I have an upcoming wedding in August and i was looking for florists in the area. I came across…read moreKensington and enjoyed my experience there. Victoria is the owner of the shop and she is great to work with. Victoria has a cheery personality, is friendly, accommodating and most of all willing to work within your budget. I showed her a picture of a bouquet centerpiece i wanted for my reception and she was able to name every single flower in the centerpiece! Very knowledgeable in her craft. She also does event planning if you need it as well. I give it 5 stars for a 5 star experience

I can not begin to describe how amazing Victoria was both professionally and personally. I went to…read moreVictoria for my wedding flowers and prior to meeting with Victoria I thought knew it all, I even considered doing my flowers myself. Victoria not only showed me she was the true professional but also did it in an amazing way. By the time my wedding was quickly approaching it was only Victoria I trusted with the distinct details of my special day. Victoria met with me several times to confirm the details of my wedding. She created a mock up of what my aisle would look like and remained patient as I went over and over the details and changed many details. As a bride you want your day not to be perfect but you want it to be your perfect envision, i assure you Victoria will make sure that happens. She will communicate via phone, email and text to make sure she is doing her job. If anything goes wrong and Victoria is your florist I would say it is at the fault of the bride. One of my biggest frustrations with all my vendors minus Victoria was their lack of contact communication. I would say I talked to Victoria as often as I talked to my bridesmaids. Throughout the planning of my wedding I found myself reaching out to Victoria just to tell her where i was with the planning. One example of Victoria going above and beyond, I told her I had a meeting with my day of coordinator and she asked if she could attend the meeting. During the meeting Victoria asked more questions than the other 3 vendors in attendance. She asked questions a first time bride would never even consider. As my soon to be husband and I drove home we raved about Victoria, I sent her a message to thank her for asking me so many questions and bringing things to my attention I would have never even considered. In terms of price, I told Victoria my budget and she worked everything out to fit my budget, looking back at what we paid her and what we paid others, I wish I could take money from other vendors and just give it to her. I can rant and rave about Victoria pre-wedding but I guess what really matters is day of Victoria. My wedding would not have been as stunning without her. She got every details down pact and there was not one mishap I knew of. Now it is a month after my special day and Victoria and I still keep in contact. She went above and beyond for me, and she is definitely someone I want to remain friends with not only because she is an awesome florist and knows her stuff!, but because she is an awesome person all around Thank you Victoria from the Thomas family we truly appreciate you! :)

My wedding was in 2012--and I thought I left a review for Rami back then but I don't see it here,…read morebut I have to let you all know how great he is. His prices were comparable to other event designers but he does not charge extra for every little thing compared to others-- and his services were impeccable. He went above and beyond to make sure everything I envisioned came to life. He took care of uplighting, stage decor, flowers, centerpieces, flower necklaces, and made sure to remind me of things I was overlooking. I have had multiple friends go to Ramis Mandap for their wedding based off of my recommendation and have been very satisfied. I usually tell them to say "Sana sent me" and he remembers me and speaks highly of me to them and offers them the same great service he did to me. I've gone back to him for other events and I will continue to send my friends and family his way. His warehouse is located in Glenview and he let's you walk through so you can see all of the materials he can provide. We are always offered beverages while we're around, he takes the burden of planning off your shoulders.

Rami uncle did amazing job at our wedding decor. Everyone that attended our wedding couldn't stop…read moretalking about the colors and efforts of our decoration. I walked into our wedding hall and i couldn't stop saying oh my god!!! He went above and beyond my imagination for my wedding mandap and entrance. I highly recommend him for your next event. Just pick your colors and let him do his magic.

We have a wonderful time working with Jennifer and Fern. They were our "day-of" wedding planners…read morefor us but they did... oh, so much more! We started working with them well before the wedding, largely to make sure we were on track with our schedule (catering, entertainment, invites, etc). That went just fine. We also had an added bit of fun (that turned out amazing). My partner and I have been together for a long time and friends didn't know what to get us since we already have a full house. So when we told our friends of our wedding plans (and planned outfits) they decided to get us a band for the wedding. Which is great but now Jennifer and Fern had the grooms + random friends to coordinate with. Our friends worked directly with Bon Events and they ALSO had nothing but good things to say. In fact, Bon helped them secure the band and work out the final details. I feel they went above and beyond and made our wedding an amazing event. I didn't have to think about a thing on our wedding day except to make sure we ate (Bon also had secured food for us at the wedding... since it's hard to eat when you need to say Hello to everyone) and made sure our guests had a lovely time. I cannot recommend them enough!

