The Morton Arboretum

y helpful and understanding. I never felt any regret. The food is INCREDIBLE, it's one of the things our guests continue to talk about. An absolute dream of a venue!!!!

edding. We had a daytime wedding and chose the brunch menu. All of our guests commented on how beautiful everything was and of course about the tasty food!! When I wasn’t totally sure about tablecloth colors and menu items both Denise and Jill were able to offer up suggestions from their expertise. Thank you so much! Our day was made extra special because of Denise and Jill.

business. It was such a stressful scramble to get everything back on track after the venue shift, but Denise was an absolute pleasure to work with. My husband and I both agree we are so glad that we ended up changing venues (even if it obviously wasn't our original plan)! She was so patient with my many questions and was super prompt in responding. Not only that, but she was so much more flexible than our original venue to accommodate our vision and the preferences of the other vendors. There ended up being severe weather (including lightning!) on our wedding day and Denise worked with our wedding planner through several different iterations of plans as the weather forecast kept changing in order to make sure our guests were safe and that we could execute our original vision as closely as possible. It was a huge success! We also enjoyed working with Alicia in Gingko Catering who was also very accommodating through the food selection process. Thank you so much to the whole arboretum team for all of your hard work and for helping make our day so beautiful and special.

ess, and on the day of the wedding, keeping our stress levels low. The food at the reception was amazing as well! Overall, we loved our experience there and would definitely recommend it to other couples.

ff during the wedding event were kind and attentive. Had a terrific bartender, too, who people absolutely loved. Great experience!

h our event was small, she was so accommodating and an absolute pleasure to work with. I cannot recommend the venue enough.

ncredible coordinator- quick to answer all our questions & concerns as we tried to plan the wedding from across the country. Thank you so much to the whole staff for making it such a perfect day for us!

ur seats to keep the speeches and dances running smoothly without any of the guests knowing. The dinner was amazing and we received compliments regarding the food and the location all night. Our guests were blown away by the Morton Arboretum and yours will be too.

nie is a superior wedding coordinator with invaluable experience, and Jill, our catering director, fielded all of our questions. We love that the bar worked with us for a fun signature drink. It rained during our wedding day and I didn't worry whatsoever about transitioning our ceremony inside because Jennie is the best. We were taken care of the entire day and we cannot speak highly enough about every staff member who was kind and tentative. From asking my husband and I if we needed anything throughout the night to beautifully packaging all of our wedding decor and momentos, the Morton Arboretum went above and beyond at every step. Thanks so much, Jennie, Jill, and the whole staff!

date was 3/21/20 and we had to reschedule multiple times due to COVID safety concerns/mitigations. Each & every time, Kim made clear we would get the SAFE, beautiful wedding we were hoping for when we booked; she & her team followed through on that promise and our wedding was more perfect than I could've even dreamed of. First, let me say that Kim is an absolute angel & one of the hardest working people I've ever known. I was a very worried bride BEFORE the pandemic, and that was amplified with everything going on... but Kim treated me with only kindness, respect, empathy, & patience each time we spoke. She always took the time to write me thoughtful, thorough responses to my millions of questions and concerns, & called me to ease my mind if my emails were especially frantic :) It was a long and stressful process for us to have our wedding, but the stress had nothing to do with the Arboretum- they were on top of everything and consistently calmed my nerves. On our wedding day, the coordinators were on top of everything. They communicated well with all of our vendors & everything was seamless. I am a very anxious person by nature, and because of the tireless work of the Arb staff, I had NO anxiety on the day of our wedding (a few guests/wedding party members even commented on how calm and happy I was). I had so much trust in Kim & her team, I was able to be in the moment & worry about nothing. The bartenders were totally amazing too. Heather was a JOY & Anthony was hilarious. They made sure my husband and I were always taken care of. My family was extremely impressed because they asked that my nephews bring their dad over for the official OK before serving them soda :) Everything was done with such care. The drinks were delicious & there was never a line. I noticed almost all people had drinks in their hands/in front of them throughout the night. It was such a testament to how great the service was. Each and every server was extremely kind & hardworking . They were very intentional about checking in with my husband & me too. Additionally, they were very on top of getting empty and unattended glasses. I didn’t see a single random cup all night. We also had the best experience with catering. First we worked with a lovely individual, who personally called me before our wedding to let me know she had a job change, but she would make sure our new catering contact, Jill, knew every detail - SHE DID & she didn't miss a beat. We know she was insanely busy, but she really took the time to make sure we were happy, satisfied, and taken care of. The food was outstanding. My dad, who is insanely picky, couldn't get over how perfectly the filet was cooked. We had Jim the tram driver for our pictures, and he was so knowledgeable, kind, and flexible. He was a lot of fun to have with our crew. I give all of these details because I want to highlight how personable and caring the staff was at the Arboretum. It was an amazing experience working with them. They have hundreds of weddings a year & made us feel special and valued every step of the way. I would recommend the Arboretum a million times over. Thank you to all who helped make our long-awaited day more perfect than we ever could've imagined.

