We could not be happier with our choice of Loft on Lake for our wedding/reception venue. The space is both beautiful (especially the skylight!) and accessible, the location is convenient, and Jill was incredibly helpful and a pleasure to work with. We highly recommend using Jill's day-of coordination services if you have an event at Loft on Lake because she made the experience extremely smooth and had worked with several of the vendors before. read more

Loft On Lake - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Dear Jill, Thank you so much for allowing Kita to host her Big Five oh!! At Loft on Lake! Your customer service was absolutely unmatched--you were incredibly accommodating and thoughtful every step of the way. The venue was stunning, and we truly appreciated your helpfulness and suggestions throughout the planning process. You made both Kita and me feel so welcome. We especially loved the open-concept space, which gave us the freedom to transform it and get creative in ways that made the celebration truly special. Words can't fully express our gratitude! It was a 10 out of 10 experience, and we will absolutely recommend Loft on Lake to others and continue to spread the word. With love and appreciation, Que & Kita read more

See all

Jill is such a doll! Came here for a site tour and she was incredibly helpful and the space was beautiful! Ceilings had skylights and would be perfect for photos! read more

Loft On Lake - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Went here for the Taiwan now boarding event. It's a one room event space that is perfect for meetings, cocktail parties, events and especially weddings. The space can accommodate anywhere from 50 to 200 easily. It has an intimate feel to it, cozy and warm as well. There are no windows, but the giant skylight makes it so bright, you don't even notice. It cam be transformed into anything you would like, and staff is very helpful. There are these really cool antique cameras in front, but, sadly no one could tell us anything about then. Had fun at the event and would seriously consider using them for an event or wedding in the future. read more

See all

We had absolutely the best wedding experience we could have hoped for at Loft on Lake. Jill is such a gem of a human being. She is calming yet enthusiastic, supportive and attentive. She gave great suggestions and also was very open to our non-traditional evening flow and helped to make sure it was exactly what we wanted. The space is gorgeous even on a rainy day with the natural light pouring in. Great vendor selections and overall a stunning venue. Thank you so much Jill and friends at Loft on Lake for a memorable 10/13/23 read more

We loved picking loft on lake for our sept 2020 wedding. Jill was so patient and flexible with us as we ended up rescheduling twice. Unfortunately, there was a charge for keeping a Saturday date so we opted for Friday so we could reschedule for free but they threw in a free photobooth given the change. While we were quite nervous about having the reception during COVID, Jill was extremely organized and accommodating of all of the precautions we put into place and we ended up having a beautiful reception that looked just as we imagined it. read more

We're really looking for a light, airy feel for our wedding reception, and Loft on Lake just did not deliver that. Their ceiling has a small, frosted window that allows you to know it's daytime without letting in any natural light. I wasn't a fan at all. The space is one large room, so if you're planning to have ceremony and reception here and need a room swap, it makes it VERY difficult to cram 150 guests into the front area of the loft space. I could see a couple of very unhappy grandparents getting trampled on our special day. They do have parking availability next door, and are also conveniently placed next to McDonald's with yucky smells wafting over. LOL definitely wasn't what we were looking for, but perhaps if you're looking for a nighttime wedding with lots of stringed lights this would be right up your alley! Jessie was great with communication, and seems enthusiastic and kind, so I imagine she would help easy the bride's stress. read more

We booked Loft on Lake for a corporate event, and it was a great experience! Jill was so helpful and answered all of our questions prior to the event and was onsite on the day to make sure everything went well. It was a beautiful space, and our group couldn't say enough good things about it. I definitely recommend Loft on Lake! read more

I cannot recommend Loft on Lake highly enough. The space is just beautiful! We knew we wanted to have our wedding there as soon as we walked into the event space. The decorations are simple and lovely and recreate a wonderful warm and inviting environment. So many of our guests commented on how beautiful the space was. We didn't use any additional decorations as the exposed brick and curtained walls provided all the ambiance needed. Jill was also so wonderful to work with. She was responsive to all forms of communication and quick to answer any questions. Other vendors also commented on how much they enjoy working with her. Such a great experience and also at a great price! Thanks for everything! read more