What can I say about Jennifer & Fern…read more.. Honestly, no words can describe how amazing these 2 women are, they were supposed to just be our "Day of Coordinators" for my wife & I's wedding this past October but throughout the year and a half that we used their services we were in contact with them constantly. Furthermore, they were happy and excited to help us make sure that we were on track and that our wedding would be exactly what we wanted. They never made us feel like "just another client" or even once said "you didn't hire us for this" they were just always there, and always helpful. They were there for us anytime we needed encouragement or had fears about a decision we had made they were right there to back us up and encourage us to go for what we wanted. They also ran our rehearsal like drill instructors and made sure everyone knew their role, down to how fast they are walking the aisle and where to stand on stage. These women are really a lot of fun to talk to and work with but when it comes down to it they are professionals who take their clients needs very seriously. We hired them for the "Day of coordination" and when it came down to that they did an amazing job, our wedding probably had a few hiccups that day, maybe even a disaster or two, but my wife and I didn't see, hear or even suspect anything, more importantly neither did our guests. Jen and Fern had a staff of 3 people working under them for our event and between the 5 of them not only was our venue completely flipped from "Ceremony mode" to "reception hall" within 30 minutes but the entire night went perfectly. They even went as far as to grab food for my wife and I from the caterers so we wouldn't even have to get up from our table. Jen & Fern I hope you read this, Jen & I had our dream wedding, we put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into making sure it happened and I 100% feel like you guys did too. That wedding was the best party of our lives and we owe that to you. Thank you so much for everything you did, we will never forget it.

We hired Arin of Big City Bride as our day-of-coordinator. Other than deciding to marry one…read moreanother, this was the absolute best decision we made for our wedding. Arin did incredible work (and with such grace, patience, and enthusiasm). She emailed back and forth with the band, caterer, flower vendor, and venue contacts to make the perfect timeline. She made copies of our marriage license, readings, schedule, contracts, and contacts. She handled taking all the wedding sundries (the bathroom baskets, programs, signage) to the venue. She collected our marriage license, gratuity for all the vendors, and even offered to personally check us into our hotel so we don't have to think about it--all things we would have had to do ourselves or delegate. The pricing at Big City Bride is incredibly reasonable, especially considering all the work that they can do. We had the best day and were able to enjoy every second because of Arin!

Where to even begin?! From the FIRST meeting with Arin, I knew this was going to be a special…read moreexperience- she had pre-reserved our dream venue (The Field Museum!) just in case we wanted to get married in November... which we did! Arin is so full of ideas, kindness, and energy- she took my vision of color and RAN WITH IT... leading all of our vendors to create the absolute night of my dreams. Arin is incredibly responsive (nights, weekends, ALWAYS), organized, and creative. She wished me luck and sent me coffee before my dress shopping, asked for updates during my bachelorette, and even texted mere DAYS after giving birth to wish me well on wedding day. Arin shines so bright - and is a safe space in what can be a crazy/confusing industry. I am so thankful to Arin for the happiest night of my life- looking back, there isn't ONE THING I would change. It was perfect.

I am struggling to put into words how to thank Lindsay Gaeta and her team and acknowledge every…read moresingle detail she knocked out of the park and executed on our wedding day! Throughout the planning process there were so many little behind the scenes details she saved me time on which I am so appreciative! I will miss seeing her monthly on our planning calls! I don't plan to get married again anytime soon but I do hope our paths cross again! I am speechless about her help from the rehearsal to the very last minute of shutting down the after party!! The top 3 highlights that people mentioned to me on the wedding day were 1. Dad's speech, 2. Florals, 3. How hard she HUSTLED!!! My bridesmaids and close family constantly approached me on the wedding day with sentiments of "wow, she's good!!" She exceeded our expectations and anticipated our every move! I have close family in the hospitality business (who are the harshest critics about everything in the event planning world) and were over the top satisfied with her commitment and follow through to make the day as seamless as possible! I am sure there were many hiccups that day that were not brought to my attention and for that, I give Lindsay full credit! I was able to relax, be present and have a B+ personality that evening instead of my typical A- for all things attention to detail! I felt completely comfortable 'handing Lindsay the reigns' and entrusting she would handle everything as necessary, which she did!!!

We are beyond grateful for Kim Weinberg of LivenUp Events! From the very beginning, Kim was the…read moreultimate professional, so patient, kind, and supportive, even when I, as the bride, was feeling overwhelmed. She has this incredible ability to stay calm, cool, and collected no matter what comes her way, always finding solutions effortlessly and proactively preventing issues before they even arise. Her industry knowledge is unparalleled, and her planning experience truly shines through in every detail. From her amazing vendor connections to her creative, thoughtful ideas, Kim went above and beyond to make our wedding not just beautiful, but absolutely seamless. She kept us organized, on track, and stress-free throughout the entire process. But what really sets Kim apart is her heart. She genuinely cares about her couples, listens with empathy, and makes you feel supported every step of the way. We couldn't have asked for a better wedding planner. She is a true gem, and we feel so lucky to have had her by our side. Kim Weinberg didn't just plan our wedding; she made our dream day a reality, and we will be forever grateful.

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!

