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West Loop Studio
Rating Details »
Categories: Venues & Event Spaces, Photographers [Edit]
Neighborhoods: West Loop, Near West Side17 N Elizabeth St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 733-5762
19 reviews for West Loop Studio
Came here for a friend's wedding.
Fantastic space. Fantastic staff. Fun. Fun. Fun.
Comment from jamie k. of
West Loop Studio
9/17/2009
Thanks Wes! It was great meeting you and all your friends,…
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This review is based on the event space as well as the photography...
Photography: Unexciting. Boring. Yawn. I just reviewed the photos taken of the wedding, reception as well as their "portrait studio" and think the bride could have saved money and just went to pose in a Wal Mart studio. Yes, the photo quality was horrible and the poses the photographer chose were ridiculous. As a client, I would hope that the photographer would position the model/subject in such a way to be flattering and direct them if they were out of pose. Based on my portrait photography session, I was completely blown away by the unprofessionalism and rudeness the male photographer displayed. I told him the poses and direction I wanted from my portraits and he completely ignored me. I'm a little chubby thus know which angle to pose to avoid fat rolls, double chins and a piggy nose. Eventually he told he me would not take my photos anymore and took some serious JC Penny family catalog shots of my mate and that were blurry and bad lighting. Seriously, I could have done better with my $150 camera from Costco. As I said, it weren't just my photos that were horrendous. After viewing the candid photos of the bride, she is going to flip into Bridezilla. Even the action shots from the reception and ceremony had bad lighting, blurred and overall wrong angles. A good photographer should be able to fix these things and shoot accordingly.
As for the venue, it was nice. The set up is big narrow and this shouldn't be your choice if you want a sit down reception. When I went, there were only about 7 tables to sit at. Most of the time it was standing room only. Also, the temperature isn't controlled well, the kitchen area isn't blocked up so servers constantly knocked the food down from running into people, and the studio itself is located on the 3rd floor thus you must walk up (no elevator/not ADA compliant) which made it tough for some of the elderly to arrive. Also, there is only one toilet and no private parking lot. Accordingly, our car was broken into on the side street.
Some pluses are:
Unique set up. Can be decorated nicely.
Not sure if they did the catering, but the food was great.
They utilize the space efficiently.
This studio is like a cubic ziconia. It's not really a diamond but it tries to be.
Comment from jamie k. of
West Loop Studio
11/16/2009
Thanks for your feedback. A few things to clear up, we're…
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My husband and I recently had our wedding reception at West Loop Studio and the night was everything we wanted and more. The space is so cool because it is large and open and you can decorate it any way you want. It is on the third floor, but there is an elevator for anyone who might have trouble with stairs.
The coolest part of our reception was the portrait studio, which was open all throughout the night for our guests to have beautiful, fun pictures taken, complete with props and wacky hats, if so desired. The candid photos of the reception were also amazing - they captured everyone having fun. Steve and Jamie (the photographers) are the perfect photographers for you if you're looking for flattering, fun, unstuffy photos. Definitely not your run-of-the-mill wedding photos.
Another great bonus of the WLS is that you can use any florist, caterer, band, etc. you want and Jamie will help you coordinate the whole thing. You also don't even have to use them for the photography, but you'd definitely be missing out on some fabulous photos and the fun in the portrait studio if you don't.
Our chidren celebrated their marriage at West Loop a few weeks ago and we could not be more pleased. We planned the event in less than 6 months and we live 8 hrs. away. Jamie and Steve were always available to answer questions/e-mail. Our guests called the evening "magical", "unique", "warm and beautiful"!!! We loved the fact that we had the choice of caterer, florist and entertainment.
We thought the photographers captured the essence of the evening, the joy and happiness is evident in candid after candid. The event came off without a hitch, we trusted Jamie and Steve and they delivered.
Our daughter and son-in-law were thrilled with their reception and we cannot wait to see the "Book of Photo Fun" they put together, with Jamie's help, of course!!