My cousin is getting married, and I'm helping her out by checking out venues. This place was first on her list, and when I walked up to the building, I had high hopes. Near the Green Line L, I thought "Urbanity!". Right across from the Bottom Lounge, good choice for an after party. However, once I went in, it lost specialness. For one thing, there are no windows. Some people may not mind this, but I'm not a fan. The room itself looks like it cleans up well, but this is the work of the planners and stylists. I was not much of a fan that there was a kitchen behind a curtain which would be potentially in use during the ceremony. The guy who showed me the space was great. Just wonderful, very helpful, friendly and accommodating. I could see that this would be a great space for someone who wasn't bugged by the lack of windows - there is a giant skylight - but it wasn't to my liking. read more

Best venue in Chicago! Pros: * Easy to work with! Wedding planning can be a stressful time and these guys make it easy on you. They were super responsive, flexible, honest, professional, helpful, and very nice. * Beautiful space! We still get compliments on how gorgeous our wedding turned out. The space is a loft with a huge beautiful skylight and big wood beams. There is brick and exposed duck work. You can truly transform the space into your vision. Our look was glamorous and elegant. * True Chicago Feel. We loved the location and took fantastic pictures in front of the venue under the tracks that are very "Chicago." * Roomy Feel - we had a wedding of 150 people and the space still felt roomy and spacious. We had both our ceremony and reception at the Loft. Cons: * None! We would not have changed a thing. read more

See all

Loft on lake was an amazing vendor for our nonprofit organization's silent auction! Jill was great. She is so attentive & catered to any & all needs. I would recommend this space to anyone whether you are looking for a wedding venue, birthday party, fundraiser, etc. Exceeded all our expectations!!! read more

I went to a Fashion Show here a few months ago for a fall collection fashion show. The place was exquisite and I was really impressed with the parking. It is the perfect place to throw a nice big or small shing dig. The place is very cozy with just the right amount of space. There is also a little kitchen area, if hor douvres prep is needed. read more

My husband and I were married at Loft on Lake a couple of weeks ago and we could not be more thrilled with how everything came together. The owners, Steve and Cher, and Jill,​ could not be more accommodating. They allowed us to come in for multiple meetings, work with a variety of vendors on their approved vendor list, and because they did not have anything happening the day before, the vendor teams were able to load in a day early! We worked together to create a layout and floor plan that has not been done at the venue and their support and guidance​ helped make it come to life. It all came together like a fairytale​ - simply magical. We could not be more thrilled with choosing Loft on Lake and delighted how wonderful it all came together! read more

Loft on Lake was a beautiful space for our post-wedding celebration. We had about 175 guests for a cocktail reception. Everyone fit well, but there are not enough restrooms for that many guests. (Which was very annoying since we were told multiple times throughout the planning process that another bathroom would be built by the time of our event.) The main reason for 2 stars was the terrible experience we had working with the staff at Loft on Lake. Each attempt to contact them throughout our planning took multiple attempts, they did not attend our final walk through with the caterer, and no one from the venue attended our event. This made for working with Loft on Lake a very difficult process, and was the only vendor that left me wishing I had hired a wedding planner so I wouldn't have to deal with them. Worst, was not having a representative onsite during our event. The caterers and I had to figure out logistical items that should have been answered by LOL. Also, annoyingly, they had their own photographer attend our event to take photos. He never introduced himself and confused us and our guests when asking to take pictures. In re-reading our contract, I saw that this was mentioned, but it would have been much more professional had he introduced himself. read more

We had our wedding ceremony and reception at Loft on Lake earlier this summer, and we are very happy we chose this as our venue! The loft style was exactly what we were looking for - it's not too formal, but it can be dressed up very nicely. The skylight provided great natural lighting for our ceremony, and the uplights, globe lights and overhead lights ensured it was plenty bright during dinner. We had just over 100 guests, and the venue seemed to be the perfect size. We had 12 tables (that had the capacity to seat up to 10 people at each) and still had room for a DJ and a small dancing area. The front area of the venue was used for the cocktail hour, and it remained open throughout the night. This was nice for guests who wanted a quieter area to chat. There were plenty of restrooms for our guests - a Men's and Women's restroom at the front of the venue (each had two stalls), and two larger handicapped accessible restrooms in the rear (which was great for our grandparents). Cher and Jessie answered my many questions during the planning process, and were always happy to recommend vendors and give suggestions as needed. Great venue, we were very happy with it! read more

