Prairie Production

We just had our wedding at Prairie and it was absolutely perfect! Kristin and Michael were so helpful all the way up to the wedding! We had so many compliments on the space from guests and I wouldn’t change a thing! We had about 105 total guests and I felt that was a good number for the space and being able to have a lounge area separate from the reception/​dinner space. But the space was perfect and I am so glad we had our wedding there!

We had our wedding ceremony and reception here in March, and were so glad we chose Prairie for our venue. We had about 75 guests, and had initially been worried this would be too small a group for the space — not the case at all. Michael and Kristen were great to work with and let us visit Prairie several times leading up to our wedding. It is such a beautiful space, and the day was nice enough that we got a few photos outside as well. There is a discount on the rental fee during off-​season months, which we really appreciated. Loved it and love remembering our beautiful wedding here!

We had our wedding here in early October, and could not have imagined a more perfect experience.
Michael and Kristen allowed us to tour the space at first and answered all of our questions. They were tolerant of our ignorance when it comes to event planning, and explained a lot of aspects of it we hadn’t considered.
Michael and Kristen were very clear about when we would have access to the space to set up and what its limitations were, and that helped us to plan out logistics. In the lead up to the event and during our walk through with the caterer, they were available to help us iron out late minute details.
Day-​of, the space was impeccably clean and set up. Michael was around in case anything happened, which was nice.
Things to note:
There is a small «bride’s» room where a few things may be left overnight, there’s access in the back for larger deliveries and caterer access, and plenty of bathrooms.
As a bonus, Michael and Kristen are both super interesting people and have lots of stories about the neighborhood and fascinating events they’ve had at their space.

My husband and I had our wedding ceremony and reception at Prairie Production on August 1^st, 2014. Michael and Kristin were wonderful to work with from the beginning to end of the planning process. Everything we needed from drop in appointments to decorating on the day of were taken care of by them with ease. Our guests loved the venue and it was such a unique and beautiful venue!
Thanks again to Prairie Production for making our big day so wonderful!

We were married at Prairie in June of this year. Both the ceremony and the reception, back-​to-​back. We picked Prairie because they have no preferred vendors list. Both Michael and Kristin are very hands off but very responsive. So you’re on your own with even the smallest of details which is either good or bad, depending on your perspective. Thankfully, we had a day-​of-​coordinator who came out to look at Prairie (our moms stopped by a couple times too, they’re really good about showing the space) and she was able to get in front of any unexpected surprises.
The venue is competitively priced for the size and location. It was the plain white walls which attracted us to the venue, but the lanterns, courtyard lights, up lights, drapes, and other extras quickly add up.
Parking is ample (and free) in the neighborhood. There are also spots in the back near the loading dock for the caterer, band, florist, etc.
A few caveats. The venue is almost always booked the night before, so you can’t have a rehearsal onsite (unless it’s the same day). We had a band and they were loud, this wasn’t a problem (for most folks, since they could go out to the patio), but the concrete walls make it hard to keep the sound down inside. They could also use a fresh coat of paint.
We had 110 guests at our wedding. Seating was very comfortable for the ceremony, but, we wouldn’t suggest a seated dinner larger than 100 guests. We were able to snuggly fit all but one 8-​top table inside the main room. Those guests at the overflow table ended up being outside the pipe-​and-​drape, but not too close to the bathrooms for it to be a problem.
It was a unique space, with great natural lighting for the photos. The El is just close enough that it’s slightly audible, but it didn’t disturb the ceremony. Overall, we were very happy with the venue.

My husband and I had our wedding reception at Prairie Production in May of this year, and we had a great experience working with Michael and Kristin. Any questions we had were answered very timely, and they were always flexible when we wanted to visit the space.
Our guests continue to comment on how unique the space was for our reception, and the outdoor space was a breathe of fresh air!
I’d highly recommend checking the space if you are looking for a blank canvas to make your own!

