I couldn't recommend Bride & Joy more highly. Kim is the consummate wedding person. She was so much…read morefun to talk with! She was always so quick to get back to me on any of my little questions and never made me feel anything but special. She's got great taste and really understands every aspect of the whole "Wedding Biz." We managed to stay on time, which is unheard of for a wedding! She was a pleasure to work with in the days leading up and totally crushed it the day of. We were free to just have the Time Of Our Lives and I can't imagine our special day without her!

I highly recommend Kim for month-of planning! We used Bride and Joy for our September 2018 wedding…read moreat Salvage One. Working with Kim was a dream-- she is so calm and professional-- Kim helped me organize the chaos and enjoy the process. Kim previously worked at Salvage One, so coordination was a breeze. I had many vendors and had a lot of DIY aspects to my wedding-- Kim was able and willing to help me coordinate all the vendors and went above and beyond, helping us organize and set up the whole room. I would work with Kim again in a heartbeat!

Frank Andonoplas, of Frank Event Design, is a wedding planner extraordinaire. Two weeks from our…read moredaughter's wedding day, we had to replace our wedding planner who was holy unprofessional and provided us with little assurance that the wedding would be all we had hoped and planned it to be. Frank came highly recommended and the stars were aligned that he was available. He immediately took the reins and began reviewing all of the vendor contracts, reworked the poorly designed day of timeline, coordinating with the venue, meeting with our daughter and future son in law, and making himself available to us via email, text, or phone everyday. He is a dedicated professional who takes pride in giving each couple the day they dreamed of. The wedding day was seamless. Frank was on site handling the reception space, the flower delivery, band/ staging, all while checking on the bridal party throughout the day. The outdoor ceremony started on time and flowed right into the cocktail hour. The room reveal for the reception was a wow. As we partied and were fully immersed in the celebration, Frank was behind the scenes collecting gifts, gathering personal items to place securely in the bridal suite, and handled gratuities so we could stay in the moment. We would enthusiastically recommend Frank for your special day... he will exceed your expectations. Susan and David V. Pomeranz

I just had Frank do my Star Wars themed wedding. It was perfect…read more Anyone who wants to work with the best of the best, should seek Frank out, because I could not imagine my wedding having been anywhere near as fantastic as it was without his help. My then fiancee, now wife, and I were both attending graduate school while planning our wedding. She was finishing up her JD in Baltimore while I was completing a MA in Seattle while planning our wedding at the Morton Arboretum in Northern Illinois. We did all the initial planning with Frank over the phone. He started by setting up a time for us all to talk so that he could get to know us, understand our vision, and provide some initial suggestions to set us on the right path. He made the entire process extremely easy so that we were able to just review our e-mails at the end of the week, choose from the pre-vetted options that he gave us, and then let him take care of the details. I was perhaps more of a "Groom-zilla" than my wife was in terms of being very detail-oriented. The day of the wedding there seemed to be a million small things that could have gone wrong, and Frank was somehow on top of all of them. The people at the venue had originally set up the tables in a mirrored version of how they were supposed to be, and Frank was able to get it all fixed during cocktail hour without our guests being any the wiser. Our cake vendor had also made a mistake, changing the iconic "I love you." "I know." from Star Wars to "I love you and I know you." Which is not the same at all, and sounds... odd. Frank hand-scraped the offending words from the cake and then covered it up artistically with flowers that he had on hand. No one even knew there was a mistake. He also found some one to make me an Ewok groom's cake. The one review on this page who accuses Frank of being a snob certainly does not know what she is talking about. Frank was genuinely one of the most caring, earnest and hardworking people I've ever had the pleasure to work with. He cares a great deal about delivering only the best to his clients, and he is upfront with you about whether or not your style and his will combine. If you are a match, you are in for a real treat working with this man. He and his team are simply the best.

We knew when we met Krys that we wanted to work with her to plan our wedding at the Woman's Club of…read moreEvanston. She had a creative and energetic vibe and we instantly felt like she understood our vision and would help bring it to life. She really delivered - and was a pleasure to work with. Having her made all the difference in knowing that our event would run smoothly. It did of course, thanks to her, but along the way she provided so many great resources and suggestions, emotional support, and even items for the event (like table number holders). She's just a great, warm person who is fantastic at her job and cares about making your event special. She's an excellent day of planner, but she was so much more for us - helping us every step of the way. I can't recommend her highly enough!

