“Everyone says “Something will go wrong on your wedding day.” They don’t know the magic of the Morris Estate. It’s impossible to describe how perfect our wedding day was, not only for me and my husband, but also our wedding party and our families. Everyone involved got to spend the long weekend relaxing, having fun, and celebrating at this beautiful property without any worry of getting assigned random tasks or cleanup duties— the Morris Estate staff was ON IT every step of the way. At the helm was Ryan Bergstrom, our coordinator, who made the incredibly complicated task of planning a wedding feel easy. As an artist, I wanted every element to be unique and intentional, and was quite frankly worried that the Estate wouldn’t be amenable to a more avant-garde event. I approached them with the idea of hanging a large tapestry painting in the chapel and they got right to work with how they could make that happen. There were no requests that went unheard, and it was clear Ryan was a fantastic collaborator and coordinator in all aspects of planning. Plus, anything or anyone that you need, they have a great recommendation on deck— we found this to be true when seeking an officiant for our ceremony as well as a florist. Trudi and Cherry Road Homestead knocked the florals out of the park. The actual wedding ceremony couldn’t have gone more smoothly, with a comprehensive rehearsal in the chapel and the changing rooms in the basement, everyone was able to get ready on time and relax leading up to the ceremony. With about 100 people in it, the chapel felt intimate but gave guests plenty of room to breathe. It was a short, beautiful ceremony that was tailored exactly to our needs as a couple. Yet another fabulous aspect of working with the Morris Estate was the ease of transition throughout events. Cocktails were in guests’ hands before I could even finish bustling my dress. We never felt rushed, yet everything managed to happen on time. Ryan did a great job taking the time beforehand to meet any vendors not directly from the Estate, so everyone knew exactly what they needed to do their part. The reception was unbelievable. I’ve planned other events, designed movie sets and installation art, and was truly blown away by what they accomplished. It was so exciting to see all of the love and hard work that went into making our vision come to life and see the excitement on guests’ faces when they walked into the tent. It was colorful, magical and totally surreal. Now, to talk about the food. With the estate catering both the rehearsal dinner and reception we got to try just about everything on the menu. We were very pleasantly surprised at our tasting before the wedding. The Estate Manager Nate, Chef Tom and their team had tons of options for us that were as beautiful as they were delicious. Arguably, the most difficult part of working with the Morris Estate was having to pick just a few of the options for our customized menu because they were all. so. good. Our guests had so many kind words about how fun and joyous the entire evening was, and instead of worrying who was going to help clean up at the end of the night, the Morris Estate had it fully covered. Everything was organized back into boxes for us to take home the next morning. I’m sure I’m forgetting so many other wonderful things that the staff did for us, but we will forever be grateful for such an incredible long weekend full of love and celebration. TLDR: Everything was perfect.”

“Great hotel and venue to work with! All event planners are efficient in delivering what brides want. Highly recommend IHotel&Illinois Conference Center!”