I played in a classical string ensemble for a wedding at Prairie Production recently and was really impressed with not only what a unique, beautiful space it was, but also how friendly the staff and owner were to work with. I play a lot of weddings and it was refreshing to be able to ask technical questions and be treated with grace and efficiency. I can only imagine how they treat the actual wedding party!
I highly recommend this for any event that you’re having. The clean slate and beautiful natural light lend itself to be customizable for your tastes.

I went to visit this location as I loved how the venue looked online. Beautiful venue! Terrible service. My fiancé and I met with Kristen and it was not what I expected. I work in the hospitality industry and I know that it’s not how you treat a potential client. Not sure if it was a racist thing (because it felt like it was) or she was busy earlier shoveling snow for a wedding the next day. I had emailed her asking when was a good time to stop by and visit… if it wasn’t a good time then she could of called. She showed us the place and didn’t really care we were there… more like we were an inconvenience. She then pointed to the table and stated there are some pictures if you want to take a look and just stood there staring.
Didn’t bother to ask any questions or if we wanted to proceed with the venue.
I had to reach for her hand to let her know «it was nice to meet you»
Again this is a great venue but bad customer service… I’m obviously not having my wedding there the disappointment placed a sour taste in my mouth.

I used Prairie Production as my reception venue for my wedding this past weekend, and it was absolutely magical.
I had one slight hiccup during the planning process with Michael because of my doubts regarding the number of guests we’d be able to seat (my guest count went from «max» 150 to 162 as weddings always unexpectedly do) and I had quickly turned to Unilocal to place judgement on how little space I had to work with. It seemed as though Michael didn’t fully agree with my Unilocal judgement, and I thought it was infuriating that so many guests would repeatedly say that they «would never exceed 130 people,» etc. yet he would keep insisting that it would indeed fit our final guest count.
So here’s the final Unilocal advice that I, a once bride-​to-​be, give to all of you brides who are looking into this wonderful space:
–It does fit 160 people comfortably (two inevitably didn’t show)
–The space is as beautiful and breathtaking as it is when you first walk in as it is on your actual wedding day, meaning very minimal décor goes a long way
–Your caterer should be able to map out the floor plan and give you a realistic point of reference for the guest count vs. sq footage you have to work with
–If you bring in a lot of separate vendors, as you inevitably will have to do here compared to others, PP’s flexibility with allowing you to store your leftover things an extra day becomes a life-​saving gift (Michael even gave us two extra days to go back and forth since we had a Sunday wedding)
–Michael and Kristin are reliable, accommodating, understanding, and most of all, honest when you are in doubt!
Also, as a side note– I highly recommend Real Kitchen for catering, and Grand & Western Armanetti for the alcohol. Absolutely perfect team!
Thank you, Prairie Production, for an amazing wedding that my husband, family, and friends absolutely loved! See, Michael, Unilocal reviews aren’t so bad after all ;)

We just had our wedding here and it was absolutely beautiful! We had just under a hundred guests and the space was perfect. We spent a little extra on uplighting and ceremony draping and it was totally worth it! Really, we couldn’t have picked a better venue for our wedding.
The reason why I put 4 stars instead of 5 is because every time I met with Michael, the owner of the venue, he constantly talked about other brides and events. Although, he did it in a joking way as he talked about the wedding that he just did and the bride was a «bridezilla» and the another wedding that the «decorations looked like a funeral home» ect. ect… it was slightly unsettling because what was he going to say about mine? Plus, not to be «bridezilla-​y» but what bride wants to hear about another bride while planning there own wedding. Other than that it really was an amazing place and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a cool, trendy space for their event.