I got married in 2016 which was the first year that Maria opened her business. I am super delayed…read morein writing my reviews, but I kept putting it off since I didn't want to shortchange her. She was an indispensable part of wedding planning for us. I interviewed with a few wedding planners, but Maria was the most personable and helpful among those that I met. She was enthusiastic and even offered free advice at the consultation before I even hired her! For the most part, I planned my wedding remotely. We got married in Chicago but by the time most of the planning was happening we had moved out of state. Maria found the best vendors for us and was able to maximize our visits to Chicago. She wrote thorough and timely emails in response to my (admittedly neurotic) queries. She also knows a TON of people in the business. She found out that our caterer WENT OUT OF BUSINESS almost a full month before the caterer sent a notification to clients. She called us, explained the situation and already had plans of how to fix everything to make our day perfect. We turned a disaster into a minor inconvenience. A few days before the wedding, we moved the location of the ceremony due to rain. Maria handled ALL of the communication with vendors, reconfigured the schedule of events and handled the new last minute decorations. It was seamless and NOT stressful at all. That's not something many brides can say during the wedding week. On the day of my event, I felt like Maria was everywhere at once. It was amazing! She had previously mentioned (in passing) that she had another wedding that day - and you would have never known. Everything went smoothly (and if it didn't, I never heard about it!) If I ever plan another event in the Chicago area, I will reach out to Maria. She was a pleasure to work with and I am glad that her business seems to be doing so well.

I first have to say thank you to Maria and her team for making our wedding day more than perfect…read more We wouldn't have changed a thing. We were totally clueless going into wedding planning and Maria guided us perfectly. She has all the answers! She is so creative and came up with solutions to fit our budgets for different aspects of the wedding which was exactly what we needed. Without her we know that our wedding day would not have run as smoothly and perfectly as it did. She is extremely patient and organized. Let me say it again, organized. Somehow she managed everyone's expectations and requests. When it comes to making everyone happy she truly excelled especially with my parents. She was very attentive, professional and knowledgeable. Thank you for the best and most beautiful day of our lives. - Bryan and Allison

I cannot say enough positive things about Wedding Creativo! For those of you who prefer bullet…read morepoints, here you go: - Beautiful photography. Not only will you get "traditional" wedding shots, but Giorgio and Sarah have a unique aesthetic, and you will also receive creative, arty shots that are edgy and cool and quite stunning. - Amazing customer service. Sarah was such a valuable resource while we were planning the wedding; she went out of her way to provide tons of information about various vendors and was great at answering my questions, providing useful advice, and just generally being very supportive. Sarah seriously provided SO much more than I expected from a photographer. - Outstanding value. The best thing about Wedding Creativo's pricing is you are not forced to purchase a package with a bunch of extras you don't need or want - you can get the bare minimum and then add on as you please. Here is our story: We just had our wedding, so we haven't received our full set of pictures back (I'll make sure to update this review when we do), but you only need to look online to know that they do a terrific job. Giorgio's photos are literally award-winning, and Wedding Creativo's work is unique, funky, and beautiful. Giorgio is a true artist, and is clearly passionate about what he does. He has a wonderful eye, and his pictures are gorgeous. Sarah is FANTASTIC - I cannot say enough about her. She went WAY above and beyond the call of duty - whenever I emailed her with a question, she would reply promptly, with thoughtful and well-researched responses. Because she was so knowledgeable and helpful, we ended up corresponding fairly regularly, and she really provided some excellent advice and insight. I am so grateful to her for all of her help - she was really amazing! Even though we haven't seen our pictures yet, I am beyond thrilled with all of the work and effort that she put into our big day!! We took our portraits hours before our ceremony so we got to hang out with Sarah and Giorgio for a bit before our wedding, and it was so much fun. They really put us at ease, and I was so much more comfortable and relaxed before the ceremony. We also added on a Polaroid package to our reception, and this retro touch was a big hit. We considered lots of different options (i.e. photo booths, flip books) for the reception, and not only was the Polaroid station the most affordable, but we also got to keep one of the cameras! If you are looking for a unique reception activity Polaroids are a great option, and if you want beautiful photos and amazing service, Giorgio and Sarah are the absolute best!!!

