Videography for a wedding is often viewed as "optional" rather than "essential." I am definitely in…read morethe camp of "essential." Everyone knows that hiring a good photographer is---and should be---paramount, but I cannot stress the importance of having your special day videographed. Pictures are wonderful, but cannot capture your voice cracking when you say your vows. Pictures don't let you hear the toasts at the reception, or all the other wonderful stuff you didn't see, or might miss because the day is such a blur. But the most important reason to hire a videographer is simply this: People don't live forever. A beloved family member of mine recently passed away, and thanks to Shangri-La Wedding Films, he is captured forever, just as I will remember him on that day--hearing his voice, seeing him laugh, and watching him alive and happy. That is truly priceless. So I urge you to make room in your wedding budget for a videographer. It makes spending all the other money worth it, I promise. There are many packages from which to choose, or simply customize what works best for you, including music that you personally select. The only reason I'm not giving five stars is that the final product took a bit longer, and we had to "nudge" them a bit. The film itself will be cherished for years to come. Shangri-La truly did a remarkable job with the time capsule of the best day of my life, Highly recommended!

Shangri-La Wedding Films was one of the best investments from our wedding. If it wasn't for a…read morehiccup, I would give them 5 stars. About a month before our wedding, I learned that Shan was not going to be available to shoot our wedding. Having already signed a contract, that did not sit well with us. Brides know how stressful it can be and the last thing you want is to have to find another vendor. We worked it out and on the day of, Matt and Burt (Shan's fill-in) were friendly and professional. Shan was extremely patient and accomodating with the editing. We are so pleased with the end product. I encourage you to view some of their work and you will see how talented they are. I would also like to note that they are on the more affordable end. =)

Michael is amazing! Really got the pictures we needed. Thanks for you patience and flexibility.read more

Michael Rastall is an exceptionally talented photographer, but more than that, is as gracious,…read moreaccommodating, humble, and nice as you could ever hope to meet not only in the wedding industry, but generally. We have all seen photographers who forget that they're not the star of the show, and Michael was the diametric opposite. We first contacted him based on a recommendation from another photographer who was already booked during our wedding day, and we were instantly comfortable with his approach. We had checked out his website and blog, and were impressed by the clarity of his images, his "eye" for the right, and his use of light/dark to accentuate his subjects. Check out the photo of the couple in the Packard on his website. So awesome. Michael did our engagement session, working with us through a few wardrobe changes and 3 different locations, and I'm sure he went way over the amount of time that is in the contract for this session. On our wedding day, he arrived early, was always professional and unobtrusive, and yet managed to get amazing shot after amazing shot, which we discovered when he sent us the link to nearly 1000 edited images. He captured for posterity a multitude of joyous and poignant moments that we didn't notice or couldn't pay attention to. Working with Michael Rastall for one of the most memorable days of our lives was absolutely the right decision, and we wish him continued success!

"Where do all the Locals go?"…read more I will preface this review by saying our travel partner did a fantastic job of finding this place which had good food, laid back atmosphere and conveniently located to our Air BnB Our last night in the great windy city of Chicago, Il Culaccino was selected as our final meal of choice. It is a clean and friendly establishment and provides decent food as well. Their menu was presented and the popular items were pointed out by our server. Our table was given complientary french bagette to chase our meal. The portions were decent and leaned toward the larger side of the pole and the taste was good. I had the clams with pasta in a lemon butter sauce. Yup! delicious. We asked what the protocol was with respect to the tab and the splitting of it and was pleased to learn and see our waiter make each of us a separate bill. (note- unusual for many establishments so we were lucky) Great way to end our journey! Hana Hou

Our final group meal in Chicago led us to Il Culaccino. It was a great spot because of its…read moreproximity and because it met our request for Italian food. I made reservations for a weekend evening, which was easy to do online. When I arrived, it was great to see it was more of a casual, neighborhood-charm restaurant. They have plenty of tables and booths for parties of all sizes. The staff was efficient, and the food came out fast. They have a variety of dishes, including appetizers, entrees, pastas, and more. I got the Orecchiette for my meal. It was a decent portion. There was a lot of variety and plenty of ingredients, so it didn't feel like just pasta. I couldn't finish it all, but for the price, the quality was comparable. I felt like the sauce was a bit runny, and some parts could've used more seasoning. Everyone else ordered a variety of dishes and seemed to enjoy it. If you're in the South Loop area and want Italian food, Il Culaccino is a good option. They have food for all folks and are close to public transportation. Thank you to my group for a phenomenal trip in Chicago!

Do yourself a favor and if your considering Elan Photography sit down and talk to Bill. The prices…read moremay seem higher than other places but our package included $1,500 in prints that we pick. We have two proof albums that look great and have seen photos that family have ordered and can't wait to finish picking what prints we want and I love the album options. Also my Grandmother is getting remarried in July and guess who she hired.... Elan Photography!

