We used to think that mood boards were just a way to capture general inspiration and vibes for an…read moreevent. Life in Bloom proved us wrong as they managed to bring our mood board pictures into reality. We don't just mean getting an approximation, we mean a fully accurate interpretation that honestly enhanced those stunning images. We used Life in Bloom for décor for our Indian wedding with four events across four separate venues all around Chicago. We are still receiving praise for how amazing each event looked, with guests specifically highlighting the attention to detail as well as the gorgeous floral arrangements. One guest told us that she had been taking pictures of every single floral arrangement because they all looked perfect. Another guest sent us a message that said, "the Wedding Mandap and the bridal walkway were the most beautiful I have ever seen. The floral arrangements at every event were mind blowing." From our very first meeting, Rachel, Tim, and Sara spent a lot of time understanding our wishes. They then crafted color palettes and mood boards for each event, giving each one a completely unique identity while making everything feel cohesive with consistent motifs throughout. One of our worries with so many events was that it might end up feeling repetitive, but every single event felt completely different to the one that came before. In this process, we loved seeing how excited the Life in Bloom team was, working off each other and continuously suggesting new ideas. They worked well together while never losing sight of what we wanted or what made sense logistically. When we arrived at our first décor sample, we knew we had made the right choice. Everything looked stunning, and their initial placements of linens, napkins, and tablescapes were already so well thought out. The actual events were no different, looking jaw-dropping at every single venue. We loved that we got to see each room first, and there are plenty of pictures of us literally on the floor in awe. We wish we got to see guests' reactions for the room reveals because we know every single one left people speechless. We also wanted to highlight how easy it was to work with the Life in Bloom team. We never felt any friction or resistance. We loved seeing them at every venue, watching our reactions from afar but never interrupting us. We later learned that one of the installers from one of our venues never showed up, and apparently Tim himself jumped in for an emergency complex installation of the large centerpiece item. On our wedding ceremony day, there was a lot of unpredictable weather. Instead of forcing us into the much easier rain plan, Life in Bloom worked with us through a lot of fluid decisions and installation that let us have our dream wedding outdoors, something we appreciate so much. We really hope people look through the Life in Bloom portfolio and see their impressive work, especially their florals. They did so many custom things for us that were all very intricate, and they had to work on a ton of different line items in many different locations, day after day. We can't recommend them enough.

You will not regret working with Rachel and the Life in Bloom team! I started the design process…read morewith a color scheme and a few ideas, but LIB was able to elevate those ideas in ways I could not have never come up with. My husband and I worked with LIB for our November 2021 wedding at The Langham. I wanted to fully embrace the season and all of the colors, but make it modern and something that guests would talk about long after the wedding day. We had our ceremony set up in a round with a suspended floral statement piece over it. When I walked into the ceremony space I started tearing up! It was everything I had envisioned and more. We then had a room flip for the reception with the dance floor under the statement piece and a mix of long and round guest tables. They were instrumental in piecing together all of the rental items as well like flatware, chargers, linen etc. Their professionalism is outstanding and they go above and beyond to make your wedding feel like the most important event they have ever worked on. From the initial renderings and proposal to the sample and the wedding day, there is no one I would have rather worked with to make my perfect day come to life! Thank you to everyone on the Life in Bloom team for your exceptional work!

Lindsay styled my Elopement and Dinner in Las Vegas in May of this year. Shortly after choosing my…read morevenues, I received mood boards for my entire wedding and my bridal party! Once I approved everything, she handled the proposals/quotes and set all my appointments. She was a step ahead of all of our vendors and everything looked AMAZING day of! Venues: Red Rock Overlook & Nora's Italian

Lindsay is the DREAM wedding planner. Her creativity along with her ability to truly make a wedding…read morevision come to life, I could not have asked for a more wonderful person to help plan our wedding. She kept us on track, answered a million of our questions and absolutely made our wedding the best. And let me tell you - she planned EVERYTHING. I was a total hands off bride (I think haha) and all it took was a few phone calls, and Lindsay locked in on my vision and brought it all to life. The food, the venues, the videographer, the drinks, flowers, hair & makeup, ALL the details - she nailed it all. When people ask me "what was the one thing that made your wedding amazing and you couldn't live with out?", my answer time and time again is "Lindsay, my wedding planner". Seriously - hire her.

