Redfield Estate at the Grove in Glenview, Illinois Wedding | Venue Spotlight and Wedding Feature
We wanted to update and expand on this original blog post in 2026 to include more about Redfield Estate as a venue for weddings, as we thought that sharing our knowledge and experience with working in this venue would be helpful to couples that are searching for wedding venues in the Chicago and Chicago area.
As a Chicago area wedding coordinator and planner that has worked more than 150 weddings, we have seen a lot of wedding venues before. We know which ones are the most beautiful, sure, but we also know which ones are the smoothest for you as a couple to experience. We work in the city of Chicago, but we also help make sure weddings run smoothly in the suburbs of Illinois, and we know that Redfield Estate at The Grove in Glenview is surely one of our favorites. We wanted to give you as much information as possible about one of our favorite wedding venues in the Chicagoland suburbs to make your wedding planning journey as smooth as possible.
Photo: Megan Saul Photography
The Space
The Grove is in Glenview, IL which is about 40 minutes northwest outside of the city of Chicago. Redfield Estate is great for slightly smaller guest counts, but their capacity is up to 125 guests depending on if you can use the Pavilion (and only for cocktail-style receptions - you would have up to 120 guests for a seated reception in the Pavilion), so the guest count is lower if you are planning to use the actual home for your wedding day ceremony or reception backdrop.
The wedding venue itself is actually inside of a Nature Preserve. We love how much nature there is - the 150+ acres of the National Historic Landmark have so many beautiful places for your wedding photos which makes it incredibly easy to spend most of your day in one place. The Estate rental consists of the entire estate - a vintage craftsman-style home with dressing rooms and a fireplace, the 30’x60’ covered-stone Pavilion with a fireplace, lighting, a rustic gazebo (tucked in the forest), the large meadow space, and a large pond.
There are multiple places for your ceremony to take place onsite so you can choose your favorite among the variety they have. The most popular is likely the large oak tree right next to the estate house, but there is also a gazebo on a walking path that many of our couples have liked to utilize. You can set up the gazebo from multiple spots too if you want to mix things up a little bit! The last place that we have actually done a ceremony from is the large meadow space on the opposite side of the estate - we have that area pictured below.
One thing that’s really unique about having your wedding at Redfield Estate is actually the wildlife - we have seen deer that run through the meadow, attend the setup of the wedding, and are even nearby the Pavilion during your speeches and dinner. It’s so interesting how accustomed they are to the weddings and the people - we have been standing about 5 feet from deer on the grounds on multiple occasions!
If you also want to see the space for yourself, you can also take a virtual tour here.
Photo: Ezlan powers photo
About Redfield Estate
The Redfield Estate was originally a home for the original settler of the Grove, Dr. John Kennicott. The family had settled into the area in 1836 from New Orleans first into a log cabin, but eventually they started building what is now known as the Redfield Estate in 1856. That original house had actually burned down, but a new home was built in 1929.
The area was set to become a large development for residential units, but that got prevented by a group called Save The Grove Committee or the “Frog and Fern Ladies”. The Grove was then named in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The park district has of course made many improvements to the area and now The Grove welcomes over 200,000 visitors annually and it is now used for celebrations, business meetings, retreats, and most importantly, wedding ceremonies and receptions.
Redfield Estate has a preferred catering list that you can choose from - if you go off from that list, there is a $1,000 service fee added to your bill. We recommend trying out their list which is on their website under “preferred caterers”. If you also want to find vendors that know the space well, check out their “special event vendors” on their website too (which you’ll find Firmly Rooted Events on there as well!).
Photo: danielle rose photography
Flow
The rental time includes the setup and teardown, so it’s important to keep in mind that your ceremony will need to start a few (or at least 2) hours into the rental. The rental time also includes the time that you are allowed onsite for photos, so definitely keep that in mind while considering how many hours you might need for the wedding day.
Many couples first begin their time onsite inside the estate for dropping personal items, but often if you’re planning to do a first look and photos before the ceremony that will be outdoors. We see most couples utilize the bridge near the gazebo, the oak tree, or the meadow for this moment and for many of their photos.
Your caterer and other vendors can load in through the west parking lot to not interfere with your photos and intrude on the key areas of the space. There is a large garage that stores all of their rentals, but this is also where you would drop off your decor and alcohol so your coordinator can begin your setup as well.
