I had the pleasure of working with Cindy Shanholtz of Effortless Events for our company's 100th…read moreanniversary dinner and celebration, and I cannot recommend her highly enough! From the moment we began planning, Cindy's attention to detail, professionalism, and creativity shone through at every step. Cindy took the time to truly understand our vision for the event and worked tirelessly to bring it to life in a way that exceeded all expectations. She seamlessly coordinated every aspect, from the venue selection and decor to the catering and entertainment. Her recommendations were spot-on, and her organizational skills ensured everything ran smoothly on the day of the event. The 100th anniversary dinner itself was nothing short of spectacular! The atmosphere Cindy created was elegant and celebratory, perfectly reflecting our company's history while looking forward to its future. Our guests were wowed by the thoughtful touches, from the custom table settings to the beautifully designed timeline of our company's milestones. What really set Cindy apart was her ability to handle every challenge with grace and poise. Despite the complexities of planning such a significant event, she kept everything stress-free for our team, managing all logistics and vendors without missing a beat. It was clear that Cindy and her team truly cared about making this milestone event unforgettable. If you're looking for an event planner who can turn your vision into a flawless reality, Cindy Shanholtz and Effortless Events are the way to go. She made our 100th anniversary celebration an extraordinary experience, and I can't wait to work with her again in the future! Holly Both VP Sales & Marketing, Plymouth Tube Co.

This is my 2nd posting for Cindy and her team at Effortless events. I recently hired them for…read moreanother wedding celebration in Chicago for my daughter who got married in DC. Again, they did not disappoint. Cindy's attention to detail is remarkable. She recommended the venue and took the reigns. From the flowers, decor and layout it was perfect. She suggested so many fun things...like a s'mores bar for dessert where guests assembled and "cooked" their own! We had mini individual cast iron skillets with fresh chocolate chip cookies and guests could top them with ice cream. Everyone raved about it and EE did it all...I just showed up and enjoyed it. Thanks Cindy + team!

About five weeks out from the big day, I desperately began to search for a day-of coordinator that…read morewould be within our already stretched budget and able to take care of the final logistics the month before the wedding when I was starting a new job. Enter Amy, who saved my sanity and ensured that I didn't have to worry about any logistics the weekend of our wedding. We spoke on the phone for about an hour and talked through my vision for our wedding. Right away, I knew I wanted to hire her because her services would be invaluable! Throughout the whole process, she was very organized and detail-oriented, thinking of things that even my type-A personality hadn't thought of. Even though I hired her after the final walkthrough with my venue, she went ahead and did another one to ensure she was prepared for the big day. When our bakery dissolved three days into my job, she took the time to research and contact other bakeries before my work day had even ended. I was relieved to say the least! She took care of contacting all vendors and sharing the final logistics with them so that every vendor was well-informed and on the same page. The biggest stressor in planning was the day-of timeline, which she created based on answers to questions she asked me. She was very patient and made adjustments based on new information from various vendors. Planning a wedding is stressful, but Amy took on so much in the final month before the wedding that I didn't have to stress out about many of the things other brides worry about. She was super responsive in responding to emails and often offered to talk over the phone about more complicated logistics. She coached us through some difficult situations that arose that would have caused additional stress but didn't because of her solution-oriented approach. After the wedding was over, I missed phone calls with Amy because I started to feel like we were friends, and she genuinely cared about me and my husband. I finally met Amy in person a few hours before our rehearsal when we dropped off tons of DIY things at our venue. She stayed, sorted them, and even started to set things up that afternoon. She met us at our rehearsal dinner venue with a personalized schedule for all important people taking part in our wedding. She thoroughly ran through the rehearsal and ensured that everyone knew when and where they were supposed to be the following day. We misplaced something, and she was even in contact me later on in the evening, which put my mind at ease. The day of the wedding, she was absolutely phenomenal! She stopped at the venue to look for the misplaced groom's gift before arriving at the hotel and helped ensure everything was running smoothly with hair/makeup, the florist, and the photog/videographer. She then left to go to the venue to start setting up all of the DIY details - of which there were many. I know that without her and her assistant, Lauren, I would have been super stressed thinking about everything getting set up in time. We wrote individual letters to guests that they were able to set out in the short 45 minute flipping of the room. Throughout the entire evening, she checked in on us to make sure things were happening as we envisioned them. Family and friends raved about how amazing she was! After the wedding, she stayed after and organized everything, so we just had to pick up a few things on Monday morning. We can't thank Amy enough for helping us execute the wedding of our dreams!

I hired Amy as a partial wedding planner and day of coordinator, best decision I made! I had my…read morewedding my Gallery 1028 in Chicago, Amy had worked with them before, which was a huge plus. She was able to bring my vision to life and everything turned out simply beautiful!! Amy is extremely organized, efficient, and detail oriented, but also keeps it real which I appreciate. Hire Amy, you won't regret it!!!

We had an absolutely incredible wedding at Elements yesterday! WOW! I cannot say enough good things…read moreabout the staff and the venue. Everything was perfect. Everyone went above and beyond to make our day special and prevent us from stressing about a single thing. When we arrived, I needed some dirt stains taken out of my dress before joining cocktail hour. Molly wasted no time getting us a drink and a tray of delicious hors d'oeuvres while she used club soda and a rag to get the stains out as best she could (and it really worked!). The coordinators communicated flawlessly with our vendors to make sure everything went according to plan. Our guests had a wonderful evening as well. We received compliments on the food and bar service and the beautiful venue. I planned my wedding myself without hiring a coordinator and I have no regrets. The venue coordinator, Molly, helped me with so much throughout the process. She was so organized, always responded to my endless emails quickly, and she paid attention to every detail. I cannot thank her enough for helping my dream wedding a reality! She was even able to bring in one of our favorite local beers from Solemn Oath which was very special for us!

