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Chicago north suburbs venue guide

Updated

Chicago north and northwest suburbs wedding venues: clubs, banquet halls, and costs

North of the city, Evanston and Lake Forest have historic houses and clubs near the lake. Out toward O'Hare, from Des Plaines and Itasca to Arlington Heights, Bartlett, and Streamwood, weddings happen at golf clubs, banquet halls, and hotels. Most of these venues sell a package with their own kitchen and someone to plan with, and they cost less than a wedding in the city.

We've gathered details on 15 venues in Chicago's north and northwest suburbs. Pick a starting point and Sage will rank them for your day, with cost estimates wherever the venue publishes its prices.

Golf or country clubBy a lakeBanquet hall

What should you budget?

Venues with catering for 100 guests

Use − and + to reprice every figure below.

$14k

Typical estimate

The median cost for Chicago's North & Northwest Suburbs venues that include their own catering.

$8,300–$19k

Typical range

Most venues here land somewhere in this range for a hundred guests.

These are our estimates, not quotes from the venues. Most venues here quote a price per guest that already covers dinner, so the number is close to what you'll pay for the venue and food. Expect about 30% on top in service charges, admin fees, and tax.

Source: SagetheDate.com

Every filled dot is one Chicago's North & Northwest Suburbs venue that can host 100 guests, shaded by its own estimate on the same scale as the Illinoisguide's map; grey ones don't publish a venue-with-catering price. Outlined dots are venues in neighbouring regions.

Narrow it down

See which Chicago's North & Northwest Suburbs venues fit your guest count and budget, and why

Guests

100
See matching Chicago's North & Northwest Suburbs venues

By budget and guest count

Chicago's North & Northwest Suburbs wedding venues by budget and guest count

How many Chicago's North & Northwest Suburbs venues come in under common budgets for the venue and food, at the guest counts couples plan for most. Each row counts the venues that can host that many guests and publish a full price for the venue and the food, so the list gets shorter as it grows.

Chicago's North & Northwest Suburbs wedding venues under each budget, by guest count
GuestsTypical venue and foodUnder $15,000Under $25,000Under $35,000Under $50,000
50 guests$8k8 of 98 of 98 of 99 of 9
100 guests$14k6 of 98 of 98 of 99 of 9
150 guests$19k4 of 96 of 98 of 99 of 9
200 guests$25k1 of 94 of 97 of 99 of 9

Our estimates for the venue and food, including service charges and tax where the venue lists them, on a Saturday in peak season. Not quotes. A typical figure is shown only where at least five venues publish a price. On their cheapest published date, usually a weekday or a winter month, 1 more venue comes in under $35,000 for 100 guests.

Chicago's North & Northwest Suburbs venues by price for 100 guests

Under $15,000
Eaglewood Resort & Spa, The Mirage Restaurant, The Seville - Chicagoland, Villa Olivia, Westin Itasca Chicago Northwest, White Pines Golf Club
$15,000–$25,000
Ivanhoe Club, Rolling Green Country Club
$35,000–$50,000
Armour House at Lake Forest Academy
See which fit your guest count and budget

How venues price weddings

Two venues can quote the same number and mean very different things

Pick one to see what its price contains, what it leaves for you to buy, and what it typically comes to.

You pay for the space and their kitchen

Venues with catering

Venues publish their price in two ways: as a site fee plus a per-guest menu price, or as a bundled package (venue + food).

At100guests

$14k

typical for venues with catering

$8.3k–$19k

where 80% of these 9 venues land

What makes up the billTypical80% of venues
Ceremony fee6 of 9$1k$0.9k–$1.5k
Catering5 of 9$9.9k$7.3k–$24k
Service charge & tax6 of 9$4.6k$2.3k–$6.8k
Each line is typical for the venues that charge it separately, so they don’t add up to the figure above. At 9 venues drinks are priced together with the food, so they sit inside the Catering line rather than a separate bar charge.

And then you still buy

  • Bar, where it isn’t included
  • Rentals and décor beyond the basics
  • Every other vendor

Good if you

don’t want to worry about sourcing a caterer or any outside catering fees.

