incredible photos you will ever see! We got so many compliments from guests saying how beautiful and fun the day was! Everyone here is truly incredible. I’m so happy Storybook was a big part in our special day that we will never forget! Best decision ever and I couldn’t recommend them more!!
It is so hard to know where to begin but WOW what a venue!!!! My husband and I just got married at Storybook on 10/3 and our big day couldn’t have gone any smoother. Not only are t...
here a variety of locations to choose from, but every inch of their grounds are absolutely beautiful. Our event manager was Angie and she was a complete pleasure to work with and was on top of everything for us. We could not have asked for a better manager!! Storybook Gardens is unique in the sense of you can truly give them your entire vision and any special requests and they will work with you, listen to you, and go above and beyond to give you everything you ask for and more. The ENTIRE team is 10/10- for such a stressful, chaotic day there was not a single thing that went wrong. I am still in complete awe when I think about it, everyone that works for this venue is incredible- sooo many of our guests have reached out saying the same and that it was the best ran wedding they’ve ever been to! The decor was absolutely gorgeous & they even have an extremely gifted calligrapher who did our beautiful signs. I could go on for days about our wonderful experience with SBG, but to sum it up just do yourself a favor and don’t even think, just book your wedding with Storybook. I promise you will not regret it and won’t be in better hands!!!! Jana, Angie, Miranda, and everyone else- THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!
I can not rave about this venue enough! The SBG team Jana, Miranda, Angie & Renee are so amazing, detailed oriented and pulled out one of the most spectacular breathtaking events e...
ver! Not only is the venue and everything that is included in the price worth the money but the professionalism of the team and kindness they have shown is out of this world.
They truly put their heart and soul into each and every event and I am so grateful to have had them by my side through one of the biggest events of my life.
xoxo thank you SBG
Working with Storybook was fantastic! We were nervous about finding a venue but when we saw Storybook and walked the grounds we knew it was a perfect fit! We got married on August...
20th, 2021 with our ceremony at the pond and the reception in the tent.
We had a vision of an outdoor wedding and Storybook took that vision and made it into an even better reality. Everything they put together for us was so beautiful and the Storybook staff are so kind. Jana was fantastic and we love how she runs her business. Our coordinator, Angie, was so easy to work with and made us feel so comfortable. She was always available for contact and helped corral our crazy group the day of. We couldn't have done it without Angie!
I have recommended Storybook to other brides already and will continue to recommend them. I am so happy we found such a wonderful venue for the best day of our lives! :)
My husband and had our reception at Storybook Gardens in Oct. of 2019. We absolutely LOVED it, it was more then what we ever could have asked for. Every single thing we came up wit...
h they made happen and the staff were all very nice and helpful during every aspect of the wedding from the planning to the little stuff during the wedding. It was so easy to get in contact with them for ever little question or concern I had. Having our wedding reception here made the day so much easier and less stressful. We just go to enjoy the day and not have to worry about any of the last minute things. All of our guests kept telling us how beautiful it was and I couldn't agree more!
This is a long overdue review for for the incredible job Storybook Gardens did for my wedding this past August. Picking out a venue was an overwhelming experience and after the ver...
y first time we met Jana, we felt total relief because we knew the search was over, and we had found our perfect fit. Storybook is an incredibly beautiful venue with so many versatile options for for ceremonies and receptions! I was set on having an outdoor wedding, but my mind was put at ease knowing we had plenty of beautiful options for backup rain plans. Jana and the rest of the staff at Storybook were absolutely wonderful throughout the whole process. They were easy to communicate with, and did such an incredible job taking my vision for my wedding and turning it into a reality. They have such a nice, relaxed process for finding out what you have in mind, and if you don’t know, they offer great suggestions! So many things I just didn’t have a clue about and I just left it in their hands and they made it beautiful. I literally just can’t put into words how breathtaking and perfect everything was, and how little work I actually had to do. Seriously, Jana and her team worked their butts off to make the day go smooth and it did. The whole thing was seamless, and wonderful! The most incredible part is how affordable it actually was for everything I got!! I literally had three wedding planners/day of coordinators/ hair+makeup/dj/affordable live floral arrangements/tables+chairs/linens and so much other stuff that other venues charge insane fees for, for a ridiculously reasonable price. I am beyond thankful that I stumbled upon Storybook Gardens, because they really did give me the most magical day. Thank you thank you thank you!!
