I got married in 2016 which was the first year that Maria opened her business. I am super delayed…read morein writing my reviews, but I kept putting it off since I didn't want to shortchange her. She was an indispensable part of wedding planning for us. I interviewed with a few wedding planners, but Maria was the most personable and helpful among those that I met. She was enthusiastic and even offered free advice at the consultation before I even hired her! For the most part, I planned my wedding remotely. We got married in Chicago but by the time most of the planning was happening we had moved out of state. Maria found the best vendors for us and was able to maximize our visits to Chicago. She wrote thorough and timely emails in response to my (admittedly neurotic) queries. She also knows a TON of people in the business. She found out that our caterer WENT OUT OF BUSINESS almost a full month before the caterer sent a notification to clients. She called us, explained the situation and already had plans of how to fix everything to make our day perfect. We turned a disaster into a minor inconvenience. A few days before the wedding, we moved the location of the ceremony due to rain. Maria handled ALL of the communication with vendors, reconfigured the schedule of events and handled the new last minute decorations. It was seamless and NOT stressful at all. That's not something many brides can say during the wedding week. On the day of my event, I felt like Maria was everywhere at once. It was amazing! She had previously mentioned (in passing) that she had another wedding that day - and you would have never known. Everything went smoothly (and if it didn't, I never heard about it!) If I ever plan another event in the Chicago area, I will reach out to Maria. She was a pleasure to work with and I am glad that her business seems to be doing so well.

I first have to say thank you to Maria and her team for making our wedding day more than perfect…read more We wouldn't have changed a thing. We were totally clueless going into wedding planning and Maria guided us perfectly. She has all the answers! She is so creative and came up with solutions to fit our budgets for different aspects of the wedding which was exactly what we needed. Without her we know that our wedding day would not have run as smoothly and perfectly as it did. She is extremely patient and organized. Let me say it again, organized. Somehow she managed everyone's expectations and requests. When it comes to making everyone happy she truly excelled especially with my parents. She was very attentive, professional and knowledgeable. Thank you for the best and most beautiful day of our lives. - Bryan and Allison

Choosing Shannon Gale and their wedding planning team was one of the best decisions we made for our…read moreLabor Day weekend Indian-Western wedding. A friend had recommended them with the promise that I would feel completely at ease--and that proved true from the very beginning. Shannon paired us with Cecelia McIntosh, who turned out to be the most exceptional project manager I've ever worked with, not just in the wedding world but across all of my professional experiences. Cecelia's attention to detail was extraordinary. She cataloged every element of our multi-day Indian-Western celebration, managed vendor relationships with grace, secured us excellent deals where she had negotiating power, and offered thoughtful recommendations--like the perfect florals for our mehendi ceremony. She understood the cultural nuances of our events, from the importance of removing shoes at the mandap to the way certain rituals needed to be set up. She took ownership of everything: carrying and setting up décor, assembling seating charts, ensuring plate service was flawless, and keeping the entire wedding running with a level of timing and precision that every single guest commented on. There were moments where Cecelia truly went above and beyond--most memorably when she calmly and safely helped transport a ceremonial fire to an unexpected location, taking control of a situation that could have easily become chaotic. She handled every last-minute request without hesitation, kept our planning calls on schedule, and brought a sense of structure, warmth, and professionalism that made her an absolute dream to work with. As someone who is naturally a very thorough planner, I stepped into my wedding days feeling completely calm, knowing Cecelia had everything handled. Because of her, I was able to be fully present and simply enjoy our celebration. I cannot recommend Shannon Gale and Cecelia more highly--they are truly among the best planners you could ever hire.

Hiring Marie from Shannon Gail Events was hands-down the best decision we made for our wedding…read more From start to finish, Marie was an absolute dream to work with--calm, organized, joyful, and endlessly professional. Her attention to detail, reassuring presence, and ability to handle every situation with grace made the entire planning process not only stress-free, but genuinely enjoyable. Marie took care of everything--from recommending absolutely incredible vendors, to assisting with design choices that brought our vision to life, to managing the many complicated logistics that come with having a wedding in a tent (think: flooring, electricity, bathroom access--you name it, she handled it). She consistently went above and beyond to make sure every element of our wedding weekend was perfect, and she did it all with a warm smile and steady confidence that kept us grounded and excited throughout. Marie brought our vision to life with such care and expertise--it honestly felt like we had a close friend guiding us every step of the way. She even took the time to thoughtfully put together all the welcome bags for our guests and, throughout the entire wedding weekend, handled every single detail so that we didn't have to worry about a thing. We were able to be fully present and enjoy every moment, knowing Marie had it all under control. If you're planning a wedding and want someone who is not only deeply experienced and connected in the wedding world, but also kind, attentive, and truly invested in your day, Marie is it. We love Marie so much that we wish we had another event to plan just so that we could continue to work with her! We are beyond grateful for her and cannot recommend her highly enough!

