The Walden team was hands down the best team we could have ever worked with for our wedding! We could have never planned such an amazing event and weekend on our own. From the contracting process through planning to the wedding day, the planners and the extended Walden team (food, bar) were absolutely amazing to work with. The planners offered really amazing and insightful options and ideas for vendors and design/decor, and kept us on track with all the planning elements. They did not leave anything out! One of our favorite nights with the team was the tasting, where we brought out families to taste the food & drink options and see various linen, lighting and decor options. Not to mention, the space itself is beautiful! My bridesmaids and I got ready in the bridal suite which was perfect. We loved that the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception/dancing spaces were distinctly separate - no "flipping the room". 12/10 would recommend the Walden to anyone looking for a wedding venue! read more

From initial venue walk throughs to the day of the wedding, the Walden team curated the most amazing experience for us. Our amazing planner, Briscel, truly helped bring our vision to life and supported us with all the questions and decisions along the way. The planning team was with us from 7 am offsite at our getting ready location all the way to closing the dance floor at midnight. The kitchen and bar team executed flawlessly. The food was not average "wedding food" and all of our guests have been raving about it since. The bar was so accommodating to us and our guests as there was never a line for drinks. We truly had the best, most magical day and are so grateful to the Walden team. read more

The entire Walden team was great to work with from the site visit to the tasting to executing our fundraising event- everything was seamless. Thank you for making our fundraiser a great success! read more

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When we first toured Walden for two years ago, we had our heart set on having our wedding. The venue is absolutely gorgeous and comes with full event planning and kitchen services! SO MANY of our guests complimented the quality of the food and especially the drinks and bar service!! Special shoutout to Kalila, the lead planner and Briscel, the coordinator for making it the wedding of our dreams. We were planning most of our wedding remotely and it was all possible because of the amazing recommendations and support we received from Kalila and Briscel. As with any important event, we had big and small questions on every single detail of our wedding but they were super patient and supported us along the way until we were able to make decisions. They fully understood our vision and worked with us closely at every step to make it all happen. read more

There are not enough INCREDIBLE things I can say about Walden and the team. First I'll start by saying Walden is not just a venue. By having our wedding at Walden, we got to work with the Plum & Ivy wedding planning team and had our own wedding planners, and we had our catering and alcohol done by Real Kitchen as part of our package. These vendors all work together as part of the wedding package, and all of it was phenomenal!! Erika and Katie were our planners, and each of them were nothing short of fabulous. They are SO organized (which I am too, so I knew I was in the right hands with them), quick to respond, have incredible taste, are kind and fun, and they knew exactly when to lean on my decision making versus when to provide their opinions. All in all, they are both absolute perfection. The wedding planning team also uses the Basecamp project management app for all wedding planning tasks and messaging, so I always knew when action items were coming up and had a place to chat with the team for questions and updates. The food and drinks by Real Kitchen were all delicious! Nick has seasonal menus that we got to taste at the tasting party, which was the second best night ever (after our wedding of course). Every single item was truly delicious, so we had a ton of options to choose from. Our guests gave rave reviews about the food and drinks as well. The venue space at Walden is stunning, with an open, modern, and industrial feel. While it has this style, it's also a perfect blank canvas to make your event your own with florals and decor. Any wedding vibe and style will look great against the Walden backdrop. The big open reception and bar area creates a nice flow, so even if you step off the dance floor you feel like you're still part of the party. My bridesmaids and I got ready in the Walden bridal suite, which was the perfect space. There was plenty of room for all the girls, the hair and makeup team was grateful for all the counter space to lay out their supplies, and the high stool chairs with the big mirrors make it feel like you're getting ready at a salon. The rooftop space at Walden also made it easy to pop up for 15 mins of sunset photos with my new husband, which I can't wait to see! To sum up, book Walden immediately. You won't regret it! :) read more

Walden - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Wow!!! Two years ago, my husband and I began our journey searching for a venue. We knew we wanted a unique space with an amazing food and beverage program. After a ton of research to find the perfect venue, we stumbled on Walden and felt the connection with the venue immediately and knew that this was going to be the place we got married. The venue is a combination of rustic, and modern chic. It is an amazing space that you can make it your own. There is also an onsite scratch kitchen and bar that will cater all your requests and help prepare you an amazing wedding menu. Our planning experience with the Plum and Ivy Wedding team blew our expectations out of the water. From our initial call with Maria, to touring the venue, to the planning process with Briscel, and to the end of the wedding everything was beyond what we ever imagined. There are no words to describe how amazing it was to work with the planning team, especially Briscel, our lead planner. She is organized, creative, professional, funny, caring and always willing to lend an ear for advice. During the planning journey, Briscel was extremely accommodating and always responded to our requests and needs right away. Walden uses a platform called basecamp which took all the stress out of planning a wedding. Everything was detailed and organized with due dates for all the tasks that need to be completed. Briscel was amazing at communicating through basecamp and always helped guide us to complete things and provide advice where needed. Nick, the executive chef at Walden from Real Kitchen, was so talented. He was able to meet all our special food requests and diets. And not to mention the food was extremely tasty and very different from any other wedding food we had ever had. Lastly, Matt, the bar manager. Matt was fanatics when we tasked him to make our favorite drinks for the wedding. He nailed it when making the Grizzly Smash and Espresso Martinis Shots. He also did an amazing job at helping us select the wine, beer and cocktails that would pair well with our food. On to the day of the wedding, everything was PERFECT. Perfect doesn't even begin to describe the experience we had. From the moment we got to the venue to leaving at the end of the night, the team took care of everything. They did not miss a beat to make sure all the details were in place and everyone was having a good time, fed and had a cocktail in their hand. Overall, Walden was an amazing wedding venue and would highly 100% recommend it to others!!! read more

