We had our wedding at The Arboretum Club in January - and everything was stellar. Most of my yelp…read morefriends know how picky I am.... and I know how weddings can be... so this says a lot. Even with the few small hiccups we had, nothing major, I wouldn't change much. Chris & co. were fabulous to work with. Quick to reply to inquiries, happy to try to help come up with alternate solutions when what we had envisioned wasn't do-able (due to state law.) Everyone at our wedding has commented on how FANTASTIC the food was. From the appetizers through to cake (provided by an off-site contracted vendor whom I will review separately) everything was delicious. It's hard to say that about wedding food sometimes! The Arboretum did the room set-up for us, because there was a brunch wedding the same day as our 6pm start wedding. It wouldn't have been better if I did it myself. Everything was laid out as I had requested and I had no reason to worry about things not being correct (we provided centerpieces, escort cards, decor, cake topper, lighting, you name it.) Having the private brides room was a life-saver. Even just to have a place to sit and have a quiet moment by myself. My only hiccups were that we had discussed having our cocktail hour in the main foyer dining area. This was sold to us at the very first meeting, that we had the entire venue, and this is where cocktails would be - they would take the tables away and put in some high-boys. This did not happen. When I asked about it, I was told it wasn't in our contract. So, lesson learned to me, get everything in writing. The only other thing was that scheduling the tasting was a little strange. I asked many times from the time we signed our contract (late winter 2016) through spring, summer, and fall, when our tasting would be. I was told 2 months ahead of time. We were scheduled for October 2016, which was fine, until at the tasting when we told them how quickly our event was coming up, a few of the employees looked at each other as if we should've had our tasting far sooner (oh, your wedding is in January? this is late October...) Small hiccups to say the least, and really due to my own lack of contract knowledge. Arboretum Club comes VERY highly recommended.

A pleasant cafe with vaulted ceilings, comfortable seating, friendly service. This is really…read moresimilar to the house restaurant you'd find in a hotel or family entertainment spot. Prices are pretty reasonable, with specials on Wednesday for pasta and Friday for fish fry. Cooking speed is a bit slow, so be aware if you're in a hurry to get in and out quickly. Food is hit and miss, depending on what you order. The classic burger had too thick of a patty with me and was overcooked enough where it wasn't really juicy. The nachos grade was large, with chicken that was quite overcooked though it had a flavorful char. It was accompanied by lettuce and tomato that could've been a bit fresher, jalapenos, and sour cream. On the other hand, the steak sandwich was seasoned nicely and slightly juicy and fairly tender. There was a strong pepper flavor and a little bit of char. The grilled chicken and bacon flatbread had a nice variety of textures with a pretty crisp cracker crust. The combination of chicken and bacon in this dish worked well together to create a nice savory taste. The fries were crisp and fairly meaty, a solid version of a slightly thicker cut fry. Overall, not a bad place to stop by if you're golfing or visiting places nearby. Hours can be erratic, about 11-5 on most days except Monday where there is no kitchen service, winter time where they may close early, and on specials nights where they open till 8 pm. You'll be able to enjoy a hot meal at a reasonable price and very relaxed atmosphere.

Alysson was completely amazing in coordinating my wedding. She was extremely professional,…read moreorganized, and always knew the right questions to ask. She worked so well with all my vendors, some a little more difficult then others - but you would never have guessed by the way she was able to pull everything together. When the day finally arrived and I walked into our venue, my jaw dropped. I could not believe how amazing everything looked - I had a vision in my head but Alysson really pulled everything together and it looked 100% better then anything I could have ever imagined. To give you a better picture of what she had to work with, our venue was at an art gallery, aka a blank canvas. Everything had to be brought in by separate vendors - catering, rentals, decor, lighting, alcohol, desserts, etc - which took A LOT of organizing. On top of that, I work in the creative industry and have a passion for DIY, as does my family. We had a lot of custom ideas and hand-made decorations we needed Alysson to coordinate. It was a lot of extra work, but she seemed to breeze through it all. On top of all that, Alysson was a lifesaver throughout the wedding itself. She kept us on track and anytime we needed something or couldn't find one of the vendors or had a question, Alysson was there. She took care of everything and I am so grateful to her for helping pull off such an amazing day! To top it all off, our wedding was featured by our vendors, other photographers, designers, and wedding inspiration enthusiasts including David Tutera, ColourLovers, Techy NY, HT Inspires, Francesco Mugnai, A Little Bright, Shoot from the Hip, Style Alter, and Boho to name a few. One of the features we were most excited about was Ruffled which included some great info and photography from our wedding. http://ruffledblog.com/cmyk-inspired-wedding/ Again, could not have pulled our vision off without Alysson by our side!

