When I started looking for venues to get married, I was adamant that Olive Palace Banquets was NOT…read morewhere I would be getting married. But fate and God had other plans. I met Shafi Bhai and was super skeptical of everything going the way I wanted. But him and his staff were wonderful and my wedding was a dream. Not only did it feel like a fairytale to me but to my guests as well. The hospitality was beyond amazing, and the FOOD!!!! Almost a year later EVERYONE STILL talks about how GOOD the food was!!! All in all, what I was fully expecting to be a 2/10 experience was in reality a 12/10 experience and I wouldn't change it for anything. Thank you to Shafi Bhai and the amazing team I had behind me to make it all come to life!

We recently had our wedding in May 2025, and we are so glad we chose to hold our event here! I'm…read morenot from the Chicago area, but my now-wife is. We're Arab (Jordanian and Palestinian), and this hall was truly a hidden gem. We had a long list of needs: a venue that could accommodate a large number of guests, offer halal food, provide two separate halls if needed, be centrally located, and still be reasonably priced. This banquet hall checked every single box. From the moment you walk in, you can tell this place is special. It underwent a $1.5 million renovation in 2024, and it really shows. The grand chandelier in the center adds an elegant touch, the bathrooms are clean and beautifully designed, and there are bridal suites upstairs available to use before the event. They even offer complimentary centerpieces and wedding card boxes, which is a thoughtful bonus if you're trying to keep decor simple or on budget. The food--absolutely delicious. We're not used to banquet hall food being memorable, but the chefs here genuinely exceeded our expectations. We had a tasting before the big day and ended up choosing the sun-dried tomato chicken as our main dish--it was a hit. The garlic potato soup was another favorite; our guests are still talking about it. The chai, which was included in the package at no extra cost, was also a crowd-pleaser. A special shoutout to Shafee, who supported us through every step of the planning process. Wedding planning can be stressful, but sitting down with him always brought us a sense of calm. He genuinely went out of his way to make sure our wedding was perfect, and we're so grateful for his attention to detail and kindness. The hall is located very close to Chicago O'Hare Airport, which made it super convenient for our out-of-town guests. Whether you're from the south suburbs (like Bridgeview) or the north suburbs (like Skokie), definitely take a moment to check this place out before finalizing your banquet hall for your wedding or event. You won't regret it!

Michelle is a master planner, full of ideas. During this time of uncertainty due to Covid-19, she…read moredoesn't just create, she builds relationships in order to deliver a product that you're both proud of. I found these gift boxes circulating on social media, and they were so perfect to send my mom for her birthday and Mother's Day. My mom loved her box and was so happy with the personalized details! I 10/10 recommend these gift boxes for birthdays, graduations, holidays, and any other occasion really.

I'm not sure "great" adequately describes my experience with NORA events. Because of Omicron we…read morehad to quickly transition a reception from live to virtual. I was determined to create some sort of "at home" reception for the guests of honor, two colleagues who deserved a real party. Another event-planning colleague recommended NORA events. I contacted Michelle, explained the situation, and she instantly went into creation mode. She asked for details about each person, made suggestions, and quickly produced an initial proposal that was close to perfect. After one or two more discussions it was perfect, and the boxes were customized to the specific needs/preferences of each recipient: cheese, charcuterie, personalized Champagne bottles, chocolate - already ingredients for perfection, right? But Michelle didn't stop there. I sent customized gift enclosure cards (with logos etc.) at her suggestion, and she found two unique boxes to wrap everything up in. (It's worth noting that both recipients were men, and both were really impressed with the presentation as well as the box contents.) The day of the event I received an email with sneak preview photos. I was blown away. Within minutes of the first delivery I heard from the first recipient who was equally so; and later that evening the other recipient sent me a note, paraphrased as follows: "...We enjoyed a small post-event reception later in the evening... with the wonderful chocolates, cheeses, and Champagne. Thanks so much for finding a way to make the remoteness of this event more personal and meaningful." Beyond the gift boxes themselves, what impressed me most was the short timeframe in which they were accomplished (14 days!); and that Michelle gave as much personal and thoughtful attention to a small order as she would to a large one. She really wanted to get every detail right, and she succeeded. We'll definitely use NORA events again, and I'll be sharing information with other event planning colleagues. Highly recommended!

Danielle was a fantastic officiant. We planned our wedding from Sweden and she made it easy and…read morepainless. Its quite hard to plan from abroad, and through emails and skype, we felt comfortable having her as our officiant on our wedding day. She was flexible and understanding of how hectic our last week was, and we are so happy she was part of our beautiful day. Choose her! Guests won't be bored of listening to her speak like at a lot of ceremonies, and she will help you feel the magic of your day even more :)

Danielle performed our wedding ceremony this past June and we could not have been more pleased! in…read moreaddition to preparing a beautiful, highly personalized service, she also orchestrated the entire ceremony and ensured that everything went off without a hitch. Her words were spot on - she really understood what this meant to both of us. Danielle is the ultimate package - she has the required organizational skills, the ability to speak clearly and confidently in front of an audience and, most importantly (for us at least), the ability to use language to tell a beautiful story.