My husband and I got married here in November and it was the most amazing and beautiful day thanks to the entire Walden team. From our first meeting with Maria to tour the venue, we immediately knew we wanted to get married here. We loved everything about our experience, from the beautiful physical space, to the incredible food and beverage program (guests are still raving to us months later about how good the food and drinks were!) and of course the most amazing planning team! Krystle, Katie Rose and Ally made the entire planning process so seamless and fun, with their extensive vendor recommendation lists, to their endless design ideas, all with staying mindful of our overall budget concerns. Thanks to them we had the best vendor team and experience possible. We were truly so lucky to work with them - our wedding day was the best and we were just able to enjoy ourselves and not focus on any logistics thanks to Krystle, Sydney and Jessica, as well as the rest of the Walden service team the day of! I could go on and on raving about every aspect of the planning process, the tasting party, and of course our wedding day - just book it! read more

10,000% would recommend! The space, the planning, the catering and bar - all amazing and all included in one. The venue is gorgeous and perfectly designed for an all in one wedding day. With the bridal suite and separate spaces, the whole day moves along smoothly from one space to another. On top of the space, the planners and all the staff are wonderful and so easy to work with. As a bride not inclined to be excited about the planning aspect of getting married - I couldn't have asked for more from our planners! They kept us on track and handled the coordinating with the outside vendors both during planning process and on the wedding day (a HUGE help). We loved the bar/catering experience - starting with the tasting party with both our parents, which was such a wonderful event and way to taste the food and drink options. All the drinks and food were delicious (our guests raved about both!), and the team was flexible and accommodating of allergies and preference substitutions. read more

If I could give this more than 5 stars, I absolutely would! From our first visit to the venue when it was still a construction site in January 2020, to our wedding in August 2021, everything about the space and team exceeded our expectations. The venue itself is stunning - it's got a West Loop industrial feel but with a little added warmth and character. It checked all the boxes of what we were looking for in a wedding venue, and brought our vision of simple, yet sophisticated decor to life. Booking this venue gave us the added bonus of a STELLAR team running the show! I don't know how we would have pulled off our perfect day without the Plum and Ivy planning team who truly went above and beyond every step of the way. Major shoutout to Erika who helped us make our day possible! In terms of the food - it's not very often that a wedding meal feels like one of the best meals you'll ever have, but this is definitely the case at Walden. We received SO MANY compliments from our guests on how amazing the food was and how much they enjoyed their meals (and drinks)! The seasonal meal options felt different than your traditional "chicken, beef or veggie" choices, but still approachable enough to serve a large number of guests. We so appreciate all the thought and detail the team at Walden provided to make our event spectacular! read more

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Walden was an absolutely perfect venue for our wedding, we truly could not have asked for anything more. From the beautiful ceremony to the fantastic food and drinks at the reception to our superstar wedding planner Briscel, our vision and hopes for our wedding were far exceeded. We searched through many Chicago wedding venues, and one of the unique things about Walden that sold us on the venue is the wedding planning services they provide. Even though we decided on the venue a full 2 years ahead of our wedding, Briscel was assigned as our planner from the very start. She was such an amazing person to be able to talk to at every step of the process. She was always there to answer any question we had, no matter how crazy or random, and she really helped ease any worries we had at any point. She worked with each and every one of our other vendors, making sure all the little details were taken care of so that everything worked seamlessly together. I cannot overstate how wonderful and important the planning team at Walden was in making our wedding day so great. Beyond that, the entire venue is just gorgeous, and they absolutely know what they are doing when it comes to putting on a wedding. All of the food, from the apps to the salads to the main courses, was fantastic. We have gotten countless complements from our guests about the food being "the best wedding food they've ever had." The drinks were also so great, in particular our two signature cocktails which the bar team designed with our thoughts and inspiration incorporated. The rooftop pictures with the city skyline in the background were such a beautiful place to capture special moments with our photographer. There is so much more we loved about this venue, it is hard to write it all in one post. Overall, it was clear that every single aspect of the day was expertly planned and thought out by the entire team at Walden. We will look back on our wedding day with such great memories for years to come, and we would absolutely give our highest recommendation to the Walden for anyone and everyone who may be thinking about planning their wedding there. read more

