The Joinery

at we could host our wedding there. The layout of the venue is awesome, the atmosphere is such a great balance of modern, rustic, and a little bit of city glam (and we loved that it's still an active wood-working space), and the location is great if you want to get married in the city but don't want the hassle/pressure of being right in the middle of the downtown bustle. And just as important as our feelings about the venue is our true respect and admiration for Shay - she is an angel on earth. Shay was there from the moment we first saw the space to the day of our wedding, and she is an extremely supportive and patient member of the Joinery's team. Shay answered every question we had (all 5,000 of them), was super accomodating for our rehearsal, gave great feedback and suggestions, and really helped to make sure our day was the best day ever. I'm not sure there is anything she can't do. We also need to give big love to Molly who really helped us with our bar package and knocking that out of the park. Some of our favorite things about The Joinery: - If you live in the Logan/Bucktown/Wicker Park area (or really anywhere in Chicago), this venue is super convenient. We walked to pretty much every meeting we had and it made dropping off/picking up some decor items really easy. I will say, most of our guests were out of towners, so we did have to plan a trolley situation to make transportation smooth. But if you have a majority of guests in town and are familiar with the CTA, Uber/Lyft, etc then getting to The Joinery is a breeze. - They are flexible on vendors. With the exception of the DJ (they provide preferred companies for you to choose from), we got to select all of our vendors, which really helped make our day super personal. - The look and feel of the venue...it's just amazing. The patio is excellent for cocktail hours, the secondary bar area is great (we set up a photobooth back there too), the Safe House is awesome for folks to grab a beverage in a more tucked away space (we used it for the bridal party before the ceremony), the apartment is a great addition (we used that area for bridal party stuff as well as a space for some of the kiddos to take a break from dancing). And the main area is just a dream. We didn't feel like we needed to do a ton to the space decor-wise to make it feel like a party. The whole venue has such a great personality and almost every single guest commented on how great the venue is. - The Joinery is equipped for guests with accessibility needs. The venue has lots of ramps and the bathrooms are all on the main floor. - Capacity: we had about 120 guests which we thought was great. They can accommodate more, but we really like the size of our group because we didn't have to move anything to make the dance floor available. There is a ton of flexibility in how you can choose to set up your ceremony, your tables, and we really appreciated that about the venue. We really loved being at The Joinery for our big day and we are so glad we were able to host our wedding there. Thank you Joinery team for all that you do for your couples!

ts enjoyed the patio for cocktail hour and the ivy/floral mural allowed for a great backdrop, and the speakeasy upstairs was great for photos as well. We also opted for the string lights and uplighting package which added a great ambiance for dinner and dancing. We had about 110 guests at our wedding, and the space was very comfortable but could easily fit more. Shay, the venue manager, was extremely responsive throughout the planning process and was easy to work with. I can't recommend the Joinery enough if you are looking for a unique venue unlike anything in Chicago!

as also perfect and gave us a very authentic feel for our special day. The Joinery is also super photogenic, every corner makes for an incredible shot! We couldn’t be happier with how our photos and wedding video turned out. Lastly, we also booked The Mill House next door. It was so convenient for our out-of-town family to stay there and also we used it as the location for the girls to get their hair and makeup done in the morning. Highly recommend doing this since it makes things SO much easier. Our wedding at The Joinery was an absolute dream and we couldn’t have asked for a better space or team to make it all happen!

orgeous (the huge skylight along with some string lights really turn the space into something out of a fairytale). We had 94 guests at our wedding and it felt like a perfect size. It was intimate without feeling cramped and we had plenty of room for a spacious dance floor. Shay is the venue manager at The Joinery and she is fantastic to work with. She was extremely responsive throughout our entire planning process and answered all our questions. She provided a list of recommended vendors off which we found all of our primary vendors (all of whom we loved). The alcohol package at the Joinery is superb and we loved that many of the drinks we got to choose from were local labels (our guests really appreciated this too!). We loved working closely with Molly (who handled the bar services at The Joinery) who did a drink tasting for us at our final walk through and came up with the most delicious cocktails for us to use as our signature drinks. The package we chose also included passed signature cocktails during our cocktail hour which helped to keep lines for the bar down and were a huge hit with our guests. One initial concern that I had about the venue was that since The Joinery is in a residential neighborhood there are limits on how loud the music can be (which is why you must choose one of their provided DJ recommendations). I was worried that the music would be noticeably quiet and that people wouldn’t want to dance - I want to assure anyone reading this that I was so SO wrong. The music did not seem too quiet at all and our dance floor was going strong until the final song played at midnight. We had a BLAST! Our wedding party also made used of the Mill House which is the rental directly next to the Joinery. It was so convenient for a getting ready location and for storing decor before and after the wedding. Overall we would highly recommend The Joinery - our wedding was beyond what we imagined and we would choose the Joinery over and over again!

