This year's packet pick up was a bit different. We were in a different, smaller space and a lot of…read morethe regular vendors were not present. It was still a good time and once the line started moving it went fast. I enjoyed my hot chocolate and chocolate marshmallow. Always delicious. We know it's the sweetest race. It's also the sweetest packet pick up. Although, I have been participating in the Hot Chocolate since 2015, I have not been consistent. BUT, guess who earned Legacy this year?

Went to an outdoor event for a Labor Day celebration with local unions…read more Great food Great people Great time And a special shout out to the security team at McCormick Place Assistant Director Lindsey Villarreal and her team second to none for security and professionalism Keep up the great work

Big Buzz Idea Group creates and produces many of Chicago's most beloved summer festivals, as well…read moreas many other wonderful events around the year! I've interacted with the Big Buzz staff at several events over the past few years. They are professional, courteous of the neighborhoods/residents and respectful of everyone involved from staff to volunteers and event patrons. Most of all, Big Buzz Idea Group takes on events/festivals with the goal of leaving the neighborhood better than how they found it. This is accomplished through a volunteer grant program (which Big Buzz developed) that has funneled millions of dollars into local NPOs, schools, churches and other organizations. Big Buzz Idea Group are good people crafting great events for the betterment of others.

I have volunteered for the Square Roots Festival for many years now. I love doing it, but the time…read morewasted waiting to be taken to your assignment is not fun. There is a chaotic vibe running through the people handling the volunteers. They need to get much more organized to earn a 5 star rating. My last assignment had 3 people on cash payment for tickets and only 1 for credit card, and you guessed it, the credit card line was ridiculously long, which the rest of us sat like mopes! What is needed here is organization, organization, organazation! And it would be nice if the head of the volunteer group didn't get so stressed that she borders on being rude. Just saying!

A beautiful event hall. Had to come here for orientAtion for a new job and was amazed that it was…read moreheld here to welcome the new staff. During lunch there was a buffet and the food I like the most was the Mac and Cheese, the potatoes and the chicken. Abundant amount of restrooms and parking. Located right next to Walmart.

I anticipated and attended a social event for Indians here…read more The food was terrible so was the decor Service was adequate

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!

Ivone and her staff were amazing to work with. I met with Ivone in 2019 to plan our original day…read morefor Oct 2020, but Covid19 canceled out nuptials. I reached out to Ivone with a new postponed date with no issues. She was very accommodating when I requested to make changes and added flowers. Our Wedding day was beyond what we expected! Her beautiful floral arrangements, as well as the decor, turned our wedding into the most romantic & elegant setting. Felt like a fairytale! Thank you for making our special day memorable! Nick & Gina

I had a very specific vision for my wedding florals and Ivone and her team made it come to life! I…read moreremember walking to the ceremony and reception room for the first time and I got teary eyed because it was so incredibly beautiful! Her team was extremely communicative and willing to work with us to adjust our contract. Would highly recommend using Ivone for any of your events!!

I don't have enough nice things to say about Jaclyn and Ryan, the owners and planners of Toopes…read moreEvents. They are such kind, professional, knowledgeable, and trustworthy people!!! I used them as day-of planners for my July 15 wedding, but wish I would've opted for a higher planning package because they would've made my life so much easier. Before my wedding, for the day-of package, we met with Jaclyn and Ryan several times to go over logistics. They also gave us access to an online portal, where we were provided with several helpful planning forms. I often emailed Jaclyn with questions and concerns that I had about different aspects of the wedding and she always quickly responded with a concise answer. On the wedding day, Jaclyn and Ryan were absolute rock stars. I rented tons of decor for my venue and had a vision of how everything should look. They set it up PERFECTLY and then packed it all up into a truck at the end of the night. In addition to setting everything up, Jaclyn and Ryan also made sure my ceremony and reception ran smoothly and that the timeline was closely followed. Because I had Jaclyn and Ryan, I didn't have to worry about a single thing on my wedding day (and that's a HUGE deal because I'm a Type-A worrywart). I HIGHLY recommend them!!!

Jaclyn and Ryan are amazing wedding planners! They kept everything organized with the vendors,…read moremade sure I was on track with everything, and gave honest, helpful advice when I had weird questions or needed help with something. Full disclosure, Jaclyn is my cousin and was a bridesmaid. She worked so hard even while also doing bridesmaid duties. I had a DIY loft type venue that literally only provided the tables (without linens) and chairs. My husband and I are also a little offbeat, and Jaclyn and Ryan encouraged and helped us to have the wedding we wanted with our own personal style/touches. It would have been completely overwhelming without their help, and I'm pretty sure the wedding would have been a mess without them. I highly recommend hiring Toopes events for any event planning needs!

We are so grateful to Danielle, Nick, and entire Maison Cuisine staff. We were host to a 200 guest…read morewedding last weekend. The food was delicious and service impeccable. This company deserves 10 stars!

Danielle and Nick could not have been more helpful leading up to and on our wedding day. They were…read morethoughtful, communicative, and unflappable through the whole process. Nick had a calm demeanor on the day and inspired confidence, I knew if there was an issue, it was handled.  Additionally, their staff was kind, well trained and efficient throughout the day.  Leading up to the wedding, Nick and Danielle were easy to contact, offered helpful suggestions and worked with us to achieve our vision. I could not recommend them enough, and while I hope to never have another wedding, I would absolutely use them again in a heartbeat.

I absolutely LOVE this company and ALL of their arrangements I have gotten from them so far. I own…read morea jewelry store and decided I wanted fresh arrangements weekly, and Kim and Eric did not disappoint. They deliver every Tuesday and bring me the most stunning flowers. I could easily have them deliver every 2 weeks because they last well into 2 weeks because their flowers are so fresh. I just let them work their magic. They have a budget and work within that budget for me and surprise me weekly, and let me tell you, I am more than pleasantly surprised every single week. If you want something unique and stand out, not cookie cutter, call Sacred Botanical, you will not be disappointed! They are top notch! I will never use another florist again. They have my business for life and I will tell every person I know to only use them from now on!

employees have worked 23 hours + for valentines day and have not been paid by kim and eric!…read moreyelp, the labor board, bbb and illinois floral association have been called! your company name will be tarnished if my sister doesn't receive her $ as well as the other employees!!! mark my words!!! thieves!!!