Walden - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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THE BEST OF THE BEST - We just got married at the Walden on July 11th, and we have nothing, but amazing things to say about everything the Walden has to offer. Everything from the stunning venue, to the phenomenal food/drinks, and to the flawless execution from the team. It was everything we were hoping for and more! Our lead planner, Zaire, was perfection! She made sure everything was perfect for our big day and kept me calm throughout it all. She's the sweetest and most thoughtful person to work with! I'm so grateful to the Walden team for executing such an amazing day for us, and I look forward to seeing more people book their events at the Walden! read more

Walden - The Walden has stunning backdrops for photos! - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Walden was the PERFECT choice for our November 2024 wedding! From our initial tour and consultation to our final meeting, my (now) husband and I felt heard and supported. Our planner, Kalila, and our coordinator, Katie Rose, went above and beyond to ensure everything was thought of and taken care of from connecting us with vendors to helping us make some tough decisions. We truly could not have done it without them. The day or crew, the wait staff, and the bar staff were also exceptional. We received so many compliments from our guest about how amazing the night was, especially the food and drink. We could not recommend Walden enough for your special day! read more

The Walden is not only an amazing venue, but it's the people who work there that really made our entire experience shine. The level of care they provided from the beginning of the grueling venue search process to the final month leading up to the wedding, to the day of, is few and far between. Our wedding day was literal perfection. I got to work mainly with Briscel and Hannah throughout the process and two more planners on the day of. Briscel did the literal most to make my wedding day a picture perfect dream. Additionally, the catering and bar staff were next level. They worked with us to customize the menu and drinks exactly to our liking. Guests were freaking out about how good the food was, which was really important to us. Overall, 10/10 would recommend Walden, I wish I could give them more than 5 stars! read more

We have the best experience working with the entire Walden team for our September 2022 wedding. Planning Team: I have to start with Erika & Briscel, while I didn't initially plan to have full service wedding planning, it was a lovely bonus when booking with the Walden. On top of that, we got paired with two incredible planners and humans who made our day so perfectly special. They were both perceptive to our requests and helped to find absolutely incredible vendors who fit our style and budget . They helped me to earn the title of 'the most chill bride' throughout the wedding day because every detail was throughout, planned for and taken care of. They made my type-a, detail oriented heart so happy! Food/ Beverage Team: I LOVED the tasting party experience that came along with working with the Walden and team. It was so incredible to be able to taste fantastic seasonal dishes, cocktails, and wine and to be able to include our family in the process. Our top priority for our wedding was for guests to love the food and drinks offered and it was an absolute success, they are still talking about it. Matt & Nick are fantastic at what they do and we thoroughly enjoyed our day of feast. Venue: Last, but certainly not least, the venue itself was perfect. I fell in love from the second I stepped in. My husband and I commented how the venue had much of the same style as our home. There are so many touches to the space that allowed us to do very minimalistic things in terms of other decor. We loved the beautiful features of the space like the bright ceremony space, gorgeous bridal suite, dark and moody reception and cocktail bar, and high ceiling reception space with a stunning green wall. I would highly recommend working with the Walden team for your wedding day if you're looking for an elegant and modern city wedding! read more

Walden - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We had our ceremony and reception at Walden on 5/20/23. Everything was perfect; absolutely no complaints! Briscel and her team (wedding planner and day off coordinators) made sure everything went smoothly without any hiccups. If there were any issues, they took care of it without us even knowing. We received endless compliments on how delicious the food tasted (thank you Nick). Nick was able to accommodate every single guest that had specific allergy/dietary restrictions. Matt and his bar team made sure all our guests did not wait long for drinks and the selection of drinks was perfect! Also, I received compliments on how well the drinks tasted! The venue itself is a beautiful space. The Bridal suite is huge, even has a shower! There is an elevator to get up and down between the ceremony and reception area which made it easy for our grandma. The security team made sure everyone got to their cars safely. Overall, Walden is an amazing wedding venue especially because of the team of people that work there. Highly recommended!!! read more

What a venue!!!! Truly we can't recommend Walden enough for your wedding - this team thinks of absolutely everything and is there to help support you, celebrate you and ultimately ensure you (and your families!!) have zero stress on the wedding day. I couldn't imagine going through the planning process without this team's help. Ally, Briscel and Kalila are GEMS of humans and the ultimate hype team to have behind you on your wedding day. Communication was clear, the team was responsive, and the planning process was so smooth. If I could give 10 stars, I would! read more

