Ovation Chicago 2324 West Fulton Street • Chicago • IL 60612

Ovation Chicago in West Town packs a lot into the rental rate, and taxes are already included. You get DJ services by Style Matters and a full sound system, a Steinway Model B grand piano, a 1959 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud for your getaway, custom graphic design, a 110-inch video wall and 200-inch HD projector, a vintage photo booth and a private wedding party suite. Tables, 200 Tolix chairs, lounge furniture, a game room, coat check, security, an event liaison and a 20-car gated lot are included too. You'll pay separately for your caterer, your alcohol and the décor on your dining tables.

Yes, your guests never have to leave Ovation Chicago. A retractable track and drape splits the industrial loft into a ceremony and dining side and a cocktail and dancing side, so you can marry and celebrate in one place with up to 200 seated. Everything is indoors and on the ground floor, since Ovation has no outdoor space. Right after the ceremony, many couples take a spin in the venue's 1959 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud.

Yes, Ovation Chicago has an open catering list, so you can hire any licensed and insured caterer, and there's no preferred list to stick to. It's also BYO alcohol: you can order a drink package from Prestige or Grand & Western Liquors, which take back unopened bottles. Whoever serves, usually your caterer, needs a liquor license and dram shop insurance that meets Chicago's rules. A Style Matters DJ is included, but bands are welcome, and you can bring your own décor as long as you set it up and take it down.

At Ovation Chicago in West Town, the rental rate runs $5,000–12,000, with all state and federal taxes included and no hidden fees. From January through March, it's $11,000 on Saturdays, $7,000 on Fridays and $5,000 on Sundays. From April through December, it's $12,000 on Saturdays, $10,000 on Fridays and $8,000 on Sundays. New Year's Eve and the Sundays of Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends are billed at the Saturday rate, and weekday rates are available Monday through Thursday. Because Ovation is BYO, your caterer and the alcohol you buy are your other big costs, while the DJ, photo booth, video wall and furniture are already covered.

You can get into Ovation Chicago at noon on your wedding day and host for up to seven hours, though six hours is what Ovation recommends and what most Chicago weddings run. Weekday events, Monday through Friday, start at 6pm or later. If no one else is booked the night before, you can come in the day before to set up or hold a short rehearsal for $250 per hour.

Ovation Chicago hosts just one event a day, so the whole industrial loft, a converted foundry in West Town, is yours. It's also completely BYO: bring any licensed caterer and your own alcohol. Then there's what's built into the rental rate: a Style Matters DJ, a Steinway Model B grand piano, a 1959 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud for your getaway, a 110-inch video wall, a vintage photo booth and custom graphic design for your welcome sign, seating chart and programs. Taxes are included, and Ovation says there are no hidden fees.

Yes, Ovation Chicago tours are by appointment. Monday through Thursday from 4pm to 10pm works best, and Saturday and Sunday from 11:30am to 3:30pm also work. If you love a date, you can ask for a 14-day courtesy hold on one open date by email, starting the day you visit. While you're there, ask to see the mezzanine suite, the gated 20-car lot and how the track and drape splits the room.

A 50% deposit holds your date at Ovation Chicago, and the remaining balance is due about a month before your wedding. Your rental rate, $5,000–12,000 depending on the day and season, already includes state and federal taxes. Before you commit, you can place a 14-day courtesy hold on one open date, and if another couple asks for that date after two weeks, you'll get 48 hours to decide.