I wanted to celebrate an intimate 30th birthday with my dearest friends and family and LOFT 329…read moremade my dream celebration come true. First of all, Brenda and Carrie are very accommodating and responsive, they assisted us with all our needs and requests. The space is beautifully curated -- complete, neat, updated, well-equipped and not to forget , the minimalist vibes , was all I was looking for. I am so pleased with our overall experience and my guests loved every single detail of the venue. If you are looking for a venue that can be customized, reasonable price and intimate, I definitely recommend trying out this space. We all had a great time and I absolutely had a perfect 30th birthday party. Thank you so much LOFT 329 for allowing me to celebrate in your beautiful space.

I cannot recommend Loft 329 enough! It is a beautiful transformable space for any intimate event,…read moreshower, or studio session. My bridal shower was hosted just this past weekend in Studio B. It is an absolutely stunning space. Many of my guests walked in and could not stop remarking how great the place was. It is also conveniently located right next to the Highwood Metra, so my guests who came from Chicago without a car could easily come. The space is super flexible regarding vendors and decorating. Carrie, who was our main contact, was communicative and responsive! We found Loft 329 after needing to change the venue last minute from my original one. From day one of reaching out, Carrie was quick to respond, she managed to fit my mother in for a quick tour and booking was super easy. She even went out of her way to try to help us find a rental for some tables and chairs. Definitely do not pass this space up if you're looking for an affordable, flexible and gorgeous event space!

We had our wedding here and it was just stunning. Deborah and her team were amazing to work with…read more Helped us anytime we needed it while planning a wedding from out of state. Gorgeous day as well - everything turned out beautiful. And they recommended the best vendors.

We hosted a wedding reception at the Grove this month. A beautiful outdoor venue for a party--we…read morehad about 75 guests seated at tables in the pavilion, and made good use of the green space. Children had fun running amok in the field rather than having to sit in a banquet room. Guests who were sensitive to noise from the DJ music were able to sit on benches outside the pavilion and enjoy the event. A couple relatives hadn't attended any wedding receptions in 20 years, but were able to come to this outdoor one. Also a great option for immunocompromised folks who can't safely go to indoor receptions. The coordination with the caterer, etc., was great, and everything ran smoothly. The parking was conveniently located, yet out of sight from the pavilion. Highly recommended!

My husband and I went to Studio One Events to attend a taping of the National Wrestling Alliance…read more There is only a small sign on the outside of the building to tell you what the business is. Fortunately, the building is very distinct and is easy to spot. Inside the building the lobby is nice and big with two entrances to main event room. The main event room is large and perfect for a wedding, reunion, party, or a wrestling match. The lighting had a blue hue to it and I had trouble hearing anything over the public address system. The bathrooms are nice is not a bit small for the capacity that could be there. Overall, I had a really nice time and would attend another event at Studio One Events.

I visited this newish event space for the first time this past weekend for a bat mitzvah. I know…read morefrom looking for venues for my own kids that it can be difficult to find event space in the North Shore, but I thought this was a good one. We had cocktail hour in the lobby area when you first walked in and the kids were downstairs for their cocktails and speeches. We then walked into a spacious room where the party (dancing, food stations, photo booth etc) took place. The coolest thing about this venue is that it has a ton of screens on the walls that you can use to display a logo, animations, live stream what's happening on the dance floor (good way for me to spy on my daughter this past weekend :)). It was also the best viewing of a photo montage I've seen thanks to all the screens. The catering this weekend was from Marchellos (for appetizers, adult buffet and kids plated meals) so I do believe you you have to bring in our own food. I'm not sure if you have to rent tables/chairs, which I know from planning events, can be pricey so that would be a good question to ask if considering. While they didn't have valet at the event we attended there is a large parking garage next to it for 300 cars. It was a great spot for the celebration we attended this weekend so definitely worth checking out if looking for something in the North Shore.

While there is no shortage of cool event spaces in the city, I can't say the same for the suburbs…read more So the idea and pictures of Palmhouse excited me for a future event. I checked this out for a future November '28 event and the space itself is absolutely gorgeous. It's pretty on it's own, but raw enough that there's a lot you can do with it. There's also an outside area that would be perfect for an outdoor cocktail hour or parking for up to 18 cars. Unfortunately, can't count on an outdoors space in November in Chicago and we would have more than 18 cars so I'd have to do a valet service. However, I had visions of doing food trucks in that area for the end of the night for a late night snack. I need a space that separates both kids and adults for cocktail hour. I didn't love that for this particular space and the size of my event (180+ people) I would have to have the adult cocktail reception in the main reception area because I love a good room reveal moment. However, for a smaller event you'd likely be able to curtain it off or it was for a wedding you would be able to section off an area for cocktail hour. My other complaint was the area. While it's in Evanston it's really on the border of Evanston and the city and not the most scenic area. It was also a good 30 min from my house in Glencoe and I was hoping for a bit closer and to avoid a bus for kids. Green Spoon is the caterer for this space. I've never tried their food, but the menu looked pretty good. However, they are open to using other caterers and take a 10% cut of the bill. I ultimately decided to host my event elsewhere, but I really did like the space and have recommended it to many others for events in the few weeks since checking it out.