The weather was totally not what we were expecting and the day still was an absolute joy. The venue was beautiful and exactly what we had pictured it to be when completed. Miranda ...
and Natalie conferenced with us about our vision and brought it to life, even in bad weather. Now let me preface this by saying it didn’t rain the actual day of the ceremony and reception, but the entire week before. The venue was a little sloppy, muddy, rainy air was still hovering around with a new cold breeze of 60 degrees floating through. Not expected for the last weekend of September. I, the bride, was freezing walking down the isle. But, the rest of the night I don’t remember the weather because there was so much going on and I was always active. It ceremony, a breeze. Simple and we didn’t even have a rehearsal. Then the reception, fun and stress free, mostly. We had some minor issues with outside vendors but Miranda handled them promptly so we could go on enjoying our evening. Overall the day was lovely, even with things minor issues, nothing was big enough to even be noticed or bother us. The day was our perfect day.
Positives:
It was pretty darn beautiful. So many details and little touches were made to add to our overall theme, and there wasn’t really much of a preview. You don’t get to see the venue until the day of, and while that slightly concerned me, it was one less thing I had to “set up”. Our vision was put together with ease.
The bridal suite was perfect, warm, and a good home base. It is a little smaller for how big my dress was, and for how big my family was, but we managed. The aesthetic is beautiful for photographs and worked greatly with our theme.
The helpful crew rocked! Well, as long as communication happens on both ends, the process is a smooth ride. Miranda and Natalie were the go-to people for prep, and answered any of our questions easily and within a few days (by email, our preference).
The estate itself is so pretty, no matter what time of year. Plenty of hidden gems on the acres and great spots for photography. We really enjoyed the different bridges and the true outdoor venue so that we and our guests could take in the natural beauty of the earth.
Negatives:
The grooms suite. Due to our weather, the groom and groomsmen were put into the pavilion building. Seems great right? Well, yes and no. My husband was trying to get ready with the guys and have their own “boys space” like he expected, but the pavilion is also the location of the restrooms. He felt like he never had any space to himself before everything got started. A bit different to my space as the bridal suite was an entire untouched building. Separate spaces is great but maybe more emphasis to the men’s side as well.
The order of doing things and planning… well that was extremely confusing. While I wouldn’t change venues, I do believe the structure of employees and who handles what and at what time needs to be altered. At one point, I went five months from not hearing from anyone. And then at random times I would be speaking with one employee, then get referred to another, then back to another. It was just confusing. The biggest issue of all of this is we didn’t nail down a plan until about just three weeks before the wedding date. A meeting, or multiple meetings (phone or sit down) should be required at different times to really get things rolling and have questions answered, sooner than later. It left me as a very anxious bride up until the week before.
Storybook Gardens August 24th 2019
Our fairytale reception began with an idea- one of marrying (pun intended) literature and woodland magic. We searched and searched for the perfe...
ct venue… very late in the game for an August wedding… and somehow were SO LUCKY to stumble upon Storybook Gardens.
The plan for our wedding in entirety was a big one- as two artists (fashion photographer and TV set electrician) we had big dreams. Our ceremony-elopement was set to be in Colorado near Breckenridge in front of a high-alpine lake on August 2019. There was no way our reception was going to beat that! Or so we thought….
Enter Jana, Miranda, and their team of wedding wizards!! Every step of the way they were SO thoughtful and accommodating even when Ashley- ever the perfectionist- had loads of ideas and particular requests.
The day-of when we walked down into the garden was SO MAGICAL and perfect it brought tears to our eyes. You should see the photos!!!! Everyone who attended raved about how perfectly magical the entire evening was. There was greenery and books galore- everything we had dreamed of for our perfect “storybook” reception.
The attention to detail was immaculate and the staff so kind and amazingly adept at keeping everything running smoothly during the night.
We danced until our feet were crying from our shoes then kicked them off and danced some more! There were tons of little get-away spots for photo ops and the drinks prepared by the stellar bar-staff were always flowing an delicious.
