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February 2024 by Sarah Nader
As a wedding photographer, Independence Grove holds a special place in my heart. Its natural beauty, highlighted by the tranquil lake, provides a stunning backdrop for capturing unforgettable moments. Working here is a breeze thanks to the professional and accommodating staff who go above and beyond to ensure a seamless experience. Whether it's the picturesque outdoor ceremony spaces or the elegant reception hall, Independence Grove offers endless opportunities for creating timeless photographs. I wholeheartedly recommend it to couples seeking a breathtaking and unforgettable wedding venue.
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October 2023 by Lisa Korach
The experience of working with Michael’s Catering was awesome. We had the best event coordinator and the food was outstanding.
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October 2023 by Kim Helfer
I have nothing but the most amazing things to say about Events at Independence Grove and Catering by Michael's! This venue is absolutely beautiful and made for the perfect wedding ceremony and reception. Our coordinator, Tiffany, was super helpful and was a big part in making sure our wedding day went smoothly and according to plan. All of our guests would not stop talking about how incredible the venue was and how great the food, dessert, and late night food was! I am so happy we picked this for our wedding!
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July 2023 by Len Weinstein
We had an outstanding experience at my son and daughter-in-law‘s wedding at Independence Grove in Libertyville, Illinois. Beth, our coordinator did an outstanding job of coordinating the event including the food and most of the wedding circuses. We felt that the serving staff, bartenders, event security and of course the beautiful facility exceeded our expectations. I would give my highest recommendation to the facility and the team.
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July 2023 by Marcin Szewczyk
Food was great! Venue was more beautiful than we imagined! Plenty of amazing photo opportunities! Would highly recommend to anyone looking to stray away from the traditional banquet hall wedding!!
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July 2023 by Bryan Schaeffer
We worked with Beth for our wedding here and it was absolutely perfect. Beth was so helpful planning everything with us and helped make every request and idea we had a dream come true reality. This is a popular wedding venue and lots of people have had their weddings here but Beth really helped us make our wedding our own and unique to us. The food was amazing, words can't do it justice. Chicago has some of the best restaurants in the world and the food from catering by Michael's here is easily up there with the best. I really can't stress how good the food was and they were willing to completely customize anything and everything for us. Then there's the beauty of the venue itself, stunning. Audubon hall and the gardens and the lake make this venue a dream. The hall has a lovely natural but refined feel that is in keeping with the gardens but feels modern. If you like the look of this venue for your wedding you're going to be blown away by the experience they help you create.
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May 2023 by Brendon McGehee
Picking a wedding venue is a huge step in the planning process and after touring Events at Independence Grove the decision was quite easy. The grounds of the venue and Audubon Hall are absolutely beautiful. The sun shining off the lake and the well-kept natural grounds made the outdoor areas truly exquisite. Audubon Hall had large windows overlooking the lake and grounds making for a great view during your Ceremony if it is held inside. We cannot speak highly enough of our event coordinator Beth Jacoby. She made the planning process extremely easy assisting with timelines, giving advice where needed, and helping to send reminders for deadlines. Beth and the entire staff assisted with every little detail during the big day and ensured everything went smoothly. The staff was friendly, helpful, and extremely knowledgeable. The food was beyond delicious and all of our guests couldn’t stop talking about it. We have absolutely no regrets after picking this venue and were extremely satisfied.
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March 2023 by Lori Jorbin
I can’t even begin to tell everyone how wonderful Tiffany and her staff are at Independence Grove. Tiffany went out of her way to make sure even the smallest details were attended to and was extremely responsive always! Michael’s catering is absolutely seamless. Friends and family are still raving about the food stations, appetizers, and desserts weeks later. I would recommend this location with five stars. They turned our daughters celebration into pure perfection from start to finish! I can’t thank them ALL enough!
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February 2023 by morgan jacobs
We could not be more thrilled with the staff at Events at Independence Grove. From start to finish, they help you outline your special day, and are so accommodating to any request. We worked with Tiffany, who we cannot rave about enough. She was there for us every step of the way, answering our questions and working with our vendors without a second thought. During the wedding, our guests could not say enough positive compliments to the event staff working. They were able to accommodate our wedding of about 250 people without batting a lash. We would recommend Events at Independence Grove to anyone looking to book their wedding here.
