Twenty Six Chicago

nning views, indoor-outdoor space, amazing food from LM Catering, incredibly hard-working staff, perfect flow, and most importantly, a truly special and memorable “feel”. So much of Twenty Six’s success is due to the incredible work ethic and elegant eye of Paulette Eastman, their Director of Catering, and her staff. Paulette’s title doesn’t begin to explain everything that Paulette is: She is a true pro in every sense of the word. Diplomat. Sorceress. Shrink. Tastemaker. Visionary. We loved her from the very first time we met her and want to be friends with her for life! Paulette worked tirelessly to make us happy every step of the process, communicated clearly, made great suggestions and was just a true delight to work with. No matter how many emails or questions we sent her, she always responded graciously and decisively. Paulette, if you are reading this, THANK YOU FOR making one of the most important days in our life absolutely perfect. It could not have gone better! The venue itself is gorgeous. The city views speak for themselves, the art deco furniture is stunning, the sprawling bar is a true “moment”, and the fact that you can customize the furniture configuration makes it so versatile. We wanted an intimate, non-cookie-cutter layout and cocktail wedding experience, and Twenty Six delivered in spades. The ceremony was outside on the beautiful terrace, followed by a cocktail reception with passed hors d’oeuvres, charcuterie, and a roaming magician performing sleight of hand. Dinner was cocktail-style, with delicious food stations that included comfort foods like loaded hot dogs, tacos, Lou Malnati’s pizza, and one of the tastiest salads you will ever enjoy. The desserts buffet was next-level, and we complimented it with our own candy bar. The DJ-style dancing was so much fun, and Twenty Six allowed us to bring in late night bites from White Castle—the groom’s favorite! Everyone and I mean everyone raved about how good the food was. You will not be disappointed by the caliber and quality. The staff was amazing. Everyone worked SO HARD and they were so polite and gracious. Twenty Six is connected to the Eurostar Magnificent Mile hotel, and the hotel staff was equally amazing in accommodating our every wish. First, their Group Reservation Manager, Laia Cañas, was wonderful to work with as well. She was so helping in reserving rooms, confirming guest reservations and coordinating delivery of welcome bags. She also upgraded us to a beautiful suite for the weekend, which we so appreciated for getting ready. We also want to give a special shout out to the hotel’s Security Manager, LaToris Jordan, and his incredible staff for making us feel so special and cared for. They very generously allowed us to conveniently store all of our wedding décor items and boxes in their 5th floor conference room the day before the wedding. Jermell Brown and his valet staff were also so helpful, hard-working and friendly. There wasn’t one weak link in the entire experience, and we so appreciated all of the hard work to make our day so effortlessly enjoyable. I feel like we got in early on a secret gem that won’t be so secret anymore once the word is out that Twenty Six is the perfect venue to have an intimate, one-of-a-kind wedding with your closest family and friends. So many of our guests texted us the next day that it was the “funnest” and “most magical” wedding they have every attended. Thank you so much to Twenty Six for making it happen.