What you’d still need to find out

Whether drinks are inside the menu price or billed separately, and what the service charge and tax add at the end.

What changes the math here

A package at a lower price, with the venue's own kitchen. Clubs, banquet halls, and hotels out here run weddings every weekend. The price per guest covers dinner, the staff, and usually a coordinator, which keeps both the total and the to-do list short. What you give up is the choice of caterer: very few venues here let you bring your own. If a particular restaurant or cuisine matters to you, check that first.

Charge for the space only
7%

Against 18% across Illinois. Almost every quote here includes food.

See venues that charge for the space
Let you bring your own caterer
7%

Of the venues that say either way, against 22% across Illinois. Ask whether you can taste the menu before you sign.

See venues that allow your caterer
Provide a coordinator
89%

Of the venues that say either way. Ask whether it's full planning or someone on the day.

See venues with a coordinator
Have rooms for guests
27%

Right on the property, against 19% across Illinois. Most are resorts and hotels.

See venues with rooms on site

What kind of place

Three kinds of suburban wedding

Golf or country club

A ceremony on the lawn or by the water, then dinner in the clubhouse. Ask what the package includes hour by hour, whether golfers or members are around that day, and where the ceremony moves if it rains.

9 of 15 venues here

Venue and food, typical
$13k (5 venues)
Find venues like these

Banquet hall or hotel

Big ballrooms, a per-guest price that includes dinner from the venue's own kitchen, and some of the lowest prices around Chicago. The hotels near O'Hare can put up guests who fly in. Ask whether another wedding is in the building that day and how many rooms you can hold.

7 of 15 venues here

Venue and food, typical
$13k (5 venues)
Find venues like these

North Shore house or club

A historic house or women's club in Evanston or Lake Forest, with more character and usually a higher price. Some rent just the rooms, so ask what the price covers, which caterers you can use, and what the house rules are.

1 of 15 venues here

Find venues like these

What different types of venues cost in Chicago's North & Northwest Suburbs

The same wedding costs different amounts at a barn and at a hotel — and so does the shape of the bill. Two ways to look at it, for 100 guests.

What just the space costs

The venue rental across every venue that charges one as its own line — whether or not they also sell you the food. Just the room, nothing else.

  • Banquet Hall$1k (2)
  • Country Club / Golf Club$1k (6)
  • Hotel$1k (2)

Every venue that itemises a rental, including the ones that cater. Venues quoting a single package over the room and the meal never name a room price, so they aren’t here — and this is a part of a bill, not a whole one, so it can’t be subtracted from the next chart.

What a wedding costs when the venue handles catering too

The whole bill — the room, the meal, and the fees on top.

  • Banquet Hall$12k (4)
  • Resort$13k (2)
  • Country Club / Golf Club$13k (9)
  • Hotel$13k (3)

Venues behind each figure in brackets. A venue can be more than one kind of place, so it may appear in more than one row.

What changes the shortlist here

Three decisions to make early

Taste the food before you choose the room

Since the venue will almost certainly handle your catering, the menu matters as much as the ballroom. Ask for a tasting, what's included per guest, and whether they can handle any dietary or cultural needs you have.

See how each venue handles food

Match the ballroom to your list

Venues here typically publish a capacity around 250 guests. A hundred guests in a room built for twice that can feel sparse, and a food and drink minimum is usually set with a full room in mind. Ask about smaller rooms and what the minimum is on your date.

See venues that fit your guest count

Plan for guests who fly in

O'Hare sits in the middle of this area, so out-of-town guests can land and be at the hotel in minutes. North Shore venues are easier for guests coming by train, since Metra runs up the lakefront to Evanston and Lake Forest. Either way, ask each venue which hotels it works with.