Went to a witchy event here and OMG!! The energy in the atmosphere here was insane. We had the…read moreartichoke fritters with the lemon aioli so crispy on the outside but the perfect center mmm so good. Had the Flatbread with goat cheese and caramelized onions extra crispy it wss perfect. I wish we had an extra cup of the aioli for the pizza mmmm. We really wanted the truffle fries too but we were stuffed.

I learnt about the Winnetka Community House when we went to the North Shore Art League for the…read morefirst time to attend the opening reception of their new exhibit -- "Summer Open".  The art league is located on the second floor of the Winnetka Community House.  The Community House was completed in 1911, and it has been expanded several times since.  That's why it was interesting for us to enter a historic building that's over 100 years old, but discovered a modern extension where the art gallery is after climbing a flight of old-fashioned stairs. Apparently, the center hosts many performing arts programs that include dance, theater, music and more.  When we were viewing artwork of the exhibit, a friendly elderly actor of the center greeted us while taking a break on a comfy couch.  We could hear music rehearsal in the theatre when we passed by. They also have education programs, youth sports programs, a full-service fitness center, classes and lectures -- all kinds of activities that help enrich lives of residents of not just Winnetka, but of the broader North Shore. When I read their Yelp reviews, I learnt that the center is even a popular weddings and events venue!  It is truly a versatile community house! As a privately supported 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Community House is not funded through tax dollars.  It's good to know that donations are 100% tax deductible.

If you have high expectations for your wedding venue, this is not the place. I left feeling very…read moreunderwhelmed with both the space and the service. We had a tour scheduled with Sahra, but it was moved to a different time, which seemed like it may have been to accommodate another group. When we arrived, the front desk gentleman was very kind, but we ended up waiting about 20 minutes while Sahra continued speaking with the previous tour group. She clearly saw us waiting but didn't acknowledge us or apologized when she eventually came over. Once the tour finally started, it felt very rushed. The entire walkthrough lasted maybe 15-20 minutes, and there wasn't much opportunity to ask questions before she quickly moved on to the next area. At the end, I asked if she could send photos of the space set up for weddings so we could better visualize it decorated. Her response was, "I won't remember, just email me--I had three tours today." We were the third tour, which made the comment feel dismissive. What stood out even more was that the previous group had asked about placing a hold on the space and did not receive that same response. Overall, the experience felt unprofessional and unwelcoming. After touring around 20 venues, this was by far the most disappointing experience. As for the space itself, it felt very small and somewhat outdated. The bridal and groomsmen suites were essentially small conference rooms. In my opinion, the venue may be better suited for smaller events like a bridal or baby shower rather than a full wedding. Unfortunately, due to both the service and the space, I would not recommend spending your time touring here.

Amvets Post 66 is a clean, spacious facility with ample parking. It has a bar with reasonably…read morepriced beer and cocktails, a pool table, and smiling faces throughout the building. Oh ya...did I mention the very clean washrooms? They have raffles, food and clothes drives, and live bands on some weekends, Also, there's a really great open mic on Wed night from 6:30-9:30. Good musicians enjoying time playing music in a non judging room.

My husband & I got married here on Halloween this year. My sister and I did a lot of research and…read morecalling around before deciding on Schram. And we definitely made the right choice. It's the cheapest in cook county, and it's by far the most elegant! Stained glass windows on both sides of the building, it has so many options for decorating, but it also looks nice left as is-which is what we did. We brought a few large floral arrangements for the pillars they have there & everything came together nicely. The chapel also supplies an outlet for music, so you can use your phone or iPod for music. They also have a piano that is available if you have someone to play it! Alison was wonderful to work with, any questions I had she was super quick to get an email back to me. She provided us with a layout of the chapel, and all the dimensions of the pillars to give to our florist. She has awesome recommendations & is super personable! Our ceremony was everything we could have imagined! Definitely recommend Schram!

Choosing this chapel for our wedding was the best decision. It was affordable and everyone from…read morebeginning to end was very helpful. Katrina helped answer all our questions and was very professional after she left Alison was just as good. We made some last minute changes and Alison was quick in answering them and helping us out. Our wedding day caretaker Priyani was WONDERFUL, she helped me so much with a lot of great suggestions. Thank you all!

Get out and Dance!…read more Wanted to take a moment to review our daughter's dance studio - Movement and Sound Dance. She has been enrolled in multiple classes here for the past four years or so (namely tap and jazz). She is excited to go and has made many new friends here. The staff has a ton of experience and work great with the kids. The studio has many different classes for young toddler/pre-k kids all the way up through high school. Lots of enrollment in competition events. Our daughter's class actually just got a Platinum award over the weekend. A few years ago, the owners relocated the studio to the Busch Parkway address. So, the facility is new and updated. Over the past couple years with Covid, they have incorporated many safety protocols as well. They do a good job promoting positivity among the kids and above all having fun! You can't go wrong here, if you have a kid interested in dancing, check it out.