We worked with Kerrie from Citygirl to plan our fall wedding. I was super worried about planning a…read morewedding while living in a different state and time zone. You can easily get overwhelmed when planning a wedding in a big city as there are so many great vendors and venues to choose from. Citygirl has an incredible network of vendors that they work with all the time. I loved that I was able to send Kerrie a few photos of say floral or stationary, and she was able to give me a list of 3-4 spot on vendors in different price ranges. It was such a relief to know that the vendors were reliable, professional and had experience working with Kerrie. I am super indecisive so I can't tell you how much time this saved me. The end product was beautiful, classy, and more stunning than I could have imagined. Everything flowed perfectly so that our families could just enjoy the day without worrying about any of the behind the scenes details. My parents said they were bombarded with calls, texts, and letters for days and days after the wedding from guests saying how it was the most beautiful event they had ever been to. Thanks ladies!

I cannot recommend Shar and citygirl enough!! Seriously, I would give her 100 stars if I could…read more From start to finish, Shar left no stone unturned when it came to planning the wedding of my dreams. She truly gets to know who you are as a bride, like what stresses you out or what is especially important to you, and she tailors her approach to each wedding she plans. Shar made sure everything went PERFECTLY on our wedding day so I was truly able to enjoy the day and not worry about the small details or something going wrong. Not only is she a fantastic wedding planner, she is also a genuinely kind and thoughtful person overall. I consider myself extremely lucky to have met her almost five years ago as my wedding planner and to now also consider her a friend.

Food is one of the things guests remember the most from a wedding, and Food for Thought made sure…read moreour wedding reception would be talked about for a very long time. From the very beginning, we knew FFT was the right vendor for us because they took our favorite foods and crafted a completely customized menu perfectly tailored to what we enjoyed and what we envisioned for the event. From there, they then worked with us to refine the menu as we kept coming up with crazy ideas. We literally emailed Anna about how we had just tasted a delicious Oreo brownie and she had it added to our desserts right away. We also wanted a very custom bar menu, and they worked with us to get us all the different brands we were looking for, going so far as to drive to Indiana to source some of them. The other aspect of their menu that made such an impact was all the interactive food stations. Everything is so creatively presented and designed. At our tasting, Anna had literally taken elements of our décor and paper goods and other motifs and woven them throughout the presentations from custom serving trays to glass designs. Everything felt intentional and thought out. Guests were constantly praising this attention to detail. Every station had some element of action to it as well, making everything feel like a unique experience. In all of this, the food was all delicious. We wish we can eat and experience it all over again. We still dream of Chef Arlene's Guava and Cheese Empanadas. Throughout the process, Anna was extremely easy to work with and very responsive. One thing we wanted to highlight was that we wanted to be very careful with allergens. Despite the high number of dishes, Anna did a fantastic job working to highlight all the possible allergens in every item, taking the request very seriously. We also wanted to praise the service for the actual day-of catering. They had their full team there, and the professional service was fantastic from top to bottom. Our guests praised the food endlessly, and people who were planning their wedding wanted to know all the background details into our catering choice. That is just more proof that Food for Thought was the perfect caterer, and we couldn't have asked for anything more.

We had a wonderful experience with Food For Thought for our son's wedding weekend, particularly…read morewith our farewell breakfast. From the very beginning, Becky Steenstrup was fantastic to work with. She was responsive, attentive, and really took the time to understand what we were looking for. Over the months leading up to the wedding, Becky helped us work through the menu and guest list, provided thoughtful options, and made the entire process easy and stress-free. On the morning of the breakfast, Becky was there with her team making sure everything was beautifully set up and ready for our guests. The presentation was wonderful, the quantities were generous, and most importantly, the food was delicious! Our guests had so many positive things to say, and everyone enjoyed having a variety of options for our farewell breakfast. We are so grateful to Becky and the entire Food For Thought team for helping make our son's wedding weekend so special. It was a pleasure working with them, and we would highly recommend Food For Thought for any special event!

I was so excited to share my Korean culture with my husband and our wedding guests through a…read morebeautiful Paebak Ceremony created by Oh Happy Day at our reception. Everyone on the team was incredibly helpful, the hanboks were stunning, and the MCs that day were simply amazing. The ceremony backdrop and table decor were thoughtfully and beautifully arranged, making for incredible photos that we'll cherish forever. Throughout the ceremony, they took the time to explain the traditions, which helped our guests fully appreciate and connect with this special tribute to my heritage. Guests have been talking about it for weeks! We're already looking forward to working with Oh Happy Day again for other important Korean celebrations, like our future children's 100 Day Celebration. We can't recommend them enough!

Amazing experience! Kris and Helene did an amazing job. Stress free for us and our family. They…read morebrought everything that was needed, you just need to bring yourself. The whole experience felt authentic.

I can't imagine our wedding without the help of Five Grain Events. Joan and Emily are a dream team…read moreand helped so much every step of the way. From planning to coordination, they held our hands and completely delivered on each stage of the process. I would recommend Five Grain for any event, words can not express how thankful we were to have found them. While my bride was the MVP of our wedding, Emily was a close runner-up. Five Grain Events is the best in the game. 5 stars. I might not be married without the work they put into our wedding. Could not recommend more.

Joan planned a wedding for my friend Kate. Everything about the wedding was perfect. She was very…read moredetailed oriented and thanks to her hard work the wedding couldn't have gone any better.