Ravenswood Event Center

AMAZING!!! We had our wedding at the Ravenswood Event Center last week, and had a fantastic time. They made both planning and execution SO EASY! They have in house catering (delicious!), handle the linens, furnishings and all of the day off craziness. Andy and Aly were the best team, and really helped make our day a perfect one!

We had our wedding at REC and we could not be more satisfied!
We chose REC primarily because we loved the space. We had our ceremony and dancing in Atrium, and dinner in the Loft. There are a handful of spaces around the city that offer the raw brick and industrial loft style, but after touring REC, it was an easy choice to make. And the wedding was beautiful.
Aside from having a great look that creates an interesting feel for a wedding, the food was awesome. We trusted Andy and Aly’s suggestions on food (they know what they do best), and had a great experience when doing a menu tasting. We stuck with crowd-​pleasers, and our guests were in fact pleased with the meals and appetizers. They are also eager to accomodate specific dietary restrictions. We had many compliments on the food (and we enjoyed it, as well)!
During our initial consultation with Andy, we were nervous when he dissuaded us from hiring a day-​of coordinator (which, we have heard, is a must). But he was totally right. From directing our guests when moving up and downstairs, to guiding the wedding party down the aisle, their staff is did an awesome job making sure everything went smoothly.
A big seller for us, also, was being able to bring in our own alcohol. Other places that charge per guest per hour can get ridiculously expensive (and frankly way overpriced). We worked with Aly and Binny’s to create a liquor order. Not only did that literally save us thousands of dollars, but we were able to cater the alcohol options to our liking.
We highly recommend REC!

We had our wedding October 2015 in REC’s Industrial Ballroom and it ALL was absolutely perfect!
When we were evaluating wedding venues, we knew we wanted a fall wedding, in a rustic venue, with the ability to put together a themed food menu — REC was able to deliver on all three of these must have’s.
Let’s start out with the REC staff:
Andy and Jen were awesome. Both were very professional, yet fun, from the day we decided to have our wedding at REC. With their experience in the wedding/​event planning space, they both did a really nice job providing suggestions for the ceremony and reception.
We had the ceremony in the Industrial Ballroom then headed across the hall for cocktail hour while they flipped the industrial Ballroom for dinner, dancing, and drinks. They made this super easy as they provided all of the chairs, tables, linens, place settings and lighting for the ceremony and reception. They also allowed us to bring in and store some additional decorations that we had a few days prior to our event.
Let’s move on the FOOD and Drinks!
Like I mentioned above, we wanted to put together a themed food menu for our guests. Having grown up myself in Chicago and my wife in Pittsburgh, we wanted to bring together a bit of both in a food station format — Andy and his kitchen staff nailed it. For Chicago foods, we had pizza, mini italian beef sandwiches and italian salad. For Pittsburgh foods we had mini primani brothers sandwiches, loaded french fries, wings and pirogi’s.
In lieu of traditional dessert, Andy suggested a mini-​doughnut station with endless toppings along with mini hot dogs and fries for late night eats — both great ideas!
For the open bar — REC has an established relationship with Binny’s which made for very easy ordering, delivery, and pick up of any unused product.
The Venue — Industrial Ballroom
This space is absolutely stunning! Our ceremony started at 6:15 pm as the sun was setting and with the candles that outlined the room, I can’t imagine a more beautiful setting than this for our ceremony.
They flipped the Ballroom for the reception as our guests enjoyed cocktail hour across the hall. This took roughly 1 hour (shorter than we expected) and looked so amazing as we walked in as husband and wife for the first time.
We also wanted to mention that all of our vendors worked seamlessly together. We would highly recommend the following vendors when deciding to have your wedding at REC.
Anna Held Floral — (Beth)
Two Birds Photography — (Jake)
Toast and Jam DJ Company — (Rebecca)