I wish we could give this team 10 stars. That's how AMAZING they are. I'll start with the planning/execution teams. Krystle and Alyssa were our dynamic planning duo and boy were we LUCKY. The entire wedding planning process can be daunting, awful, long, all of the negative words. However, Walden's planning team makes it easy, exciting, palatable throughout the entire process. I genuinely don't know how I would've planned a wedding without them and their Basecamp! They ensure that no detail gets left behind and it makes a HUGE difference on the actual wedding day. To that point, they made sure that everything day-of wedding went off without a hitch. If there was a hiccup, I sure couldn't tell you!! I've received so many texts following our wedding that are giving rave reviews for the day and how seamless/smooth it was. That's all Walden planning and it's a special touch you definitely want your wedding day. Now onto food and drink! My husband and I are huge foodies and we love good cocktails. We frequently treat ourselves to nice drinks and dinner (think Longman & Eagle, Mi Tocaya, Rosemary.) Everything the Walden team delivered from the tasting event to the final walkthrough to the day of absolutely blew us out of the water. This is another area we've received numerous texts from guests lauding, people can't stop raving about the food and drink. Honestly, anything you pick/the team puts together will be delicious and perfect. We had a guest with celiac disease and the team made her a special entrée that she LOVED (no small feat!) It exceeds any wedding bar and food service I've ever experienced and I know our friends and family feel the same way. Overall, this team ensures you and your partner will have the best day of your life that's worry-free, memorable and ultimately, exactly how you envision it! I cannot recommend this venue and their teams enough. Walden team - thank you from the bottom of my heart. You all made our wedding day the best day of our lives. read more

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We knew the minute we walked into the Walden and met with Maria that it was where we wanted to get married! Maria & the planners were so helpful and accommodating from the beginning all the way until the last minute of our wedding. Not only is the space amazing, but the planning team exceeded all expectations! We could not have pulled it off without them! We signed our contract in August & quickly planned for a March wedding. They provide checklists, vendor lists, recommendations, vendor reach out & assistance, ideas, cost saving options etc., you name it they were there to help! Also - The food & drinks were raved about throughout the wedding night by guests, and were seamlessly served. Having a full kitchen onsite & a massive bar allows for hot food, cold drinks & quick service! Hannah was our planner and Katie was our coordinator and they were so helpful, attentive, responsive, outgoing... just GREAT overall. We had a wonderful wedding and experience at the Walden and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a wedding and/or event space in Chicago! read more

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I recently got married at Walden on 12/29/23. There are not enough words to express how incredible our wedding was and how it was the best night of our life. For starters, our planners Krystle and Briscel were incredible to work with. They helped us every step of the way and were organized and responsive. They brought our vision to life and we are beyond thankful for them. The space at Walden is stunning. From the bridal suite, to the ceremony space and reception area. The staff made the experience run smoothly and were so helpful. The Bar staff, servers, and security all were incredible to work with. All of our guests have been talking about how delicious the food was, how beautiful the space was, and how fun our wedding was. I could not suggest this stunning venue anymore! We are so thankful and grateful to have gotten married here and will remember the night forever! read more

Working with the Walden team was an absolute dream. Each person we interacted with (especially our planners Erika and Katie Rose!!) was so friendly and knowledgable, and made the daunting process of planning a wedding seem easy:) The tools and the support they provide are there from day one, and Everyone was so passionate, from the bar team, to the catering team, and of course the planning team-- having everything in-house was the best and made the day-of run so so smoothly. It's been a little over a week since our wedding and we haven't stopped receiving compliments on the food and the drinks. My partner and I are based in London and weren't able to attend the tasting event, so the big day was the first time we were trying everything. And WOW. We were not disappointed. We couldn't have asked for a better experience and would recommend Walden over and over again. read more

We just had our wedding here on 5.3.24. It was an incredible experience at Walden! We felt very overwhelmed looking at venues in Chicago, and once we got to Walden, we felt a sigh of relief. Maria made us feel so comfortable and confident in the Walden team. The space is so lovely. We loved the way the light came into the ceremony space, and how it was elevated industrial chic. Exactly the vibe we were going for! The bar is huge and such a fun focal point for cocktail hour and the reception. The reception space felt like a great blank canvas while also not being too blank where you need a ton of decor to fill it up. We felt pretty quickly that this was the place for us. Once we signed, we got set up with Krystle and Ally for our planning session and they were so fun and bubbly and made us feel so excited for the whole process!! They made us feel special and feel good about what needed to happen along the way. I was super nervous about the planning process and they truly made it easier. The basecamp platform to track every single step and item made everything feel transparent and clear on what's involved. Plus, they would nudge whenever I was being slow to respond or avoid making certain decisions :) Exactly what I needed to keep us on track!! We got so excited when we got to meet with them because they really made it all feel fun. Which again, was my biggest worry about planning a wedding. Alyssa came in the month prior to our day and became our lead planner, and she was amazing!! Very calm, cool, collected and made us feel like everything was under control. Which it was!! Day of ran so smoothly, and no one made me feel bad when I wanted to change things around or get their help with something. The food and bar staff were incredibly accommodating and professional, we got a ton of compliments from our guests on the whole experience. Can't say enough nice things about the people, venue and experience. My husband and I had such a wonderful and fun day. We couldn't be more grateful for Walden! read more