tems you can use that fit their décor. It saves you money and from having to plan that stuff yourself, and it all goes so nicely together. I really hope they continue with sustainability and ease of planning as a priority! Shay was also wonderful and the whole process went smoothly. The sound system was also great. Lastly, the bar package – it was honestly one of the main reasons we chose the Joinery and it was INCREDIBLE. So reasonably priced for a 6 hour package and their bar manager, Molly, was so flexible on the signature cocktails. The wine options were phenomenal and overall our guests loved the bar!

ch much more. Shay was ontop of all the details and made sure that we had things lined up! Molly was able to craft incredible drinks that our guests raved about, and accommodate our request to serve a particular wine. We so enjoyed the tasting we had prior to the event as well. The Millhouse next door provided the perfect staging ground for getting ready, eliminating the stress of our wedding day and making it all the more lovely. The Joinery will forever be a special place for us, and it's right around the corner. I am sure whenever we walk by, we will have a on a smile and a fond memory. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

al suite area where we could have a private moment right after the ceremony. Shay was great to work with, and we are so appreciative of how our wedding turned out!

decor options we chose to use such as easels, window signs, table numbers, card boxes and all of their beautifully made bars and tables. The space transformed at night with the incredible skylight and string lights with the candles on our tables to create the perfect dance floor and ambiance for our guests. Our custom cocktails were so yummy—the best I’ve ever had at a wedding—and our guests truly enjoyed the bar. Would definitely recommend the Joinery for someone looking to have a unique wedding in Chicago!

ponsive, helpful, and answered so many questions to help us plan for the day. The space itself is so beautiful that it didn't need much, which was nice since we did all floral and decor as DIY. We still can't get over the pictures from the day in all the different areas. Thanks Shay!

d questions promptly and honestly. The actual space is incredible. All of our guests were asking how we found it and loved all the little details. I can’t wait to see our pictures. Highly, highly recommend!

y we were shown while postponing our 2020 wedding will never be forgotten. I cannot recommend this gorgeous space and wonderful team enough.

ked! She answered every random question that came to my mind, communicated to my vendors, provided great insight, and more. Our day was made even more special with the great team at The Joinery and the beautiful event space. The bridal suite saved me (as an anxious bride) who occasionally needed to step away from all the action for a breather. Some of my best memories of the day are actually laughing with my bridesmaids in there while we took one of those quick breathers. Our day was made perfect by everything The Joinery and Shay had to offer!

move the wedding back a year was so difficult but The Joinery made it so easy for us and was so accommodating. We ended up booking all of our vendors through the recommendation list from The Joinery and there is no doubt we had a dream team of people, who were all genuinely so excited to be working together and at the Joinery. It made set up for the day/ evening run so smoothly. You can tell The Joinery was highly regarded by other chicago vendors. Shay was a dream to work with. She was constantly fielding our questions (and as a covid bride and groom- you know we had a lot). She always made us feel comfortable coming to herewith whatever concern or question we had and gave us a great ideas for how to best use the space. After our wedding one of the biggest questions we got was “ How did y’all find this place!?” People kept remarking that they have never been to a chicago venue like The Joinery and loved that they were able to get the chicago feel of being in the city but also the uniqueness and warmth of the Joinery’s environment. The Joinery is truly a Hidden Gem & we could not recommend it enough!