Nicole, Colleen, and the rest of the Urban Allure team did all of the florals for our wedding and…read moreit completely exceeded all of my expectations. Nicole worked with me over several meetings to help me bring my vision to life. She had amazing creative ideas that I would have never thought of on my own and really understood what we were going for. They hung florals, disco balls, and even chandeliers over our dance floor, creating the most stunning environment. Colleen, who handled a lot of the floral sourcing, even included some beautiful blooms from her personal garden in our arrangements. It was such a special touch. Choosing Urban Allure was one of the BEST vendor decisions I could have made and I'd recommend them to anyone.

I agreed to work with Nicole on 2/23/24 and paid her $2,000 based on her assurance that there would…read morebe no issue securing sponsors and selling tickets. However, after more than four months had passed, there were no sponsorships or tickets sold and for that reason, I had to cancel the event, which was only two and a half months away. Here were two assurances in her contract: Create impactful promotional content Assist in sponsorship level creations & materials While I can't prove if the promotional content was impactful, it certainly didn't appear so given there were no sponsorships or tickets sold. And while she did create sponsorship materials, they clearly weren't helpful either in terms of selling tickets or securing sponsors. She also said that she had previously hosted a fundraiser for the charity I was looking to raise money for, so I believed her claim that she could secure sponsors and sell tickets without a problem. When I asked why there were no sponsorships or tickets sold upon cancelling the event, she said the market was unusually bad. If that was the case, I don't see how she couldn't have known this information merely four months earlier when we agreed to work together. Is it reasonable to think that the market changed so drastically so quickly? And why didn't she tell me the market was bad sooner before she started spending more time? She could have offered me the option of requesting a refund and suggested I cancel the event some time sooner. I should also note she did not create promotional materials until 4/5/24 and did not share a task list until 4/6/24. I then waited until 5/11/24 and saw that she hadn't contacted anyone on the list yet, so I sent over 100 e-mails over the next week, but hardly received any interest. The event was scheduled for 9/16/24, and since we didn't have any sponsorships or tickets sold, I decided to cancel the event on 6/27/24. I know people don't always buy tickets early, but the fact that not a single ticket was sold made no sense. At the very least, given that she materially misrepresented what she could offer, I would think Nicole would have offered a full or partial refund or at least a credit if I agreed to work with her again, but she made no such offer. I initially communicated all of this information through the Better Business Bureau, who reached out to Nicole multiples times, but Nicole did not respond to any of their requests. If she did, then I wouldn't have written this review.

If you're a working woman and don't have time to plan your wedding, this is the wedding planner you…read moreHAVE to hire. There is no detail that she doesn't take care of. It's amazingly hassle free and they makes the whole process 10000% fun. All her vendors that she recommends are fantastic. They take what you envision and really just step it up a notch. Yes, it is an expense added to your wedding but if you really want a hands off experience and just to enjoy your engagement, this is the planner to get, you truly won't regret it.

After getting engaged the panic started to set it. I was flipping through a bridal magazine and…read morefound one of Heather's recent weddings and gave her a call. After meeting with a few planners, I picked Heather because she was calm, personable and I knew we would work well together. I also knew I did not want a long engagement. People kept telling me that I was crazy for wanting to get married in less than 6 months. When would I have the time, and all of the good locations and vendors were sure to be booked with such short notice. With the help of Heather and Katherine we pulled the whole thing off in just over 5 months. From the beginning Heather was professional, organized and my go to for just about every wedding/vendor related question I had. She allowed me to customize my services and she helped me find the location and was my day of coordinator. Although I relied on her heavily throughout the planning process. She had lots of great vendor recommendations and was super pleasant to work with. She helped me find the most unique location and really understood what me and my fiance were looking for. I had at least a dozen people come up to me at the end of the night and tell me that our wedding was the most beautiful and fun wedding they had ever attended. It was so nice to have the both of them to rely on. I felt like I could actually unwind and enjoy the night without having to worry about anything going wrong. I would recommend Greatest Expectations to anyone looking for a truly unique and customized wedding experience. We really could not have done it without them.