You can have your ceremony at the oak tree, gazebo, or in the meadow as you please. When you finish your “I Do’s”, you will likely have your cocktail hour outside of the estate, as many people put their bar on the patio outside of the home and place tables and chairs in the surrounding area while the remaining setup concludes inside the pavilion.
Dinner and dancing will all be inside of the pavilion typically, unless you are using the house for under 100 guests. The restrooms are attached to the garage on the opposite side of the grounds, so just something to keep in mind to maybe put a sign or let your guests know early on where they should go.
When the night is over, you’ll need to dedicate the last hour of your rental for teardown to make sure that everything is clear and ready for the next day!
You can find floor plans of Redfield Estate and maps of the house and grounds by going to their website and clicking “floor plan” or “map of house & grounds” for a downloadable PDF of each to help map out your wedding day as well.
Photo: christian rasmussen photography
Amenities
There are many things included in your rental at Redfield Estate, but here are just a few of them:
Use of the home
Use of the grounds
Tables
Chairs
Staff member onsite during event
Catering kitchen for prepping
Multiple dressing or getting ready rooms
Free, ample parking
Wifi
There is a list on their website of the specific tables, chairs, and other equipment that will be included that you can find by clicking “Equipment” as well.
Photo: Danielle Rose Photography
Pricing
As of February 18, 2026, the pricing is listed on their website in a brochure under “rates”. For weekend rentals during the “peak season”, you can get between 7-9 hours depending on the day of the weekend between $2,300-4,350, with Saturdays or Sundays before a National Holiday being the most expensive and Saturdays and Sundays between 8am-3pm being the least expensive.
If you plan to have an off-season wedding between November and April or a wedding from Monday-Thursday, you can get a 7 hour rental for $1,800.
They also have ceremony-only rates that include the chairs and a 4 hour rental between $650-1,700 depending on the day of the week.
You’re required to submit a $750 refundable deposit for most rentals as well and it will be returned after the event is over.
If you want the most updated information, we recommend heading to their website and reviewing the pamphlet that gets opened when you click on “Rates”.
Photo: Megan Saul Photography
As a wedding coordinator, we see all kinds of venues, but this is one of the best park district venues that we have the pleasure of working at. You really get so many things with the venue and it’s super affordable in the grand scheme of wedding planning - even for the suburbs! We love the flow, the space, and the grounds for any couples that are looking for a wedding venue in the Chicago suburbs! If you’re interested in touring the space or learning more information, you can fill out their contact form on the bottom of their website here. You can also email them at Deborah.Rabeor@glenviewparks.org or Redfield.Assistant@glenviewparks.org or call 847-298-0095.
Need help planning or coordinating your Redfield Estate wedding?
Reach out at our contact page for more information about our day-of wedding coordination or planning to help your wedding run smoothly.
Want to see what a real wedding day looks like here?
Katy and Brent’s day was one of our favorites!
Redfield Estate Wedding Day in Glenview and Chicago, IL
This lovely spring wedding had some of the best weather and the best vibes! Katy and Brent were an absolute joy to get to know and to work with for their wedding day. The day started off in their place in Chicago and then moved to The Redfield Estate in Glenview for the ceremony and reception. The couple was able to show off their personality with multiple aspects of their day that we absolutely adored! Megan, their photographer, did a wonderful job at capturing their day and getting beautiful photos as well.
Personalization and Fun for this Redfield Estate Wedding
Something to know about Katy and Brent is that they love houseplants, photoshopping themselves in fun ways, and really just having a good time. Those cans they are holding are actually used in their “unity beer ceremony”, which was a ton of fun to witness! Their wedding had shown such love and fun all day.
We thought their invitations were a perfect way to get their guests excited for what was to come for their wedding day. It had just a hint of the retro feel but still showed off those plants that will be there for the wedding day!
Katy and Brent opted to do a first look together. We always will advocate to have a first look because the moment you have together truly is one of the most special times of the day. You could tell how excited they were to see each other and have their wedding day finally get started!
Having the first look pretty early in the day made for some AMAZING photos done in a bunch of unique locations. We really loved that they were able to be in the plants and in Chicago’s industrial areas - it even gives off a cool, dystopian vibe!
Photos in Chicago before heading to Redfield Estate
The photos in the city were amazing it’s so hard to pick! Having lots of time for the photos in the morning was KEY to having so many locations and so many beautiful shots. It also allowed for Katy and Brent to really enjoy their time together before getting the festivities started.