Loft On Lake - Beautiful venue! - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

The space is beautiful. The wood beam ceilings and exposed brick walls are so pretty when lit up at night. At the end of the day I loved our wedding there. HOWEVER, working with the owners and staff was by far the WORST part of any of my wedding planning. They were not good at responding to emails or voicemails. They also made several promises on venue upgrades that we had to continuously harp on them to complete. The most unprofessional thing they did was confirm my rehearsal for the evening before my wedding, then book another event for the same time, and fail notify me. Luckily, I thought to reconfirm 3 weeks out when I was there for my final walk through. Apparently they have a "policy" about not actually confirming rehearsals. Well that would have been nice to know before my invitations went out. Maybe they should add that language to their contracts since they are too incompetent to mention it. Cher was extremely unpleasant to deal with. After learning they made a mistake she was not accommodating at all. In fact she was defensive and insinuated that I shouldn't have sent out my invitations. (Whaaat??? What kind of business can't keep their calendar straight?) Other comments - we ended up with 145 guests and the tables were cramped, the dance floor on the small side and the bathroom line 6-7 deep the whole night. I would not go over 120 guests for a comfortable sit down dinner with a dance floor. Cabs are tough for the area but I really do like this part of the West Loop. The El was a non-issue. Weddings are stressful enough, so in my opinion, this venue is not worth putting up with the people that work there so I would strongly recommend looking at the other similar venues in the area. I hear there are a couple more opening soon nearby. read more

This review is entirely about their customer service & communication skills - NOT about the space itself. Why not about the space? Well, because we never saw it. From the pictures, the space looks beautiful, but our initial email exchange with Joel (apparently the owner's son, which explains a lot), left much to be desired. I do hope the owner will read this review, and make a plan for how to handle such situations in the future. A few weeks ago, we reached out to schedule a tour (for our wedding reception). Joel responded with a nice, professional email, and offered several times on a certain day for a tour. We responded via email within a couple hours and selected one of the times. Joel responded a few hours later saying basically "sorry, that time is taken, how about X time?" We responded right away and accepted the newly offered time, without thinking too much of it...until he responded the next day saying "X time is no longer available. How about Y time?" This exact same exchange repeated again, and again. (Keep in mind, our emails were all within the same business day, just one to a few hours apart). At this point, I sent an email politely declining the offer to select a new time to tour that particular day, and I also at this point attempted to directly communicate to Joel that the confusing back & forth regarding scheduling a tour time was a bit concerning. We completely understand how in-demand the space must be, and how so many people must be emailing or calling to request a tour, and we asked if in the future he could let us know how quickly we would need to respond to his emails in order to successfully nail down a time to tour the space. Here's where he lost us. This is the first line of his email response: "Im very sorry for the inconvenience but that is the reality. Our email correspondence has been within 1.5 hours of each other and yes things change in 1.5 hours- even 10 minutes." He then went on to complain about how many emails he has sitting in his inbox and how hard his job in. Joel...that email is what lost our business. We would have been happy to tour the space if you had sent an email that was at least polite and acknowledged our concerns. read more

My fiance and I recently looked into Loft on Lake because the original space for our wedding fell through. This space is very unique and in a pretty decent location. Cher was super nice and knowledgeable. Meeting with her was encouraging after our previous experience with the space we had originally booked. We decided to go with another venue for our wedding, but only because my lovely fiance has so so many people in his family, and we would not be able to cut down the guest list enough to be comfortable in this fantastic space. Pros: Sunlight! Helpful and nice owners Location Exposed Brick Cons: Train (sound may only affect a ceremony, especially if during rush hour) Street Parking could be difficult Overall, I would recommend it as long as your party is less than 150! read more

Cher and Steve are the owners of Loft on Lake and amazing to work with...they really care and go out of their way to be helpful with their guidance. The attention to details they give in all aspects of each event is what sets them apart. I'm in the event industry and really enjoy working at their venue...the ceiling skylight is quite beautiful and just adds that perfect touch to that urban natural look....thus creating the perfect setting for any event! read more