See venues with rooms on site
How Chicago's North & Northwest Suburbs compares with Illinois
  • Let you bring your own caterer7% vs 22%

    of venues that say either way (14 here)

  • Have rooms for guests on site27% vs 19%

    at least, of all venues (15 here)

  • Give you the whole property20% vs 17%

    at least, of all venues (15 here)

  • State a rain plan53% vs 50%

    at least, of all venues (15 here)

  • Require something extra33% vs 28%

    a planner, insurance, security or similar, of all venues (15 here)

What affects the cost of your wedding

Your date can change the price a lot

Wedding venue pricing is seasonal. 9 of the 15 Chicago's North & Northwest Suburbs venues we track charge differently depending on the day, and 3 charge differently depending on the month. Every figure below compares a venue with itself, so it says what moving your date does — whatever kind of venue you pick, and whatever the size of your wedding.

Day of the week

Months you’d consider

Peak months are selected to start. Tap any month to compare.

Saturday, peak season

The most expensive date most venues sell, and the date almost every published price assumes. Choose a different day or month to see what typically comes off.

How much less than its own most expensive month a typical Chicago's North & Northwest Suburbs venue charges, comparing Saturdays all year (3 venues price a season)
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Inviting fewer people saves you less than you’d think

6 of the 14 Chicago's North & Northwest Suburbs venues that can host 100 guests put a floor under what you spend — a minimum on food and drink, or a headcount they bill for. It is the one charge that feels worse the smaller your wedding is, and it is rarely made clear on other platforms that show venue pricing.

At100guests

4 of 6

would bill you above what your own 100 guests come to, by about $5.4k typically.

Bill above your count2 clear it

Most of them stop topping up from around 150 guests. Below that, inviting fewer people doesn’t lower the bill at these venues.

Cutting 20 guests takes $0 off the bill, even though they actually cost $1.9k — because of the minimum spend

The 5 floor-setting Chicago's North & Northwest Suburbs venues big enough to host every size on this chart, priced at each one. Where the lines part, you are paying for guests who aren’t coming.
What you’d be billedWhat your own guests cost
$0$15k$30kyour 1004075100125150175200 guests

What kind of floor, and how high

A venue can set more than one.

A minimum spend on food and drinkThe money you commit to their kitchen. Service charge and tax then stack on top of it.
$13ktypical

What gets added at the end

Taxes and fees mark up a Chicago's North & Northwest Suburbs quote typically by 30%

Every pricing model carries them. At the 10 Chicago's North & Northwest Suburbs venues that publish their fees, the middle result is 30%, with most landing between 20% and 36%.

Food & drinkVenue rentalService chargeGratuitySales taxon the bill and on the fees
Solid lines are what a fee is always charged on; dashed lines are charged that way at some venues only. Sales tax comes last, on the bill and usually on the other fees too.
Various fees to considerTypical

  • Service charge7 venues

    22%

    The venue’s charge for its staff. Not a tip.

  • Gratuity3 venues

    20%

    The tip that does reach the staff. Ask whether it replaces the service charge.

  • Sales tax7 venues

    8.5%

    Set by the state, and charged on the service charge too at most venues.

Dots are sized by how many venues charge that rate. The gold line is the median rate, and every fee has its own scale: read the spread within a row, not across them.

Places worth a closer look

Six north and northwest suburban venues to start with

These include golf clubs, resorts, a banquet hall, a lakeside restaurant, and a North Shore estate, priced in different ways. Open a venue to see its pricing, capacity, spaces, vendor policies, and other planning details.

Find venues that match your vision and budget

Describe your guest count, your budget, and anything you can’t compromise on. See a ranked list of venues, with why each one fits, trade-offs, and what to double-check.

Try:

Sage the Date reads each venue's own published details, including pricing, catering and alcohol rules, music curfews, rain plans, whether you get the whole property, and how many guests each space holds. Every estimate uses your guest count. When a venue doesn't say, we tell you instead of guessing.

Before you book

Three questions worth asking

  • What does the price per guest include, and what gets added at the end for service charges and tax?
  • Can we do a tasting before we sign, and can your kitchen handle our dietary or cultural needs?
  • Is there another event in the building that day, and which hotels nearby do you work with?
See all 15 Chicago's North & Northwest Suburbs venues we track
How this guide is built

Sage reads each venue's own published pricing and policies, puts different kinds of quotes on the same footing, and estimates the cost for 100 guests. If a venue doesn't say something, we treat it as a question to ask, not a no.