If you are looking for an urban unique wedding venue no need to look any further.
My daughter called when she first saw the place thinking she was going to have to talk me into having the wedding there. I had already seen it online but thought it may be too expensive but loved it and totally both our styles! It wasn’t too expensive since you control the pricing and the vendors. Couldn’t have dream of a better place. Being an interior designer I like uniqueness. We wanted to add simple personal touches so it would read simple but sophisticated showing the bride and groom’s style and personality. Both my daughter and I did a lot of work and research but worth every second.
Prairie Production is a large photographers loft with a blank white palette, incredible light with a super wall of windows on the west side of the venue. There is outdoor space to enjoy for a ceremony or cocktails.
We had the wedding ceremony with the back drop of the windows facing the balcony and over looking the private garden. Michael couldn’t be more accommodating and his wife, Kristin was quick in responding to our emails. Michael hangs the ceiling lanterns with no additional charge. We had him put in the side curtain for the ceremony and the wedding drape which we used as the chuppah. As long as there is all that height, utilize it! The entrance has a long stainless counter which we used for place cards and other decoration. There is a long ledge in the side room which is great for votives and other goodies which adds ambience. Our buffet was along that wall.
I can say the feedback from many of our 140 guests couldn’t stop raving about the wedding, venue uniqueness, good time and happiness in the room.
It wouldn’t have been the same without Prairie Production and all the incredible vendors we ended up using.
Asrai Gardens– Elizabeth was amazing and worked within our budget
Honest Foods– Krysti was unbelievable to work with. Great food and we have eaters!
Final Say– the band that rocks and kept the party going
George Street Photographers– Lin took incredible photos
I could go on and on but the bottom line is: Michael has a 100% success rate and many Prairie babies!

This spot is so great.
A street-​level courtyard on Randolph nestled between old single-​story buildings provides a tranquil respite from the bustling city right outside and a beautiful entrance to this unique space.
The room inside is bright and open with high ceilings in the main banquet room and a wall of windows facing a secluded garden with a private veranda.
The décor is white but still has a lot of industrial elements without a lot of the clutter you might find in a junk-​yard-​type venue.
Creative uplighting and some pipe and drapes can transform this spot into one of the most elegant reception halls in the City.

We had our August 2012 wedding and reception at Prairie Production. If you’re newly engaged and considering Prairie as a wedding venue, be aware that it’s a blank slate. Wedding planning at Prairie requires design vision. Since Prairie is a photography studio, photos taken in the space are beautiful and dramatic.
I highly recommend the following vendors that frequently plan weddings at Prairie: Anthony Navarro (wedding planner), Exquisite Designs (floral, lighting, linens), and J&L Catering. Given that we flipped the space during cocktail hour, a wedding planner was absolutely necessary. We comfortably fit 125 guests in the space, but any more than that would have been tight.
Feel free to message me if you have any questions about Prairie Production as a wedding venue.

When looking for a wedding venue, we wanted something unique and not a hotel or traditional wedding venue. After researching about 20 places online, we narrowed it down to three to view in person.
We really liked the 2^nd venue we went to as well, but when we stepped into Prairie, we knew it was the place for us and we booked it before we left our visit.
Michael and Kristin were amazing to work with and always good about responding promptly to emails and calls. They have no preferred vendor list, which is great, but they do have a few companies that have had issues there, so they prefer not to have them in their space. They will give you a list of people they frequently work with if you want to know who is familiar with the space, such as caterers, etc.
We opted to have our wedding on a Friday night, which saved money on the space, as they have different price options given days of the week. Prairie also offers several «add ons», and we chose the uplighting and one of the drape options. These seemed expensive to me, but I don’t have anything to compare them too.
We had both ceremony and reception there, and hosted cocktail hr in the foyer while we swapped rooms. The whole transition worked out smoothly. We had 110 guests and everyone fit comfortably in the space and it did not feel crowded during cocktail hour.
Overall, I would recommend this place to anyone who can appreciate the unique, blank canvas of the space.