My husband and I just recently had our wedding here. It was beautiful! We had around 173 guests and everyone fit comfortably, with enough space for a dance floor. The team is super laid back and very accommodating. I definitely would recommend this space for any event. They also give you the option of choosing your own caterer which is nice, many places don't. We chose a caterer they referred to us and everything turned out wonderful. They truly give you the freedom to create your dream event. Natalie was the go to girl and she was always available and very sweet. Steve and Cher Garrett are the owners. I didn't get a chance to meet Cher but I met Steve and he was really nice. Although I absolutely love the space and recommend it to anyone, there are a few cons. cons: -The El is a bit loud for guests who go outside to smoke -There's not parking lot for your guests. (sidenote: You can rent out a few spaces in the back) Hope this helps! read more

Went to a friend's wedding and the place was really nice. Very warm feeling space with exposed brick walls and timber loft ceiling that had a glass section going across the whole room. The service was perfect....when food was served, it was served by a group of servers so everyone received their plates at the same time. The space was a decent size, but definitely more suited for an intimate event. Weddings of over 200 people may be a little tight. The food was catered by Phil Stephani, but I don't know that's their dedicated caterer or if you can choose another.....their food was amazing though...beef short rib was melting in my mouth. read more

Loft On Lake - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Steve and Cher are fantastic to work with. We did our wedding at Loft on Lake and from the first meeting, we really enjoyed these guys. First, the space itself is beautiful and exactly what we were looking for; it fit our event perfectly and we couldn't have been happier. We had about 125 people in attendance and that was about the max I'd recommend for the space, but for our wedding, it was perfect. Not only is the space great, but Steve and Cher were a delight; Steve did our photography and was a lot of fun to work with, and Cher was friendly and accommodating from the start. I would absolutely recommend doing an event at Loft on Lake. read more

My partner and I had our wedding here on October 27th, 2012 and we couldn't have been happier. We loved working with Stephen, Cher and Natalie - and everyone else at LOL. The venue was exactly what we were looking for - exposed brick, loft-type setting, intimate, warm....perfect! Shephen, Cher and Natalie were great in responding to our questions and concerns and very accommodating when we wanted to stop by and have a look at the place (which we probably did about 3 times)! We had 40 guests at our ceremony and 160 guests at our sit-down reception. We ended up tearing down 3 dinner tables to make room for the dance floor but no one seemed to mind! Day-of went perfect and we didn't have to worry about a thing. Only note is that we ended up renting two port-a-jane's outside because we were worried about bathrooms. We made one inside bathroom Women-only and the other unisex. I am glad that we rented the two port-a-jane's because the line inside was never too long. I would recommend Loft on Lake to anyone for any type of event. The venue, the staff, everything was amazing! read more

My wife and I recently had our wedding ceremony and reception at Loft on Lake. We couldn't have picked a better location! Vitaliy, Cher, and the entire team were AMAZING to work with - incredibly understanding, down-to-earth, yet professional, always available to answer any questions we had, and all around easy to work with. The space was beyond perfect! The aesthetic of the room - exposed brick walls, barrel-vaulted skylight, timber beams - perfectly enhanced our vision for the ceremony and the dramatic transformation for the reception. We will enthusiastically recommend Loft on Lake to anyone wanting a modern, chic city wedding! We're so happy to have found this venue that's on its way to the top. read more

This venue is not only beautiful and intimate, but Jill (Venue Manager) was incredible to work with. COVID-19 brought enough stress to wedding planning - nothing was stressful working with Jill and Loft on Lake. We loved the rustic vibe of the loft yet it was so easy to enhance the elegance of the space. Thank you for making our wedding day special and memorable!! read more

We were married on August 18th 2012 and used Loft on Lake as our venue. The space is great nearly on it's own. The skylight has blue lights in it, there are several wall lights, the wood beams have white christmas lights wrapped around them, the walls are brick and the floor is a dark brown. We simply added to the already awesome lighting by having candles on the reception tables which kept the space urban and elegant. We worked mostly with Natalie. She was a doll. She showed us the space, sat through our list of questions, kept up with us on our wedding progress, let us into the space to try out our picture slide show on their TV to be sure it worked, and I'm sure more things that i just can't think of now. We also met several other people that worked at Loft and they were all very easy to work with. One of the only down sides to this space ended up being an upside for us...the venue is in a less ventured area in the west loop so we decided (without question) that we needed to provide a shuttle for people to get into the downtown area at the end of the night. The plus side was that the same weekend of our wedding was the Air and Water show and we were able to avoid all of the city traffic from such an event as that. Also, it was a lot of fun getting some beers at the Bottom Lounge when the reception was over. read more