Owning Anna Held Floral Studio​for almost 30 years and designing hundreds of events has given me many opportunities to create magic and help make beautiful memories. It is true joy to be in a position to do this for so many.
However, last Friday, it was I that was «wowed» by the generous magic-​making that was gifted to me by the Ravenswood Event Center​.
To celebrate my long awaited move into our new studio, I wanted to invite my nearest and dearest to the opening. While trying to plan and budget this event (on a shoestring after the actual move this summer) I received an email from Andy at the REC saying that he, Aly, Jen, Dave and Oscar wanted to help make my opening a little more fabulous.
Not only did they take so much stress off my shoulders in planning, but the actual party was incredibly lovely and delicious. Tables, linens, glassware, staff and bartenders were all brought in, changing the studio into a delightful event.
The food was incredible; the support was wonderful. From the delicious sirloin sliders topped with arugula and bacon jam to the mini pork tacos to the vegan white bean mouse crudités.
The words «thank you» do not adequately express my overwhelming gratitude for the magical evening they provided for us.

We recently had our wedding at REC at the end of August and I would highly recommend this place for a wedding venue. My husband and I planned the wedding from Toronto and one of the main reasons we picked the REC was because they had in-​house catering, and all the furnishing (tables, chairs) were included. That immediately eliminated a lot of stress in finding another caterer– plus, we heard their food is amazing which turned out to be true.
1) The management and coordinators (Andy, Aly, Jenn) were all very helpful! They were patient in answering our questions via emails and phone calls. For our few planning meetings, Aly was flexible in arranging times when we were in town so we can visit the space. Even the week leading up to the wedding, they were accommodating in taking in our wedding décor whenever they were on-​site. Aly also did a great job coordinating our ceremony the day of; she cued all of us in at the right time and overall made it easier for us to just relax and enjoy the day.
2) The space is beautiful! We fell in love with the Atrium and used that for our ceremony and dancing portions, had our cocktail hour in the 2^nd floor foyer + patio outside, and had our dinner (about 125 guests) in the 2^nd floor loft. The space was perfect for the amount of people we had and made it feel like an intimate wedding with our friends and family.
3) Our guests raved about the food! We trusted Andy to come up with a delicious and creative menu and he did. We barely tweaked anything from the menu he created because everything was delicious from our tasting and all the food was well presented the day of.
4) The staff was very helpful! They always made sure that my husband and I had food or drinks in our hands, and our guests all said they were helpful and friendly.
5) Location of REC was convenient as well– it’s right off the Brown line — Irving Park stop, so convenient if guests want to train there. Also plenty of free parking outside.
Overall great place and great people! Glad we had our wedding here and would recommend in a heartbeat.

We had our wedding at this amazing location in August of 2015. We were able to get everything organized with the help of Jennifer and Andy in a relatively short time. Our special event was very elegant and memorable — the venue and service was excellent. The food complemented our personalities perfectly and the cocktail style service was designed deliciously by the chefs at REC. We can’t say enough about this venue — you may have to check it out for yourself.

Where do we even start?! The REC is simply amazing. Aside from being visually stunning, Their staff was beyond helpful and the food outrageously good.
Alright let’s start at the beginning. We had 3 things we were unwilling to compromise on: 1) we needed to get married at the church that was responsible for us meeting. 2) we had a budget, and we were hell bent on sticking to it! 3) we wanted our meal to be family style. Most places laughed at us or worse, simply ignored us. The REC didn’t. They showed us the different locations that they offer and we landed on the Atrium an Loft. We loved the idea that dinner and dancing would be separated.
When you mention family style to most caterers, it apparently means that they’re going to charge you an extra 10k just for platters. This concept didn’t make much sense to me since you would save on labor. But again, the REC didn’t charge extra just because it was a «unique» request.
Let me tell you about the food. It’s amazing. If we could eat there on a random Tuesday night we would. We wanted Mediterranean fare and my dad, who is 100% Middle Eastern, even liked the food! Probably not as much as his moms, but still. They really worked with us to personalize the menu and bring in our different cultures. We blew through some of our alcohol after the cocktail hour and they pulled from their stock to help us out.
The staff is also amazing. First Aly is so sweet and really makes you feel like she has the whole thing under control (and she really does!). The staff the night of is amazing too! They were super accommodating and checked in with us throughout the night to make sure we didn’t need anything.
This is Chicago best kept secret. Although with the way they’re doing weddings, it probably won’t be a secret for long.

