The Standard

ry quick when replying to emails, and was always more than happy to answer ALL of my questions. Unfortunately, we were forced to cancel our wedding due to COVID-19. The Standard was going to gladly allow us to simply change our wedding date, but we had personal reasons why we chose not to (nothing to due with the venue). They gave us our full refund back and wished us well. My husband and I were able to get married at the Court House on our date, but would love to have The Standard host our reception/celebration if we choose to have one in the future.

g, but somehow the Standard staff and management managed to make our grave situation even worse. We had no choice but to cancel our wedding due to government gathering restrictions, so we requested a full refund of $5,000 back from the Standard, if we couldn’t use the money to celebrate our marriage with our loved ones then at least it could help us get our new life started. However, the Standard refused, claiming that they ‘are not in a position to issue a refund’, in other words they are greedy leeches trying to suck money from newlyweds. Thankfully my fiancée and I went back to the contract we signed with the Standard where it clearly states that the client is due a FULL REFUND in the case of cancellations due to orders by governmental authorities, so we called their management to bring this to their attention yet they still refused to refund us and now threatened to bring in their attorney to ward us off. It became obvious that they had no intention of refunding us, they wanted to scare us and hope that we retreated like scared puppies while they run off with our money. Thankfully they have a half decent attorney who told them that due to the contract they had no choice but to refund us. Weeks later we still never received a refund even though they claimed they mailed us a check. It never came. When we realized that they were yet again trying to swindle us we requested that they instead refund our credit card that we originally used to pay which is as simple as selecting ‘refund’ on the CC machine. Not so fast though… they now claimed they weren’t able to refund our credit card because they didn’t know how to do it since they have never had to process a refund for a client before, this was just one of the many excuses they gave to try and delay the refund even further. Finally, after further delays we had no choice but to inform them that our attorney would be contacting them if they continued to refuse to refund us, now they realized that they weren’t going to get away with stealing our 5K and they ‘magically’ figured out how to refund our credit card. We really wanted our experience here to be a good memorable one, unfortunately this is memorable in the worst way possible and was a terrible stress to deal with during what should have been a wonderful time as we prepared for our marriage. I would not recommend the Standard to anyone after this, they have shown their true colors as money hungry, self-preserving creatures and it is a real shame.

andeliers and exposed brickbrick. Johanna was amazing to work with. Sara was on maternity leave when we started the planning process with Johanna so most of our communication was through Johanna, but when Sara came back, she made sure to reach out to me and make sure we were all squared away. It definitely put me at ease knowing that their were two people working to make sure everything was in order. Johanna even made sure that during cocktail hour we were able to enjoy our hors d'oeuvre and brought us a plate of them. - MY HERO. We were concerned about food knowing we could only book with one caterer, Abreo. If you worry about this DONT. I have never had food at a wedding that tasted this good! My husband and I are still receiving compliments on how phenomenal the food was. Abreo knocked it out of the park! If you can book this venue, do it! You will not regret it!

ve, flexible and professional. The venue (on top of being gorgeous) was very clean, there are plenty of bathrooms on every level, and the elevator was fast and easy to access for our guests who didn't want to use the stairs to get from floor to floor. Also, the food catered through Abreo exceeded our expectations. The portions were extremely generous and everyone raved about the food. Cannot say enough great things about The Standard and their team!

Johnna and Sara were so amazing to work with, they answered all of my questions and were so amazing leading up to it. I would highly recommend the day of coordinator - Johnna was so amazing, she made me feel like a TRUE bride and helped me with all of my needs that day. She took care of EVERYTHING for me. I could not have been more ecstatic about those two amazing woman. Overall, I will always recommend this venue up and down. I was not let down once.

but when we toured the venue we feel in love. It is modern and unique - which was exactly what I was looking for. The staff was very responsive and helpful throughout the whole process. The building has a floral shop and hair salon connected. This worked great the day of getting ready and giving feedback to the florist. Abreo is the caterer associated with the venue and I had so many guests compliment the food. I know the venue is the biggest expense for most brides - The rental fee was very similar to places I quoted in the Chicago suburbs which surprised me but after experiencing their service it is worth it. They really have the prefect wedding day down to a science and I would recommend anyone looking for an all in one location for your wedding to check this place out!

l the venue was. Johnna and Sara were beyond helpful and made our day run so smoothly. We struggled with some rain on our wedding day, and Johnna was right there helping us flip the layout and prep for a potential indoor ceremony, all while keeping me (the bride) calm. We bought minimal decorations because the venue is so beautiful on its own. Another great thing about The Standard is working with Abreo and Chef Paul. The food was phenomenal and again, everyone was so helpful in making the day exactly as we wanted! It was truly a fairytale and I wish I could get married there again and again!!