We had our end of year party for our school at loft on lake in June. The venue was beautiful, big enough for our whole staff but still cozy and intimate for us all to mingle and enjoy the evening. The staff was so amazing. When our program went long as we sent our retiring teachers off with recorded messages from our students, they allowed us to stay late and we so gracious. It was such a special night and would not have been as great if not for this incredible venue. Thank you thank you! read more

We recently hosted our annual AIGA awards ceremony at Loft on Lake and it couldn't have gone any better. There was plenty of space for people to comfortably move about but the space helped the whole evening feel intimate. The sun started to set right after the event, so the entire ambiance was stunning between golden hour pouring through the skylight and Loft on Lake's string lighting. Outside of being a beautiful event space, Jessie & Cher were invaluable resources to help plan our event and were quick to respond to every question and request we had leading up. Everything fell together and made what could've been a stressful day feel positively simple. read more

I just wanted to write about my wonderful experience with this place. First off it is absolutely beautiful! The exposed brick and wooden beams are just what I was looking for in a space. Another wonderful thing about Loft on Lake is they have great lighting! The up-lighting along the whole circumference of the loft gave great romantic lighting all night. The staff was great too! I worked with Natalie most of the time and she was an absolute joy! So sweet and always quick to respond to my emails! When I first looked at the space i was concerned about the train that seemed to be so loud right outside of the space. However, I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't even notice it all night! I suggest this space all the time and would definitely book with them again! read more

I was hired to shoot video for a wedding @Loft on Lake, and this is just a beautiful venue. The lighting, decor and feel is exactly what you would want from a wedding venue in the city. But that should not over-shadow it's most important quality, and that is the dedication of the owners and staff. The day after my shoot, I realized I was missing the memory card containing 70% of all the footage I took that day. Within hours, I was on the phone with both owners, who were going to unlock their doors on their day-off and help me find the card. Thankfully a staff member found it, and I was able to arrange a meeting with the owners and retrieve it the following week. They care about their clients, and they care about this space and how it can serve your event. For a video preview of what the venue looks like for a wedding, check out this video: https://vimeo.com/149848557 read more

Could not have imagined a better venue for our wedding. The space is absolutely perfect for both a ceremony and a reception. There is so much potential and flexibility to allow you to really create your ideal celebration. The staff is also very helpful in providing advice on how to best utilize every square inch of the floor space. Has to be one of the best venues in Chicago. read more

Loft on Lake was the perfect venue for our wedding this past November! From the second we walked in the doors for our first visit, I knew it was where we were going to get married. We had a smaller wedding, about 85 people, and it was a perfect size for our ceremony and reception. The exposed brick, tall ceilings, wooden beams, and skylight are even more beautiful in person. Jessie and Cher worked with us every step of the way and were so quick to answer all of our (many) questions throughout our wedding planning. We had so many guests comment on how beautiful and intimate the space was - if you are looking for the perfect loft space in Chicago, this is it!! read more

See all

I really should have written this review an incredibly long time ago (hosted a school prom at Loft on Lake in May 2019), but let me just say how AMAZING the staff here is! We were supposed to have our prom there again this year, but with the order in place we have had to postpone. Jill & Cher could not be more helpful throughout this entire process! Aside from how wonderful they are, the venue is immaculate and the perfect size for plenty of gatherings! I cannot say enough wonderful things about this place! read more

The place is beautiful. The owner is awful. The owner has zero concept of the service part of working in the service industry. She sent rude, completely unprofessional emails that left me (and family and fellow service industry friends) shaking my head in wonder. She REPEATEDLY emailed me inquiring about up-sells and IGNORED emails I sent her asking about other things. The company's event coordinator left- probably to get away from her- and that's a real shame because she was polite and easy to work with. But the space is nice, I'll give it that. Just make sure if you're there you get a phenom caterer to help you and don't expect much from LoL. read more