The spaces are beautiful but the professionalism of the management is terrible. I had a showing on July 27^th and followed up the same evening to learn more about next steps for booking a desired date and finding out more about their in-​house catering. Still haven’t heard back, so of course we booked another space — who wants to deal with an uncommunicative vendor during wedding planning?

Got married at Ravenswood Event Center Atrium in the spring of 2015. 80 person wedding.
A wedding is more than a sum of its parts, so it’s always hard to look back and wonder how things would have been better or worse if had you had a different officiant, chosen that other song for your first dance, or held the ceremony in a different venue. All I can say is that our wedding was perfect, and it would not have been the same if we had it anywhere else.
We loved the feel of the REC from the moment we stepped in the door (seeing photos online does not do it justice), and up through the wedding itself, it never lost its appeal. Our guests were all delighted with the space and commented endlessly about how unique it was. We had our ceremony in the atrium, cocktail hour on the second floor, and reception in the atrium again after the staff flipped the room. The changing sunlight through the windows in the Atrium gives the room an evolving mood that kept the entire event feeling fresh.
But the aesthetic of a venue is a personal choice. An objective advantage to Ravenswood is that on the business side, everything was seamless. Aly, our point person, was endlessly friendly, full of helpful suggestions to fill in all the little organizational holes we were not prepared for. She was generous with her time, and even though we planned the wedding from New York, Aly gave us complete confidence that everything was being handled smoothly. On our wedding day, she and her team were logistical ninjas, popping up out of no where to make sure everything was going well, then disappearing off to take care of something or other behind the scene. Suffice to say, the day went off without a hitch.
We highly recommend REC for a wedding.

My husband and I were married at REC in September 2014, and we both agree it was the best decision we made the entire wedding process. The venue was perfect and had everything we were looking for. I would recommend REC to anyone getting married in Chicago looking for a unique space (and I have…).
SPACE: We had our ceremony in the atrium, cocktail hour in the lounge, and our reception in the ballroom for 160 guests. The atrium is stunning with the floor to ceiling windows. The ballroom was a little tight for a party of our size (we had to remove tables for dancing), but REC did caution us ahead of time so we were fully aware (we were stubborn since we loved the space so much). Each space is so unique, and our guests couldn’t stop talking about how cool the place was and how it was different than any wedding they had been to. After researching a handful of venues, it was nice to work with place that offered everything on site — food, staff, tables/​chairs, linens, etc. We didn’t have to go through the pain of having to work with various outside vendors, which was key! The one real downside was the bathroom situation when using the ballroom. There are only 4 unisex bathrooms, and there was a line the whole night.
STAFF: The staff was fantastic. We started the process with Andy, working through contracts and food options. He’s passionate about what he does, and it showed in his attention to detail. We worked with him on an awesome menu after he got to know more about us and our likes/​dislikes. We were paired with Aly as our coordinator, and she was phenomenal — incredibly friendly and professional, and we knew we’d be in good hands working with her. She was always available to help answer any questions — including the nitpicky ones — and helped with everything from table arrangements to the menu to suggestions on DJs and officiants that she had previously worked with. The DJ company Aly suggested — Cage & Aquarium — was awesome, and Kevin had everyone dancing the entire time! Outside of Andy & Aly, the rest of the day-​off staff (bartenders, servers) were great. The bartender made sure that I always had a drink in hand, and even came into the crowd to find me and give me one last glass to champagne before the night was over.
FOOD: Speaking with friends who were married at REC a few years ago, the first thing we heard was that the food was the best «wedding food» they had ever had. They didn’t lie — it was awesome. We ended up doing a buffet, which made me nervous, but it was delicious. The passed apps during cocktail hour were amazing, and knowing that my husband and I were busy saying hello to everyone, they made us our own plate we could eat before the reception started (very thoughtful touch!). We also did a late night taco cart paired with mini Coronitas, which the guests LOVED.
BOOZE: One of the best parts — it is BYOB, which saves you money on not having to pay the ridiculous wedding venue booze upcharges. We worked with Binny’s to have everything delivered and picked up (they’re very familiar with Ravenswood and work with them all the time), and the process couldn’t have been easier.

