It’s getting to be that time of year again.
And as winter approaches, so too does the winter wedding season and the hunt for winter wedding venues in Chicago.
The good news is that there are actually a lot of options.
But of course, the bad news is also that there are a lot of options.
So, we’ve decided to do you a solid and list a few of our favorites here.
Full disclosure, we’re one of them, and we’ll pitch our own venue first.
However, even if you don’t choose Seven Bridges, you can’t go wrong with any of the other options on this list either. ❄️
That’s us.
We’re technically in Woodridge, but that’s a suburb of Chicago.
And the fact that we’re only 45 minutes from the airport makes Seven Bridges very convenient if you have guests flying in from out of town.
In addition to that, another factor that contributes to making us one of the best winter wedding venues in Chicago is the fact that we’re close enough to all the action without being directly in it.
In other words, from here, you can easily go all the way to downtown Chicago, but you don’t necessarily have to stay in downtown Chicago.
Enjoy being in the city without dealing with all the craziness of the city 24 hours a day.
Also, did we mention that we’re on a golf course?
Yep, we’ve got one of the prettiest patches of landscaped paradise in the whole Chicago area, and if you didn’t know already, golf courses like ours make for ideal wedding venues. 🙂
With their lovely, manicured natural surroundings and stone accents, The Farmhouse at Plainfield really deserves to be on this list as well.
Originally built in the late 1800s, the Farmhouse resembles something that you might expect to see in Germany or France.
And indeed, that’s by design.
In addition to being home to one of the last remaining stone barns in the whole state, the rest of the structures on the property all make you feel like you’re on a movie set.
We’re not saying that Godfather II was filmed at the Farmhouse because, as far as we’re aware, it wasn’t…
But it could have worked if they had.
This is another one closer to where we are, on the west side of Chicagoland.
And its opulent white exterior makes it one of the most desirable winter wedding venues in Chicago.
This place oozes class, and they really lean into the whole white thing with their color scheme and decor.
So, if you, too, would like to have a proper white winter wedding, then the Crawford is worthy of consideration.
It’s a solid venue at any time of year, but just because of its aesthetic, we feel compelled to give it special mention on this list.
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We love history.
Like, really, we love it.
We count ourselves as blessed to live in a region that has so much of it.
And not far from where we’re located sits the historic Naper Settlement—a veritable living time capsule.
With a gorgeous pre-modern church and other historic buildings, as well as the charming square itself, this is the spot if you want your wedding to have that more traditional vibe.
You know, that kind of vibe that you can only really get in places that are over a hundred years old and can double as museums and national heritage sites.
This is another historic venue, but it was built a little more recently than the Naper Settlement, though not too recently.
While weddings have been hosted there since 1990, the actual mansion was built in 1847, before the Civil War.
It’s a legitimate national treasure, and it’s breathtaking in its own right, with its luxurious columns and classic facade.
If you want to have that fairytale air about your wedding, this would be a good place to get it.
And to make things even more enticing, their modern climate-controlled Pavilion comfortably accommodates up to 270 guests and has a built-in bar.
They also offer food and beverage packages to go along with your reservation.
Picture this, but in winter. ☃️
It’s always nice to be near the water.
After all, beachfront and lakeside properties are typically more expensive for a reason.
But there is something about winter that makes the experience even more magical.
And to make things even more dreamlike, Riverside’s stone front-facing facade makes it feel like it’s from another time in the best way possible.
You might have noticed by now that we have a thing for historic local venues, and this is another one of them that’s worth checking out during your search.
What to Look for in a Winter Wedding Venue
A good venue for a winter wedding has to handle a few things a summer venue can get away with ignoring.
As you tour options, keep an eye out for:
- An indoor ceremony option you’d actually be happy with. Snow photos are great. Standing in the snow for a 25-minute ceremony is less great. You want a warm backup space that still looks the part.
- Real heating and a coat check. Ask each venue how the room feels on a 10-degree evening, and where 120 coats are going to go.
- Short, sheltered walks between spaces. Getting from the ceremony to cocktail hour shouldn’t mean crossing an icy parking lot in heels.
- Big windows and early light. The sun sets around 4:30 in a Chicago January, so your golden-hour photos happen during cocktail hour. A room with a lot of glass saves the day.
- Off-season pricing. A lot of venues, ours included, price winter dates below peak summer Saturdays. It’s one of the real perks of a winter wedding.
What About a January or February Wedding?
Underrated. Genuinely.
The deep-winter months are the easiest time of year to book. Venues have more open Saturdays, the photographer and band you actually want are more likely to be free, and the pricing tends to be the friendliest you’ll see all year.
If you can be a little flexible on the date, a winter wedding is one of the simplest ways to make a budget go further. We walk through the rest of the timeline in our guide to planning a wedding in Chicagoland.
Winter Wedding Venue FAQs
Is winter a good time to get married near Chicago?
Yes — as long as you plan around the weather instead of pretending it isn’t there. Winter gets you lower pricing, better venue and vendor availability, and a cozy, candlelit atmosphere that’s hard to pull off in July. The tradeoffs are early sunsets and the chance of travel-day snow, and a good venue helps you manage both.
Are winter wedding venues cheaper?
Usually. Most Chicago-area venues treat roughly December through March as off-season and price those dates below peak summer and fall Saturdays. How much you save depends on the venue, so ask each one what a winter date does to the quote. If you book an all-inclusive venue, the winter rate usually applies to the whole per-person package, not just the room.
Can you still have an outdoor ceremony in winter?
You can, and a quick outdoor “first look” or a few photos in the snow can be gorgeous. For the ceremony itself, most couples move it indoors and pick a room with big windows — you keep the winter backdrop without asking your guests to sit in the cold.
How far ahead should you book a winter wedding?
Nine to twelve months is usually comfortable for a winter date, versus the 12 to 18 months couples often need for a peak-season Saturday. On a shorter timeline, winter is where you’re most likely to still find a great venue open.
Your Cup Runeth Over
As we said at the beginning of this article, you’ve got a pretty wide variety of options when it comes to winter wedding venues in Chicago.
The difficulty isn’t in finding those options but rather in narrowing them down and finally choosing one.
Sadly, you can’t get married at all of them, since if you’re doing things right, you’re not going to be getting married a bunch of times.
But whichever venue you choose, especially if it’s one of the ones on this list, you’re bound to have a wonderful time.
And if you do end up reserving with one of these fine venues, let them know we sent you.
We’d obviously love for you to book with us, but we also like to support other local venues when we can. 😉