etum to switch to the White Pine Pavillion when concerns about eating indoors prompted us to make alternative plans. We can’t say enough about how terrific the Arboretum were to work with through the whole process, and how much we will cherish being able to come back here for years and decades to come. We worked with Jennie Polloway from start to finish, and with Caryn Adams on catering in the last few months. Jennie was a true star, a seasoned veteran, who made sure everything worked out perfectly and just as we wanted it. Caryn was enormously attentive and kind, and made us feel like really special clients. They both delivered a perfect event on the day of, with seamless service and delicious food. They were even able to make possible our signature cocktails, a gin-gin and an aperol spritz! We didn’t add any additional lights or decorations to the tent beyond florals, but the strings of lights they have and the included tablecloths are bright and cheery enough to make the space delightful. Guests told us, and keep telling us months later, how much fun they had at our wedding and how perfect the location was. It’s a great place, the Morton Arb. We couldn’t recommend it more.

The venue is perfect — it has so many beautiful areas of greenery & photo opportunities that kept us in one location (which were easily accessible and numbered!). We had our wedding in the West Lawn adjacent to the Sycamore room. The weather was in the upper 80s and we had no issues with the temperature inside. There are a variety of options within the Arboretum and the prices are affordable. That is why we chose the Arboretum! There is so much that the arboretum has to offer & one being a complimentary venue coordinator. THANK YOU RACHEL. Rachel, was not only an amazing coordinator but gave me different perspectives on ideas I had and also allowed me to work things out the way I had it imagined. She seriously is so flexible & responsive via emails and phone and super sweet! She is excellent at her job! Thank you for letting me change my floor plan 10+ times until I was happy with it and letting us view the facilities as needed. I would highly recommend Rachel Martenson if you are looking into having your wedding at the arboretum. My guests really enjoyed and raved about the food (Thank you Elana + catering staff) that was catered from the Arboretum. The food selection process was easy and we worked with an outside bakery for our wedding cake. Both venue and catering coordinators were present on the day of which was a plus in our book! It was a wonderful experience for both of us & our guests who were able to enjoy it as much as we did.

a tough year for everyone, but SO appreciated them working with us. We ended up getting married at the white pine pavilion and it was so perfect. Rachel was so detail oriented and was never too busy to answer our questions. The set up on the day of was perfect- it brought me to tears. The service was perfect- the wait staff was so polite and we even had a specific waiter for my husband and me. The food was great and all our guests kept telling us how great the food was. In the beginning, we did have a little trouble working out some of the details with catering that we wanted on our wedding day that were outside the norm, we ultimately worked it out, but it wasn’t without a little bit of negotiating. My only small piece of feedback is to continue to allow couples to do unique additions to their day- that’s what it’s all about right? Who wants to have a wedding that’s the same as everyone else. Otherwise, it was the perfect day thanks to the arboretum.