idn't have to worry about renting chairs, tables, or props - the owners provide it all (they actually handmake many of their pieces in-house, from easels to tables to the donut wall!), and they are of exceptional quality. The outdoor patio is great for a cocktail hour with heat lamps, and the main area has a lovely atrium to host your ceremony and dance floor. The two bars indoors offer a great place for guests to talk and get drinks. You even get a room to get ready in and stay in overnight (or just store your stuff to pick up the next day). The recommended vendor list has a plethora of options and helped us pick many of the folks we contracted for our big day - not a single one of them disappointed. The Joinery is one of the best venues the city of Chicago has to offer.

ay also helped to seal the deal - she was open to all of our questions, worked to help get lights organized for us and worked well with all of our other vendors to bring the day to life. Our guests were equally impressed with the space itself. Molly helped us curate the perfect bar package including custom cocktails. We truly feel like the Joinery will be a special play for us and we cannot recommend it enough for the next couple.

pstairs which was very convenient. Shay was such a pleasure to work with, responsive, flexible and sensitive to our stresses planning a wedding during COVID times. We did not have a day-of coordinator but Shay made sure everything ran smoothly and went according to plan! Highly recommend and so many thanks to the team at The Joinery.

s also very easy-going, organized, and thoughtful throughout the process — she provided rosemary sprigs from her garden for our signature cocktail! We didn’t think we would use the bridal suite, but it was so helpful to have your own space and bathroom throughout the night. A few of our out-of-town friends also stayed overnight at the apartment. We wish we could relive our wedding at this venue all over again!

eeling too empty. Shay and all The Joinery staff are awesome and helped so much during ever-changing COVID-19 restrictions. Another thing we loved about The Joinery is that their list of suggested/preferred vendors was truly awesome. We booked all our vendors through there, and they really must have taken a lot of time to find the best companies in the city. Highly recommend The Joinery for any wedding.

d us. While we wanted to have our ceremony outside, we knew with Chicago weather, we needed to find a location that we would be happy with if we had to pull the ceremony inside. The Joinery was the place. The skylight is a dream! Not only is the venue amazing but so is the team. Shay is wonderful to work with and was always available to answer all our questions and help with changes throughout the craziness of the past year. Thank you Shay for all your hard work! We absolutely loved our wedding and so happy we picked The Joinery!

ny and reception, and we were able to flip the space without inconveniencing our guests thanks to the beautiful (and shaded!) patio space. The "Speakeasy" upstairs also served as a cool extra space for getting ready and photos, and if we'd had a larger guest list we'd absolutely have planned to retreat there for an after-party. With about 50 guests, we felt that the main space was a cozy and intimate room for both the ceremony and reception, but we could tell that twice that number could have attended and it wouldn't have felt cramped. We 100% recommend having your wedding here if you want a beautiful, effortlessly cool venue to serve as the backdrop for your I-dos!

ting. Definitely recommend this venue!!

the more special. It’s been cool to see how involved the space is in the community - it serves as a polling place for elections, they host community events like yoga classes and give back like packaging up food on Thanksgiving. We love the big skylight and that the venue really shines on its own without the need for much decor other than beautiful florals. Where you’ll pay a little more for booking the space, you’ll probably save a ton on decor letting the space speak for itself and you’ll feel good in supporting them based on their community commitment/involvement. There are so many cool spots within the venue for photos, too, guarantee you’ll have some unique wedding shots. Unfortunately, our bigger reception is on hold, but we’re so thrilled we were able to have a mini ceremony in the space. Shay was so on top of communications regarding all the changes and restrictions from COVID and it was so helpful to have her brainstorm back up plan after back up plan with us. She was amazing in helping us (and many other couples) navigate it all this year and we appreciated how flexible she was yet also direct in communicating the restrictions in place to protect us, our guests and her business. Can’t wait to celebrate in this beautiful space in 2021!

e people. Shay, the manager, was so flexible and helped us when we changed our minds about 10 times due to covid concerns. They went out of their way to make sure everything was as safe as possible. We ended up doing the bar through them and the drinks were amazing (we had hot apple cider + booze as one of our signature drinks and our guests loved it!). They also helped us find our wonderful planner/florist and caterer! Definitely give them look, you won't regret it.

els and outdoor space (although it was pouring rain on our wedding day and we didn't get to utilize it!).