One More Stop for Pizza Photos before Redfield Estate
We personally loved that they took a stop for lunch at Dimo’s Pizza - there’s something about diner photos in your wedding attire that gets me so excited. It didn’t hurt that the building was a fun venue for lots of photos as well!
Wedding Party Photos Prior to the Wedding Ceremony
Katy and Brent’s wedding party was small and intimate. We absolutely loved the color palette with the dresses and the flowers. The bouquets were absolutely stunning!
The ceremony was personalized with one of their friends officiating, but they decided to add in a “beer unity” ceremony which was such a fun twist! The couple’s faces were photoshopped onto the beer cans which truly was one of my favorite details of the day.
Outdoor Wedding Ceremony at the Gazebo of Redfield Estate
The ceremony and cocktail hour was completely outdoors and the reception was under a covered pavilion. Honestly, the weather couldn’t have been better for the entire day! If you’re looking for a good time of the year to get married outside, apparently the end of May is a perfect temperature here in the Chicago area.
The space itself was absolutely beautiful as well. It definitely was a gorgeous use of their space for the entire day. Cocktail hour was nice and spread out where it didn’t feel cramped and felt truly like a family gathering.
A lot of our work as a coordinator is behind the scenes, but here is a rare photo of me! We do a lot of things without you even noticing, but we made sure to help take out the veil without messing up Katy’s hair.
One of our favorite trends for guestbooks is having a voicemail guestbook like this! During cocktail hour and throughout the evening, guests can leave a message that you can cherish forever. It’s especially nice because you don’t just see their names or photos but you can actually hear their voices.
Redfield Estate Wedding Reception
The reception setup was definitely one of my favorites to date - as fellow plant enthusiasts, we LOVED that they used houseplants for their centerpieces and as a main focal point for the fireplace. The ones on the tables doubled as favors for the guests to take home too! Although many of them were already claimed by Katy, haha!
Grand entrances usually are great for getting the crowd going, but Katy and Brent entering to “Space Jam” definitely got us pretty hyped too!
We had stations for dinner, but we couldn’t get over how creative the “chopped tinis” were! Having your salad in a martini glass was definitely a unique presentation from Catered by Design!
We loved that the cake also had those beautiful flowers from the florist too. The flowers actually came separately, and we put them on the cake for the couple! We definitely are there for you when you need anything like this - the little tuxedo napkin from Catered by Design was such a cute touch too!
After dinner, Katy and Brent took some GORGEOUS sunset photos and let her emo side show with the denim jacket she had made.
And it was just about time for the photo booth to be set up! The photo booth was a huge hit for everyone for the night - we saw people there all night!
We couldn’t help but smile for their first dance to an acoustic version of “First Date” by Blink 182. You definitely could see the “emo” side but with a romantic twist!
The night was absolutely one to remember. Everything about the wedding was beautiful!!
A Great Night with Great Photos for a Wedding at Redfield Estate
If we had one takeaway, we would say that the first look truly was essential for getting as many photos in so many locations. We also think that the glasses Katy had made for some of the cutest pictures we’ve ever seen!
Overall, this is one of the most personalized, fun weddings! We loved how every detail felt thought through and really exemplified Katy and Brent’s personality. There are definitely ways to bring your personality into your wedding and make it unique without making it cringey and it was a perfect example of that for the entire day! Working with Katy and Brent was truly a lovely time and we are so glad we were able to help make sure this day was wonderful!
If you would like us to help plan your wedding, go ahead and contact us here. We would love to help you have a wedding that truly fits your personality!
If you’re looking for other stunning Chicagoland suburb wedding venues, our coordinators share the Best Unique Wedding Venues in Chicagoland!
Venue: The Grove at Redfield Estate@thegroveredfieldestate
Photo: Megan Saul Photography@megansaulphotography
Video: Better Half Weddings@jenn_heard
Coordination: Firmly Rooted Events@firmlyrootedevents
Hair/Makeup: The Bridal Beauty Team@bridalartistryteam
Catering: Catered by Design@cateredbydesign
Alcohol: Schaefer’s@schaeferswines
Bakery: Bent Fork Bakery@bentforkbakery
Plant Centerpieces/Favors: Catalina Plant Co.@catalinaplantco
Plant Fireplace Rentals: Chicago Plants@chicago_plants
Accommodations: Courtyard by Marriott Glenview