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January 2023 by Annie
We are so, so happy that we decided to have our wedding at Independence Grove this past October. We can't say enough good things about them! They were super easy to work with, Beth is really great at what she does. Everything went very smoothly the day of, truly I do not have anything that I would change. The staff there were so attentive to our guests, and they were able to navigate allergies and food preferences perfectly. Independence Grove is of course beautiful, and a great place to take pictures. We loved the golf cart ride that allowed us to take pictures in different locations at the preserve!All of those are great reasons to book a venue. But most of all, we want to emphasize - the food was AMAZING. Like, better than a restaurant experience. There were so many choices and we had such a lovely time at the tasting trying everything. Tons of choices for all different dietary choices. The appetizers were awesome, and from guest feedback, there was plenty and no issues with everyone getting to try everything during cocktail hour. The dinner was so, so delicious. Probably one of the top comments we heard from guests was how good the steak was, with some saying it was the best steak they ever had! Everything was super high quality and we were really impressed overall.
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December 2022 by Katie Berry
Words cannot describe how happy we are that we had our wedding at Independence Grove. From the second we toured the venue, we knew we needed to get married there. The venue is stunning on its own, but the details such as adding the votive candles, lighting the fireplaces, etc., makes it the perfect place to get married.Our event coordinator, Beth, was AMAZING. She was very professional and went above and beyond for us. She emailed answers promptly and made sure everything went smoothly. She remembered every detail. I was able to relax and remain calm throughout the whole wedding process because I knew I could trust Beth with it all. I am so grateful for everything Beth did for our big day.Our guests cannot stop talking about the food. Catering by Michaels was outstanding!! The food was perfection. The service was also amazing. During the cocktail hour, there were servers everywhere offering the appetizers and they ensured that everyone (Even the people in the way back) were offered the delicious appetizers. I cannot stress how amazing their food was.My husband and I are so happy that we had our wedding at Independence Grove. It was the wedding of our dreams. I highly recommend it to everyone.
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November 2022 by Katie Kovalcik
Words cannot describe how happy we are that we had our wedding at Independence Grove. From the second we toured the venue, we knew we needed to get married there. The venue is stunning on its own, but the details such as adding the votive candles, lighting the fireplaces, etc., makes it the perfect place to get married.Our event coordinator, Beth, was AMAZING. She was very professional and went above and beyond for us. She emailed answers promptly and made sure everything went smoothly. She remembered every detail. I was able to relax and remain calm throughout the whole wedding process because I knew I could trust Beth with it all. I am so grateful for everything Beth did for our big day.Our guests cannot stop talking about the food. Catering by Michaels was outstanding!! The food was perfection. The service was also amazing. During the cocktail hour, there were servers everywhere offering the appetizers and they ensured that everyone (Even the people in the way back) were offered the delicious appetizers. I cannot stress how amazing their food was.My husband and I are so happy that we had our wedding at Independence Grove. It was the wedding of our dreams. I highly recommend it to everyone.
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October 2022 by Thomas Eukovich
The venue is absolutely fantastic! We had a fall wedding and if your looking for a place for photos then you can do IT ALL here! Ceremony, Cocktail Hour, Reception absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking! We did our ceremony in the Native Garden (wow) and the reception in the Audubon Hall (double wow). The food is also amazing, so many options all so good! From appetizers, to entrée, to dessert to late night snack you will be completely satisfied with all the food options! Management. I wasn't going to mention this part and give it 5 stars but this is why I went down to four stars and have to be honest. Our on-site coordinator (who was fabulous) got sick and notified us 2 days before the wedding that she would not be able to coordinate our event and that she would be replaced by another on-site coordinator (0% her fault). So someone we planned our wedding with for 10 months now replaced by someone who now has less than 48 hours to get 10 months worth of plans stuck in their brain turned out to be very stressful. As couples we are held to such a high standard and expectations when it comes to executing our contract. And if one of us were to get sick to the point where we couldn't attend the wedding we would have to pay a heavy cost for that. The cost this venue had to pay was just simply replace a staff member with another staff member and to me that is simply just not fair. A small refund or any token of remorse for this having to happen wasn't even offered and that just sat with me the wrong way.
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August 2022 by Joe Parisi
My wife and I chose Independence Grove and Catering by Michael's for our wedding reception. We could not have been more pleased or happy with the decision. Tiffany Otis made the entire experience simple, comfortable, and then the day of the event was spectacular. The entire staff went above and beyond to put on the best experience we could have asked for. They also recommend great vendors from music, photo/video, flowers, and cake. Truly experts in the space. I think they earned 5 additional weddings in the future based on our guests enjoying it as well. Highly recommend!
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June 2022 by Darlene Barszcz
Attended a beutiful wedding reception at Independence Grove. Catering by Michaels from Morton Grove, Illinois. Everything was perfect. All the appetizers were fresh and hot, served by the best staff. And then the dinner. wow. FANTASTIC...... I would recommend contacting them if you are looking to host an event.