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Weddings

Pricing information

Reception
$4,500 starting price
Bar service
$10 per person
Reception
$4,500 starting price
Bar service
$10 per person

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Attributes highlighted by couples

Unique aesthetic style
Guests comfort
Quality catering
Amenities

About

School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a wedding venue in Chicago, Illinois. This classic and historic banquet hall has a beautiful grand staircase, impressive 26-foot ceilings and amazing marble columns that radiate elegance like a scene from The Great Gatsby. The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a great space for a variety of events. Your guests are sure to be impressed.

Facilities and Capacity
School of the Art Institute of Chicago can accommodate events with up to 500 guests. The banquet hall features a terrazzo dance floor, professional kitchen, stage, two permanent bars and stunning, baroque opera-style balconies.

Services Offered
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago has a bridal suite available. They offer event rentals, event planning services, lighting and sound, and catering services for a variety of events.

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have a site fee for wedding receptions at your venue?

Yes

What is the starting site fee for wedding receptions during peak season?

$4,500

What is the starting site fee for wedding receptions during off-peak season?

$4,500

Do you have a site fee for wedding ceremonies at your venue?

Yes

Which of the following are included in starting site fee?

Bridal Suite
Chairs
Clean Up
Lighting/Sound
Set Up
Tables

Which of the following are included in the cost of wedding catering?

Cake Cutting
Server(s)

What is the starting price per person for bar service?

$10

Which of the following are included in the starting price for bar service?

House Liquor
House Wine
Open Bar

How many event spaces or rooms does your venue offer?

1

Describe your venue:

Banquet Hall
Historic Building

What kind of settings are available?

Indoor

Which of the following wedding events does your venue service?

Ceremony
Reception
Engagement Party

What event services do you offer?

Event Planner
Event Rentals
Get Ready Rooms

What event items are available?

Audio Equipment
Chairs
Dance Floor
Lighting
Tables

What food and beverage items are available?

Barware
China
Flatware
Glassware
Linens

What transportation and access is available?

Parking
Shuttle
Valet
Wheelchair Access

What months are included in your peak season?

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

What months are included in your off-peak season?

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
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Any other questions?

Message vendor
4.7 out of 5 rating
7 Reviews
  • Quality of service
    4.9 out of 5 rating
  • Average response time
    4.9 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    4.8 out of 5 rating
  • Value
    4.6 out of 5 rating
  • Flexibility
    4.4 out of 5 rating
85% Recommended by couples
A
Amannda Sent on 07/21/2019
5 out of 5 rating

SAIC reception

Just had our reception at the SAIC ballroom 7/13/19 and everything was absolutely perfect. From the beginning of the planning process a year ago, Dana has been super helpful and available with all the questions/modifications we needed. No to mention, SAIC is a gorgeous historic venue with TONS of space. I felt that FFT was more than just a catering company, at our specific venue, Dana and Malik took special care to organize the table arrangements/seating charts/decorations as we wanted. Everything flowed smoothly, from the cocktail hour to seated dinner, everyone was RAVING about the food! We also got late night food which was such a good idea, and delicious! The bar options were awesome too, and they give you tons of options to customize however you want. We even had a personal waiter who made sure my husband and I ate our dinner and served us drinks (which was AMAZING). We were allowed to keep all of our decorations in a secured office room and picked up everything a few days later without an issue. I truly enjoyed everything about our wedding at SAIC and didn’t want it to end! Thank you guys so much!
C
Cheryl Sent on 09/08/2015
5 out of 5 rating
We were so fortunate to have found this space; it is truly stunning and we loved that we were able to hold the cocktail hour in the balcony while they flipped the room for dinner. The exclusive caterer for this venue is Food For Thought and we were SO happy with them. They provided more than the "standard" wedding fare and our on-site contact (Lisa) was great to work with. She was very patient with all my questions and provided the detail that every bride needs! The day of the ceremony, she coordinated all the vendors and made sure things ran smoothly. One area where Lisa/FFT went above and beyond was the day of our tasting. We arrived to a personalized countdown clock with a picture of our venue. They described every dish in detail, showed us how it would be plated the day of the wedding and were happy to take our suggestions into account. The also let us try a few specialty cocktails (including champagne with different bitters), which we were able to incorporate into our cocktail hour/dinner. Lisa knew I was really nervous about the wine selection and went out of her way to be sure I found something I was comfortable with. We could not more highly recommend SAIC/FFT!
B
Brooke Sent on 01/27/2018
4.9 out of 5 rating
We were ecstatic when we found the ballroom at SAIC for our wedding reception, it was the perfect setting for our classic Chicago/1920's themed wedding. The venue is located in the loop, which was ideal for out of town guests, allowing them to sight see the previous and following day. Due to our smaller wedding guest count (75), the venue and exclusive catering through Food for Thought, was surprisingly cheaper (and so much more impressive) than almost every other venue in Chicago. Dana was the coordinator for both the venue and catering which made the whole process streamlined when only have to work with 1 person for almost everything. She was amazing throughout the whole planning process with promptly responding to questions and requests. She was very organized and did an amazing job of setting up our decor, making our vision come to life and surprised us with extra little details. The exclusive caterer, Food for Thought did a fantastic job from our tasting to the end of our reception. They were very open to customization of the menu to fit our desire and all of the food was cooked fresh, in-house which tasted great. We received multiple compliments from wedding guests on how attentive and wonderful the waiters/waitresses/bartenders were. They also had a waitress specifically catering to us (the bride and groom) which made sure everything was perfect for us. The only slight downside was the price of the catering, but it is understandable since everything is more expensive in the city. Overall, we were very satisfied and our guests were very impressed!
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School of the Art Institute of Chicago frequently asked questions

School of the Art Institute of Chicago includes the following items and services for wedding events in its starting site fee:
  • Bridal Suite
  • Chairs
  • Clean Up
  • Lighting/Sound
  • Set Up
  • Tables
School of the Art Institute of Chicago includes the following items and services in its wedding catering costs:
  • Cake Cutting
  • Server(s)
The bar service starting price at School of the Art Institute of Chicago includes:
  • House Liquor
  • House Wine
  • Open Bar
The space offered by School of the Art Institute of Chicago for wedding events is known for:
  • Banquet Hall
  • Historic Building
School of the Art Institute of Chicago offers the following indoor/outdoor options for weddings:
  • Indoor
School of the Art Institute of Chicago offers the following types of wedding events:
  • Ceremony
  • Reception
  • Engagement Party
School of the Art Institute of Chicago offers the following services for wedding events:
  • Event Planner
  • Event Rentals
  • Get Ready Rooms
School of the Art Institute of Chicago offers the following furniture and decor items for weddings:
  • Audio Equipment
  • Chairs
  • Dance Floor
  • Lighting
  • Tables
School of the Art Institute of Chicago is recommended by 94% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 4.7 out of 5 with the following breakdown: 4.9 in quality of service, 4.9 in average response time, 4.8 in professionalism, 4.6 in value and 4.4 in flexibility.

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