Aneta and the whole team at AGS made my wedding an absolute dream come true! I showed Aneta one…read moreinspiration picture and she took it and turned my wedding into something 100000 times more beautiful. From the beginning, the whole process was so easy, Aneta was so accommodating and easy to reach. She built me the most beautiful arch after I showed her a picture of my disaster of an arch that I tried building myself lol word of advice, don't attempt to build your own arch, leave it to the pros! I honestly could not recommend AGS Events enough and almost a week after my wedding I'm still obsessing over every detail! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!

Hands down the BEST experience with Aneta for my wedding. Aneta is SOO sweet and truly listens to…read morewhat your vision is and brings it to life 10x better! When I walked into the church and reception I was truly at awe at how magical it looked like. We kept getting so many compliments during the night and after the event. She is truly the BEST in the business. So happy we went with Aneta she made it a breeze and it was not stressful at all. Constantly followed up and verified everything with me.

We recently attended a wedding reception at a nearby forest preserve that used the services of A…read moreTouch of Elegance. Needless to say, it was an enjoyable experience! The meals came from someone else, but the orderly fashion it was presented and served was duly noted. That goes double for the drink line as well; I ordered non-alcoholic drinks and still felt appreciated. Kudos to the two sisters and Diane D. who worked the event! A Touch of Elegance definitely showed a touch of class!.

A Touch of Elegance was nothing but a disappointment by Denise (Owner) our event executer…read more When reading this review, please realize this was written to help other brides and people who deserve an amazing event planner/executor for their special day. We hired a Touch of Elegance to ONLY execute our designs for our wedding in September 2019. I (The Bride) worked with the owner herself, Denise, who agreed to take on this project. I gave her specific details and instructions on how I wanted key aspects of my wedding to come together which included: putting up a photo backdrop which I designed, placing all tent cards in order on the backdrop, assisting with gathering family members for pictures during cocktail hour, making sure the banquet hall was ready (table numbers, reserved seating, guest gifts) for photography before guests arrive, setting up the memory table, the autograph table, and placing signage. We also had a surprise swing dance number for our guests and I had a dress change, so that is the only thing that she helped us with correctly. Please see the images attached regarding how each part was executed INCORRECTLY as there was not enough room to write it all here sadly. We gave Denise a Call regarding feedback Being the "Hospitality Power Couple" (name given by our family and friends) and myself for receiving a degree in graphic design and hospitality, we were EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED. Learning of some of the issues during our wedding, after our wedding, learning much more from family friends, and the staff of our hotel venue about Denise was hard to take in. Unfortunately, we had to call Denise to ask how she felt our wedding day went as we wanted to hear her side of the story. The best way to sum up the call would be that it showed us who Denise really is. She kept telling us "She DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH TIME". Our first thought was, if you did not leave yourself enough time, why not bring in more of your staff to help you. We placed our trust and faith in her as she reassured us many times everything will be wonderful on our wedding day since we were over organized and too detailed, but it shows that no matter how OCD you may be, it can still be executed WRONG. With Denise knowing all this taking place during our wedding, we feel we wasted our money as we never planned to have an event planner execute our designs but my now husband convinced me that she was worth it. Sadly, we were wrong, and we paid for it as we DID NOT RECEIVE A REFUND from Denise. From one business owner to another (founder of my graphic design company and a nonprofit), I was also DISAPPOINTED that she DID NOT CARE TO CALL us for our feedback. I had to reach out to her to set up a call. As an owner, I would want my clients to be honest with me about my work, my work ethic, and how I am as person when working with clients. I am always trying to be better for my clients, and I hope she does the same going forward because I will never recommend her to family or friends after this experience. I hope Denise learns from our wedding on how not to treat people and their guests when hosting an event. My biggest hope is that she does not cause any of these problems for anyone else's event going forward as no one needs more stress on a big day like their wedding or any special event for that matter.