Last March my now husband and I were married at REC. I am a notorious over planner and Aly was very helpful and patient with me on this.
They accommodated some of my less than stellar DIY items (seriously what was I thinking), and made the experience a lot of fun.
When we saw the space we fell in love and both Aly and Andy were incredibly sweet and kind from beginning to end. Our menu tasting especially we the best by far. The chef came up with some amazing items for our food stations and we left stuffed by the end of it. All of our guests raved about the food and they still do almost a year later.
Even for last minute alternations REC was super accommodating and my husband and I appreciated it beyond words.
Since we wed in the off season we were able to utilize the entire space and all three floors. Our ceremony was in the Atrium and the sun set as we said our vows. Everything was lovely and because of how open and airy the space is we didn’t feel the need to decorate too much and take away from the lovely architecture. Cocktails were served on the second floor loft while we look photos and we even got our own little tray of snacks to hold us over after the ceremony.
Both my husband and I have a lot of out of town family and friends and while not as many attended as we would have liked they still made the billboard show room look amazing. Again we barely had to do a thing due to the great neon signs and cars. (Our wedding was very retro.) The bar and wait staff were great and everyone had a fantastic time.
Weddings can be a real whirl wind and you end up taking on a lot more than you probably should. You will be in capable hands with REC so put down that darn glue gun and enjoy the ride because Andy and his staff will give you a great and memorable time.

This place rocks! We booked all 3 levels for our August wedding– atrium, loft and showroom floor with the cars. People raved about how awesome all the levels were and how unique it was for a wedding. All the cars were in the showroom at the time. Andy was amazing at helping us plan our menu. I love fried pickles and I’m very picky. The REC kitchen made them perfect. Our guests loved the food and the staff made our day very easy. Aly and her team set up everything perfectly. I noticed my big flowers on the bar from pictures. I wondered where they were placed and was happy to see them in photos. The late night snacks were so fun and tasty. We had a total of 200 – 211 and we had more than enough room. The atrium for our ceremony was gorgeous. A lot of light for our camera guy and they were on top of the timing and getting us all in place. We loved it and I’m sad it’s over but, the memories will last forever.

We had our wedding here in July 2014. From the first day we contacted REC, to the day of our wedding, we had nothing but outstanding service. We worked with Aly and Andy and they were both phenomenal. The food was fantastic– all appetizers and entrees customized to our taste. Staff was super nice, from drop offs, pick ups, and the wedding day itself, everything went great without a single hitch! All our family and friends were raving about the whole experience. We had 100 people– ceremony in the atrium, dinner in the loft, and dancing in the atrium. Outdoor spaces were available on both levels. It’s really the perfect venue for an event of this size. My favorite memory of this night was the lightning and rain during the reception in the atrium, with its floor to ceiling glass. Too beautiful. Do not hesitate to book here!

The space looks beautiful, but after 4 phone calls– leaving messages, and 2 emails we moved on.

My friend had a table at Show of Hands, that was held here in late November. I was a great space for the small upscale craft show.
The building itself is large and felt like a huge warehouse. The room where the show was held was pretty cool — and housed all these old cars for viewing.
Tons of parking all along Ravenswood — which made this an ideal place for this type of event.

We attended a wedding here for our friends and absolutely love the space — had I known it existed at the time we would have looked at it for our wedding!
The lofty space is beautiful and the huge deck outside was a great spot to get away from the dance floor for a breath of fresh air.
The only down side at all was the restrooms which were very limited in the space near where the dinner and reception were. We snuck around a bit and actually found some other bathrooms. Sometimes when open bar is involved, the bathrooms end up not looking (or smelling) so hot if you know what I mean!

They hosted our wedding and reception in late August ’13. I cannot say enough good things about how great it was.
Food was outstanding, even better than the tasting we had done months prior. Our guests could not stop telling us how good it was.
The staff of servers and bartenders was attentive, polite, and very friendly.
Andy and Jennifer did an amazing job making sure everything went smoothly before during and after. We had nothing to worry about on the day.
If we had to do it again, we’d do it exactly the same.
Thank you REC!

