“A Romantic Fairy Tale!
The Rialto is the perfect setting for a romantic wedding! The venue was absolutely gorgeous! Everything was perfect and all the guests commented on how amazing it was!
Emily B.
“I Would Never Change My Decision to Host My Wedding at the Rialto.”
The Rialto Square Theater was the most beautiful locations for hosting a wedding especially a holiday one. The venue was already equiped with a stunning Christmas Tree, Wreaths throughout the seating area, and garland with lighting along the long marble stair case. The day of the wedding, I could have not have asked for more from their staff that included an onsite manager, A/V Director, Stage hands, security, coat check, bartenders, barbacks and numerous volunteers. Prior to the day of, you work with the Event Coordinator, Trish, to handle the logistics. As the bridal planner, you have to understand this is not a typical resort/catering venue to book with. Almost everything needs to be brought in and there are several restrictions as it is a historical Landmark. I asked hundreds of planning questions throughout the year and received a lot of reasoning why some of my concepts could not come to fruition. Just understand the Rialto KNOWS what works and they will make sure by the week of your wedding that you are in the know. At times correspondance was not as quick as I would prefer, but that is because they are not a wedding only venue. The host many shows and have Rialto Charity events, throughout the year. With one person handling the year’s events, you have to respect the lag time. We were fortunate to have the ceremony on stage and this was by far the best decision. How could you not after taking in the ornate beauty and seeing the organist play on that famous organ? I would never change the decision to host my wedding here and glad my little childhood dream of having it at the Rialto came true. Everyone in attendance is still making remarks of the unbelievable beauty. Thank goodness I booked the best photographer and videographer to capture it all. Note: glassware is not included so this would need to be rented from a caterer.
Bambi A.
“A Beautiful Setting.”
What a beautiful setting for our wedding. The venue was amazing and so was the staff. All of our guests LOVED the theatre and it made for great pictures!
Kari S.
“Fairy Tale Wedding!“
The Rialto is truly a hidden gem in Joliet. The architecture is stunning and this provides an elegant setting for a wedding. We had our reception only at this venue but they do also offer the ceremony on location. There are so many interesting details you can incorporate with the unique theater setting. From distributing escort card tickets from a vintage ticket booth to photos in the historic theater to being announced for the first time entering down the grand staircase, this venue provides an experience like none other. As this is not a standard wedding venue, all vendors come from outside with the exception of the drink package which must be purchased through the Rialto. The Rialto has a list of preferred vendors which are familiar with many of the unique considerations needed for this venue – we chose to use a caterer, bakery and linen provider all on their list and it worked out great. We ended up hiring a day of coordinator to make sure that everything went smoothly with all of the different vendors, but the Rialto does have a coordinator who helps you leading up to the day of. Trish was very helpful in providing information on what the venue allowed and providing some suggestions on what works best there. One thing I will point out that is important to consider is that the acoustics at the venue provide somewhat of a challenge. As guests are seated in the main hall and the DJ is located in the Rotunda, it is difficult to regulate the volume for all guests to hear. Our DJ added speakers in the main hall to help with this known challenge. The dance floor was situated in the Rotunda and was perfect – it was a great size and it was nice to have a few tables nearby for family to sit after dinner ended. Our DJ welcomed everyone around the rotunda to watch our special dances because if guests are seated at their tables in the main hall, it will be difficult to watch. This seemed to work out fine for us. We would absolutely recommend this venue for a wedding – it truly is a fairy tale setting!
Lindsay F.
“The Wedding of Our Dreams!”
My partner and I got hitched at the Rialto Square two weeks ago. We knew after the our first meeting with event coordinator Trish Stoner that we wanted to get married on that stage. As theater folk, we had a great time planning our own ceremony on stage. Between Trish, tech director Laurie, and Marietha we felt like there was nothing we couldn’t do! They made the planning process feel seamless. You do have to get vendors outside but they have an amazing list of folks who know the space and were equally wonderful to work with! We were able to purchase our bar package here. We had the ceremony on stage and then our reception in the hall with the rotunda serving as the dance floor. Such a beautiful, opulent space! We had a great time meeting with Trish and Laurie a few weeks before the big day for a “production meeting” to work out the details of the day. It was like planning a theater production. So much fun! They were very open and played with the lighting and sound to really amp up the drama we wanted. We got to enter and exit through the orchestra pit! Our names were on the marquee. There was a red carpet entrance in the lobby for guests. It felt very old Hollywood. I have never felt so glamorous in my life! They did an amazing job with keeping everyone on time (as a working theater this is no surprise) and also keeping up the sense of play. Everyone was enthusiastic and as joyful as we felt the whole day! They all love what they do and go above and beyond. The space is a dream, the staff is stellar, and the experience is one we will cherish forever.
Stephanie L.
“Our Wedding Was Beyond Our Wildest Dreams”
“Nancy is absolutely amazing and kept our wedding day 100% stress free. I can’t say enough how perfect this venue is”.
Randi C.