If you are looking for a gorgeous beaux-arts style venue, outstanding food, and impeccable service - look no further than the Blackstone. Originally built by the Drake family and d...esigned by Benjamin Marshall (The Drake's architect), the Blackstone's architectural opulence combined with its recent renovations restore the Blackstone's place as one of Chicago's top luxury hotels, and make it the best venue to host a glamorous downtown Chicago wedding.
Not only is the hotel visually stunning, but the history is unmatched by any other hotel in Chicago. As a lifelong Chicagoan, it made me proud to host my wedding at such a notable landmark. From hosting 12 sitting U.S. presidents, to Al Capone, royalty and celebrities, to my husband's grandparent's wedding 64 years earlier, we knew we were in good company!
We were treated by royalty throughout the entire process by our events coordinator, Jessica Plundo. To say that Jessica saved our wedding is an understatement. A mere three months before our wedding day, our original venue went out of business. What could have been a nightmare resulted in nothing short of our dream wedding thanks to Jessica. From the moment we met Jessica and saw the Crystal Ballroom, we knew that hosting our wedding reception there was going to be better than what we originally planned. Jessica worked within our budget, matched our prior venue's catering contract, and accommodated our every want or need – she helped to coordinate a wheelchair for my handi-capped mom, provided kosher meals, re-structured our package for a longer cocktail hour, customized our menu, organized our goodbye brunch, answered our numerous e-mail requests promptly and professionally, and honored her word by providing everything that she said she would. She was an absolute pleasure to work with, and went above and beyond to accommodate us. We received numerous compliments from our guests on all aspects of the venue – the food, the hotel rooms, the décor, the ambiance, and the staff/service were all impeccable.
My only regret about our wedding is that I did not consider having our reception at The Blackstone originally, because I assumed it was out of our budget. If I had, I know I would have selected it and I would choose it 1000x again. We could not be any happier with how everything turned out, and feel so grateful to have hosted our wedding at The Blackstone.