My wife and I got married at the Ravenswood Event Center on July 13, 2013. We couldn’t have asked for a better venue. As I’m sure you’ve seen from the pictures, the venue is beautiful. We held our ceremony in the atrium, and had cocktail hour and dinner in the loft, followed by dancing back up in the atrium. For a wedding with about 110 people, these rooms were perfect. The natural lighting in the atrium, which features enormous glass windows, added a special warmth to the ceremony, and was a natural fit for a dance floor. Oh, and there is an awesome outdoor deck as well. The space worked great for our urban-​rustic themed wedding.
The staff was simply awesome. We began the process with Andy, who handled the contract and the catering, and then transitioned to Aly, who coordinated our event. Both were professional, attentive, and did an awesome job executing our wedding. Here are some examples:
FOOD: Andy put together a Latin/​Asian buffet theme for dinner. It was outstanding. Dozens of guests told my wife and I that it was the best wedding food they’ve ever had. The line for seconds was nearly as long as the line for the initial meal. I’ve never eaten better at a wedding, or any large event. Apps were perfect as well, and the late night treat – milkshakes (thrown in for free) – was a great touch. The food was so good, I want to go out to eat here.
SETUP: Flawless transitions from ceremony to cocktail hour to dinner to dancing. Vendors and the REC staff set everything perfectly. Aly was a real pro, and had a great staff behind her.
RESPONSE: All questions were answered timely by Aly and Andy, they were engaged throughout the entire process. Both seemed really invested in delivering on our wedding vision. Everything came together perfectly.
BONUS: Ravenswood Event Center doesn’t insist on providing the liquor. That means that the obscene liquor markups charged by many venues simply doesn’t exist here. They do have a contact at Binny’s, provided the bartenders, and coordinated everything perfectly. A big thank you from the wallet on this one.
In short, Ravenswood Event Center is an amazing venue. We hope some of my friends check it out for their weddings so we can go back!

We got married at the Ravenswood Event Center on September 8^th and we could not have been happier with our choice. We used the atrium (ceremony and dancing) and loft space (cocktails and dinner). A few thoughts:
1. Food. The food was absolutely fantastic. We considered bringing in a caterer but after reading some of the food reviews about their on site catering service we decided otherwise. We were blown away at the tasting and the food was equally as delicious at the wedding. We have had numerous people comment how good the food was.
2. Service. Aly & Jen and all of the staff (Andy, Marco, wait staff, bartenders etc.) were amazing to work with. They were very responsive leading up to the wedding but the night of the wedding you could tell they were truely organized and professional. Everyone was bending over backwards to make sure my wife and I, and our guests, were taken care of. The staff always seemed to be smiling and it really made a difference. They really did make a huge difference on the night.
3. Venue. We were looking for an all in one venue and we liked the space immediately. It was great that we didn’t have to turn over the same room (as we used the 2^nd and 3^rd floors). The atrium looked fanastic. The sun light during the ceremony was beautiful and the up lighting and decorations made the loft dining area, the cocktail space and the decks look amazing. We didn’t really use the 1^st floor but it was an added plus for wedding photos (as was the back alley).
We would highly recommend the REC to anyone looking for a fantastic event space. Thanks for making our day so special.

I was here to attend an event of the Ravenswood Art Walk. I knew this would be a great talk about architecture, art history, and obsession about art, being that it would be given by the author of the Richard Nickel biography (
). It actually turned out to be even better than I had expected.
My photos from this event can be viewed at
First was the location: appropriately, a building built between 1910 and 1930, the period when Edgar Miller’s work flourished in Chicago, the Manz Building at 4043 N. Ravenwood Ave. (
). The entrance had been switched to the address next door. Walking to the elevator for the Billboard Factory, I passed a gallery of vintage commercial neon signs in a labyrinth of connected hallways.
The small crowd was gathered in a large open room on the third floor with double-​height ceilings and a matching wall of industrial windows looking towards the setting sun. On the far side of the room, a door led to the open air rooftop deck. The event organizers had laid out a beautiful spread of fresh fruit, cheese, crackers, wine, and other treats.
Cahan was joined in his talk by local stained glass artist, Larry Zgoda, who had been a protegé of Miller’s for a decade and was a contributor to the contents of the book (
). As the sun had set, the talk began with selected photos of Edgar Miller’s work projected behind the speakers (a similar set:
…). Attendees got a $ 10 discount on purchase of a signed copy of the sumptuous «coffee table sized» book (
).