Wedding Cocktail Reception Harpist, Renaissance Blackstone Hotel, Chicago

Set up in the wide hallway one floor up from the ballroom.
The space extended an equal amount in the opposite direction.

I was delighted to be back at the Blackstone Hotel!  I hadn't been here for quite some time, and it was wonderful to see the terrific job that the Renaissance Hotel group is doing with the property.  The hotel was built in 1910 and is just a gem.  Luxurious, quirky, big enough, but not too big.  The hotel went through a number of owners over it's history and hit some hard times.  It was bought, renovated, and really just shines now.  Although it is an older hotel, many of the decorative touches are distinctly modern, so you never feel like you are in a dusty old relic!

I played in a space on the 4th floor that was essentially a wide hallway that ran the length of the hotel.  With two bars set up at either end, and wonderful lighting, it really held together nicely as a party space. Additionally, they opened up two of the small meeting rooms off the hallway, and guest could move between the areas as they mingled.

This was one of the smaller meeting rooms that they were able to open
up to accommodate the large group.  There were even more available!

I played cocktail music as the guests ate and drank, and then the captain came through with the dinner chimes (kind of like a tiny little hand held xylophone) signaling the guests that it was time to go down one floor to the reception.

Of course I stopped by the ballroom to grab a picture.
There was quite a bit of natural light, views of the park, ant it looks
like the room would just be a little jewel box at night!

Okay, it was a little hard to get a good picture of the ballroom, because the ceiling is magnificent, there is a view, and there is a balcony. Essentially you do not know where to point the camera! What a great problem to have!  If you need an impressive place for a large group, this should definitely be on your list to see!