The Woman's Club of Evanston

o smooth as they had plenty of options all of which were vetted and great! Everyone loved working at the venue and was familiar with it. Having the whole place to ourselves was so wonderful for our guests and they loved the beautiful details in both the Tea Room where we had our cocktail hour and the ballroom where we held our ceremony and reception. The building is so elegant that it required very little decoration beyond florals and spoke for itself. The ballroom had just been refinished and was beautiful for the event. We had 150 guests and tables and the dance floor fit comfortably without feeling too crowded or spread out. We are so happy to have spent our special night at the WCE!

chitecture and styling. The upstairs ballroom was perfectly suited for both our ceremony and reception dinner, where the downstairs parlor was used for an intimate cocktail hour during ballroom flip. Gretchen at the Woman's Club was a joy to work with from beginning to end. Gretchen communicated clearly and was kind enough to give us a virtual walk through of the venue while we were living abroad; after seeing the venue and speaking with Gretchen, booking the Woman's Club was an easy choice! The Woman's Club does have a list of approved catering vendors, but we were very happy with the caterer we chose from that list. If you're looking for a charming ambiance and a contact who is professional and easy to work with, look no further than the Woman's Club!

es as the pandemic continued throughout our planning process. Gretchen was conscientious and kind, and kept the safety of our guests, vendors and staff at the forefront during the entire process. We felt confident we were in capable hands throughout our time working with Gretchen. The venue itself was the perfect place to host our ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception, and we really liked that it was all in one building, with parking across the street, a hotel down the block, and nearby public transit, which made it easy on our guests. The historic building is beautiful, great for photos, and does not really require much decoration, while also being modernized to be very accessible for people with disabilities, all the technology we needed for a slideshow and DJ, and all-gender bathrooms for our guests. We also appreciated the affordability of the venue, and the opportunity to choose our vendors and personalize our event.

g, coordinating with all our vendors, and answering questions in a timely response. Plus, the venue is gorgeous and we have some wonderful photos. Highly recommend hiring a piano player to play their baby grand piano during cocktail hour.

was a wonderful partner as we navigated planning our wedding, balancing vendors, dealing with COVID and changing regulations. She was quick to respond, always so kind and gracious. The building is simply beautiful and it was very reasonably priced for the value (including the chairs, tables, dinnerware, etc.) The addition of the new up lights made the space look spectacular. Our guests loved the venue. We highly recommend the Woman's Club of Evanston for your wedding!

fect. The historic space is simply so elegant and well-maintained, you can't go wrong! We already thought it was the perfect space for our wedding when we toured it in June 2020, but some recent cosmetic updates made it even better by the time our big day rolled around on 1/15/22. It was so convenient to be able to have our ceremony in the ballroom, cocktail hour downstairs while the caterer and our coordinator flipped the space, and then the reception back upstairs in the ballroom. Not only did it save everyone travel time, no one had to venture back out into the January cold until the party was well and truly over! We also barely brought in any decor because the space was already so gorgeous on its own; a few glass-enclosed candles, some table runners, and wireless battery-operated uplights to set the mood for the dance floor later in the night was really the extent of it. The ceremony and the reception looked absolutely magical simply because the ballroom itself is so beautiful. Working with the Woman's Club and all their vendors was great. Gretchen was the venue coordinator, and she responded promptly to all our emails and stayed on top of all necessary communication, especially regarding any updated COVID regulations. Working within the Club's recommended caterers list was also very easy, and we highly recommend Catered by Design, who did a fantastic job. The on-site kitchen for catering was really great for making sure our food was delicious and didn't get cold before it could make it out to the tables! The Club's BYOB policy with no corkage fee also made it super easy for us to save a little by going through Binny's and getting a refund on the unopened bottles. On top of ALL of that, it was so great to know that our money was going toward such a wonderful, active philanthropic organization that makes a difference within the community. So not only did we find the Woman's Club 100x more beautiful and historic than any Hilton, we got to feel good about supporting a wonderful group! We really can't recommend this beautiful venue highly enough!!

arty size. They also have a large kitchen available for caterers and a large amount of equipment (tables of various sizes, chairs, dinnerware) available for use. Every staff member we interacted with was very helpful, responsive, and great to work with.

y recommend them for your event!

ors ready to go! We we’re able to swap out mostly anything to customize our special day. They all stepped in and took the reigns so that we could relax and truly be present in the moment. We will cherish these memories for a lifetime!

te spaces for our cocktail hour, ceremony and reception, with a stage for our band, which is what attracted us in the first place. I love the history and the architectural beauty of the Clubhouse, which provides a beautiful backdrop to your wedding photos. And when my wife and I understood that our rental fees enable The Woman’s Club of Evanston to focus on charitable giving in the community, we ended up being very proud to have selected this as our venue.

ge to our ceremony. We are so happy we chose the Woman's Club and so thankful for how they helped make wedding planning such a stress free process. Would highly recommend them.

from our parents!) It was the perfect size venue for our guest count of 170. There are adorable side rooms, which we used for photos and during the cocktail hour. The upstairs stage was perfect for our DJ. Everyone felt comfortable in the space, which was our main priority!

me to get a contract. She left, then we were a folder passed along and forgotten. Then we worked with Dana (who on site ended up spending most of her time by our security guard), she never introduced herself in person until the end of the wedding. Michelle was very accommodating, however, at times during our site visit did not hide her judgements on our wedding. She was the best part of the experience. Overall, loved the venue and do not regret getting married here. But, I wish the planning experience up to the event was easier with the staff.

ost saver. They made sure everything went smoothly and we didn't have to worry about anyting.

e in absolutely stunning and I would recommend this space to anyone who wants to get married at a venue with a vintage feel!