The space, food and drinks at Walden are all EXCEPTIONAL (truly), but what puts them truly ahead of the game are the amazing people who work there. The kindness, attention to detail, responsiveness and care that the team has for their couples is unmatched, and helped make our day truly unforgettable. Food - Nick is extremely responsive and accommodating, and the food that comes out of the Walden kitchen is NOT your typical wedding food! Everyone at our wedding RAVED about how delicious everything was. They also expertly navigated some tricky food allergies that our wedding party had, which gave us a lot of peace of mind. Bar - Matt!!! The best. Walden's bev program is outstanding, and they provided us so many options for our guests to choose from. Matt also sent me the recipe for one of our signature drinks during a particularly chaotic wedding planning day, which was very much appreciated and utilized. Planning - this is the kicker. If you are blessed enough to have Kalila as your planner, thank your lucky stars! She orchestrated every single moment of our day, kept everyone in line and was genuinely fun to hang out with during the process. She has perfected the balance of having calm energy while simultaneously getting 100 things done, and I could tell she felt true joy for us throughout the whole day. All this to say - BOOK YOUR WEDDING HERE. It will alleviate one zillion of the bs stresses that wedding planning brings, and you will feel so great knowing you have the very best team of people in your corner. (PLEASE invite me to your wedding though so I can eat the food again!!!) read more

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We had an incredible experience working with the Walden planning team for July 2022 wedding! VENUE: Walden is an absolutely gorgeous venue located just a few minutes from our home, which was incredibly convenient. It is also next door to our favorite brewery - Midwest Coast, where we hosted our after party. The upstairs space was the perfect intimate backdrop for our ceremony and the elegant, modern reception space held our 240 guests comfortably. FOOD/BEVERAGES: The food was INCREDIBLE! We went with the Miso Salmon and Brisket for our entrees, and our guests are still talking about the meal week later. The signature cocktails were amazing and the beer/wine list was the best I've seen offered a wedding. We had so much fun at the tasting trying everything. Matt and Nick are great at what they do. PLANNERS: We truly can't say enough positive things about the planning services at Walden. It is incredibly unique to find a full-service venue and planning team that actually goes the extra mile, and Walden absolutely does. Erika held our hand through the entire process and was responsible for recommending some of our favorite vendors that we would not have found otherwise (Band - Funktastic, Floral - Thistle and Plume, Video - Sauer Productions). She completely understood what we were looking for and steered us in the right direction. The day of team was also exceptional. They thought of so many sweet details, like sending us home with slices of the pies we served for dessert, that meant a lot to us. I would HIGHLY recommend working with Walden if you are looking for a modern, Chicago wedding. Wish we could do it all over again! read more

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TL;DR Book Walden for your wedding, you will be SO happy you did. It's hard to even know where to begin writing this review, but I do know our wedding day would NOT have been as amazing as it was without Walden and our planners, Alyssa and Krystle. I stumbled upon Walden in our venue search, saw that they had in-house planning services included in the rental fee (unheard of!) and knew we had to check this place out. Immediately after our walkthrough we knew we were going to get married there. The space is absolutely beautiful (exposed beams, brick) and set up to seamlessly accommodate weddings (there is a beautiful bridal getting-ready suite, the ceremony space is on the second floor so there's no need for a room flip, the bar is HUGE, etc.). Admittedly I was nervous at first about their in-house catering and drink program because food and drink were SO important to us (I had heard stories from other couples who were required to use a caterer their venue selected and the food was meh), but the food ended up being one of the best parts of the evening. We got so much feedback from guests about how amazing the food and drinks were, it was not typical "wedding food", etc. One family friend even pulled me aside during the reception specifically to tell me the food was "above average". I was also SO impressed with the way Walden handles dietary restrictions, it's truly run like a restaurant. We have multiple gluten-free friends and family members, some of whom cannot eat food that has been cross-contaminated with gluten, so I was concerned about their ability to eat at the wedding and thought it would be a hassle for the team to accommodate. But Nick (catering manager) reassured me throughout our menu discussions that it would not be a problem to accommodate them with gluten free substitutions and that there would be no cross contamination. And can't forget about the bar program - aside from two signature cocktails, we had three other special cocktails on draft, plus almost any other classic cocktail, beer, wine...the bar menu is delicious and extensive and our guests certainly took advantage of it! And now for the planning services...again, I barely know where to begin. We worked with Krystle and Alyssa, and they were THE BEST. Kind, funny, caring, patient souls who answered every single question we had and made sure our every wedding dream was achieved. Any time we were stressed and didn't know what to do, Krystle and Alyssa would swoop in with recommendations and assurances that we were doing great. They pointed us to our incredible DJ when our plans to hire a live band fell through and we had no idea what to do; made my dream of having ice cream as dessert at our wedding come true; recommended multiple rehearsal dinner spots based on the vibes we told them we wanted (and then reached out to the spots for us so we could just review proposals and decide); always considered our budget when making recommendations; helped my husband pull off a surprise a cappella serenade at our reception that I had no idea was happening (which is a big deal because I was so adamant about being involved in every part of the planning and knowing the entire wedding day timeline). When unforeseen circumstances caused our wedding day timeline to fall off track, they were flexible and adjusted seamlessly. We didn't miss out on anything, and I felt so at ease even knowing we were off track because I trusted that they would handle everything, and they did. If this extremely lengthy review didn't convince you that Walden is the best I don't know what will. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to the Walden team, our special day would not have been the same without you. read more