Our wedding day was so much fun, and we are so grateful to Laura and Olivia for making it possible!…read more When we got engaged, we knew some of the things we wanted to be a part of our wedding, and some of the things we didn't -- but we had no idea how to put it all together. We also knew that we wanted to have the kind of wedding that requires a lot of preparation, but that we didn't want have wedding planning become second jobs for us. We tried out a couple wedding planners, and eventually we sat down with Laura. She methodically worked with us on how to turn all the things we like and care about and that unite as a couple into a wonderful and perfect wedding -- and helped us organize it all into manageable chunks with a clear timeline. We started our wedding planning with Laura and Olivia, and eventually when Laura went on maternity leave we stayed with Olivia for the rest of our journey. Each had their own personal touches and ways of working, but both were incredibly professional, helpful, and organized. We often showed up to meetings knowing the general vibes that we wanted, not necessarily specifics or even how to express those "vibes", and Laura and Olivia turned those into concrete vendors, choices, and timelines. In the end, we made it through planning without it ever feeling like a second job, and we were in a great position to enjoy the most perfect wedding we could imagine: a big party with all our favorite people, and all our favorite things, celebrating what we love most about each other. More on the big day: Olivia and team managed the day exceptionally well. Everything was in place without us ever having to worry about a single thing. The day was fun and light, from getting dressed and having photos taken all over the city, all the way through the end of the night. Throughout the day, we kept getting asked how we found our amazing venue, caterers, photographer, DJ, florist... the list goes on. Each and every one of them was recommended by Laura. She did a great job of recommending a few vendors that she knew and trusted that fit with our vision for our wedding day, and each one of them did a phenomenal job. Our food was delicious, our music was a hit, and the decorations were beautiful, and we weren't worried at all on the day. Days and weeks after the wedding, we're still a little shocked: we knew this would be a party with our favorite people and favorite things, but even we didn't expect the end result to be so much fun.

Our wedding was earlier this year and we have waited to write this review because we wanted photos…read moreto prove how amazing, talented and fun Laura and her team are. Hiring Fierce productions was the best decision we could have made. We interviewed a few wedding planners and we were impressed by Laura. During our consultation she actively listened to our vision and put it into words to help us understand what our day would entail. My husband and I had no idea what we were doing when we embarked on this process. We had a general vision, but did not know how to pull it together. We had several design meetings and after each meeting Laura left us feeling confident that everything was going to come together. Laura has a great sense for design and event planning. I feel like she can see into the future and predict flaws, prevent them and execute our vision. The day of our wedding we were calm because Laura checked all the boxes, literally! She was able to command the room, and still put us at ease so we could enjoy our day. Our day had a few tiny setbacks but Laura did what she could to make it right. The most impressive feat was the timeline. We had a very detailed timeline and Laura and her team made sure we covered everything. She handled unforeseen issues with ease. My advice to you is to hire Fierce productions full wedding planner service, listen to everything Laura says, sit back and relax. Also hire Adam Biba to be your photographer. He captured the moment of Laura doing her thing! Thank you again for making our day beautiful. Saleem and Matt

Katie Ernst is a delight to work with! She quickly responded to my e-mail request regarding rental…read morefurniture for an apartment I am moving into. Although the stars didn't align - they are booked with weddings, staging, etc. - she made some excellent recommendations for other rental companies. The furniture items they offer are beautiful: furthermore, the rental packages are competitive for the Chicago area (in some cases, a better deal). In hindsight, I wish I would've reached out sooner: but, I feel as though I've gained a wealth of knowledge in speaking with Katie. I would recommend Bowery & Bash for rental needs! Keep in mind, their work speaks for itself and they do book out. If you intend to rent for a home or event, reach out as soon as possible.

By far the most beautiful rental items in all of Chicago! I was on the hunt for two beautiful bars…read morefor months for my wedding and finally came across Bowery & Bash and I'm SO happy I did! All of our friends and family were commenting on how beautiful our bars were all night long. Katie and her team were such a joy to work with. The rental process from start to finish was seamless! So thankful for Katie and her amazing team, they truly made our wedding so beautiful!

