Desiree and her team made the month leading up to my wedding and my actual wedding day as stress…read morefree as possible. My husband and I booked her about 2 months before our wedding for day-of coordination. More than just serving as a coordinator, Desiree becomes your go-to resource on wedding planning from the moment you book her, a trusted confidante and general organizer to tell us what we needed to get done when. My only regret for our wedding is not booking Desiree sooner! A few times when I thought Desiree really delivered: - When our videographer showed signs of cancelling, she linked us up with two great reco's on the same day. - She answered promptly my almost non stop q's in the 2 months leading up - She singlehandedly saved a wedding cake disaster. Our cake was supposed to be delivered in the morning and the bakery forgot. I (the bride) was the only one with the bakery info and she finessed it from my phone without me noticing and got our cake there. - She kept our vendors honest on pricing and kept our HUGE bridal party in line for all their duties and on schedule

I had the pleasure of working with Desireé Dent and Dejanae Events for my wedding last June at The…read moreFairmont Chicago - Millennium Park. My Mom and I planned the wedding, but needed coordination services for the day of, which is how we found Desireé. We reached out through the Dejanae Events website and were quickly able to set up time for an initial conversation. I knew within about 5 minutes that I wanted Desireé and her team to handle coordination services for the big day! I loved her energy, she was extremely organized, and I appreciated the very thoughtful questions she asked during the initial call. It was also clear that she was an industry veteran who could provide a consultative approach to coordination services, which was appreciated while trying to plan a large wedding (about 180 people). Coordination services officially started approximately 5 months prior to the wedding. Many of the initial items were administrative tasks that needed to be completed, but that was great because it helped us to stay organized as we moved closer to the big day. Coordination services included two planning meetings with Desireé, one virtual and one during the final wedding walk through, both of which went swimmingly. Desireé and her team also facilitated the rehearsal. Our wedding party was on the larger side, but Desireé and her team kept us focused, made sure everyone was clear about their role on the wedding day, and kept us on time (which is important!!). On the wedding day, the services provided by Desireé and her team were simply phenomenal. There was absolutely no way the wedding would have gone as smoothly without them. From coordinating vendors, to making sure the wedding party was ready to go, to quality control, to managing the bride and the groom - everything was stellar. Whether you are looking for a planner or coordination services, I would HIGHLY recommend you choose Desireé Dent and Dejanae Events for your event. It will be one of the best decisions you will make and ultimately, working with Desireé and her team will ensure you can truly enjoy your wedding/event because you know everything is in good hands.

Beautiful art space and exhibit center. I see that it is also used for reception and gatherings…read more There is plenty of parking space and a Maritime Museum also available to check out.

This was our second time attending an art show opening at the Bridgeport Art Center. Other than…read moretwo popular event venues, namely the Skyline Loft on the 5th floor and the Sculpture Garden on the first floor, the huge building also provides art studios and office spaces, and two spacious art galleries on the 3rd and 4th floors. Both times we attended the art openings on the 4th floor by taking a manned-freight elevator from the 1st floor. The first time we went two years ago, there was a public ticketed event going on. So, there were long lines just getting into the building. This time we arrived at 8:00 pm for a 7:00 - 10:00 pm opening, they had the entrance on the side of the building, and there were no lines. We attended "The Landscape is Changing" art exhibition that runs from July 18 to September 5, 2025 on the 4th Floor Gallery. It featured multimedia artworks from 101 contributing artist. There were paintings, photos, 3-D art, and sculptures that depicted natural and man-made structures of our surroundings, inspired and influenced by the landscape. The galleries were spacious and well-lit, and the exhibitions well-planned and professionally done. Since refreshments and beverages were on the 3rd floor, we decided to go down one floor by taking the stairs instead of the freight elevator. However, be prepared to go through quiet hallways of storage spaces that felt like a maze and adventure. It was nice that all the spaces were clean and well-maintained. However, I hope Bridgeport Art Center would look into improving the air conditioning in the art gallery spaces. Two years ago, it was hot and miserable during a hot summer night. This year, we were lucky that we had an exceptionally cool summer evening, that the outside temperature was only in the 70s. But the inside of the galleries was not too hot, but still on the warm side. I saw a couple of ladies fanning themselves with paper or something in their hands, while complaining about being too warm. However, other parts of the building could be nice and cool, that included their office. When we were leaving, the freight elevator door opened on the 5th floor, where a wedding reception was going on, we could feel a nice blast of cold air getting into the elevator. I highly recommend "The Landscape is Changing" art exhibition with free admission and runs until September 5, 2025, but please check the weather forecast and pick a cool day so that your experience will be more enjoyable.