I highly recommend I Do Photo Booth! They did an amazing job. My guests and I were having a blast…read more And I absolutely loved the scrapbook!

I always knew I was going to have a photobooth, but I never knew how hard it was to choose one…read more They come in all shapes, styles and sizes - who knew?! I got lucky with I Do b/c after seeing some others, I knew I had to do soooome research. But I was trying to get better pricing, etc and then alot were booked. I was getting antsy, but it must have been a blessing in disguise. I went to see this booth at the Adler Planetarium a 6 weeks before my wedding and they were so nice and answered every question and even let me take some pics. hehe. Booked. THEN - I had a slight problem with other photobooth frames I had purchased and was freaking out b/c the I Do pics didn't fit in them. UH-OH. I called them up and got the manager and explained my problem and he offered their frames at a very competetive price! So sweet! And they were a HUGE hit at the wedding - there was a line all night and competitions like who could be funniest, most outrageous, goofiest, etc. From the props, the book, the copies (digital and hard), guest enjoyment and awesome customer service and SUPER nice attendants - they were great! It is definitely a bit of a splurge, but is not that bad since they are your favors too - SO worth it. Looking at my guest book and all the messages remind me how much fun we all had that night and that's the best!

I hired Jalpa as a full-service wedding planner June 2022 for my September 2023 wedding. From the…read morevery beginning, Jalpa was an absolute gem, guiding me through each step of the wedding planning process and transforming my dream of a perfect big fat Indian wedding into a reality. From the initial consultation to the final moments of the big day, Jalpa demonstrated professionalism, creativity, and an unwavering commitment to making our wedding a truly magical experience. Over the course of 14 months, she assisted in booking every vendor, coordinating/communicating seamlessly with the venue and our vendors (decor, catering, DJ, video/photo, etc.), helped pick out small wedding details, and provided invaluable insights and advice. Her ability to listen to my needs and help my vendors understand my vision truly made every decision feel informed and stress-free. One of the aspects I appreciated most about working with Jalpa was her flexibility. Jalpa understood my type-A personality and my desire to be hands-on with planning, she allowed me to communicate directly with vendors and take charge when needed, while still providing the necessary support and expertise. Jalpa maintained open and clear communication throughout the entire planning process. She was responsive to emails, calls, and any questions or concerns we had. This made us feel confident and assured that our wedding was in capable hands. Jalpa's commitment to her clients is unparalleled. When the big weekend arrived, Jalpa, Mitul, and her J2R team were so efficient and ensured that everything ran smoothly and ON TIME, a remarkable feat given our sizable guest count of close to 600. All thanks to Jalpa's impeccable organization and coordination skills, we truly got to enjoy our wedding weekend without worrying about logistics. She also effortlessly handled the intricacies of our Hindu wedding and vidhi ceremony. Her ability to communicate with my parents and the priest ensured that every detail and the complex steps of the ceremony were flawlessly executed. Hiring Jalpa was single-handedly the BEST decision I made when planning my wedding. Every single one of our guests complimented the wedding (which is very rare for an Indian wedding). They all complimented how beautiful, organized, and fun the wedding was. They also all loved the food. Even three months later, our guests are still talking about our wedding weekend. This honestly would have not been possible without Jalpa. I highly recommend her for all your wedding planning and coordination needs. You will not regret hiring her. Jalpa cares deeply about her clients and goes above and beyond to create unforgettable experiences. I wholeheartedly recommend Jalpa to anyone looking for a dedicated and talented wedding planner. Thank you Jalpa, for making our wedding day the best day of our lives!

Stunning location for your next event! From weddings to formal dinners, you cannot do better than…read morethis beautiful historic Armour Estate.

The Armour House is everything you and your guests would expect from a luxury level wedding venue…read more If you want to celebrate your big day in elegance it's the perfect setting. My couples love exchanging wedding vows in the outdoor garden then posing for pictures on the grand staircase. This is a wedding venue like no other! - Rev. Michael Vargas

They just moved their business 2 blocks down the street on North Avenue to 2605 West North Avenue…read more They moved from the 3rd floor to the 1st floor (street level) into a larger space that they now rent out for events. The new location can accommodate up to 80 people and they can furnish anything and everything from chairs and tables to flower walls and decorations. Food, desserts, beverages and music. They did a wedding with a couple of fabulous chinese dragons. Their main business so far has been weddings, but they are ready to dive into the event business also. The event space had an Italian village theme with delicious italian food, limoncello, italian ice, cofee and an awesome sweets table along with a photobooth with one of their beautiful flower walls. If you are planning a wedding or event, give them a call and see what they can do for you.