I want to start this by saying that everything about my wedding was so perfectly smooth that I…read morecan't thank Raegan Mae events enough.  Krysti and Nicole were there every step of the way to answer any questions, even ones I didn't think to ask.  They were always one step ahead of me for my entire wedding planning process and helped make my day go exactly the way I imagined! From the beginning I knew I had made a great choice to have help with my big day.  I had a florist cancel on me three months before my wedding, I panicked but Krysti and Nicole jumped into action.  The same day that I informed them of the cancellation, they had a list of florists picked out for me to talk with and had already called with inquiry's to advise me who would best jive with my particular sense of style. It was wonderful! I had no idea how much planning goes into family photos, but they made sure to help me map out eveything before hand so eveything ran smoothly from our first look to the many family photos.   They were there the day of and I began to call them my wedding fairy godmothers.  They handled everything I needed, even the little details I forgot.  I needed baby's breath, and they ran out to get it.  They even helped figure out where to do our first photo op (and there were so many at my outdoor venue Starved Rock) which is now one of my favorite pictures! You don't just need someone to just be a planner for your wedding you need to hire someone so invested, you feel like they are a long time friend.  Someone who can understand your vision, who can work with you to add all those personal touches, someone who is always thinking one step ahead of eveything.  I found this with Raegan Mae Events and I can't thank them enough for everything, what they did for my wedding was more than just a service.  Krysti and Nicole were my Wedding Fairy Godmothers!

Martha was incredible! She was detailed orientated and so warm. Her calm demeanor and organization…read moremade this process so easy! highly recommend AELO. I do not know what we would have done without her!

We had an absolutely wonderful experience working with An Event Less Ordinary for a birthday…read morecelebration. From the planning process through the event itself, the team was kind, responsive, knowledgeable, and incredibly easy to work with. They helped us think through details we never would have considered on our own, offered thoughtful advice and support, and brought so much expertise to the overall planning. On the day of the event, they made everything feel seamless. It was such a relief to know they were managing all the details and making sure everything went according to plan. The decor they created was truly magical. When I came downstairs after getting ready and saw what they had done with the greenery, candles, and overall setup, I was blown away. They added beautiful touches I never would have thought of myself. It completely transformed the event! Most importantly, they made the actual celebration happen without a snag. We truly could not have done it without them, and I'm so grateful for the care, creativity, and hard work they brought to such a special day. Highly recommend!

Best money spent! I highly recommend Naturally Yours Events…read more Kristen was our event coordinator and she executed our day with perfection. 10 out of 10!!

The team at NYE events was fantastic to work with from start to finish. I had a great first…read moreconsultation on what I was looking for and was paired with Tempris, who I cannot say enough good things about. She is kind and thorough and truly made me feel supported and confident that all of our plans would be executed. She is both professional and warm and it was a true joy to spend the day with her! I wholeheartedly recommend NYE and am so grateful to Tempris and the rest of the team.

I hired Alexis Kolpak at Imagine Events as a day-of coordinator for my July 2011 wedding and…read morecouldn't be happier with the service I received. From the moment I first met Alexis until the day of my wedding she always conducted herself and her business with an impeccable level of professionalism and grace. She was extremely organized, insightful, creative, and an all around go-getter when it came to tackling problems and working with my vendors. Although she was only contracted as a day-of coordinator, Alexis went above and beyond and offered me valuable advice throughout my entire wedding planning journey. In fact, of all of the vendors I used for my wedding, the ones recommended by Alexis turned out to be the most reliable, the easiest to work with, and the ones that produced the best product overall. Looking back and reflecting on all of the added value Alexis brought to the table--including her strong work ethic and her positive relationships with vendors--I should've hired her services full time! I found Imagine Events through a recommendation and would recommend their services to anyone else in a heartbeat. I truly could not have pulled off my amazing wedding day without Alexis Kolpak!

I recently worked with Alexis on a promotional bridal event and it was a true pleasure. She is so…read moreeasy going, yet professional and very organized. I felt like we were in very good hands throughout the entire process. Alexis also suggested several talented vendors that executed the event flawlessly. I would highly recommend Imagine Events to others. Thanks, Alexis!