My wife and I were married here in May 2013. Our wedding had about 120 guests and we did both the ceremony and reception at the Loft. We live in Oak Park and were looking for a place that was elegant yet urban. There's alot of places like that in Chicago and we looked at many of them. We felt that after we met Steve and Natalie, the Loft was an easy choice for us. We planned our wedding ourselves and Loft was really easy to work with. They had great contacts with lots of vendors and helped us steer towards ones they thought would really 'fit' our needs. Amidst all the chaos of getting married, they we're always just... there and really relaxed which helped alot. They have alot of choices for vendors and in turn, you mention 'Loft' and chances are, your vendor knows them. The space looks fantastic during a wedding, the location was really easy for everybody to get to and really impressed our friends and family. read more

I attended the Pampered Brides event here this past weekend. Of the loft spaces I've seen in the West Loop, this has to be the smallest. The Loft opens up to a large skylight in the middle of the room where most of the vendors were situated. Black, boxy couches lined the walls and there are two small kitchen setups in the back. The bathroom is very luxe with its travertine tile and brushed brass fixtures. Overall, the space is just alright for a West Loop loft. The kitchen setups in the back being so prominent struck me as unusual. Usually, those details are more masked in event situations. It felt like such an uninspired event site. I'd say this space would be great for smaller parties like bridal or baby showers, but for the event that I attended, the space furthered the already disorganized event. read more

We had our wedding here in October. The venue itself is gorgeous. It is smaller than the pictures might suggest, but it was absolutely perfect for our group (just over 100 people) to have the ceremony and a seated dinner with a good sized dance floor. Because the space itself is so lovely we didn't have to worry about bringing in lots of decorations to make it look like something. You can hear the train go by, but only barely from inside and it adds to the urban vibe. Really gorgeous space. The missing two stars are a result of frustrated communications with their team. When we first signed on with the venue, we worked with Natalie, who was quick to respond and very helpful. She left, and the owner's son took over. No one told us about the change which, while not a necessary move, would surely have been a nice courtesy for the events that had been working with her. It was very, very, very hard to get a helpful answer out of Joel. It wasn't exactly that he was slow to respond, or mean in anyway, it was more the quality of his responses were just not helpful (Me: "Let us know if we need to pass on any information to our guests regarding how to find the parking spots and if they will be marked by any means." Him: "Sounds great! Yes I would inform your guests where the spots are since they won't be marked." Me: "Great. Please let me know what I should tell them. You mentioned they moved from when I last saw the spaces." Joel: "Sure thing! The spots are located along the chain link fence." Huh. After two more exchanges, and three days after I started that chain, I finally got a full answer that I could pass on to my guests.) So, that was just a bit frustrating in the lead up to the wedding, had to spend way too much energy trying to get information out of them. There were a few other exchanges like that, of course, a few silences in communication, a few other little bumps along the road. The venue itself is super great, and if I was doing it again, I'd still use this venue, but just fair warning. You're going to want vendors that know the venue so you don't have to rely on Loft on Lake for all your information. read more

I attended a party here on Saturday, and although the surrounding neighborhood was a little scary, the venue itself was clean, spacious, and beautiful. From the skylight that runs the length of the room, to the small kitchen space, this place had it all to make it a perfect party get together. There was room for a small dance area in front of the band, and also a little corner reserved for a small bar area.Although it's close to the Ashland green line stop, I would suggest driving and parking close to the front door, especially at night. read more

We had our wedding here recently and it turned out great. We worked directly with Joel and he was nice, calm and helpful. The space is clean and raw with a wood bow truss roof/ceiling that adds great character. There's a skylight that runs down the main space and it adds great diffused lighting and our photographers pointed out that it helps a lot with taking photos. We had 100 people attend our wedding and that's just the right size for this place to have a ceremony and reception with a nice sized dance floor. Unfortunately they had finished construction on their new bridal suite but they made it look nice and it should look pretty cool when it's done. Parking can get a little tricky in the area but no one really complained about it. Everyone had a great time and loft on lake provided the right backdrop for it. read more