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We knew the Walden was the perfect place for us after meeting with Maria and seeing the venue the very first time. The staff at the Walden are so attentive and are always communicating with you, specifically our planners, Hannah and Ally. They did all the leg work for us, which honestly made wedding planning so easy. They executed our vision even better than we had imagined, and the room reveal was absolutely perfect! They made sure drinks and food were ready for us immediately on wedding day. I could not recommend this venue enough! read more

Everything about the Walden is a step above! We worked with Katie and Natalia to start and Hannah towards the end of the planning process. They all seriously made planning so easy with availability to answer questions on their planning app at pretty much any time of day, reaching out to vendors for proposals and hyping us up when we were stressed or overwhelmed! These ladies helped make our biggest day the best day! The F&B team are next level. The tasting they put on is an event on it's own. We left so full (and maybe a little tipsy :) ) but were so happy we got to experience a wide variety of delicious food, drinks and desserts. All of our guests at the wedding were raving about the food and bar options - they're still talking about their meals. The service team the day of the wedding were so great! They were so professional and top notch. The ceremony, cocktail hour and reception spaces are stunning. The venue is a blank canvas so you can add your personal touches. They have beautiful ceremony chairs, hi boy tables, dining tables - no linens necessary. Working with the team at Walden was the best experience during a stressful time! 10/10 recommend booking Walden! read more

Walden - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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BOOK THE WALDEN ASAP! I got married at the Walden in June of this year and cannot recommend the venue, the planning team, and food, the drinks, and the entire experience more. My husband and I were consistently impressed with how the Walden made our wedding planning process seamless. Everything was so organized, beautiful, and we loved working with Kalila as our lead planner, Erika, and Briscel! Kalila personalized the experience and I felt so seen throughout the whole planning process. And, THE FOOD! Our wedding guests said it was the best food they've ever had at a wedding. There were so many options to choose from and the tasting party is a blast. THE DRINKS! We got rave reviews of the cocktails, had several amazing beer and wine choices, and there was never a line at the bar (seriously). On the day of the wedding, they made us feel so comfortable and confident (they even printed my vows and steamed all of the girls' dresses). So many small touches made the Walden a dream to work with. I truly cannot recommend them enough for an all around amazing wedding!!!! Thank you, Walden - we love you!!! read more

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Walden was such a perfect venue for hosting our wedding! Hannah and Katie Rose were fantastic planners and both so easy and helpful to work with. They were there to help us throughout the entire process and made the entire planning process so much easier. The food and drinks were amazing and we received so many compliments from guests on the service that was provided - the entire team is really looking out for all of the guests and doing whatever they can to make the day memorable in the best way possible. We were thrilled with our decision to host our wedding at Walden and would not change a thing! read more

We recently had our wedding at Walden, and it was the perfect day! From our first tour of the space with Maria, to working with our wedding planner Natalia with help from Briscel, to the food and beverage coordination with Nick and Matt, everything was seamless. We fell in love with the space, the staff, and the fact that the support of a planner was included! On the day of our wedding, the staff was amazing-making sure we had everything we needed and making everything run smooth behind the scenes by coordinating the vendors, designing the room, and preparing amazing food and cocktails! We could not have asked for a better day and will cherish the memories of our wedding at Walden forever. Thank you for everything! (photos by Colette Marie Photography) read more

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LOVE LOVE LOVE the Walden and their team! We worked with Erika and Briscel to plan an amazing three-day wedding weekend - they helped us plan all three events even though the first two nights were hosted off site! We hosted our wedding day at the Walden, which consisted of and Indian ceremony in the morning and a Western ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception in the evening. The Walden team was there with us from 7 AM to Midnight and executed the most wonderful wedding - our friends and family were in awe of how smoothly the day went! In terms of the planning team, Erika and Briscel were with us for our 2 year planning journey and they went above and beyond to find us the perfect vendors, provide recommendations as needed, and be a great sounding board throughout the process!! They also bring the most calming yet fun energy the weekend of to keep you and your loved ones calm and energized! I personally had the best time with them :) What's a review about the Walden without a note about the food, drink, and the service team?? The food and drinks were beyond our wildest dreams - we continue to get compliments from our guests on how delicious and elevated the food and drinks were. On top of the regular cocktail hour and reception service the Walden provides, we also hosted a grazing brunch table during our morning Indian ceremony, which was a huge hit! Finally, a note to the bar and catering staff, who consistently went above and beyond and everyone noted how kind and attentive the staff was all day. Thank you to the entire Walden team for our dream wedding! read more

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Simply incredible, the team, the venue, the organization, the whole wedding was an 11 out of 10. The whole experience working with the Walden team was spectacular! There is a lot that goes into a wedding day and we felt fully prepared from the start with what to expect, what we needed to coordinate, and what the planning team would lead. Every agreement was reviewed and every vendor was coordinated by the Walden team before and during our special day. We did not have our phones on us and simply got to enjoy. Truly looking back it was THE most spectacular day, and it would not have been possible without the preparation and day of coordination of the Walden and their whole team. read more

