On first glance, the timeless elegant ballroom took our breath away. We were looking for a venue that was intimate, warm and inviting. The Crystal Ballroom delivered on all fronts. We had both our wedding ceremony and reception at the Ballroom. Meredith and all of the staff members were wonderful; no small detail was over-looked. Planning and communication leading up to our day was timely and efficient. The Ballroom is perfectly situated in downtown Evanston; close to bars, restaurants, shops, etc.. Our guests had to simply walk across the street to the hotel at the end of the evening. Day-of, we utilized the two bridal suites to take our time getting ready on-site. It was so great to have hair and make-up come to us. Stress free prep! Meredith had our fridge stocked with our favorite drinks and plenty of goodies. The ballroom itself is spectacular, we did not feel the need to decorate much beyond flowers. Cocktail hour took place in the stylish lobby & foyer.,... Read more with two bars. Returning to the Ballroom for dinner and our reception---it was breathtaking! And, the food! So so good. Above and beyond the standard wedding fare. Our guests all really enjoyed their meals. Overall, we received so many compliments on everything :) We truly cannot say enough good things about the Crystal Ballroom and our wedding. We would 100% recommend!

The catering manager Christine exceeded our expectations. Very friendly and showed she loved her job. We all felt very close to her like family. The only reason why we did not choose this venue is because we wanted an outdoor option as well and I have to say it was hard to make the decision because I would not be working with her!

What an amazing venue. Liz and her team were terrific to work with--very responsive and accommodating to all of our requests. The venue is absolutely beautiful with a fantastic location. Pair this with the Hyatt House across the street and your guests will love you. The food was legitimately delicious. We also had our ceremony here, and the transition from ceremony to cocktail hour to reception was handled perfectly. Highly highly recommend this venue!

Our wedding was at the Crystal Ballroom on 9/24/17 and we have to say this venue is BEYOND THE BEST! We initially found the ballroom over a year in advance of the wedding and were working with Matthew. While communication with Matthew wasn't the best we loved the venue so much we decided we would sign a contract. Eventually Matthew left and Liz took over which was probably the best thing to happen because Liz was/is a rockstar. Her communication was excellent and she was very easy to work with. There were a few changes that took place (chair rental price, no more use of game room), but in the end it did not matter because everything else could not have been more perfect. The food was excellent, the staff was attentive, and Liz bent over backwards for us. This venue will always have a special place in our hearts and we could not be more pleased with the outcome. Thank you Liz and Crystal Ballroom!

5 STARS! We just had our wedding here over Labor Day weekend. It was perfect in every way. The venue is incredibly beautiful and the entire team at the Crystal Ballroom was wonderful. Liz and Linda helped us plan our event and the entire staff put it together. Even though we got a bit off the original time schedule, the guests never knew because the staff worked seamlessly to adjust and keep all the elements in place. Thank you Crystal Ballroom for giving us the best day of our lives!!

Liz Crompton is the new wedding manager of the Crystal Ballroom. She made the whole wedding planning experience easy, fun, joyful,and she was a pleasure to work with. If we had a request she took care of it and always got back to us with our questions. She always had a smile on her face. She helped us make plan our ceremony, reception, and rehearsal dinner. Chef Tony made outstanding food as well as gluten free and vegan requests for multiple people. Everyone raved about our food and the beautiful venue. The pastry chef made a gorgeous flourless chocolate cake at our rehearsal dinner. Alberto was also wonderful during our reception. Thanks to the wonderful cooperation of the staff for our best day ever!! We will be recommending this venue to everyone we know!

We had our wedding reception at the Crystal Ballroom in April! When we saw the Crystal Ballroom on our tour we immediately fell in love. It is a gorgeous room and the staff is so accommodating. We knew it was the perfect place for our wedding! The food and service is impeccable! We had a great time at our tasting session and received many compliments about the food from our guests :) And Liz is just perfection! She is so easy to work with and thinks of every single detail. She went above and beyond for us and I couldn't be more thankful for all her help. Thank you for everything, Liz!

Ben and I had our wedding over the weekend on August 8th 2015 at The Crystal Ballroom and Amy, Alberto, Oscar and Matt had worked with us for nearly a year now to help us create the perfect event for our wedding. Amy, Alberto, Oscar and Matt especially (on his first week on the job), knew instinctively how to set up the room to maximize the room space, efficiently time our reception from start to finish, craft a delicious dinner menu and create an enticing space to dance. I know this is something that many people don’t even think about. But remember, the ceremony may last 90 minutes; the speeches 30 minutes; even dinner 60 minutes; but in the end, it’s the overall experience that we had that created those most talked about memories. Matt’s careful attention to detail and the staff constantly checking in on us says a lot about their attentiveness and wanting to put their best foot forward to make us happy. Thank you for helping us consummate the wedding of our dreams. The H... Read moreeimers

Although we did not end up choosing the Crystal Ballroom and Lounge due to sizing, we loved the venue. Chelsea, our point of contact, was wonderful and came in on her day off to give us a tour of the ballroom and the amenities. She went over each and every detail and even had our party greeted with champagne! The ballroom is a gorgeous indoor space in Evanston, and I would highly recommend working with Chelsea as an expert in wedding planning!