Went there for a wedding reception. Really pretty studio. Layout is perfect for this type of event. Wish there was an elevator (given high heels and alcohol consumed). Otherwise it was perfectly charming and prettily decorated. They even had contacts for photographers and caterers.
Comment from jamie k. of
West Loop Studio
11/12/2009
Hello Ayanna, Thank you for your review, glad you enjoyed…
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Not only do I love the space, but I love working at West Loop. Jamie makes it so easy for us, as caterers, that I can only imagine how easy she makes it for brides (or other people planning events:)).
What do you get for your money at West Loop?
No hidden fees (some venues charge the caterer a fee for working there which, of course, gets passed on to the client; WLS lets you leave your rentals there overnight which can save literally hundreds of dollars)
A great partner with resources galore (Jamie)
A beautiful, open space that you can customize to be as simple or elaborate as you want
Great photographs (if you get them, which you should)
Super cool, trendy space. Great location, and easy enough to park here.
I was here for a bridal event and thoroughly enjoyed the venue. I'd definitely host a party here. The great part is that the space is versatile and could be used for anything from weddings to book club meetings.
I want to live here.
No, really...I do. It's everything I love about space. Hardwood floors, exposed brick, and floor to ceiling windows that allow the sun to flitter in with ease. Beautifully minimalist...white walls, open space, high ceilings. It's just...sigh...the perfect place.
It's absolutely the best venue I can think of for a smallish cocktail party/reception/wedding/event...well managed, tastefully decorated, well equipped (check out their list of vendors), with fine attention to the smallest of details. They are currently acquiring mid-century furniture and it will be available for events...excellent touch. The West Loop location is unbeatable, though it's on a quiet side street just off of Madison...
The owner is also a fantastic photographer, and there is a little studio set up right in the space (not intrusive). There is a green room of sorts as well (great for brides, etc), and a bar/food area available for caterers to serve guests.
What better place to throw a party than my dream home? I can't think of anywhere else...
I went along as a guest to a friend of a friend's wedding. I don't know who was running the place that evening but the service was lacksidasical at best. The space looks wonderful and is very unique but unfortunately what I remember most from that night is the terrible start of the night, getting lost on the way there and trying to call the space getting no answer, and then the service.
Comment from jamie k. of
West Loop Studio
11/13/2009
Hi Rebecca, thanks for your review. I'm sorry about your…
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my husband and i had our wedding and reception at west loop studio on new year's eve 2007-8, and it was spectacular!
the space easily lent itself to a modern party/elegant dinner, making a smooth transition from ceremony set-up to a cocktail hour in what seemed like seconds. we had a sit-down buffet with 110 people and it never felt cramped. the loft ceiling, giant windows and cool white decor looked perfect with our black, white and silver color scheme and amazingly, the open layout kept things very intimate while allowing the crowd to never feel "crowded."
onto the dance floor! the sound quality was surprisingly great, even with all of that space. there's no reverb, the music travels clear and the dance floor was packed all night (btw, awesome dj dustin drase of toast and jam...their music collection is a dream.)
and then there is jamie! the studio manager. a jack of all trades, she was a great help from the moment we began to plan, recommending a caterer that fit perfect with what we wanted (the hearty boys, yum!) she's got a great relationship with all kinds of vendors and was ready with advice on pretty much any wedding-related conundrum. during the wedding and reception, she kept things running smoothly and shielded us from potentially distracting situations; which is what you need at your wedding if you're really going to enjoy it.
plus she takes beeeautiful photos.
this is the place to go if you want a stylish, intimate event that exudes down-to-earth coolness. big ups.
Planning an event (wedding, rehearsal dinner, corporate party) and looking for a different type of venue? This is it! I've been dying to check out this venue for oh so long, but with the 20+ weddings/events I go to each year I"ve never been to West Loop Studio.
I FINALLY made it to West Loop Studio on Friday night for Je Taime, produced by Mane Events. And West Loop Studio was even more beautiful than it is on the web site (if that's possible). The lofty studio is unique, intimate, and the type of atmosphere that you can really do anything with (when it comes to the decor) to turn it into your dream wedding/event destination! And Steve (the owner) and fellow yelper Jamie K (the studio manager) are dolls and I imagine would be fabulous to work with.