My Husband and I just got married this last weekend and I knew I had to write this review right away. Funny enough, before we were engaged back, we went to Midwest Coast Brewing (next door) and saw a wedding happening next door, I turned to Nick and said "were getting married here". Fast forward 6 months later and we FELL IN LOVE with Maria and the team in our first walkthrough that no other venue stood a chance. It should be pretty telling that through the year long planning of a 4 day big fat Indian wedding, the venue and the planners were ALWAYS the bright spot of my day. We fell in love with the ability have all in house vendors and while that can sometimes mean they are mediocre, that is definitely not the case here! Food, drinks, chairs, flatware, planning process, it was all A DREAM! Venue: The space is absolutely stunning! We had 150 guests and being able to have a space that can separate cocktail hour, ceremony and reception to avoid any room flips was huge for us. Their rooftop was stunning and having all the amenities like space for the bridesmaids and groomsmen, spacious bathrooms (with great lighting), beautiful chairs and tables included, and the most breathtaking bar. The Planners: I am mourning the fact that I wont be talking to Erika and Briscel. Having an Indian wedding with so many cultural aspects that were foreign to a lot of our vendors, they handled all of the new things SO well! They also have great connections with so many vendors that when I went with any they recommended, I fell in love with them! They were organized, had the best advice and easy to get a hold of. I worked with Carly, Dagne and Caitlin as well on the day of (seriously 5 planners to make the day go smoothly how amazing!) and they were the sweetest most helpful team! Food/Bev/Service: I definitely made Nick and Matt work for this wedding. We had many calls and conversations on customizing the menu to fit a longer than usual wedding day and an Indian fusion menu. I am a bit of a foodie so this was such an important part of our day and honestly I cannot stop raving about the food and drinks. They took all of my suggestions amazingly and got creative to still play to their strengths. Stop looking at other venues, you need to go with Walden! read more

We are so thrilled to have held our wedding with Walden. From start to finish, the team was amazingly welcoming, productive, and a pleasure to work with. We worked primarily with planners Erika and Katie Rose who kept us organized and on track with to-do's, as well as Nick and Matt on food & bar, both of whom have a terrific track record in Chicago dining and beverage. We were a little skeptical in selecting a venue originally as there is a lot to be mindful of in planning a wedding. Lots of venues try and lock you into expensive / exclusive vendor contracts or fail to communicate expenses transparently. This was not at all our experience with Walden. They helped us create our budget, explain every item in detail, guide us through decisions thoughtfully, and connect us with truly some of the best vendors in the Chicago wedding space. This included photo, floral, DJ, and lighting. We found our planners to be flexible, incredibly organized (they were more on the ball than us), and very purposeful in selecting the right arrangement of moving people and pieces necessary to make our wedding day exactly as we wanted it. Tldr; we loved the space from the get-go, went with our instincts that Walden would be the right team, our expectations were exceeded in every way, and we wouldn't change a thing! read more

We LOVE Walden. It was the most perfect place for us to get married. We looked at several venues when kicking off our planning and moving forward with Walden was just a no-brainer. You don't just get an incredibly beautiful and approachable space, but you also get industry experts on all things wedding planning and hospitality. They thought about all the needs - beautiful bridal suite, mother's rooms in the guest's bathrooms (our guests LOVED this), coat check, lockers for the couple's personals and decor, etc. The team has truly thought of everything, and I cannot imagine how much harder wedding planning would have been without their thinking, knowledge, and support. The wedding planning team is such a great resource throughout the planning process. From recommended vendors to timeline building and vendor coordination, it makes such a difference for those who go into planning not knowing what they don't know. Shoutout to Zaire, our planner, who not only was our guide but more often than not felt like our friend, too. We are big foodies and having good food was at the top of our priority list. Nick and his team absolutely KILLED the food game (I just wish I could have eaten more of it!) From tasting to the day of, the quality was always above par. Everything from taste to presentation is accounted for in each and every bit served. Another BIG shout out to Matt, leading the bar. The cocktails were honestly the star of the show. Everyone RAVED about them, and it's again another brilliant thought and touch the team had. There was never not one line for our guests to get a drink because the cocktails on draft aren't just a delicious offering, but also a brilliant and efficient operations move. Matt was such a gem and was SO thoughtful for all my dad's "special requests." He didn't just think about the booze, but about what pairings with food and other elements would deliver a cohesive and palatable dining experience. Would 10/10 have my wedding here again and again and again! read more

Amazing! Incredible! We cannot imagine having our wedding anywhere else! From the first time we previewed the venue to our big day, it was perfect!! The venue is amazing! And the Walden team keeps it immaculate!! I don't even know where to start with the Walden team! They are the most friendly team of people who make planning your big day so easy and so much fun!! They have an on site chef + full bar team. We had multiple friends and family tell us it is the best food they have ever had at a wedding and such fun, delicious cocktails! I feel like I don't even have the right words to express how amazing the planning team is. The tools and face to face support they give you from the moment you decide to have your wedding with them is BEST IN CLASS! We had the best day of our lives with the Walden team and are so grateful and thankful for them! read more