We seriously cannot recommend SBG more, our only regret is that we can’t do it AGAIN!!!
Much love to the whole team,
-Ashley and Erin
My husband and I got married at Storybook Gardens on 10/12/19. It was the most amazing day of our lives. The venue was absolutely stunning. Jana and her staff were always in contac...
t with me, and anytime I had a question it was answered within 24 hours. The whole staff made me feel right at home and that is how we truly knew this was where we were supposed to get married. Jana goes into so much detail when planning the wedding, we spent over an hour on the phone going over my Pinterest boards so she knew exactly that we wanted. We then met in person for a design consultation. We were able to make any changes we wanted to the table layout, and the overall theme of the wedding. Although not much change was needed because Jana hit it out of the park. I was very confident in the staff to make this wedding my dream come true.
We had our rehearsal at the venue on 10/11 and it was absolutely freezing. We had been planning an outdoor wedding at the pond for nearly a year. We had decided it would be best to do the rehearsal down at the pond so we all knew what we were getting ourselves into before the big day. This was Jana (the owners) idea. We conducted the walk down the aisle at the pond like we wanted, but then decided to try the lower garden for a secondary space because the wind would be less of a factor. This again was a great idea! Jana ran the whole show the night of the rehearsal, and made it 100% stress free for my husband and me.
My girls and I chose to use the venue provided salon for hair and makeup. I have never in my life received so many compliments on not just my hair and makeup but all of the hair and makeup done for the wedding. The artists make you look so naturally beautiful. We showed up to the venue at 2:30pm for our 4:30pm wedding. The girls have the cutest little cottage with 3 rooms (2 rooms to get ready for bridal party, 1 bridal suite, and a mini salon for touchups), while the guys used the pavilion. Both areas beverages were provided (mimosas and beer). This is where the staff at Storybook truly shines, they coordinate every last detail from the timing of the wedding party walking down the aisle to ensuring that your guest are happy and where they are supposed to be. Our reception was held in the tent. This is absolutely beautiful, the theme that my husband and I wanted was 100% accurate. The tent is heated so all of my guests were comfortable.
Brides and grooms, if you want a venue that will take the stress away from your big day choose Storybook Gardens. They are always on their A game and truly want to make sure that your wedding day is a dream come true. I know mine was!
My husband and I got married at Storybook Gardens in 2019. I am not one for planning or being on top of things so the idea of planning an entire wedding did NOT seem possible. Luck...
ily we found the most amazing venue here at Storybook but on top of that the most amazing girls that went above and beyond for our special day! I didn't have to lift a finger or stress about anything at all! Our day was rainy and cold but I would have never even known it our ceremony and reception were unbelievably gorgeous and exactly what we had hoped for. From the planning to the decorating and he day of these girls do it ALL for you. I cannot thank them all enough for making one of the best days of my life so perfect! You will love them all!! Thank you to each and everyone of you ladies for making our small town, rustic-chic wedding a true fairytale.
I always wanted to get married at an outside venue. I came across Storybook Gardens on the Knot and instantly fell in love with it. In 2017 we went out to check out the space and I...
knew nothing would compare! We set a date for our wedding for September 21, 2019. The whole process with Jana and her team was easy as could be. They took into account all the different decor options I had pinned and listened to what I was looking for. When the day came I was in awe! Everything I had envisioned had come to life! Despite the rain it was the most amazing day! You wouldn’t have known if anything went wrong. Jana and her team are the best of the best. I would recommend Storybook Gardens to anyone looking for an outdoor venue.
We don’t know where to begin with how storybook gardens made our wedding a true fairytale. All of our expectations were exceeded. From the beginning of the overwhelming planning ...
process, all the way through the I do’s, it was flawless. Jana, her husband Joe, Miranda, Audrey, and her staff were by our side every step of the way. We must mention that Jana was 7 plus months pregnant and that didn’t even deter her from making every moment perfect!!! Not only is the venue beautiful as is, but she made our vision come true. We imagined something simple with a travel theme, simply because of our passion to travel. This seemed difficult at first because we weren’t the average theme. We didn’t really know what we wanted. Jana and Miranda took note of every detail and made it happen! Our guests still talk about our venue and wedding to this day. Our wedding day was all that we imagined and much more. We started as friends and ended as family.