ly speaks for itself. -Abreo's food was AMAZING. Our guests are still talking about how delicious everything was. The chicken was a huge hit, as well as the vanilla donut holes. -It was nice and convenient to get hair and makeup done at Arch, then hang out in Bridal Suite all day. -Haley Foster Photography was incredible and captured so many amazing pictures from our day. Some cons: -If you don't live near Rockford, just remember to plan for the amount of trips you'll have to make out to Rockford for meetings, etc. -Now for our biggest bit of negative feedback, which was related to our experience with the coordinator, Johnna. The Standard offers tiered packages that you can purchase in regards to working with Johnna and I paid for tier 2. She was generally helpful and polite for a majority of the planning process. However, after the wedding while reviewing what comes with the tier 2 package, I realized I did not receive a majority of what I had paid for. Literally there were things listed under the tier 2 package that Johnna did not assist with in any way. When I reached out to her to politely explain what happened and ask for a partial refund (refunding the difference from tier 1 to tier 2 pricing), she never responded. My wedding was over two months ago and she has still not responded to any of my emails, voicemails, or text messages! In my opinion this is just completely unacceptable. I wound up contacting the owner's wife who immediately replied and gave me the refund I had asked for. Still left quite a bad taste on our post wedding experience. My advice - hire an outside coordinator. Or if you purchase a tiered package, stick to tier 1.

. We chose correctly and had the best day of our entire lives. Sara and Johnna were so informative, easy going, and truly there to help. Example: my dad picked up the deserts/wedding cake the day of our wedding, and the bakery forgot to give him the cake. Whoops!! Not only did I have no idea about this, but Johnna was coming up with a solution immediately. She is AMAZING. The venue is beautiful, the food from Abreo was AMAZING, and all of the staff was the absolute best. We still have people coming up to us raving about our venue and our wedding. I’d do it again and again, but only at the Standard!!

p of the way. Johnna was a pro when it came to coordinating with all of the vendors and she made sure the wedding party was taken care of. We would definitely recommend having your event at the Standard!

ohnna. You will not be disappointed when you choose The Standard. Our day literally could not have been more perfect! I could go on for ever but instead I just want everyone to know just how special and amazing The Standard truly is! Ahhh!! Thank you to the entire Standard team!

very little detail is just beautiful. If we hadn't already booked our reception venue somewhere else, we would have booked that at The Standard as well. Johnna was a dream to work with leading up to and the day of the ceremony! Not only is there a beautiful space on the rooftop, there is a beautiful space inside as well which was such a relief to have as well. Such a beautiful wedding space. Would have our wedding here over and over again. Wonderful people!

eption, and the transition between the two events was seamless. Johnna and Sara were so helpful with the planning process, especially when it got down to crunch time. The planning website they use is very easy to navigate and all of our other vendors had access to it so they knew our seating chart, floor layout, timeline, etc. Johnna went above and beyond to make the rehearsal and the wedding an absolute breeze. My husband and I, along with our families, were able to fully enjoy the whole day because the staff at The Standard took care of everything. Abreo caters the events at The Standard, and you won’t be disappointed. Paul and his staff were great to work with, and they even made our dream of a homemade ice cream sundae bar come true! The menu was customizable, and they were able to accommodate dietary restrictions for the guests. Most importantly, the food was phenomenal! We feel so lucky that we were able to have our wedding at The Standard, and we would not hesitate to recommend the venue for weddings or other events.

rst place we looked at, my fiance insisted we give a few other places a chance, so I did. I looked into at least 7 other venues but ultimately, none of the compared. The style was perfect for me/what I wanted for my day. Modern, glamorous, and a bit industrial. And the fact that there's a rooftop adds a whole other level (pun intended) of beauty and uniqueness. I also loved that the ceremony and reception can be in the same place AND the bridal party can get ready at the venue with hair and make up just downstairs (if you choose to use Arch Apothecary's services). So convenient and eases the stress (and cost) of travel expenses (i.e. to salons or to and from hotel). The staff at The Standard were all so knowledgable and friendly, making it so easy to work with and plan your perfect day. I was originally in contact with Sara then switched to Johnna due to some staffing changes. The Standard gave me ample notice of the change and ensured me Sara filled Johnna in on all my details and that she did! In typical type A, bride fashion I was nervous but the transition was seamless! Both Sara and Johnna are a joy to work with! I recommend opting in for the day-off coordinator option because Johnna made sure all the details I wanted went off without a hitch! Praises to her because for a guest count of over 240 people, there's a lot to organize. The Standard has a partnership with Abreo for all catering needs. At first you might be a little bummed that you don't have more of a variety to choose from but trust me, you WILL NOT regret it. Paul and his staff at Abreo were great communicators and really worked with my fiance and I to check all possible options to ensure our apps, drinks, and dinner menu were everything we wanted but yet as affordable as possible. Even if you don't live in Rockford, be sure to attend your tasting!! It was one of my favorite parts of the wedding process! Paul explained each dish to my fiance and I (as well as my in-laws) and made sure we did not walk away hungry. I had so many people compliment us on our wedding food which to me, is a big deal! My fiance and I are big foodies. One guest even said it was the best wedding food she's ever had and another said it was the best steak (beef tenderloin) she's ever had, period. I'm drooling just thinking about it. Overall, I would definitely recommend The Standard to a future bride and groom. They also do other events which I'm sure would be a blast as well!

or. Every detail was exactly as we envisioned, our friends and family had the time of their lives, and we had the best night ever. The venue was pristine from the Man Cave in the basement, to the gorgeous Bridal Suite and the Rooftop and Atrium. Sara's relationships with many of our vendors, attention to detail, and calm nature helped both of us to feel relaxed and able to take the time to take in the importance of the day. Thank you for helping us to get to know a new city, and so many wonderful people!