What a cool place! I attended an all day work event here. As an attendee (and not as the planner)…read moreeverything seemed to be well staffed and to run efficiently. The space we were in had plenty of tables and chairs in addition to separate areas with lounge chairs gathered together off to the side. They provided easels and the tables had all sorts of creative touches for use - play dough, pipe cleaners, colored pencils, etc. There was coffee, water and snacks in our meeting space. Our group also had breakfast, a snack bar and lunch while we were there. All the food was good and I appreciated that real dishes, glasses/mugs and silverware were used rather than a bunch of wasteful plastic and paper. We had access to 3 half baths on our floor but could use others if needed. The bathrooms were all clean and well stocked with feminine hygiene products, lotion, mints, etc. The staff I interacted with were all friendly and polite. A lot of thought and effort went into making a comfortable and unique space. I hope our organization has more events at this space in the future.

Catalyst Ranch really knows how to make planning an event as painless as possible! I reached out…read morevia the website to plan a work day event. Kira was FANTASTIC - very communicative and made the process very easy. You can tell that it's definitely not their first rodeo. LIFE IS TOO SHORT FOR SANDWICHES FOR WORK LUNCHES (unless they're Zingerman's or Katz Deli sandwiches) so I seriously can't say enough good things about the caterer they work with here. PHENOM. The food is really good - local sourced when they can. Because I had to solve for a few different food sensitivities, I ordered the following which was a hit with everyone! Roasted Chicken w/ Harissa GF, DF Sweet Potato-Chickpea Tajine VV, GF Cous Cous VV Mediterranean Salad VV, GF Pita Bread and Hummus V We also ordered desserts (so tasty!) and had a bar tender for an on-site happy hour, which was awesome as well. CR also went the extra mile to accommodate our requests such as having non-competitive product for the built-in snack breaks (which they honored and made a BEAUTIFUL snack basket!). We also shipped so many things in advanced and everything was there and in order! Lastly, the price is right here! It's such a good value for what you get here at CR. Would definitely host an event here again!

Art of Imagination completely transformed our wedding venue and helped bring the vision I had in my…read morehead to life. The drapery was absolutely stunning and made such a huge impact on the space--it added the softness, romance, and elevated feeling I had been dreaming about while still allowing the beauty and architecture of the venue to shine. Deborah and team was also wonderful to work with throughout the entire planning process. They were incredibly helpful, responsive, and easy to communicate with, which made such a difference when coordinating so many different wedding details and vendors. Seeing everything installed on our wedding day was such a special moment. The draping completely changed the atmosphere of the space and made the venue feel like our wedding. I'm so grateful to Art of Imagination for helping make the vision come to life so beautifully!

Working with Art of Imagination and Deborah was a dream come true. They were so easy to work with…read moreand truly cared about us as people and our wedding. The venue we chose, The Rookery, works with them, and once we saw their work, we were sold. They know the venue inside and out and even gave us great recommendations when we needed vendors! I would highly recommend Art of Imagination for their professionalism, artistry, thoughtfulness and kindness!

This review is going to be short and sweet…read more I was here a few weeks ago for a concert/performance. It was a really nice location, it had good sound. The performance was pretty awesome. I'd never have visited here if not for this performance, so I'm glad I got to check it out. I wish I'd have been able to poke around- the space looks so cool!

Shot a video here yesterday and it was a pleasant experience. The staff was super helpful and…read moreaccommodating, (especially Phil) who served as our in-house gaffer. They have cool film memorabilia to help create a fun vibe. We shot on a large seamless cyc and they changed the color on it for us the day before the shoot. Very helpful and we'll be back again for our next corporate shoot.

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.

Tranquility. Peace. Approachable. The consistent theme in ALL of Brian's photos. I believe Brian…read moreis a VERSATILE photographer. Essence + Personality is Brian's specialty! Impressive that Brian was able to change texture backdrop and lighting quietly without much effort. The Pro! ;-) My hair is now normal and professional. :-*

Brian came highly recommended from a few colleagues of mine whom also had business headshots taken…read more I went to his studio, pretty much dreading the photo shoot since I'm camera shy and critical of my own photos. However, Brian's warm and laid back vibe made me feel so comfortable. He gave me great feedback about what angles worked best for me and his talent is undeniable. For someone as self-deprecating as I, I was rather pleased with the photos! The quality is great and I know my marketing products are going to turn out awesome. I would definitely recommend him for professional photos! Thank you again, Brian!

My name is Reginald P. Helm, a second generation artist after my father Reginald Helm. I recently…read moreheld my fall art show at NYCH Art Gallery in Pilsen and was overwhelmed with the amount of traffic and guest who attended. The owner Phillip Sinclair is great to work with and made everything easy and accommodating. The facility is cool with the polished concrete floors, great little kitchenette. Looking to have my next spring event there. Beautiful spot!!! My art line called Sire's Art Collection was a hit at NYCH Art Gallery. Thank you " Sire's Art Collection www.sireart64.com

A true hidden gem. I highly recommend for everyone to come check out this amazing art gallery. I…read morehave been coming here now for a few years when there are events. I love the display of visual art, sculptures etc along the walls from talent local artists. The ambiance is very chilled and laid back. Very intimate art space for you to enjoy some beautiful art pieces. Go sign up on the mailing list to receive notifications on different events. I guarantee you will enjoy the energy and great artwork.