Love,
The Bartels
Storybook Gardens is a beautiful venue it is mismanaged starting from the top. The problem with Storybook is the way it’s managed, or lack of.
Jana (the owner) was extremely un...
responsive throughout the entire wedding process. Her main employee was out for personal issues, which we both understood completely. We are both about as low maintenance of clients as you’ll find, but as you’ll read we had a lot to worry about.
We arrived at the hotel and waited and were picked up by the owner’s (Jana) husband. On the ride, for some reason, he picked up a man without a shirt who we later found out was a friend. He was clearly drunk and being extremely obnoxious, but we took him to our wedding venue. I asked my wife the next day and she said the same man stopped her shuttle on the way to the venue. Since I paid $500 for a private shuttle I was confused to say the least.
Then we took photographs for around an hour and when we got back our entire bar tab of ($1000) was gone I was notified by Miranda (employee). I was a bit shocked that within an hour our guests had drank $1000 worth of alcohol when I asked Jana specifically what she’d estimate the night would be. I agreed to add more money, which had to be paid “On the spot.” So right at the beginning of the reception she made me take out my credit card. A bit odd, but it was my wedding and I was making the best of it.
The issue came into play when we got our signature drinks (mint julep and lavender mojito). The drinks both really seemed like drinking water and there was no alcohol in them at all. This was after about two hours of our guests drinking and I immediately told Audrey (employee). She made me a new drink, which had more alcohol. Apparently they pre-mixed the drinks that we paid $6 each for and had been serving melted ice all evening.
The entire reception had no direction at all. For example, we were told to cut a cake, but the cake was tucked in a corner completely out of view from any guest. We had to move the cake to a viewable table. We bought lawn games and dropped them off a few days earlier, but they weren’t setup even though we were told they’d be setup. My niece found them tucked away in a tent. My wife spent countless hours making individually packaged smores and there was suppose to be a fire to roast them, but there never was. We spent $100+ on send off sparklers that were lost during the night. My sister was told to start packing the car at 10PM (though we paid until 11PM) and we could not pick our stuff up tomorrow. The list goes on.
Enter the drunken man who boarded our shuttle. He was more drunk than ever and drinking on our bill. Where was the security that was supposed to be on premise? Why did Jana’s husband pick up this man in the first place, I don’t know. All I know is he started yelling “This party **** blows” in front all of our guests. Nice right.
My problem really is with the management. Jana was in her house all night (100 feet away) and never once came down to check in, congratulate, or even acknowledge us. I really believe that she has lost any passion she has for this industry. When we told Jana about the problems, our emails were again ignored for a week. She then said we were trying to “extort” her. This isn’t further from the truth. I want others to know what having a wedding at Storybook Gardens is really like. Although the night was a mess we still made the best of it and enjoyed our guests.
I cannot begin to explain how amazing, beautiful, and magical this venue AND it's entire team are. Our wedding was just this past weekend, 10/14/2017. Even though we were "blessed"...
by an insane thunderstorm, our big day was more beautiful than I could have EVER imagined. Jana, Natalie, and their entire team worked SO hard to make sure every second of our day was thought out and stunning. We ended up having to have our ceremony inside the tent and let me tell you, it was breathtaking. The reception was a blast, and their attention to detail really made our fairy tale come true. Every direction I looked, I felt surrounded by beauty and elegance based all on a vision that we created together.
When I first chose this venue, part of it was the property itself (it's stunning), but another part is the simple fact that I sat back and said to myself "Wow, I want to work with these incredible people." My husband and I are SO glad we made this choice! No venue will work harder for you, will make your day so special. I not only created a professional working relationship, I fostered a real friendship with these people, and that is unforgettable. They were ALWAYS there when I needed them, always prompt, and their positivity and energy made me feel like no matter what, things would work out.
Trust me, I lost sleep over my wedding forecast, knowing it was going to pour, but I didn't need to be worried. They had it. Storybook Gardens created such a magical day for us, that we will never forget a single moment. Jana and her team are truly creative visionaries, and it was an honor to see such passion in place.
