8 of My Favorite Wedding Venues in Peoria, Illinois

If you know me then you know I am all about my Central Illinois weddings! And if you really know me then you know I LOVE providing resources for couples to help them plan the best wedding day possible! Today we’re combining these two loves as we’re going to look at some of my favorite wedding venues you can find in Peoria, Illinois. I recently wrote a similar blog about some of my favorite venues in Bloomington, but wanted to spread the love around to some of my other favorite Central Illinois cities! We’ll also take a peek into what you should be on the lookout for when choosing a wedding venue, so let’s get right into it.

What to Look for in a Wedding Venue

The Right Vibe

Your wedding is a day filled with feelings, emotion, and experiences, so you’re going to want to choose a wedding venue that allows this vision you have to come to life. Thankfully in Peoria, Illinois there are a variety of wedding venues to choose from, each with their own distinct style, feel, and charm to them. When you initially start planning your wedding with your partner, be sure you talk about what you want your day to look and feel like. Be open and honest with one another so that when it does come time to choose your venue you both know what you’re looking for and what will fit your vision!

The Right Size

While you want to find a wedding venue in Peoria, Illinois that fits the vibe you’re aiming for, you also want to choose one that can actually host your size wedding day! When it comes to the size of your wedding there really is no one right answer for what size is best, it completely comes down to the experience you’re looking to have. Intimate weddings can be just as wonderful and magical as large weddings, but not every space is capable of hosting these different size celebrations. Every venue has a maximum guest limit, and some even have a minimum guest requirement, so be sure to choose a venue that will actually be able to host your day!

The Spaces Available

Another key component of finding the right wedding venue for your celebration in Peoria, Illinois is finding one with the spaces you need to make the most of your day! Do you intend to have your ceremony and reception at the same location, or are you ok with traveling from one space to another? Does the venue have designated getting ready spaces for both of you and your wedding parties, just one space, or none at all? What about portrait opportunities? Does the venue have enough variety when it comes to backdrops or will you have to travel to a separate location for newlywed, family, and wedding party portraits? As you can see, the spaces a wedding venue has available for you to use can dramatically impact the flow and feel of your wedding day!

The Amenities and Vendor Requirements

Before booking a venue for your wedding day you’ll want to take a close look into the amenities they provide as well as any vendor requirements they have in place. When it comes to the amenities, what is included when you book with the venue? Do they have separate packages where more is included, or are there add-ons you can purchase? Every venue is different when it comes to the amenities and service they provide, so be sure to get the full scoop on what your potential venues are offering you!

Each venue also has a different approach to their vendor requirements. Some have a strict list of preferred vendors that you must work with, some require you to use their catering but have no restrictions for other vendors, others have a recommended list of vendors but allow you to use any you’d like whether they’re on the list or not. Your vendor team has a huge impact on how your wedding day looks and feels, so if there are vendors that are MUST haves for your day be sure they’re approved by your potential venue before booking!

The Logistics of a Venue

Lastly, before you book a potential wedding venue in Peoria, Illinois you need to make sure that it logistically fits into your wedding planning. Does the cost of the venue align with your budget? Does the venue have places to stay at on site or nearby for you and your guests? Is there ample parking at the venue for you and your guest? Does the start and end time of the venue align with what you want your wedding day to look like? The answers to all these questions are just as important in guiding you to find the wedding venue that best fits your day!

8 of My FAV Wedding Venues in Peoria, IL

Now that we know what to look for when booking a wedding venue, let’s check out 8 of my favorites that you can find in Peoria, Illinois!

1. Trailside Event Center  

First up on our list is the ever wonderful Trailside Event Center! This wedding venue is on the north side of Peoria, Illinois, and has been featured on my blog a few times now. The venue made my list of 9 favorite wedding venues in Central Illinois, and was also the ceremony and reception space for Madison and Wes’ wedding day! The venue is a gorgeous open space with a rustic feel to it that is simply stunning. Trailside Event Center also has different packages available to suit different couples’ visions. So whether you want a shorter weekday gathering, or a full weekend rental, the venue has you covered! With on site getting ready spaces, an outdoor ceremony space, set up and tear down assistance, and a variety of other amenities there is a LOT to love about Trailside Event Center!

2. Venue Chisca   

Our next wedding venue is in the heart of downtown Peoria, Illinois, Venue Chisca! This immaculate and classy wedding venue has 3 separate ceremony and reception spaces available to choose from: The Quarter which is their beautiful outdoor garden space, The Memphis Room whose indoor space has a sense of southern rustic charm to it, and The Grand Ballroom which very much lives up to its name! There also is a bridal getting ready space on site, and with the venue’s prime location in the heart of Peoria travel and stay accommodations for you and your guests couldn’t be easier. 