Can't say enough amazing thanks about Kalila, Jenny, Erin, Katie, and Briscel from the Walden Team. Also shoutout to Matt and Nick and Maria as well! We had the most beautiful wedding thanks to their team. They were so detail oriented and made us feel so at ease planning this day. Not to mention they are generally just awesome people as well.... felt like we were planning our wedding with our friends and that's all we could've ever asked for. The Walden is a must, you will have zero regrets about choosing this venue for your event/wedding. read more

The best wedding venue in Chicago. We toured endless venues and the minute we stopped into the Walden we knew it was the one. From the beautiful venue, the planners, the staff, food/drinks- this was a no brainer for us!!! The planning team is the best of the best- a special shoutout to Hannah, Briscel, Ally, Matt and Nick. The team was fabulous and helped us with every detail. The highlights of the night were the BEST signature drinks curated by the bar- our guests are still talking about it. As well as the champagne tower and espresso martini shots. The food was incredible and again- our guests could not stop raving about the passed appetizers and dinner. Hannah, Ally, and Briacsl made sure every single thing went seamlessly throughout the day. As the bride , I did not feel stressed or anxious once as I knew we had the best team making our dream wedding come true! Thank you Walden! Do not look any further- this is the best Chicago venue EVER. read more

Where do we even begin to thank the team at the Walden Chicago for helping make our wedding day not only so incredibly special but also run so smoothly?! From our assigned planner, Kalila Harris, to the catering chef Nick and his team, to the bar manager Matt and his team, to the security, each and every person helped in playing a part in our big day. When we first toured the Walden with one of their owners Maria, we knew it was the venue for us. Not only were they upfront with their pricing and all that the Walden had to offer but their venue was physically unlike any other space we had seen (and we had toured a bunch!) We wanted an untraditional wedding venue in Chicago and Walden checked off all of our boxes. They had separate spaces for each event (getting ready bridal suite, ceremony, cocktail hour and reception), in house catering (with AMAZING food options that our guests are still raving about!) and a full service bar (martinis, old fashioned, Malort....you name it!). They also have a rooftop which provided perfect views of the Chicago city skyline for couples/wedding party photos! We signed with the Walden in December of 2022 and had our wedding in May of 2023. The short timeline was initially stressful but the Walden's wedding planning team (included in the rental price!) helped assure that it was as relaxed of a process as possible. They provided us with timelines, vendor recommendations and so much more (calling vendors, spell checking invitations, reading through contracts, etc). On the day of our wedding, everyone at the Walden made us feel so incredibly special-especially our planner Kalila and day of/closing planners. Kalila went above and beyond from answering are 1000+ emails, to helping set up our personal items/decor, to decorating our donut cake-we can not thank her enough! Kalila became like a friend to us and made sure that our special day was as memorable as possible. Thank you Walden Chicago for giving us the most perfect day and wedding planning process imaginable! read more

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Our wedding day was above and beyond anything we ever imagined and the Walden team made it all happen! We had a lot of other friends getting married around the same time and most conversations with them consisted of venting frustration and stress of the wedding planning process - but not for us!!! Erika and Katie made the planning process a breeze. The Basecamp platform kept everything organized and had next steps clearly outlined so we always knew what was coming. They gave so many recommendations, took care of all of the research and outreach, and coordinated final sign up of every single vendor. There were little details I never knew to even consider and so happy to have them in our corner for the entire process, making sure everything was 100% perfect. We can truly say that we had fun planning our wedding with the Walden team! The only sad part of our wedding day was not being able to eat and drink all of the amazing food and cocktails that Walden offers since we were all over the place with friends and family. Thankfully the tasting day during the planning allowed us to enjoy everything! They've mastered this process - having a five to six couples with guests all together in the space where we were able to sample almost everything on the menu to pick our ultimate favorites. All of our guests were highly complimentary of Nick for how incredible dinner was and Matt with the high-end cocktail options at the bar. Kalila was our day-of planner and absolutely crushed it! She is such a joy to be around and made everything seem effortless. The set up of the venue and all of our personalized items was on point - not a single thing was missed. She kept the day running so smoothly which allowed us to soak in every minute. Cannot thank her enough! The Walden venue is so much more than just a wedding venue - the entire team takes care of you in ways you didn't even know you needed. They helped make our day so incredibly special - highly recommend working with Walden for your wedding as well! read more

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I could write a love letter to the entire staff at Walden. Not only is the venue itself beautiful and modern, each individual that works here makes sure your wedding day is the most special day from the first tour to your wedding day.  When we toured the venue, we immediately knew this would be the place where my husband and I should be married. The business model of Walden gives you exactly what a couple needs. One major deciding factor was having the in-house planning team included. Hannah, Briscel, and Erika are absolute delights and know their stuff!!!! Wedding planning can be stressful but we never truly felt that way working with this team! The bar and kitchen service is top notch!! The tasting event they hold for couples is fabulous and gives you the opportunity to put together the dinner menu that you will actually be excited about! Our guests were RAVING about the cocktails and food, even days later! Nick and Matt were beyond accommodating when it came to selecting what exactly we needed for our wedding day. Please have your wedding at Walden and then invite me so I can come back and experience the magic again!!!! read more

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