I feel emotional writing this, because it's so cool to have people who care so much on your team, coming together to make your dreams come true. This venue is worth it, and you will have a beautiful wedding if you choose to come here, I know we did. Stephen and I are so thankful to all of you for every second of your hard work, and we appreciate you!!!
Choosing Storybook Gardens for our wedding venue was honestly one of the best decisions my husband and I have ever made. Our wedding was September 23rd 2017 and it was very hot tha...
t day. Despite the unbearable heat, Jana and her assistant, Natalie, managed to give us the most beautiful wedding that we will never forget. All of our guests were so incredibly impressed by the venue we heard compliments all night long! This is truly one of the most incredible venues and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a rustic outdoor wedding. Our photographer and videographer also loved the beautiful property. The bakery who delivered our cake didn't send anyone to cut it, but Jana and Natalie completely saved the day and cut it for us. They were so incredibly helpful every step of the way. Jana, we can't thank you enough for EVERYTHING you did leading up to and the day of our wedding. It truly was a perfect day!
I am a skeptical man with a now wife that I have to admit needs to control everything. So when we started our design process with Jana and her team at storybook gardens it was a l...
ittle tough to swallow at first. They take care of everything. Have so many ideas and suggestions. They truly role out the carpet and put on a $50,000 event for nothing. They need to raise their pricing because we got so much more than we ever expected! I think that was a little bit of a problem becuase throughout the process I kept fearing that it was too good to be true. Nope! Our day was completely perfect. Start to finish. Our friends are still raving about our wedding and one of our best friends now wants to choose it as there venue. See you soon guys and thank you for all you did to make our wedding perfect. Dan
There are no words to describe the quality of this place! From the moment that my daughter and I step foot on to Storybook, we were swept away into a magical place that Jana and h...
er team created. Every aspect of planning a wedding was thought of and considered. Jana was able to figure out what my daughter wanted and make it happen. I have always heard how stressful a wedding is to put on but that was not true in our case because of Jana and Storybook. She suggested (but did not push) wonderful vendors and worked with them to make the wedding go smoothly. We had zero problems! Zero! How many people can say that? Our guests enjoyed themselves and complimented us constantly on the venue. Jana's biggest strong point is organization. She is so professional and so is her assistant, Natalie. They both help us by having time lines and by double checking with the vendors that we had lined up. But it is Jana's vision that makes this such a special place. My daughter and her groom smiled all night and so did I. Thank you, Jana!
I put off this review not sure what to say. I got married this past July at Storybook Gardens. I was not sure about choosing an outside venue at first. I know that I wanted the l...
ook and feel of it but was worried about rain or heat. I was reassured by Storybook and Jana that no matter if it was nice out or not that my wedding would be amazing. After starting to work with Jana in the winter everything that I feared went away! She put together everything I thought I wanted and even the things I didnt think of. In the days up to my event I was a hot mess and Jana spoke to me several times just to put my world at ease. ABOVE and BEYOND.. My day was straight out of a magazine. Everything was beautiful and ran so smooth. I had to worry about nothing! I can't say enough about what Storybook Gardens does. It is something no one else does. They are in a league of their own. I will forever be a fan of Storybook and a Friend of Jana Gruben. Thank you.
I had my wedding at Storybook Gardens on September 30, 2016, when I say I had THE PERFECT DAY it is an understatement!! The venue was gorgeous!! Jana and her team did an amazing jo...
b decorating exactly the way I had pictured it in my head! The head table which was a surprise to me and my husband was so incredibly beautiful!! I could not have dreamed of anything better!! My guests were so blown away by the venue!! No one thought they were walking into a tent that looked like a grand ballroom with diamonds on the tables and crystals candle holders and chandeliers and drapped lights coming from the ceiling when the arrived to the venue out in the country! I was asked all night long how I found this place!? I'm so glad that I did because Jana really made me feel very at ease the entire time we were planning. I never really had a worry and the biggest part of the planning turned out to be the easiest part! This really is a one stop shop for your wedding! Jana us your planner, your day of coordinator and they even have a salon to get pampered in! I wouldn't change anything about my wedding and I can honestly say Jana really had a huge role in making the day seamless! I'm hoping some of my friends or family get married there so I can go back again!! Thanks Jana!!