process with ease- always communicative, available, and reassuring even with 2 reschedules due to Covid. Elana in catering helped us create the perfect menu for our guests. Everything from the appetizers, to the dinner, and late night snacks were delicious! Guests have still not stopped talking about how fabulous the food was. Rachel and Elana always had suggestions, options, and helpful tips to make the day absolutely perfect! I couldn't imagine a better experience than the one we had. It was honestly, THE BEST DAY EVER! I cannot thank The Arboretum enough for all their hard work and dedication in making this happen. You can tell this is a team that puts their heart into what they do and it shows!

office on vacation, so you know she cares about her couples! Caryn with catering was also great at answering questions I had about anything at all, and thanks to her suggestions our linens were magnificent. Everyone was so flexible about changing our date due to COVID, and made the situation so much easier to handle. The scenery and venue were beautiful, and our guests also loved being able to explore before the wedding. We basically had the wedding of our dreams!

ved having the day to explore the grounds before the ceremony. Plus, the food was incredible! If I could give it higher than five stars, I would. Shout out to Rachel for all of her help coordinating, and then rescheduling, our big day with the pandemic. We are so grateful for all of your help and assistance!

and the reception in the Arbor Room. We are so thankful to Rachel, our coordinator, for all of her hard work. I was definitely a bit stressed having to trust someone else to set up the decorations for us (we had to drop everything off a few days prior) but it turned out even better than I could have imagined. We enjoyed working with Ginkgo catering and got lots of compliments on the food. It was great to have the choice of a combo plate so our guests could try more than one entree! The wait staff took very good care of us and all of our guests. Overall, we had an amazing wedding and I would recommend the Arboretum to anyone! My experience was better than I could have imagined!

nd was perfect for our 90-guest ceremony. It's so beautiful as-is that you really don't need decor. We used the outdoor terrace for dancing and mingling. Given Covid, we appreciated all of the indoor and outdoor options available to us at Thornhill. I should add that the catering staff were amazing too -- they handled all of the logistics on the day of the wedding. The food was fantastic - we got many complements! Rachel was the best venue coordinator ever!! We had so many questions pop up during the planning process and she was extremely prompt and responsive. We asked to tour the venue several times and she always available to meet us if needed. On the wedding day, she made sure everyone was where they needed to be -- I felt like we didn't even need a day-of coordinator. Highly recommend Rachel!!

that was needed, we had it in an instant. The facilities are gorgeous and well kept. Through the planning process everyone was over communicative and ensured all tasks were completed in a timely matter. I can't express the gratitude I have for the staff to make the day go off without a hitch. Can't wait to collaborate with The Morton Arboretum again.

in consistent communication with us about changes, answered all our questions, and always responded with professionalism and empathy. While our wedding planning experience was far from what we expected, we are so happy that we chose vendors that cared for us during the unprecedented pandemic. We highly recommend the Morton Arboretum for anyone looking to have both beautiful indoor and outdoor wedding aesthetics.

trees behind us! The ceremony rolled right into the cocktail hour in Orientation hall, which is huge and plenty comfortable for a large wedding. Lastly our reception was in the Ginkgo room... WOW! Jaw dropping how amazing this night was for us. Rachel with the Facility Rental Team and Jill with Gingko Catering were both great to work with. They knew their stuff, they were accommodating with our requests and they help run a smooth day and night! They were awesome. Thank you again Rachel and Jill!

mile to set up a backup option for us that really wasn’t included in our original package. She will make you feel calm & prepared, while you get married in the most breathtaking venue. Highly recommend!!

sailing. Both ladies communicated with me back and forth throughout the whole planning process. Both ladies really helped me with my decor and Caryn gave me even more ideas such as amazing napkin and table cloth suggests to fit with my whimsical fairytale theme. Caryn was also very helpful in helping us alter our timeline to make the most of our big day with the guidelines set in place, so that we could use the outdoor space while the weather cooperated. Jennie was so helpful, understanding, and supportive when it came to helping me navigate the changes that came to our wedding. She helped us best use our space and did a really great job of creating a wonderful seating design that allowed our guest to social distance, be comfortable, and still enjoy our wedding. She was very responsive every step of the way and always gave me great advice and solutions for all of the wedding questions I asked her. Thank you so much Morton Arboretum! Y’all are amazing! I couldn’t be happier with our decision to choose you for our venue 🙂.