Haven't even seen our proofs yet, but gotta say Bill was great to work with. We used a Groupon but…read morewe will use Bill again and recommend him. We and our 25, 21 and 19 yr old kiddos posed for our first family portrait ever.The kids were sooo excited about a family photo at 9:30 in the morning on a Saturday. NOT. ; - ) But Bill chatted them up, made them comfortable. Bill knows how "to work it". Can't wait to see the proofs. Robin Salomon Dye Wheaton

We hired K+B photography for our wedding on March 2014 and are very pleased with their services…read more They were very easy to work with and their professionalism and flexibility made the experience all the more enjoyable. Our wedding was over before we knew it, their awesome photos will be with us forever. We definitely recommend them for wedding or any other events!

K + B shot our wedding in July 2013, and did an engagement shoot with us in May 2013. They had good…read moreideas for pictures and they helped us make a list of all the important shots we wanted and made sure they got them. They were totally professional and nice. They did an excellent job, and had extremely reasonably priced packages. It can be really overwhelming to pick a photographer for your wedding (or other important events), but you can't go wrong with K+B!

My first experience was when Party Blossom fulfilled an order that someone else had placed for…read moreflowers that were delivered to my house. The flowers were absolutely gorgeous and lasted much longer than I had expected. I used Party Blossom for a prom corsage a few months later and they were a joy to work with. The owner asked questions about color, the dress, the theme and the vibe and created a perfect piece for the day.

Amazing flowers! Customer service is always so welcoming and willing to help I've been here about 5…read moretimes. Her flowers LAST!!

Danial Eshow is the BEST PHOTOGRAPHER I encountered. Very…read moreprofessional and well experience. I met him through GOOGLE search and I felt comfortable on our first meeting at Skokie Court House. He was there waiting for us to arrive. On the photoshoot, He gave instructions how to make a pose and capture that moment with his camera. Wow! it came out nice, beautiful and great pictures that I will cherish for the rest of my life. If you are looking a photographer for your events, I'm highly recommend DANIAL ESHOW. I'm very happy with my pictures. Thanks, Alta

I usually don't take the time to write reviews but when I come across a business that goes above…read moreand beyond it's the very least I can do to show my appreciation. More importantly to share the experience with you should you be looking for a photographer. I met Daniel at a family wedding. There, he was professional and I took notice to his patience, professionalism and attention to detail. So of course I reached out and booked him. I needed to update photos of my kids in the home as well as get their headshots done for their composite cards. First off he is very responsive and I think it's very important that you have good communication. It tells you a lot about their character and dedication to take the time to work with you. We had to reschedule our original appointment due to one of my kids coming down with hives and that wasn't an issue with him at all, in fact he was able to get us in the following week. When we arrived to our appointment he was ready to go, he had even brought a clothing rack knowing we had a few outfit changes. He made suggestions to what backgrounds clothing details we should get the kids shot in. Now having two kids (ages 4 and 7) take pictures is a workout alone and it takes patience and creativity. I can't even begin to tell you how amazing our experience went. My daughter froze up, began to cry and refused to shoot. She shut the whole thing down and there was nothing I can do to get her to stop crying. Daniel went along and focused on my son wasting no time and she took notice to how much fun they were having. We tried one more time with her and played a little "magic". In the back of my mind I for sure thought she was done after her meltdown. Daniel went with it and pretended if I sprinkled a little magic dust on him that he couldn't see her and ONLY if he took a picture she would appear. It worked like a charm! He went with this the whole shoot. He had her going from tears to cheeky smiles! Now I've had plenty of experiences with other photographers that have said, " come back another time" and just not willing to make the extra effort. Daniel did his job, he didn't rush us and made this experience so much fun for the kids. We just had the photo session done last week, since then he has sent me sneak peaks of the images within a few days pointing out his favorites as he has been going through and editing over 300 pictures he took! Yes, 300!! I know this review is lengthy, but the bottom line is he doesn't just hold a camera and say smile, he really has magic he brings to the table to deliver results and meet your expectations. Thank you again Daniel. The kids had a great time and can't wait to come back for another shoot! You all need to call and book him!

First timer here in Chicago at the Navy pier location- Great Service and atmosphere. Ben was my…read moreserver, he was a wonderful server and very accommodating -He made my first time at this establishment a great experience. Variety of American food, I had the burger and was pleased.

A beautiful sunny day in Chicago today, so we took a shoreline cruise followed by an outdoor lunch…read moreat Harry Caray's. I enjoyed a footlong chili dog and a margarita. Others chose the Baja fish tacos and the Cobb salad. Our server a student from Argentina was on point, charming & very efficient!