Steve is also a very talented photographer. He took our photo, which I posted in my Yelp profile pics and made my fiance and I look great (even though I was getting my famous drunk eyes after a few too many glasses of champagne).
So I know you're just dying to book your next event at West Loop Studio. Well, hurry up because I imagine this fabulous venue fills up quickly. Fees (which seem to be reasonable) and other info is posted on their web site if you'd like to check it out...and don't forget to invite me to the par-tay!
"check out the big brain on brad..."
...if you want to learn something about me, when you see me quoting pulp fiction, its a sure sign something is hot, messy and sticking in my mind to the point of meshing with other hot and messy thoughts in my brain.
west loop studio is damn smart.
simple. functional. casual yet sophisticated.
a hot beat with just a kick and a hi hat
a guacamole recipe to die for with just 3 ingredients
a beautiful "picture of you and I engaged in a kiss..."
..and now out comes the prince;p
seriously...smart.
if you're not too brain blessed then fake it and find yourself here for whatever event where you need to look good without the sweat and smell of desperation.
...and scene!
A great alternative venue for a party or wedding reception. I was a guest to a wedding here in 2003. I can confirm that they throw an excellent wing-dinger of a party. The staff was on-point all night and everyone had a great time.
It's a great space.
My husband and I recently got married at West Loop, in February. We had the time of our lives and definitely ended up with the wedding we really wanted. In addition to the West Loop staff being extremely helpful, they also allowed us to create the space we wanted - it felt very personal, down to the last detail. This doesn't even begin to describe how amazing the pictures are! We are thrilled with them! We chose West Loop because we loved the space, but also because they had wedding pics that looked totally unique and unlike anything we'd seen. They definitely delivered for us on that and we are very happy with the end product. I would recommend West Loop Studio to anyone I know who is getting married or just looking to have some great pictures taken. They are great!
An awesome space that fit us perfect for our wedding here a couple of weeks ago.
It's unique, looks great, and has plenty of space for an average sized wedding (100 guests).
Yelper Jamie K. is the studio manager and she was great at coordinating things with all of our different vendors.
WLS is the venue owned by Ewert Photography, and they have a photo package that works perfect with the venue. Jamie is also the photographer and took some awesome shots of the party, and the owner Steve did some great portraits.
Highly recommended... we loved having our wedding here and would recommend it to everyone!
I too, am a friend of the studio manager's, but that aside... I still think this is one of the best wedding spaces I have been to.
I have attended two weddings at West Loop, and both events were totally different: one was more of a cocktail party with heavy appetizers, and the other had a formal sit-down dinner; One was just a reception, where the other had a large wedding service prior to the reception; one had a formal photo package with a staging area, the other just candid photographers wandering the room throughout the night.
Besides the accommodating nature of the space, the one thing that really impressed me was the food at both events. The "planner" has the freedom to choose a caterer from a list of approved vendors. Both weddings had two different caterers, but the food was remarkable both times. It seems that West Loop Studios' approved catering list is well thought out and polished (I have eaten at other events here as well).
My more formal experiences here may have been at two totally different weddings, but both were *magical* memorable evenings.
Ok..... So I'm the studio manager's friend. But I'm also really in tune to details and appreciate things that are out of the norm. I'm telling you, if you want a creative space to host a wedding, meeting or shower--you should definitely check out West Loop Studios. Every time I go there I feel so comfortable--and the space can be transformed so easily and so dramatically!
What a great space.
I am an owner of a catering company in Chicago and we have done several events at the West Loop Studio. It is one of the more comfertble venues in the city and the photographers are the best. I highly reccomend checking them out for your next event.
I am in the midst of wedding planning and was really excited about West Loop Studio as a potential space. Unfortunately, after emailing them multiple times through their website and never getting an answer, I gave up and booked another location. I have no clue why they never responded, it seems out of character based on their other reviews, but this was just my experience.