” Thus began our search for a place that could fit all of us, while still feeling comfortable and personal. We looked into the Chicago park district which has so many beautiful options, but for us it was too expensive considering what is (or isn’t) included while having to use their vendors. A friend suggested we check out the Woman’s Club, and I knew as soon as I looked at their website that I would love it. I called immediately to inquire about Memorial Day weekend where I was connected with Elizabeth Anderson, WCOE’s Event Coordinator. Elizabeth generously put a slightly extended hold on the day for us so that my parents, then fiancee and I could find a time we were all available to come in together an see the space. It is big, gorgeous and so reasonable considering everything that is available for use such as the entire space, tables, chairs…. Elizabeth was incredible to work with and super kind and helpful. All night our friends and family raved about the gorgeous space which was in walking distance to our hotel - the Hilton Orrington - which was another highlight to our weekend. It was great to be in a hotel so close to the WCOE and the beach. Another benefit to having a wedding at the WCOE is that the money we spent on the venue went directly to such an amazing organization and group of people. The women involved in WCOE do so much for their community and reading through the long list of volunteer work, grants and community outreach programs on their website is very inspiring. We could not have asked for a better venue, location or total experience for our wedding.

ail hour. It was the perfect amount of space for our 130-person wedding, including a dance floor with a live band. The rental rates are reasonable, especially considering that dining tables, chairs and dishes are included. They also have many other miscellaneous items you can borrow, such as easels, votive candles, a music stand, etc. They allow you to purchase your own alcohol for the event, which can save you a ton of money by allowing you to return any unopened bottles. For Jewish weddings, they do allow for kosher catering. Elizabeth, their event coordinator, was very friendly, professional and knowledgable. She answered our questions promptly and offered useful suggestions.

at the Woman's Club. She kept us informed, letting us know every few minutes what she'd heard from ComEd. She even ran out in the pouring rain to chase down the ComEd truck and tell them they had to restore our power first. I couldn't ask for anything more from a venue. Because of the storms, we didn't get to take pictures outside, but the gardens are beautiful. The inside is so beautiful that I didn't feel like we were missing out. It's such a unique space, you don't need any more decorations. The staff was great and answered any questions we had. We loved the space, and everyone went above and beyond to make sure we had a great experience.

tination wedding of only 75 guests. The location of WCE to Northwestern University's campus, restaurants, hotels, shops, public transportation (Metra/El train) is all in walking distance - no need to have a car if you are from out of town! Caitlin, the Event Coordinator with WCE, was a breeze to work with as well. She is so sweet and very organized :) Would highly recommend this venue for anyone looking to hold a wedding in beautiful Evanston, IL!

few times. We did have some complaints from guests that the wedding seating setup had lots of blind spots--something I would have hoped they could have warned us about as they recommended the setup. Also, make sure to have a sound guy--they have limited resources. Overall a great experience and a good price. they do require a hefty damage deposit but return it within a week of the event.

he event. Everyone on the staff was so helpful, kind and extremely easy to work with. The Club is also a relatively affordable spot for the pricey Chicago area—and you get to bring your own booze, which helps cut down on costs quite a bit.

he facilities manager of WCE, to go over details about unloading, parking, and set up for her reception. One of the details I did not appreciate was that we were not able to get into the venue until the day of the wedding, to be specific 3 hours prior to the reception. I found that very inconvenient that we could not access the site the evening prior to begin set up of various decorations. I understand though that this may just be their own policy, and was very willing to work with them. What I found the most disconcerting was Lisa's attitude. I found her to be abrasive, rude, and not pleasant to work with. When we got to the venue promptly 3 hours prior to the reception to begin set up, we briefly parked our car in the front. We were extremely early, there was no other vendor or car in site, and we were parked outside for a total of 25-30 min before I got an abrupt phone call from Lisa. This was the first time I had talked to her, and I assumed she was calling to make sure we had arrived there OK and to see if we needed any help. Well I was wrong. Without so much as a welcome, she demanded that we move our car immediately, stating we were blocking a fire lane, and in so many words, reprimanded me for not remembering that point in the email she had previously sent out. We rushed back to move the car, and as were trying to figure out where to park the car, Lisa (who I still had not personally met) stuck her head out of the door to again berate us about moving our car immediately! At this point I was shocked by the abrasiveness of this lady! This was not the only moment that was stressful. Every single conversation afterwards with her she continued to be curt and unpleasant to work with. She snarkily reminded me more than once that any questions I had were noted in the email she had previously sent out. Although I was there only as the bride's florist, she came up to me to inform me about various details, including clean up, disregarding the Bride's request that another lady was actually the point person for the evening. Overall, the venue itself was beautiful, and a wonderfully historic building to have a wedding reception at. The caterer was amazing (and my life saver that night)! I would just beware of the facilities manager when considering this place!