Small, local store that has exceptionally beautiful and often very unusual flowers and plants for…read moresale. I'm often here to pick a bloom or two for the week, and always want to get more. I've seen flowers you'd never find anywhere else, like bluebells -- who has bluebells, anywhere? -- that they source from individual people, for instance. I can't remember any of the names ("rose" is the depth of my knowledge), but they're all lovely, and definitely more unique than anything you'd find in a store like Whole Foods. They're also lovely people who will let you take your time over choosing a single bloom (I'm picky!). I've seen the arrangements they send out for special occasions, and they're spectacular; will definitely use them as and when I can for the same. I don't think local stores need any more support than bigger ones, but in this case the size and scale does seem to make a difference because of how unique the wares are and the attention given to customers. Do support them.

The arrangements are bad, and the flowers are old, either blown out or literally wilted. Why can't…read moreHyde Park have a good florist? it mystifies me that this business persists. We just received another sad arrangement condolence for a family death, and rather than being cheered, we just feel sadder. p.s. The florist offered to make it right, but we said no, it wasn't necessary, we appreciate the offer. It's done. We noted that we've received other arrangements that were less than fresh, and didn't say anything then, so now I did. I would just say if flowers are not fresh, they should not go into arrangements. And since the flowers arrive at the florist on Tuesdays, maybe Saturday is not a good day to order.

Brides and grooms to-be,…read more My husband and I worked with Kara to plan our December 2015 wedding. I truly cannot say enough good things about Kara and I would recommend her to everyone and anyone. Having Kara as our planner was worth every penny. Kara was always a professional, offering us creative ideas, wonderful, cost-effective vendors and a beyond helpful wedding timeline. Kara's attention to detail is extraordinary. She is always responsive to email, on top of the budget and sensitive to her client's desires. She was truly our partner in creating our magical wedding weekend. Attending vendor meetings, dress fittings and anything we requested along the way. Kara is fabulous and I miss her already! Her on site team on wedding day was top notch with every staffer having answers to any and all questions. I work in the event industry and I'm sure I had some extra challenging and unique requests and questions due to my day job. Kara handled it all flawlessly. Hands down, Kara is the best. Sincerely, Mrs. B

The magic of our wedding weekend was only possible with Kara. She is an absolute gem. From her…read moreexpert design eye and logistical skills in the months leading up to the big day, to her adept coordination of dozens of vendors and team members on the day-of, Kara handled everything with accuracy, patience, and grace. She's a wonderful person and a joy of a collaborator. We don't typically write reviews, but Kara deserves the world and all the public praise in it. If you're looking for the best wedding planner in Chicago, Kara's it!

"That was the best food I have ever had at a wedding, hands down" - multiple guests at and after…read moreour wedding. We booked The Rookery and worked with Jewell right off the bat. We booked our venue almost 2 years in advance, so we were not in a rush whatsoever, and we always felt calm and at ease with Jewell. Our first tasting was amazing, and then soon after, the President, Greg, took over our contract and we had a second tasting because, in his words "we can do a better chicken dish." He was absolutely right! Everything we tasted, at both tastings, was literally impeccable. Greg and his staff know food. Jewell really went above and beyond throughout the whole process and Maria is such a pleasant and kind human. On the day of the wedding, everything was incredible. There were a few extremely minor misunderstandings that were frustrating for a moment but nothing huge or that made our event any less spectacular. The service staff was so incredibly fun, kind, and really elevated our wedding with their kindness and thoughtfulness. I would highly recommend working with Jewell, Greg and Maria if you have the chance!

I have worked with Jewell many times since 2015, this was my first time using "Jewell To Go…read moreCatering" and the service and quality is just as high level. Most recently used for a cold serve lunch of 3 proteins, salad and starch for 20ppl - everything was great. The sauces did not have much punch to them, they were super mild, but I thought this was ideal for a business lunch where everyone had to be comfortable in a long meeting following eating without getting to brush their teeth, etc.

Erin and A Stem Above made our wedding at the Stock Exchange Room at the Art Institute absolutely…read moregorgeous! She was professional, courteous, and on-point through the whole process. Even if you're not budget worried, Erin will give you input if something doesn't provide price point value. My wife and I were able to view the Stock Exchange Room before the reception, we felt like we were in a dream. Thank you Erin!

Working with Erin was absolutely wonderful! My wedding was at The Chicago Cultural Center and I…read morewanted flowers that would compliment and enhance the already gorgeous venue. The flowers were so beautiful! They made a statement, but didn't overpower the space - just perfect! The floral arch looked like it came straight from my dreams, I couldn't believe how amazing it looked! And Erin had wonderful advice along the way about flowers, linen, and more. She even helped by working in a very difficult flower, the gardenia, into our special day.