This place is not a cookie cutter venue. Jana & her team have done such an amazing job! They have gone above & beyond any expectations that I had! I love how she does all the decor...
ating & puts in the little details! Jana's mom came to the rescue when the caramel recipe for the caramel apple bar wasn't working... her mom fixed it & saved the day!!!! Her husband even threw his own fireworks with our own & made it spectacular!! The Wedding has been considered the best wedding that my guests ever been too! I owe all the credit to Jana and her team!!! LOVE these guys!!! I highly recommend this venue!!!!!!!!!!
I got engaged in September of 2014, and knew that I didn’t want to have a traditional wedding. I started looking on Theknot.com and came across Storybook Gardens, and I fell in lo...
ve. We went out to meet with Jana that November, and I put a deposit down for a 2016 wedding. This was a bit risky, because we were seeing the venue torn down and in the winter, but I trusted Jana and the pictures I saw online.
I knew what I wanted for my wedding, but I didn’t. So, I will have to say it was a bit tricky for us to nail down the theme. I knew I wanted it to be travel and Italian inspired, but also vintage. After having some calls and meetings, Jana was able to make it happen.
The day of the wedding Jana took care of everything. Jana and her team are absolutely amazing; they are caring and thoughtful and wanted us to have the best day. I didn’t get to see the reception until we had our grand entrance, and I was so moved. It was perfect! It was everything I wanted, and more.
Jana, thank you for such an amazing experience you provided me, my husband and our guests. This was truly the wedding of my dreams, thank you! Grazie!
Wow. Lets just start by saying wow. I had my wedding at Storybook Gardens this Saturday August 27th, and there is not a single thing that I have to say about Jana and her staff tha...
t was not positive. I am your hot mess bride, and Jana made me feel calm and collective the days following up to the wedding. The organization of the staff is incredible, the scenery is absolutely stunning, and the outcome of the two combined is an unforgettable day with little stress and great memories. Jana listened to every detail of what I said and turned it into a one of a kind wedding with details of everything my husband and I loved. She made the planning process smooth and efficent and took all the concerns of my wedding day away. I felt like she truly listened to me, and cared about our wedding, to the extent that it felt like we were the only couple they were working with. Storybook gardens helped up create ideas we would have never thought of had it just been us, but incorperated our personal story beautifully. Having such a detail orientated venue for someone who can be disorganized was a godsend. Every little thing was thought through impeciably. The details were taking care, so all I had to do the day of was enjoy my big day, and thats all a bride really wants. I cannot rave enough about Storybook Gardens, and I would absolutely recommend their services to anyone and everyone.
We had our dream wedding day here this past Saturday, and to say it was amazing would be an understatement. From day one (we booked a year and a half ago) Jana has been nothing but...
helpful and exceeded our expectations. She worked with us with every little thing that we wanted for our big day and the entire staff was absolutely tremendous! It ended up raining an hour and a half before our ceremony time and we had to switch up our plan last minute and everything still ended up greater than I could have ever imagined. We got so many compliments from friends and family on how beautiful everything was and how great the staff was the entire night. Our wedding day was absolutely perfect and something we will remember for the rest of our lives, I cannot thank Jana and the Storybook gardens team enough!!
Most incredible day! We could not have imagined a more perfect wedding! Decorations were amazing and more beautiful than we had envisioned! The staff was super helpful and well org...
anized. Jana, we can't thank you enough for pulling this all together so beautifully!
I had my dream day at Storybook Gardens this past weekend. Everything was perfect and Jana, Joe and their staff made our every request happen. Really using the word beautiful isn't...
enough to describe our reception. Our guests couldn't stop raving about the venue and its beauty. I had a worry free day due to the professionalism of the staff. I messed up my seating chart and Jana took care of it so seamlessly that my guests had no idea of my mistake. I was overwhelmed at the decorations and the attention to detail by Jana. She thought of things that I never would have even considered. My husband and I had a day that will be a lifetime of wonderful memories and that is all due to the hard work that was put in to make our day special. I know that Jana was as invested in making our day the as much as we were.From planning to execution it was wonderful and I highly recommend Storybook Gardens. Thank you Jana, Joe and staff you are all so wonderful.