Before starting I would like to make it clear that in no way am I trying to bash Lil Epic Design…read moreStudio team. Instead, I hope for this to come out as constructive criticism. I would give four stars to the studio. The value of this is like no other, especially with the amenities that are included, like the flower wall, greenery/hedge wall, string lights dangling beautifully from the ceiling, couches, and Apple TV to name a few. My guests (and myself!) thoroughly enjoyed the flower wall as photobooth backdrop. Our photographer was amazed at the lighting in the studio. The greenery/hedge wall was perfect for my son's sweets table backdrop. I had used the Apple TV to stream a slideshow of my son on loop. The kitchen island is perfect for a buffet style hospitality. Although, our guest attendance was lower than expected, the studio can easily fit about 80 guests. Lil Epic Design Studio is gorgeous, welcoming, and clean. Like I said, we had used their planning and styling services. This I would give a 2-2.5 stars. Prior to meeting with them, I had a theme picked out, and other little details I wanted to incorporate. I had it all drawn and listed out in a notebook. The first meeting I had with the team, I explained to them exactly what I wanted, and hear out what they think. We agreed that everything we discussed were possibly. The team assured me that everything was doable and by the time we get to the studio on the day of the party, everything would be ready. The next few meetings, I felt like I had to remind them what exactly we discussed previously. It was almost as if we were meeting for the first time over and over again. Then the week of the party, we were able to drop off plates, cups, drinks, and other items which was really convenient. The day of the party, we got to the studio about an hour before the party starts. When arriving to the studio, there were key details that were missing. We agreed to customize the flower wall with a few blue flowers, but that was not done. It was kept white. Our centerpieces were supposed to be mason jars and handmade tissue paper carnations, but instead, the centerpieces were red roses in a flimsy painted container. I had brought in a children's book at our second to the last meeting that was meant to be the guest book in which our guests were to write little notes throughout it, but the book was nowhere to be found. I let the in-studio assistant know, so maybe she could find it before guests could arrive, but she couldn't find it. This was the one thing I was most upset about. I wanted my son to have this book full of messages from his guests to look back on, but because it was misplaced, he was not able to have this memorabilia. I also have yet to get the book back. Along with the guestbook, I had recommended a sign made so guests knew what and where to write in the book. This was not made. As I said earlier, they assured me that everything would be ready and that all I had to do was place the food that I brought in in the warmer. This was nowhere near the case, especially when it came to the cake/sweets table. My family and I had to arrange all the food, and arrange the plasticware. I had my photographer get there 30 minutes before the party, so we could take pictures before the guests arrived, but we were not able to do that because I was still setting everything up. By the time of the party and when guests started to arrive, I was just getting finished setting up. Lastly, the back where the bathroom is located was not cleaned. There were boxes stacked on the bench and on the floor. After all this, I do have a few suggestions. When having a new client, schedule all the meetings needed, so it's already planned out. I had to reach out to them to schedule a meeting. At times, I was stressing out because I wanted to schedule a meeting, but wouldn't receive a reply for days. Also, I wanted to meet, so we could be on the same page and start spreading out my expenses instead of buying everything all in one week. Another suggestion is to have a worksheet of things you should discuss each meeting, so each meeting is productive and organized. Like I said earlier, I felt like each meeting we had was like the first meeting all over again because we were having to discuss things that were finalized meetings ago. I understand that they're a growing team, but seems that time management is a weakness. Emails would go unresponded for days. I've had to double, triple, almost quadruple email them to get their attention. Each time there would be a different excuse given. Lastly, I felt like my event was not prioritized compared to others. I follow them on Instagram, and Facebook, and I have seen them take quality time on other projects, especially when it involved well known brands like LinkedIn and SocialWorks, or high end weddings. All in all, I would use their space again for any occasion, but using their planning and styling services, I don't want empty promises.