My fiancé-​now-​husband and I planned our wedding at Prairie Production long distance from Santa Barbara, CA. Michael and Kristin Roberts (the owners) were the most patient, flexible and kind people to work with. They made space available to us for last minute walk-​throughs and their email response time was super quick!
The venue is gorgeous and the natural light is perfect!
Speaking of photos… we also chose Michael as our photographer. Both my husband and I were very particular about the aesthetic we wanted to achieve. Michael was open to our ideas, even encouraged them. The day of our engagement shoot, I assumed that we would move together in front of the camera as if we had been doing shoots for years. Not the case. At all. But Michael helped us relax and move naturally.
We ended up with beautiful, beautiful engagement and wedding photos. Oh! And he gives you all the raw files instead of making you pay for each individually or selecting a package.
August 24 was a beautiful day and although I’m happy all the chaos of wedding planning is over, I’m a little bummed that I can’t keep in touch with all of our wonderful vendors, Prairie Production being very high on the list!

I had my wedding at Prairie last weekend and it was amazing! The space is beautiful and because it’s open and white you can really do almost anything for décor. We had our ceremony in the courtyard, cocktail hour in the middle room and dinner in the main room. Prairie has no preferred vendors so you can use whomever you like. they say the capacity is 200 but honestly I wouldn’t go past 150 and that’s pushing it. We comfortably had 100 people. Our guests loved the space and all the pictures turned out really well. Kristin was accommodating and prompt in responding to all emails and questions.
Though our day was wonderful and we were happy overall I can only give them 4 stars due to an incident that occurred the morning of the wedding. The venue rental is for the whole day so I paid extra to have my caterer come in at 9:00 am to set up. My issue lies in the fact that on my wedding day Michael had 8 couples come in and look at the space. 8 couples that got in the way… impeding staff, that I am paying for, from setting up. In addition to that, one prospective bride was picking up my décor to look at it and moving things around. My day of coordinator had to ask her to stop and Michael didn’t seem to understand why this was a problem. If you decide to book Prairie my recommendation would be to write in the contract that they don’t show the space the day of your wedding. Seems incredibly unprofessional to me!

OK, so where to begin… December 2010 we get engaged and decided June 2011 would be a good month to get married… my then fiancé thought. We both knew we wanted something small and unique, not the typical banquet hall.
Once the New Year was here we began looking and thought piece of cake, smaller weddings are easier to plan right? NOT!!! Many place we looked at wanted min 100 people, however our game plan was to keep it at 70 tops…
Turn to Unilocal and type in unique wedding locations in Chicago, and hello Prairie Productions!!! Thank you to all the posters who have posted pictures and your reviews. This place is a hidden gem!
I emailed and quickly received a response from Kristen, and same day we checked it out and we fell in love with the place. We were able to get our June 2011 wedding as we had wanted. Pictures do not do the place justice. We arrived just as the sun was staring to set, the main rooms gets this amazing romantic glow, perfect back drop for a wedding. We worked with Michael when we arrived and he began to show us pictures of other weddings which had been there prior, you can tell the amount of joy he has when people have their wedding there. He and his wife are such great people, you don’t get that TLC everywhere.
Michael is such a great photographer too, he offered his services for the wedding pictures and we took him up on that offer. We had a photo shoot w/​him prior to the wedding day, something I recommend everyone do beforehand. When we left our wedding Michael also gave us all our wedding photos on a disk. Now that is something I know other photographers do not do…
The space is a blank canvas which you can turn into your own vision. Our wedding will be airing on TLC Four Weddings sometime in September 2011, you can then see what an amazing place Prairie Production really is…
Big sells…
+3 indoor area’s 2 outdoor space
+unique setting
+price — you have the space all day
+email communication Excellent (busy brides will appreciate the fast response)
+plenty of FREE parking on the street
+downtown Chicago (west loop)
Some of our vendors…
Catering– Phil Stafani’s
Cake– Damato’s
Photography– Michael Roberts
Dj-​mb2 entertainment
Flowers-​KaBloom
Rev– Pastor O’Donnell
Butterflies–

Limo Bus– M&M Limousine
Good luck to those who are planning an event here, you will not be disappointed!

