The Barn At Cottonwood - Lockport, Illinois

Samantha M.

Had our wedding 9/14/24. Absolutely amazing. Katy was so helpful and attentive and made planning a breeze. The staff were absolutely amazing and helped every step of the way. They would bring me drinks or anything I needed, helped carried my bouquet when I was walking with my dress, and even brought the golf cart around from the train since we were running late for our first dance. We rented out the slide and train and both were a HUGE hit. Everyone the next day raved about how much fun they had and it was one of the best weddings they have ever been too. The staff even let the slide go for another half hour since the kids (and adults) were having so much fun. Definitely recommend this venue if you want a rustic vibe.

Krysti A.

From start to finish Kaity and the team at Cottonwood were so easy and pleasant to work with. Their professionalism was greatly appreciated. Originally I had overlooked this venue only because I thought it was out of my price range. I wanted something smaller and casual. But something told me to look again. I inquired about micro-sized wedding packages and it turns out that they had an option that fit the bill perfectly! We were booked to have our reception in their antique barn, I believe we paid for an extra hour. But by happy circumstance, whomever reserved the larger barn put their event on hold. And our party was able to be bumped up to their newer gorgeous Amish built barn. I live in Texas and they still made it a breeze to book and plan. My parents were able to drop off the final payment for me. I used a caterer that was not one of their preferred vendors (paid an extra fee for this) but still saved thousands, and it was worth it! The staff was very accommodating, every request was met, exactly what one would want in a customer service oriented business. We were allowed to bring our dog, without issue, which was a huge plus! The venue itself was perfect. The benches for the ceremony were beautiful in addition to the rest of their setup. The goats in the background were one of my favorite things! I only wish we took more pictures on the grounds. Which are well maintained and wonderfully staged for a wedding. The barn itself is a show stopper. I kept it simple and did not add linen to their wood tables. I loved having the photo kiosk! My husband and I do not enjoy dancing and always find it awkward at weddings. Therefore we did not have any dancing at our wedding, this was our favorite thing! For those that needed extra entertainment though, I was grateful the barn at Cottonwood offered lawn games; we added Giant Jenga, Bags/Cornhole and s'mores to our package. I am very happy I selected this venue and only wish we could do it again! Thanks for everything!

Patricia H.

The entire level of service, venue preparation, and cleanliness did not match the money paid for this wedding venue.

The venue took advantage of the naivety and vulnerability of a young couple during a stressful time.

Everything was extra, exorbitantly extra. Not $150 to $250, but $400+. The couple accepted it. Okay.
But with the higher cost, you expect a standard of quality that was not received.

For example, we ordered the venue's special apple and pumpkin pies for dessert, which were supposed to be cut and put on one table for guests to take.
There were only a couple of apple pies. The rest were all pumpkin, and when you lifted the tinfoil and peeked underneath, before they were cut, , there were a bunch of tiny flies on them. The venue cut the pies into pieces and put them on one table for everybody to go up and get when we discovered a number of pieces had black tops. Burnt pie served at a wedding is not acceptable. Don't order the pies for your event.
The donut wall, while cute, was not tasty.

When we arrived to decorate the day before the wedding, we found dirty tables and bugs.

Also, when you spend a lot of money on a wedding, you expect their giant planter pots to be filled, with mums at least. Instead, they were empty. That is basic. We supplied all floral decorations, but really couldn't you fill up your porch's empty planter pots for a wedding? I wasn't the only one to comment.

The communication was not good. When a question was asked of the wedding coordinator, she wouldn't get back to us for many days.

On the day of the wedding, the wedding coordinator instructed the groom to turn around and not see the wedding party come down the aisle, nor the flower girls. He had already had the first glimpse of the bride. The first look had been done. The groom was disappointed he did not see everyone come down the aisle.

The information the coordinator supplied for local hotels, plus, was out of date. When we called some of the listed service providers, they said, "No, we don't do any packages of that sort."

I could go on.
So many things, including the wedding coordinator's absence on the day of the event.

She knew the time frames for different activities (example: slides) and did not prompt or ensure schedules were met with service providers. I really have no idea what she "coordinated", except the bride going down the aisle.

Do not pay a lot of money for this venue. They need to step it up.

I could go on, but this should give you an idea of what to look for.

Last, I have to mention, shop for a photographer very carefully. The one recommended by the venue and used was not up to expectations at all. In
fact, the guests at the wedding were snapping away, taking pictures because they saw him standing there, not being proactive. One of the pictures he wanted to take was in front of the parking lot, and the groom said, "Hey, listen, let's move away from the cars in the background when we get this groomsman picture." For the most part he had to be told what to do. And was given a list of photos wanted before the wedding. Did not follow it.

Again, do not pay a lot of money for this venue. They need to step it up. They need to learn.

The caterer was a bright spot. But by the time we paid for surprise extra venue service fees for the caterer you would think we would have had filet mignon.

Shame.
Last, all of this feedback was already verbally given to the venue.
Step it up Barn at Cottonwood Lockport, Illinois !

Katie M.

We have to give a HUGE shout-out to The Barn at Cottonwood for making our wedding celebration a memorable success. From the beginning planning stages, Katy was awesome at helping bring our vision to reality. The venue is beautiful, which allowed for our unconventional hy-bred Backyard Cook-out / Wedding Reception. Who says Jenga & a First Dance can’t go together? Katy knows how to accommodate the wishes of her guests and how to facilitate the details. We started the night in formal Wedding attire taking a ride down the Super Slide, were joined by Beetlejuice’s family, played yard games on the patio & then had a sit-down dinner followed by some imbibed bad dancing. By the end of the night, Katy & her team were fully part of our Celebration. If your vision is romance & tradition paired with a majestic barn setting, and accommodations that can add just the right quirky touch, you need to check out The Barn at Cottonwood.
Thanks for making our night special; Katie & Cole.

M. K.

The area wear the ceremony takes place as well as the cocktail area is stunning. The inside of the barn was also beautifully decorated however with the high ceilings the sound was terrible. The music echoed all wrong and speeches were impossible to hear. They also put way to many tables in this space making it impossible to leave your chair. They ran out of coors after one hour into the wedding! The bar tender was so rude. I literally watched him yell at a guest for taking too long to place his order. And this is the first wedding I have ever been too where the bar tender asked for a tip every time slapping his tip jar! To put the icing on the cake while I was in the restroom I watched a server walk out without washing her hands!
So beware that although the place is beautiful they need a total overhaul on staff and service!

The owner responded promptly to my above review which tells me the issues described above are vendor related. I will stand by my original review that the venue is beautiful! As far as vendors I would definitely only use their recommended list!

Chad D. C.

This is an awesome place for any occasion especially for weddings. A very unique and gorgeous Amish barn. They keep adding more as they go along. Katie is real friendly and easy to work with. If you want the best Barn experience for your event look no further.

Julie G.

Cousins wedding. Nice and friendly but acoustic bad for talking.