I was toodling around my home town of Evanston recently and suddenly realized (and I’m giving away my age here) that I’ve been associated with this pleasant burg for 50 years as of this summer. I grew up here, and now I live–and often work–in the one and only Evanston, Illinois.
And I love working on weddings in Evanston. I’ve had the privilege to work on many, and I hope there will be many more. (I know I have one coming up in a few weeks, and I’m very excited!)
Because I’ve been around for a while, I know my way around this town pretty well, and I know a lot of the wedding (and party) resources available. So, I’m going to showcase some of the many people and organizations and places that can help to make any wedding special right here in my home town.
Today, I’ll talk about venues. In the weeks to come, I’ll focus on other vendors you may or may not have heard of. And, I assure you, there are many more places and people in this town that I don’t have room to showcase!
Let’s start with hotels. The grande dame of Evanston hotels is surely the Hilton Orrington. This hotel was built in the 1920s and has been updated many times. But it has never lost its vintage charm. A much more modern hotel is the Hilton Garden Inn, around the corner from the Orrington. I have not worked at the Garden Inn, but I’ve been in it, and it seems to have all the amenities you would expect from a hotel.
There are also a couple of venues that fall into the category of “vintage home or club.” The first is the venerable Woman’s Club of Evanston. Their vintage clubhouse is located very conveniently downtown and has both an impressive second-floor ballroom and some smaller rooms (equally charming) on the first floor. A little south of downtown Evanston is the Charles Gates Dawes House/Evanston History Center. While this is mainly a history museum, it is suitable for small gatherings, especially if you love well-maintained historic houses.
A view of the lovely Shakespeare Garden.
I know of two lovely gardens where wedding ceremonies are permitted. Both have the drawback of not permitting the use of either chairs or tents, but are certainly worth looking at. My personal favorite is the Shakespeare Garden on the Northwestern Campus. Another option is the Merrick Rose Garden, owned by the city.
The interior of charming Howe’s Chapel. (Photo by Peter Coombs Photography.)
Some less well known spaces include the Halim Time and Glass Museum, one of the newest venues in the city; the Evanston Art Center in north Evanston; and the Crystal Ballroom. Howe’s Chapel (very near the Shakespeare Garden and often used as a back-up location in case of inclement weather) is another little-known space.
Finally, if you’re looking for less expensive or less formal locations, the City of Evanston and its park district own and operate a number of buildings that are available for event rentals.
Historic St. Mary’s church is only one of many in downtown Evanston. (Photo by Peter Coombs Photography.)
And really, I’m just scratching the surface here. Northwestern University has some venues, although mainly they only rent to people who have an affiliation with the university. Garrett Theological Seminary has a second chapel, in addition to Howe’s Chapel, mentioned above. And there are many, many smaller spaces and public parks that are suitable for various functions. We have historic buildings and modern construction. That’s not even mentioning the plethora of churches and synagogues in town. In short, there is something for everyone. And that’s just one of the reasons why I love Evanston!
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