We had a beautiful Boy Baby Shower yesterday for our daughter -in-law, Abbye, at The River Room at…read moreElements at Water Street in Naperville. We had a brunch buffet followed by a sweet table of Chocolate Dipped French Macarons, Chocolate Mousse Tarts and Lemon Bars. We had plenty refreshments with waitress served OJ/Champagne Mimosas. The presentation was beautiful, and everything was delicious. The staff was excellent. I couldn't be happier with the way everything turned out. Thanks so much!

Went here last Friday with 2 friends and my daughter! Place is very cute ! Staff is friendly …read more Painting is very well instructed . Love this place very fun and great night out with the girls ! Highly recommend!! It is byob so we had wine & snacks with us to make it a complete night

I had a lot of fun this past week at one of their painting socials. The overall concept is great…read moreand I appreciated the painting that we did that day. The live music provided a great atmosphere and the BYOB was also a bonus. The location is easy to find and the owner was there the entire time with us. We had someone replenishing paint and bringing us napkins as needed and they had cupcakes from a nearby bakery for sale which where some of the best I have had. Overall it was an enjoyable experience. Just a few things that kept me from giving it five stars. The painting area was a little too cramped. I was elbow to elbow with the people on either side of me, which made it a little hard to move around and paint. The actual brushes we used seemed to be a little worn, so they didn't paint as well. Maybe omitting one or two chairs from the tables to provide extra painting room would make it a little more comfortable? Just a suggestion, otherwise I would definitely recommend attending one of their painting socials.

Jenin is such a talented, artistic florist and designer. I feel SO lucky to have found her for my…read moreJuly wedding at The Haight in Elgin. Her dreamy floral aesthetic made the already beautiful venue feel like an indoor garden, and all of my guests were blown away (see the gorgeous eucalyptus garland in the profile pic!) If you want unique, personalized floral and decor services, do NOT pass up Planning for Paradise! Had I not already had a coordinator through my venue, I would have hired Jenin for full wedding planning in a heartbeat. This gal can do it all with grace and style!

From the owner: A boutique Wedding Planning Business that specializes in styling + design.read more

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!

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!

5/5 Stars - Incredible officiant for a custom, heartfelt wedding!…read more Rev. Anne with the Rev for Whatev is hands down the best wedding officiant you could ask for! She made our ceremony feel like it was being delivered by a lifelong friend. She was amazing at incorporating all our special details--from including our two dogs in the ceremony to guiding our niece and nephews through our unity planting. It was warm, emotional, and perfectly paced. We highly recommend Rev. Anne to anyone getting married in the Chicago area!

Reverend Anne officiated our wedding a couple months ago, and we couldn't have been happier! The…read morething that set her apart from the other officiants I was looking at was her website - it contains so much information, including faqs, services, sample ceremonies, and pricing. She had all the answers to my questions already! We picked the partially customized ceremony for our secular ceremony, and she drafted a couple versions for us to review. It was so easy communicating with her. We mostly emailed, but we scheduled an in person meeting when we were in town to meet up with our wedding vendors. She is extremely nice, organized, and professional. She took care of the paperwork after the wedding, so it is one less thing to stress about! Stop looking around because she will take care of you. We highly recommend her for any ministerial needs.

Bethany is professional, organized, and efficient while remaining kind, understanding and fun…read morethroughout the wedding process. She made a hugely positive impact on our special day. I would recommend her completely.

Selecting Bethany Moore Event Planning and Design was a fantastic decision! Bethany was absolutely…read moreamazing! If you are looking for the most phenomenal wedding coordinator in the area, look no further. Bethany is knowledgeable, organized, attentive and kind. She exceeded all our expectations. In, fact we were completely unbothered by any minor hiccups that popped up throughout the day because Bethany was always on top of it! Our wedding day was incredible because of her support. We are so grateful! Thank you is simply not enough. Bethany, you helped create moments that our family will treasure forever!

Date of event: June 29, 2019…read more Location of event: St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Church in Burr Ridge, IL & Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center Schaumburg, IL Alina was amazing to work with!! She was so helpful in bringing our vision to life. My husband and I could not have been more amazed. Alina was responsive to email and worked within our budget. She gave us several options for our décor for us to pick from. She was helpful in working with us to change things when we requested and was always so sweet! She and her team are amazing and we would highly recommend them for any event!!

Date of Wedding: October: October 20 2019 Abington Banquets…read more Alina was so easy to work with and super patient. She listened carefully to what we wanted and was very flexible. She helped us change things around to match our budget. We worked with Alina for a few months before we put down a down payment so I thank her for her patience on that. Alina takes alot of pride in her work and refuses to use cheap materials. Alina coordinated our entrance and stage. It looked wonderful in the photos.

Aimee was extremely helpful to us in planning our event. We hired her as a "Day Of" coordinator but…read moreshe was SO much more! Before the wedding, was available to meet with us and provided great ideas, support and advice. Highly organized, professional and warm. We wanted to enjoy our wedding and that's exactly what we were able to do, thanks to Aimee! We didn't even know half of the issues she handled until weeks later -- from people who attended. We had a great day and it was because of Aimee. A true pro!

Aimee did a great job of taking care of the details on our wedding day! She handled all of the day…read moreof coordination like a pro so that my husband and I, our families and our bridal party did not have to worry about a thing. She is very organized, professional and pro-active in anticipating problems and conflicts. Having Aimee help us with the day of coordination was money well spent. She also made herself available in the weeks leading up to the wedding and was always willing to answer emails/phone calls at any time. Her experience and time management skills were the key to the successful timeline of our wedding day and keeping our other vendors on schedule and happy. I can easily recommend Aimee as she is a pure delight to work with, and knows her business. I wish her and A. Events much success in the future.