Le Meridien Chicago - Oakbrook Center

Le Meridien was the perfect venue for my and my now-husband's wedding on May 27. The hotel's modern decor, clean lines, comfortable patio, and intimate ballroom with floor-to-ceiling windows made for exactly the type of venue we wanted. The equally-modern rooms and upscale location added to our guests' great experience. The food at our tasting was exquisite in both taste and presentation. The staff met our special requests, such as offering craft beer, including a wedding challah, accommodating diet restrictions, and setting up the patio for our ceremony during our rehearsal, not just on the day-of. They also went beyond our expectations during set-up on the big day - my groom expected to have to set up our personal items like chair signs, escort tiles, place cards, etc. - but the staff took care of it all. They cleaned everything up afterward and returned it to us in the same condition when we checked out the next day. I was at ease leading up to and on the wedding day. Our vendors also commented on how easy the facility and staff were to work with. I do have some complaints about our experience. Between the contract signing and the wedding day, communication was poor at times - we were not informed that they hired a new event manager until we tried to contact the one we signed with and couldn't reach her. We also weren't informed when the person in charge of taking our deposits was out on leave, so we were left wondering why our deposit didn't go through as scheduled. I will say though, when I reached out with questions in the months leading up to the wedding, they were completely and promptly answered. Further, several of our guests said that some food was under-salted and some was over-salted - I think it tasted better during our tasting! Lastly, we were told that the hotel's policy was not to package leftover food to take home with us, which I thought was very strange considering there's a restaurant in the hotel that allows diners to take leftovers home. I accepted that unfinished food would be thrown away, but we had two no-show guests and two guests who left before entrees were served, so I think we should have gotten those meals packaged for us. So, there were specific things that bothered us throughout our wedding experience, but they may not bother other couples. Despite these small issues, I would absolutely recommend Le Meridien for couples who are looking for a sleek, modern, intimate wedding.

My husband and I are happy we chose Le Méridien Chicago Oakbrook Center for our wedding reception. Although we got married at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Chicago, the drive to Oak Brook on a gorgeous spring Saturday, was well worth it. Angela Rauen was absolutely wonderful to work with! She quickly responded to my questions and was there to guide me and help me, as the wedding day quickly approached. Angela alleviated my concerns. This is huge for a bride. I didn't stress when it came to my reception. Angela helped me pull off a surprise for my then fiancé and wedding guests. My family and wedding entourage were impressed by the prompt response to requests. Not only was Angela there with you, there is also a dedicated guest manager to help YOU, with anything on your wedding weekend. Thank you Frank Giametta, our personal Guest Services Manager. For lack of better words, you are treated like royalty. Our wedding guests loved the whole experience! The food was delicious! I had picky eaters come up to me to tell me the food, especially the steak, was tender and juicy. The lobster bisque had real chunks of lobster. They couldn't get enough of the appetizers. They told me that the food served is some of the best they've eaten. Let's face it, we've attended weddings that left you hungry or unimpressed by the food. They're either overcooked, underseasoned or it's the same old boring food. That's not the case with Le Méridien. I could go on, but I'd probably run out of space. We have nothing but great things to say about our whole experience with Le Méridien.

We were the third reception and first ceremony for this brand new hotel. I will start off by saying that the day of the wedding was beautiful and the wedding coordinator did a great job setting up our flowers for the ceremony space and putting together our placecard table. The food was absolutely to-die-for and the banquet manager was extremely professional. The appetizers for our cocktail hour were nothing short of amazing. We had an open bar before and after dinner and we were able to choose a signature drink. My only complaint for the day-of the reception was that the wine during dinner came extremely late (about an hour into dinner, after the second course) and it appears that most guests did not get refills. The planning process was difficult as this is a brand new hotel and it was not open for the majority of my planning time. The hotel was originally supposed to open in April, but due to the bad winter it did not open until late July. The wedding planner I was working with was changed in June. I had to send out invitations without knowing what my meal options would be, nor did I have room block information for my guests. It created extra work for me because I had to then contact my guests with information as it became available. Some of the menu was not completed. I had inquired about vegan options at the beginning of June, and I did not find out until 12 days before the wedding what my "vegan" options would be (only 1 of 5 were vegan). I then had to pay for a rush delivery on my menus. I should add that they list the "cost per person" for their wedding package, but then there is also a 23% service charge that gets added to that so be sure to factor that in when budgeting. The difficulties continued after the wedding as my credit card was charged the full cost of the wedding and I never got a receipt. It took 6 days to get a receipt from the hotel. I was supposed to get SPG points for my room block, which I am still waiting for 2.5 weeks after the wedding, and it turns out the wedding coordinator that I worked with no longer works there. I want to go back and mention again that the day of the wedding was beautiful, the food was great, and the banquet manager Edgar is amazing! I would recommend this venue to any bride that is looking for a modern, unique venue with a big focus on food. It might be a bumpy planning process, however.