Had such a great experience with Concept Effects for our wedding. Bryan was great and made things…read moreso easy. The lighting added such an elegant feel to the ballroom. We got so many compliments on the first dance on the clouds! Everything they did for us was absolutely beautiful. Our DJ Chad was awesome, we left the playlist up to him and he killed it. The dance floor was full the entire night. So happy with every detail they put together. I will definitely recommend them to all our friends and family.

I just used Concept Effects for lighting at my wedding last week and they did a fantastic job! I…read morewas in contact with Bryan who was always very helpful and responsive to my e mails. He gave us a great deal on lighting which was only half as much as the company our wedding venue wanted us to use. They did an amazing job and I could not be happier with how everything looked. It was more beautiful than I could have imagined and really made the entire room. I can't thank Bryan and concept effects enough for their work in making my special day extra special.

I was introduced to the wonderful women of Michelle Durpetti Events though my brother who runs Ben…read moreMahoney Productions in Chicago. Our wedding was a little unusual in that we live and were having the wedding in Honolulu, Hawaii. I was a little nervous at first with MDE being in Chicago and us being in Hawaii. After starting to work with the ladies, Emily Weinstein in particular, my doubts went away after about 30 seconds. We worked with MDE for over a year, and it couldn't have been more of a wonderful experience. MDE had never thrown a wedding in Hawaii but you would have never known it. The research, recommendations and relationships they made with the Hawaiian vendors rivals any planner who is actually based in Hawaii. Not only was the wedding far from where they are based in Chicago but it was also a Jewish/Military wedding. MDE understood how we wanted to the wedding to look and made it come to life. They were always calm, collective and supportive even when things got a little stressful due to the fact that the groom was deployed to Afghanistan for 9 months of the planning. They were extremely organized, helpful, detail orientated and through with every detail whether it be big or small. Not only were they excellent with their planning but you got the sense from all three women, Michelle, Emily and Sterling that they really cared about you. They wanted the best for you and wanted to make a truly special day for you. I feel like we have this bond that will remain long after the wedding. They created a dream wedding for us and I am so sad that its over. I HIGHLY recommend using MDE for any of your big events. You will not only have a exquisite event but you will also work with planners who truly care about you. MIss you girls! Come and visit again soon!

I was initially introduced to MDE through my best friend who had used them for her wedding in May,…read more2012. I liked Michelle and her team so much that when we started wedding planning I knew exactly who I wanted to work with. We worked with MDE for over a 1 1/2 years - during that time they always remained available for questions and always made us feel like a priority. MDE excels at: -Vendor recommendations. MDE is cool & hip and so are the vendors they work with. -Customer service -And most importantly, acting as a buffer for family dynamics (i.e. making your Mom or your future mother-in-law happy) Their priority is the bride/groom and ensuring your vision becomes a reality.

I have never heard of a company making special picnics or dinners for people before, but I am so…read moreglad to have heard about What Knot Events as they made my surprise birthday picnic so perfect. My husband surprised me by having What Knot set up a gorgeous, intimate picnic at a near by park. The set up and attention to detail looked like it was straight out of a magazine (or instagram influencer's page... I don't know if magazines are relevant anymore ). Either way, it took my breath away. Not only did it amaze me, I can't tell you how many people walking by our picnic stopped to make a comment on how stunning the set up was. My family, friends, and I had the best celebration and had the best scenery/ambiance for it, thanks to What Knot. It was so relaxing and the food that Lauren brought and made (cupcakes) were delicious. If you want to relax and have the experts make a special occasion memorable for you, look no further than this company. I'm always spending a fortune to get good food for a picnic and it's just me, sitting on a blanket outside. If you're bored and sick of that too, you should check them out. I'm so glad we used What Knot Events to really make a special day to remember for me.

My husband and I were looking to do a small outdoor shared birthday celebration with our friends,…read moreand so we turned to WhatKnot to help us make it special. Without a doubt, it was one of the most beautiful dinners we ever experienced! The decor was suited exactly to our tastes and the food was fantastic! Lauren was not only a great listener, she brought so many great ideas to the table that just made our jaws drop when it all came together. Her, Taylor, Travis and Rico were all so kind, tentative and professional, you could really see the passion and skill in everything they did. It was truly a magical evening that we and our friends we'll never forget!