I went to see two other spaces before I saw Prairie. One was gorgeous but incredibly irritating with their many restrictions (like «preferred vendors» and what you could and could not do décor-​wise). The other was cheaper, but bland and cookie-​cutter. And then I walked into Prairie.
I didn’t even bring Andy to any other space, I knew as soon as he saw it he would want to book it. It is primarily a photography studio (that’s what it is used for during the week). It is urban, minimalist, pure white, with amazing outdoor spaces and a hint of an industrial feel. But that’s not the best part. The best part is that Michael and Kristin (the owners) are incredibly cool, honest and helpful about the whole process. When I asked about doing certain things, Michael did not hesitate to tell me if he thought it was a good idea, if it was worth the money, or if another couple had done something similar and whether it had worked out or not. If you are creative and a little Type-​A, you will love how you have complete control over every aspect. If renting furniture and designing a floor plan weirds you out, maybe this isnt the place for you.
The space is adequately heated in the winter (heated floors too), and air conditioning or ceiling fans for the warmer weather. They say the space can handle up to 200 people, but I would not really go over 125, as any more than that would be too crowded and would mask the beauty of the space.
This place is so awesome it makes me want to plan another wedding. OK, no. One is enough, haha.

This is a beautiful room, well cared for and on hot summer days well covered by its 4 ac systems.
Easy load in ramps through the back for vendors, and pretty decorated walk way entrance for guests.
Such a great canvas to design your special moments, and for djs or musicians, 2 tops and maybe a bottom is enough gear for the main room.(no tape allowed on the floor, so bring cable cable mats or long enough cables to run along the edges of the room, option to tape up along the ceiling is there, but just more work)
Michael and Kristin are gracious and very approachable hosts who know the business and work it well to make all things go smoothly for all involved.
I would limit your guest list to under 150 as its the space which is the star and to add anymore people in there would just ruin the flavor.
kudos

We just had our wedding at Prairie Production on NYE — I cannot say enough about how accommodating Kristin and Michael Roberts were during the entire wedding planning process. Anytime I needed to schedule a walkthrough with the vendors, they were responsive (which is a bride’s dream if you don’t have coordinator).
We could bring in our own alcohol and choose our own caterer — another big bonus since some other places had «preferred vendors» which would lock us into having to spend x amount of money. With no restrictions, we had total freedom to select who we wanted for all aspects of our wedding.
This place is perfect for those who don’t want to have a traditional banquet or hotel wedding — the space is bare which allows the bride and groom to create the look they want.
Minimalist? Just leave everything as is — the place comes with white paper lanterns hung from the ceiling which is mega tall and the exposed walls are painted white! A little more romantic? Use draping and lighting to create your ambiance! Exotic? Have a florist hang flowers from the ceiling.
Michael and Kristin had a book with pictures of the space from previous events and it really helped us see the potential in the space. They also had sample layouts of tables which helped immensely if you are committed to having your event there and need to plan the layout.
There are three distinct «sections» to Prairie — the main room (which will seat ~115−120 comfortably for dinner), the lounge area, and the entrance foyer. There are three individual bathrooms which was key for us… we didn’t want anyone waiting to use the facilities on NYE! There is also a private bridal dressing room at the space.
I was blown away with how Prairie was transformed for our wedding (we had done a brief walkthrough of the space the day before when it was sparse).
I know that I’m the type of person that has a hard time picturing the «end product» so I can imagine that couples might pass up this gem. Because you are just renting the space, the only downside is that you have to bring EVERYTHING in… if you are willing to put in a little effort (or have a coordinator do it) you can make this place your own!
Our wedding same day edit video highlights the «before and after» of the space… I am so happy with how things turned out, because my wedding looked like a «platinum wedding» which was cheaper than any hotel wedding I could have in Chicago!