Today’s blog is a special one as we get to cover and go over my all-time FAVORITE wedding venue, The Cannery in Eureka Illinois! This venue is an incredible and gorgeous space that has so much going for it as a wedding venue. If you’ve heard of or looked into The Cannery at all you’ll know what I mean. If this is your first time hearing about it though I cannot WAIT to show you all the things I love about this space and what makes it so amazing!

Why Book The Cannery for Your Wedding?

There are many reasons you’d want to book The Cannery as your wedding venue. From how easy they make your day feel, the amenities they provide, the flexibility they provide when it comes to wedding sizes, and much more. One big reason I love this venue so much though is that they fall in line with one of my biggest philosophies in wedding photography, and that is to use the space you’re booking for your wedding day for your photos. Wedding venues take up a HUGE portion of your wedding funds, so it only makes sense to actually be able to use that space for your portraits as well as your needs for the day. The Cannery excels at this, as it has spaces for all aspects of your day with each being just as gorgeous as the next.

Historic Illinois Wedding Venue

The Cannery was built in 1895 as a canning factory and was a functional factory through 1960. The beautiful building was producing around 15 million cans a year in its hay day. When the owners of the Cannery first purchased the space it was for the most part a blank slate. After months of renovations, the Cannery was opened as a wedding venue and the owners really thought of everything, while still keeping the integrity that the building had already.

What Makes The Cannery Special?

There are many things that make The Cannery special and the perfect choice for almost any wedding day. The Cannery has multiple different spaces suited for different size wedding ceremonies as well as a designated space for cocktail hour, and areas for both wedding parties to get ready in. The Cannery also offers an array of amenities for your wedding day such as chairs and tables for your day, a bar set up, an open cater list, and planning assistance for your wedding day which we’ll cover more in-depth later! It’s also worth mentioning once more just how naturally beautiful The Cannery is. This means that not only will you have tons of opportunities for portraits and just an overall beautiful backdrop for your day, but you also don’t have to decorate a ton if you don’t want to. Let the beauty of the space do the heavy lifting!

What Size Weddings Can The Cannery Host?

With the multiple spaces available for wedding celebrations, The Cannery is ready to host weddings both large and small. The main space can host up to 250 guests and is the go-to space for most wedding days outside the smaller, more intimate gatherings. Booking the main space also gives you access to the grove, and bridal suites for the wedding parties to get ready in, and access to the courtyard space which you can use for your ceremony and has space for all 250 guests. For smaller and more intimate weddings The Cannery has their Crate room, which can be used for weddings of up to 75 guests. Crate is equally as beautiful as the main space so even if you’re looking to have a smaller wedding celebration The Cannery should definitely still be on your list!

Travel and Stay

The Cannery is in Eureka, Illinois. It’s practically smack dab in the center of the state and is about a 2 hour drive from Chicago for any family or friends living in the city. There are a TON of options for you to stay near the Cannery, and they actually have quite a few local Airbnb’s that they themselves recommend on their site. Eureka is also only a 30 minute drive from both Peoria and Bloomington-Normal which both have tons of Airbnb, Vrbo, and hotel options to choose from. Lastly, for the day of the wedding, there is quite a bit of parking available, both right next to The Cannery as well as within walking distance in the town of Eureka. The Cannery also has this helpful image on its site showing the exact locations of all the nearby public parking.

Important Notes About The Cannery

There are a couple of important things to note for weddings at The Cannery aside from everything mentioned above. Both event spaces have a bar available for use and non-alcoholic beverages are permitted to be brought in on wedding days. When booking the main space for your wedding day the booking includes a consultation with the venue 6 months out from the wedding day to make sure your wedding day is set to be exactly how you envision it. They also include a 30-day final meeting to go over everything once more before the wedding day itself and make sure everything is in place. Main space weddings also include 4-hour complimentary use of the Crate space as a bonus! This can be used for a rehearsal brunch or dinner, a bridal shower, or anything else you’d like.

If you weren’t already in love and dreaming of your wedding day at The Cannery before reading this article I imagine you are now! This venue is easily my fav to photograph and every couple I’ve worked with here has adored their wedding day here. If you’re ready to book your day at The Cannery and need a photographer send me an inquiry through my contact page so we can get your date on the books! For more central Illinois venue ideas and inspiration check out this blog here!