Events at Refinery - Champaign, Illinois

Carissa I.

I am SO happy my now husband found Events at Refinery when we were looking at venues for our wedding.
Not is it a beautiful venue and they have so many add-ons and decorations on-site that took away so much stress (which were HUGE factors in choosing), but Chris Chesnut is the true gem of The Refinery. Every chance I get, I talk him up to anyone who will listen. After we sat down with him, we sat in our car, and instead of driving away, we went right back in and asked if we could reserve our date. Chris is a literal angel and deserves every five star rating he receives.
He’s so knowledgeable on every aspect of the planning, design, what looks good, etc. I asked him so many questions and he answered them quickly and never seemed impatient or made feel stupid for not knowing the expectations. He took a lot of my vision and turned them into something beautiful (along with all my other vendors).
And above everything else, he’s happy and fun. He was always smiling and telling us his latest amazing story. I not only love him as a coordinator, but I love him as a person and I’m glad our paths in life crossed.

Angel B.

I had my wedding at events at refinery. Let me tell you all how easy and professional this experience was. First we came for a consultation to see if we even wanted the building. Chris is the only person who had a slide show of everything he has to offer. All the different ways he can make your day special. From the first moments of walking in the door until the wedding day Chris made this the easiest decision I've made. He worked around my very busy schedule with ease. He set up the whole entire space reception and ceremony. He made sure my entire was day perfect. My wedding was so beautiful and I know I owe a great part of that to Chris at events at refinery. We took pictures in the morning 10 minutes away from the venue and the rest at the venue or at the grass field across the street. The pictures came back beautiful as well. Don't hesitate to give this location a chance. I promise it's well worth it! My guest has a blast, the bridal suite is to die for all of our dreams ladies are in this room! The fact that's it's a gym as well didn't effect our wedding day at all. So absolutely no concerns. He is the best and so is this venue!

Latrice K.

Chris Chestnut was amazing!! He was funny and put me at ease during the planning process. Anything I needed he was there! The wedding was perfect and I 1000% recommend Events at refinery

Janice E.

The Refinery is a great, affordable spot for a wedding! Chris was our coordinator, and he was great to work with; he and his staff were attentive, flexible and accessible leading up to and during our wedding. The team set up and tore down everything, making our day stress free. We could be as involved as we wanted to, and had the option to bring in any outside decor for set up. Last, we are big beer nerds, and Chris made sure the bar was stocked with the craft beers we requested. Our guests all enjoyed the venue as well, and had many positive things to say about the aesthetics and the layout. Highly recommend!

Allie K.

My husband and I recently had our wedding reception at Events at Refinery and it couldn't have been more perfect! When we walked into the ballroom I was taken aback at how my vision had come to life. The decorations were beautiful from the drapery and chandeliers all the way down to the little details like the table numbers and charger plates. The room came together flawlessly!

I started working with Chris part way through my planning process and couldn't be happier that he was the coordinator for our big day. His demeanor, friendliness and personality are exactly what you'd want in a coordinator for your wedding (or any event!). I was always greeted with a genuine smile and throughout the planning process he was knowledgeable in giving me just the right suggestions in order to make sure I achieved the goal I had in mind. He is very easy to communicate with, organized and didn't let any detail slip through the cracks. Working with him made the process very fun. He even accommodated us with a last minute request to play a video during a speech! 🙂

The entire Events at Refinery staff did a great job in making sure that everything went off without a hitch during our reception. Because they take care of the setup and tear down, our day was much less stressful. They did an amazing job ensuring that our reception had the look/feel that we dreamed of - and we received MANY compliments too!

I would recommend Events at Refinery to anyone planning any type of event. They make sure the focus is on you and your needs and wants. Chris and the crew did everything in their power to make sure our wedding day was perfect! Thank you!

Olivia B.

I recently had my wedding at the Refinery and it was perfect! The space is beautiful and everything came together exactly as I imagined. I planned most of the wedding from another state and Julia made it very easy to stay on top of everything. She always responded right away and took note of every detail change even if I went back and forth a bit. They work with some great vendors and can really recommend the best for your wedding. Some of the previous reviews mention staff inconsistency or turn over and I want to make a point to mention I planned my wedding a year and a half in advance and worked with only Julia and Nicole the whole time. They are both great and really dedicated to making your day go the way you planned.

Kimberly K.

I attended my nieces wedding. BEAUTIFUL! Servers, please remain cross contamination conscious. I'm still eating, enjoying conversations and without warning, the server is literally picking up/removing my plate and THEN ask "are you finished" I wasn't finished. She put my plate back down after touching it. I honestly don't believe there were malicious intent. Please remain cross contamination conscious as you went table to table with this practice. Please ask before assuming. Safety First! By not asking first, it also could be perceived as if you were rushing us.

Just a helpful thought. Overall, this facility is beautiful, clean bathroom and pleasant staff. Thank You.

Kim A.

Where do I start?! Chris Chestnut is an absolutely AMAZING person and Events Coordinator!! From the very start of planning the reception to us walking out the door at the end of the reception, HE 👏🏻 WAS 👏🏻 THERE!!!! He’s reliable, beyond thorough, oversaw absolutely everything that had to do with the reception, even staying for the whole night!! He and his staff decorated everything sooo beautifully, and were extremely pleasant to work with!! The Refinery is a perfect place to have a reception, or any event!! 1,000 out of 10 our family would DEFINITELY recommend!!!!