Vista and her team at Blooming Flowers truly made our wedding dreams come true. Vista deeply…read moreunderstood my vision, and brought it to life. Between our church pew pieces to huge chandelier detail and everything in between, Blooming Flowers was absolutely incredible. If you want the highest quality service with a family feel, Vista and Blooming Flowers are meant for you!

WOW! What a case! Quality and selection! Don't waste your money on flowers that don't last (Jewel,…read moreetc!). Stop in today.

They may do good food but they are horrific neighbors. They dump rotting food and dirty mop…read morebuckets into the alley to drain into the sewer from their back garage. This is illegal in the city of Chicago and many of the neighbors have filed complaints with the city because of this. This attracts rats and the smell is awful on warm days. Hopefully the city shuts this place down.

D'absolute was the caterer for our wedding, and I cannot recommend them enough. They went far above…read moreand beyond what I had expected from a caterer--providing advice and help with day of scheduling, even helping to set out some of our decorations. They are a truly professional company that excels at what they do. They anticipated our needs in a truly impressive way, and I could not have asked for more! Beyond logistics, the food was phenomenal. They have a really broad and diverse menu of choices, and we were able to serve our guests a meal that really reflected what we enjoy. We did not go the traditional steak, chicken, or fish route, but rather had a veggie centered family-style meal. We got a ton of compliments from our guests on the food afterwards. It was a super hot day, and our venue was partially outside, so I was extra happy to be serving a light meal.

Beth Bernstein did a phenomenal job planning our wedding on 9/29/12. She introduced us to vendors…read morethat matched our personal style and took care of every last detail. She is the utmost professional, running a tight ship with both style and grace. Most importantly she is someone you can trust! I would work with her again on an event in a heart beat.

I've seen it said in other reviews and it almost feels cliche to say, but hiring Beth of SQN Events…read morereally was one of the best decisions we made during our planning process. I'll try to be specific so that this review isn't too redundant of all the other raves! We had booked a lot of our major vendors for our December wedding but by mid-summer reached the point where we were about to sign contracts for a lot of money for things we didn't understand - I didn't know how to tell if a floral proposal was reasonable for my expectations or what good ways to compromise were. I didn't know how to feel about draping, and I felt like I had lost control of our budget, so we decided we could really use the help of a planner and wanted advice that went beyond day-of coordination. Beth stood out to us among other planners we interviewed because we could tell she would be willing to take charge and handle tough situations while truly being our advocate and helping us bring our vision to life. We talked to a few planners who seemed a little too low key and one who was going to be way too much. Beth struck the perfect balance of supportive and assertive for us. (and sure enough, she was able to grab the drink out of an unruly groomsman's hand before walking down the aisle and be an incredibly positive support through the entire process) Every one of the vendors that Beth set us up with was awesome, including some last minute plans when our original plans fell through, like our rehearsal dinner location closing a couple weeks before the wedding or a major element of the ceremony that my brother was making not getting done. the best part though? I left my phone at the hotel on my wedding day. I didn't worry about timing for anything because I knew Beth had it under control and I was able to be totally present. Seriously, this lady is awesome :)

I love the place. Very fancy and so many food selections for the brunch! Great service!read more

$75 per person. I mean, the most expensive thing on the menu was shrimp and prime rib. I understand…read moreit's Easter, but the 18% service fee they're charging + 12% tax. I think that's a little excessive.i found less expensive in Barrington and had crab legs for 58.95 I don't understand other then profits

I've been to two different events here at the Ritz. The venue itself is beautiful, food is good,…read more but SOME staff need to learn basic customer service and manners. The first event I attended a server was upset that there were so many guests (some dressed in ball gowns) that she started complaining that she can't do her job. OUT LOUD while serving guests their food. The second event I've attended, our server who is very sweet, simply forgot four plates for the main course at our table. We waited very patiently but she was busy. We waived one server, she said that they will make their way around. We waited more and our server didn't come back with the plates. I'd like to mention that all the food for the main course was on the table. I just stood by the door to only ask for plates since we've been waiting. The first server brushed me off and didn't let me finish my sentence and said "ask your waitress okay?" , another guest at my table asked a different server and she went to the kitchen just to come back empty handed to look at the table that's missing plates when it's clear that they're missing. I told her we're missing four plates and she's says "I KNOW", used a calm down gesture and shook her head at me. They took so long with plates that one of the guests at the table just ended up using the saucer plate to start eating. As I said earlier, SOME staff need improvement. I wish the servers had name tags.

I attended a fundraising event for The Harbour at Chateau Ritz in Niles. Nestled among the strip…read moremalls and chain restaurants, the Chateau Ritz sits back off the street and has a lot of parking. The theme of the evening was a casino night. The decor of Chateau Ritz is glam, over the top, a little outdated, but totally appropriate for a fundraising event. The room was spacious with plenty of space for the tables, auction tables, casino tables, stage, etc. The hot hors d'oeuvres were served hot, basic but good tasting, there was an attractive array of desserts, staff was efficient in clearing plates, replenishing the buffet and helping with AV needs. The bartenders were great. The bathrooms were clean, and stocked. The guests were having a great time and the setting of Chateau Ritz helped to enhance that. We did notice when we arrived for the event that there were a few people hanging around the parking lot (not guests). When we left for the evening, a person was walking through the lot, talking to people (talking to himself?) and moving between the cars.