Venue Chisca pride themselves on being an all in one wedding venue. Their service is next level and they work closely with their couples to help bring their wedding dreams to life, whether that’s through their in house services or their flexibility when it comes to booking outside vendors. Larger weddings of up to 500 guests can be hosted in the Grand Ballroom, but the venue is also great at hosting smaller gatherings, especially in their outdoor space, The Quarter!

3. Camp Wokanda

Camp Wokanda is the next venue on the list, and this is one for the nature lovers! Found just around 15 minutes north of Peoria, Illinois, this wedding venue gives couples a naturally beautiful setting to celebrate their love in. Being secluded in the wonder of nature of course provides couples with plenty of portrait opportunities and a jaw dropping setting for a ceremony, but the venue is also a fantastic place for your reception as well! With indoor spaces like the Dining Hall which can seat 250, and the OA Lodge which fits a more intimate 75 guests, couples can dance the night away after spending the day in the gorgeous natural landscape of this campground.

One final fantastic aspect of this venue is the fact that it is a campsite means there are different lodges on site that you and your guests can reserve to stay at if you don’t want to drive back to Peoria when the night ends!

4. Wildlife Prairie Park 

Our next Peoria, Illinois wedding venue is another one for the nature lovers, and that’s Wildlife Prairie Park! Now I’ve talked at length about this wedding venue before in a feature piece of mine that you should definitely check out, but I still want to cover some of the details here. Much like Camp Wokanda, Wildlife Prairie Park takes advantage of the natural beauty surrounding Peoria, Illinois. Found around 20 minutes west of the city, the venue has 7 separate spaces for couples to choose from when hosting their wedding day. With 4 outdoor spaces, 3 indoor spaces, and a seemingly endless amount of locations to choose from for portraits, there is so much to love about this wedding venue!

5. Contemporary Art Center

Heading back into the heart of downtown Peoria, Illinois we’ll find our next wedding venue in the Contemporary Art Center! The Contemporary Art Center opens its art gallery up for private rentals, and is the perfect space for a wedding reception. The space itself has seating for up to 182 guests, and while they do limit the décor you’re allowed to use for your day the art of the exhibit is yours to enjoy and more than makes up for it! The art center also is incredibly flexible when it comes to catering and vendor requirements, even allowing BYOB and bring your own food options so long as you receive the correct permits prior to your wedding. It’s worth noting that with the space only allowing receptions you will have to find a separate space for your ceremony, though with its location in the heart of Peoria this is manageable!

6. East Port Banquet Center

Just across the river from the Contemporary Art Center is the Easy Port Banquet Center, our next wedding venue found in the heart of Peoria, Illinois! The East Port Banquet Center offers its couples multiple spaces to choose from to best fit their needs. The smaller Private Room can host between 30 to 50 guests for a more intimate celebration, while a full facility rental can host up to 200 guests, perfect for larger weddings!

The food at the East Port Banquet Center is another area where the venue excels, with a wide array of options and serving styles to choose from, all of which are seriously delicious! IN addition to all of this, the venue also has some of the best portrait opportunities out of any venue we’ve looked at so far thanks to East Port’s distinct nautical style as well as its location right on Peoria Lake of the Illinois River.

7. Countryside Banquet and Catering in Washington 

While technically in the town of Washington, Illinois, Countryside Banquet and Catering is only 10 minutes outside of Peoria and is too great of a wedding venue to not include it on this list! The venue consists of the beautiful indoor Banquet Hall which is available year round and can fit up to 600 guests, and the stunning outdoor Garden Tent available from April through October that can fit up to 350 guests. The Garden Tent also features an outdoor patio next to the tent that is available for couples to use for an outdoor ceremony weather permitting. The service here is next level, with set up and tear down assistance, custom menu options, included tables and chairs, and planning assistance, they really do put so much effort into providing their couples an ideal experience for their wedding day! 

8. Haven on the Farm

Last and most certainly not least is the breathtaking Haven on the Farm! This wedding venue can be found about 15 minutes outside of Peoria, Illinois and is a must consider when looking at wedding venues in the area. The main barn space of the venue is stunningly beautiful, and can host up to 300 guests comfortably. The venue also has an on site bridal suite to be used as a getting ready space, and can accommodate outdoor ceremonies and receptions. This is fantastic news as the grounds of Haven on the Farm are just as beautiful as the indoor space, if not more so! The venue also goes above and beyond when it comes to their service, with a complimentary day of coordinator, planning assistance, vendor coordination, and more!

Each of these wedding venues in Peoria, Illinois would be a fantastic choice when it comes to finding a space to host your wedding day! Now comes the hard part, choosing between all of these wonderful venues! Just remember to keep in mind the different aspects we covered earlier so that you choose the venue that is best for YOU. For more wedding planning tips be sure to check out my blog, and if you’re ready to book me as your photographer be sure to send an inquiry via my contact page! Let’s start planning your dream wedding together today!