The second we walked in the ballroom, we knew it had to be our venue. In addition, our wedding planner, Liz, made everything a piece of cake. She told us she wanted to make the entire process as fun and easy as possible, and she certainly delivers on that process. She was available whenever, the entire time, to answer any little question that arose throughout the process. Plus, she was just fun to be around. That's not to mention anything about the ballroom itself: it is absolutely stunning and the array of things you can do to customize it and make it your own is incredible. They make everything incredibly easy, their staff was very professional and respectful, and the food and cake were absolutely outstanding. Many people commented on the quality of the various foods. At our tasting, it was sincerely difficult to narrow down the various amazing options into 3 offerings for our guests. You absolutely cannot go wrong at the Crystal Ballroom. They have two spaces: one for the cock... Read moretail hour and one for the actual reception. I like that they do this because when the doors are open the guests get to see the actual ballroom for the first time and have a memorable "wow" moment. That's not to say the cocktail space isn't incredible, it is, but the ballroom is something straight out of a movie. Thank you for helping make our wedding day perfect.

Our wedding reception at the Crystal Ballroom was beautiful, well-run & came together perfectly. While we did have a little bump in the road with staff changing in the final months before our wedding day, in the end, we couldn't have dreamed up a more perfect night. Most of our planning in the year prior to our wedding was done through Matthew, who is no longer with the ballroom. In finding out that he had left, I will admit there was intense fear, panic, and even anger. It was an unfortunate & difficult situation, which may not have been communicated about in the best manner. However, from our very first interaction with Liz, the new ballroom manager, we were put at ease with her professionalism, confidence and knowledge of the event industry-including having been involved with many events at the Crystal Ballroom prior to working there. She was calm in discussing all of our panicked concerns. It became known to us quickly, that our event was a priority, including making sure the ... Read moretransition meant no detail was missed. From the staff running the bar, to the servers and the chef, everyone ensures the night is of 5 star quality. The food choices are wonderful. It was important to us to not have typical "wedding" food, and we were very pleased with what was offered to us. After having our tasting, it came up multiple times how we were most excited 1) about being married and 2) to eat the food at our reception! The Ballroom itself is beautiful, we often talked about how it didn't matter what decor we brought in because it was breathtaking on its own. The neutral tones and mirrors allow for a variety of color palettes to be brought in and highlighted to truly match any taste. I would highly recommend the Crystal Ballroom. It is beautiful and there is nothing even close to comparable on the North Side of Chicago. It is because of the Crystal Ballroom that we could have our dream wedding reception!

As beautiful as this venue is, I highly recommend NOT choosing this as your event space. As a Bride, the planning with the Crystal Ballroom event staff became an unorganized nightmare. Please see details below. -We signed the event agreement: October 2015 -Wedding date: September 24, 2016 -Our event coordinator resigned at the end of July 2016 and the Crystal Ballroom failed to inform my husband and I until September 6, 2016 -Our emails throughout part of July, August and beginning of September went completely unanswered -The new hire contacted us via email on September 6 (she informed us that she had zero experience working with weddings) -The venue misplaced all of our wedding plans and details which resulted in a last minute meeting on September 8th to re-plan our wedding vision. At the end of this meeting, the new hire, Liz, informed us that she was taking a vacation day on the day of our wedding and the FOOD and BEVERAGE manager would now be overseeing our wedding -The re... Read morehearsal was unorganized and seemed as if there was no one leading it -An hour before the ceremony, I, the Bride was humiliated as I had to beg Liz to set up the ceremony décor as originally planned. -The head table was missing 2 chairs and place settings -The Maid of Honor was never served a salad -The guests with celiac disease had to request gf bread -The pastry chef had no idea that 16 cakes were being delivered that morning -During the wedding reception, the coordinators approached the Bride and Groom at the head table asking questions regarding how to cut the cake and who to serve it to -The event coordinator left the venue with the keys that unlocked the closet where the DJ's equipment was stored, causing him to have to return the next day. -The event staff used our personal decoration boxes as garbage cans. We had to empty food chunks, beer bottles and garbage out of our personal belongings. Such a shame, as this really was a beautiful venue.