The words "perfect" "beautiful" "one of a kind" and "outstanding" are just a few words out of town guests have used to describe attending a wedding at Storybook Gardens. We are ...
delighted to recommend Jana and her team. Jana is a pleasure to partner with and truly an expert in what she does. -Jan Sealby, Assistant General Manager, Holiday Inn Express, Rochelle, Illinois.
We were really excited about this venue. I attempted to contact them multiple times but no one ever got back to us. I e-mailed them through their website contact form last month an...
d then left a voicemail again last week. No one responded. We will be moving on to other venues.
There are honestly no words I could use to accurately describe Storybook Gardens. We had our wedding there at the end of August and I have been grappling since then with how to wri...
te a review that captures how ecstatic and blown away we were. The property is like something out of a movie. It's breathtaking. Jana is BY FAR, the most talented and generous person I have ever worked with - and I used to work in the wedding industry. Jana makes each wedding so unique to the bride. I kept having to to do double takes at our wedding because I could not believe it. It was like something out of Pinterest or a wedding show. She needs her own HGTV or TLC show stat. Everyone at our wedding said it was the best and most beautiful wedding they've ever been to. We got married on August 29 and are STILL getting compliments! It was magical and I can not recommend Storybook Gardens highly enough. If you can get a date - BOOK IT. You will not regret it. Thank you SO much, Jana!
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Edited: I forgot to mention! On the day of our wedding it rained like a monsoon. Like, no joke - tornado warning, flash flood rains. Jana kept her cool the whole time, called me with the options, and I trusted her completely. She even set up TWO locations for our wedding in case it kept raining. Thankfully it stopped raining and we were able to do everything outside. But I couldn't believe she set up TWO locations just in case. When I found out, I cried. That is how much Jana cares. She made planning a wedding such a relaxing and fun experience. I will never forget that.
Wow!!!! I am a local Photographer that has shot many weddings at Storybook Gardens and all I have to say is......Jana had her staff are amazing in everyway possible!!!! Jana has su...
ch a creative gift when decorating and giving her clients a dream wedding! Jana has done a masterful job with this venue! Imagine your wedding day and what you want it to look like....Jana will bring it to life at Storybook Gardens! Jana, thank you for all the couples you sent my way! :) I have had such an amazing time shooting at your venue, not just because of the amazing atmosphere but your staff and yourself have made me feel so welcomed every time! Jana thank you so much and I continue to look forward to seeing you again in the future :) Cant wait!!!! -Jon
I was married at Storybook Gardens this past July. I can not say enough about the whole experience. I felt like I was a princess from start to finish. Jana and her team was ther...
e for us from the very beginning. I had ideas of what I was looking for and Storybook took my ideas and took them from good to AMAZING. I could not believe how beautiful everything was the day of! Way more than I could have ever imagined. The ONLY drawback at all that I saw is you have to be a tad bit patient which Jana did explain to us. She put a lot into us and our specific design. I know she had a lot of brides that she was doing the same for and we wanted to schedule our meetings earlier and Storybook did them in order of each season. I wanted them sooner but believe me it was so worth the wait! holy moly it was a day out of just its name! a Storybook! Love Love and a friend for life in Jana! Thank you, Josie M.
My wife and I had a great experience with Jana and her team at Storybook! The only reason I don't give it a full, five stars is we just had some communication issues that I feel co...
uld have been prevented. Sometimes, in the earlier stages, it was hard getting in touch and clarifying what things still needed to be covered on the agenda. But there was soooooo much goodness!! An absolutely lovely space, very attentive team, and the day-of was quite stress-free. But good luck booking! It's a phenomenal place and lots of people are queueing up!so much
But
Buyer beware! I was a vendor for a wedding recently at Story Book Gardens. It was very clear that they were understaffed and overwhelmed. Due to the recent popularity of the beauti...
ful venue, they appear to be accepting more events than they can handle. The staff that was working the wedding was rude and unprofessional. As a vendor I saw many violations of not only professionalism, but also of character. It truly is a shame that there are such large issues, as the physical environment is very beautiful. I will not service any wedding there in the future, and I suggest prospective couples to look elsewhere too.
