As a Chicago wedding photographer, my passion is to not only provide my couples with beautiful, timeless images from their day, but also to ensure that they have the best overall experience possible on their wedding day! There’s a lot of work that goes into making this goal a reality, which is why I’m always SO happy to come across another vendor that puts the same level of effort into achieving this goal for their couples. Today’s wedding venue, Walden Chicago, is one such wedding vendor! I had the pleasure of documenting Annie and Chaz’s wedding here, which has me SO excited to talk about everything that makes Walden Chicago one of the gold standard wedding venues of the city! Let’s jump right in and see why I will forever be singing Walden Chicago’s praises!

Welcome to Walden Chicago

Just outside of West Loop, near Chicago’s iconic Fulton Street, is the absolutely wonderful wedding venue known as Walden Chicago. Similarly to many wedding venues found throughout the city of Chicago, Walden is stunningly beautiful, and has plenty of space for you and your guests to enjoy ALL the different key moments from your wedding day. What set’s Walden Chicago apart though is their approach to EVERY other piece of the wedding day. From the amazing levels of service they provide their couples, to their take on the food and beverages of any celebration, Walden Chicago does the most in order to ensure that each wedding day is executed to perfection. Let’s take a closer look at how they do this!

What is the Experience of a Wedding at Walden Chicago Like?

The first thing Walden Chicago does differently that I want to cover is arguably my favorite part of the wedding venue, and that is the experience they provide their couples! From the very beginning, Walden Chicago makes it crystal clear just how important every one of their weddings is to them. They include a stunning array of services and assistance in every one of their bookings to help make sure that all of their couples experience the wedding they’ve dreamt of. I could honestly talk all day about their service and the incredible experience they provide, but we have a LOT more to cover still, so here’s what it looks like at a glance!

• Planning Support (Includes Budget and Planning Assistance, Timeline Creation, Menu Creation, Scheduling, and More)
• Vendor Relations (Includes Vendor Recommendations, Vetting of Vendors Outside Their List, Vendor Timeline and Coordination Management, Coordinate Final Site Visits with Vendors, Permit and Licensing Assistance, and More)
• Event Design (Includes Assistance with Your Invitation Suite, Color Palette Choice, Decor Styling, Referrals for Stylists and Attire, and More)
• Logistics Assistance (Includes Guidance for Your Guests, Seating Chart Planning, Lodging Recommendations, Travel Accommodations, and More)

One final step Walden Chicago takes in their efforts to provide an experience of unparalleled quality is through their amazing team of service staff! Their staff assists with EVERY part of the wedding day. In addition to timeline management and vendor relations that I mentioned above, the dedicated staff is also on site throughout the entirety of your celebration to make sure everything runs as smoothly as you planned. With coordination assistance, set up and tear down service, and just general help for anything you need, the staff of Walden Chicago really do set the bar when it comes to Chicago weddings!

How Does Walden Chicago Handle Food and Beverages?

Walden Chicago gives couples a TON of freedom of choice when it comes to their vision for their wedding, including their vendor team. The only vendors that Walden Chicago requires you to have are their in house Food and Beverage services, but trust me when I tell you that this is by no means a downside! 

Much like the rest of their staff, the culinary and bar team at Walden Chicago is of THE highest quality. Their talented array of specialists create seasonal menus both for their food and beverages that are simply divine, and they include a TON into their hospitality package. For $195 per guest (at the time of writing), this package includes hors d’oeuvres, a two course plated dinner, 5 hour open bar, tableside wine service, welcome cocktails, and of course their wonderful bar staff serving you and your guests throughout the night.

Both the food and drink menu are completely customizable, making it so that every couple can enjoy exactly what they want on the day of their wedding, just one more area where Walden Chicago excels as a wedding venue!

What Amenities Does Walden Chicago Offer?

Considering how much I’ve been talking up Walden Chicago throughout this article, you’re probably thinking that they offer a pretty good amount of amenities to their couples, and you’d be right! Keeping with their trend of offering the best and most luxurious experience possible for their couples, Walden Chicago offer an array of amenities for every wedding day, each included to make things as streamlined and stress free as possible including:

• Storage Room Access the Week of Your Wedding
• Unlimited Access to the Venue on Your Wedding Day
• An On-Site Getting Ready Space
• Tables, Chairs, and Tableware
• The Plethora of Planning and Logistics Assistance we Discussed Earlier
• Fully ADA Accessible
• On-Site Parking
• Free Rehearsals Upon Request
• Sourcing of Supplemental Decor if Requested
• And More!

What Size Weddings can Walden Chicago Host?

Space and flexibility are two more areas where Walden Chicago excels as a wedding venue. The venue features two floors, each with their own distinct uses. The first floor is the main event space and is where your reception will take place. This floor also has the kitchen and a large bar for you and your guests to enjoy throughout the night. The second floor is home to the ceremony space, getting ready spaces, and also features a smaller bar which can be used for cocktail hour.

This abundance and flexibility of space allows Walden Chicago to host intimate receptions of 100 guests, or large cocktail style celebrations of 500 guests, and everything in between! For a  traditional seated reception Walden Chicago can seat 275 guests while still having a dancefloor open. The ceremony space can seat up to 250 guests, but is equally suited for those smaller ceremonies as well. Whether you want a more intimate day with just your very closest people, or a HUGE unforgettable wedding celebration, Walden Chicago has you covered!

What Spaces and Portrait Opportunities are at Walden Chicago?

While Walden Chicago is strikingly beautiful inside thanks to its exposed wood ceiling, classic brick walls, and tasteful modern styling, there are also plenty of nearby spots for your portraits as well! The blocks around Walden offer couples a truly authentic Chicago wedding experience and are a TON of fun to work with for portraits! There are also plenty of phenomenal locations that are all just a short drive away like the Garfield Park Conservatory, Fulton Market, and more!

Other Things to Know About Walden Chicago

One last shoutout I wanted to include before I wrap this up is something that I’m honestly SO impressed that Walden Chicago prioritizes as a wedding venue, eco-consciousness! It’s unfortunately somewhat rare for a wedding venue of Chicago to prioritize the environment in addition to their couples, but that’s not the case for Walden Chicago. Through their commitment to recycling, composting, donations of florals, sustainable electrical sources, and avoidance of single-use plastics, Walden Chicago has 33% less carbon emissions than a similarly sized venue. It’s commitments in areas like this that prove to me that Walden Chicago is always striving to be the best they can be as a wedding venue in the Windy City!

That just about covers what makes Walden Chicago one of my go-to recommendations for wedding venues in Chicago! If you haven’t had enough of me gushing over my favorite spots in the city be sure to check out my other venue features on The Voco Hotel and Fairlie! If you’re looking to book me to document your wedding make sure you send an inquiry through my contact page and we can start planning your dream wedding today!