Jana and her staff made everything very easy. Between style meetings so they could pinpoint exactly what I wanted, to clear communication, to amazing service on the day of, everyth...
ing was perfect! This is definitely an up-and-coming venue and philosophy for the bride that wants everything done for them at a fair price! I couldn't be more happy with how everything went on my wedding day.
My wedding at Storybook gardens was perfect! Jana was an absolute Godsend! I'd say the best part about it, especially because I was more of an easy-going bride, is that Jana and ...
her crew take care of all the decorating (she will do as little or as much as you want, for those brides who want to be more involved). I found that to be such a relief! In the beginning I really had no idea what I wanted, and Jana helped me pull everything together and make it beautiful! Not to mention the low-stress week of my wedding, when I was not worrying about centerpieces and aisle decoractions.
The venue offers several options on where to have a ceremony and/or reception. The indoor pavillion can seat up to about 115 max, but the outdoor spaces can accommodate much more. There is a beautiful pond, creek, wooden tree swing, and many more opportunities for photos.
Jana also prides herself on being unique, so if you definitely don't want a cookie-cutter wedding, Storybook Gardens is the place for you! If you have crazy ideas or something specific, not only can she do it, but she is excited about it! It did not take long for me to trust Jana completely. She has an amazing talent for what she does!
The day of, Jana and her crew took care of everything. IF there were any problems, I didn't even hear abot them, which is awesome. I got married on October 4, 2014, and it was very cold that day. We had our ceremony outside and reception indoors. There was an outdoor seating area which was very comfortable with a fire pit and patio heaters.
All in all, I honestly have no complaints. Everything was wonderful! If I did it all again I wouldn't change a single thing.
it has been a little over 2 months that we united in marriage at Storybook Gardens. There will never be any amount of love or beauty that can ever fill my heart and soul with what ...
experience I had on my wedding day. As I sit here and reminisce of our day, my eyes fill with tears. I am a very simple woman, never expect much. I was raised with just enough, never more; always love the beauty in the simple things. After meeting with Janna, trying to keep things simple but beautiful; my mind was absolutely blown away by the actual fairy tale wedding that I saw as I looked around at the magnificently detailed ambiance, exactly what I envisioned and a whole lot more before I even said I do! This woman has a true gift for more than just the bride and groom on their day. She will bend over backwards for you, give her honest advice when asked, pay attention to every detail and word you say, even if you had no idea while rambling. Janna, we want to thank you and your staff for the best day we could have ever asked for. Our loved ones were watching over us that day with the sky clear while a tornado was north of us; while a little later the rains came and your staff moved everyone and everything within just a few minutes to continue without any interruption during our reception. Wow amazing job. I continue to rave about our experience with you; and from the bottom of my heart and soul THANK YOU! Mr. & Mrs. Simms
I am planning a wedding at Storybook Gardens next August of 2015. I am thrilled to be marrying the love of my life at this location. I have attended a wedding here, and I have be...
en a part of a baby shower as well.
Storybook's outdoor beauty is breath taking! The scenery is beautiful and dreamy. It is ideal for making a special day come to life.
Jana, who I have worked with in the past is a true professional. She has the talent to listen to the vision of the people who want to have an event there. She then,uses her superb design talent to create a magical day. She is sure to create memories to last a life time!!
Anyone who I know who is looking to have a country chic wedding outdoors, I immediately tell them to look into Storybook Gardens. They will not be disappointed.
We have not yet had our wedding but have been working with Jana for a good 8 months now. I am beyond excited to have my wedding here.
I knew this was the place I wanted to be m...
arried at based only by pictures on a website. Even though the first time I stepped foot out on the grounds there was still 5-6 inches of snow, it only solidified it for me. It was more of the feeling I got when I was there, there is no where that can compare. It really is like nothing else in this area!
Jana really gets to know you not as a customer but as a couple and she becomes a friend.
Contact
13501 e. Bethel Rd., Rochelle, IL | Chicago and Northern Il
Storybook Gardens