I had the pleasure of working with Cindy Shanholtz of Effortless Events for our company's 100th…read moreanniversary dinner and celebration, and I cannot recommend her highly enough! From the moment we began planning, Cindy's attention to detail, professionalism, and creativity shone through at every step. Cindy took the time to truly understand our vision for the event and worked tirelessly to bring it to life in a way that exceeded all expectations. She seamlessly coordinated every aspect, from the venue selection and decor to the catering and entertainment. Her recommendations were spot-on, and her organizational skills ensured everything ran smoothly on the day of the event. The 100th anniversary dinner itself was nothing short of spectacular! The atmosphere Cindy created was elegant and celebratory, perfectly reflecting our company's history while looking forward to its future. Our guests were wowed by the thoughtful touches, from the custom table settings to the beautifully designed timeline of our company's milestones. What really set Cindy apart was her ability to handle every challenge with grace and poise. Despite the complexities of planning such a significant event, she kept everything stress-free for our team, managing all logistics and vendors without missing a beat. It was clear that Cindy and her team truly cared about making this milestone event unforgettable. If you're looking for an event planner who can turn your vision into a flawless reality, Cindy Shanholtz and Effortless Events are the way to go. She made our 100th anniversary celebration an extraordinary experience, and I can't wait to work with her again in the future! Holly Both VP Sales & Marketing, Plymouth Tube Co.

This is my 2nd posting for Cindy and her team at Effortless events. I recently hired them for…read moreanother wedding celebration in Chicago for my daughter who got married in DC. Again, they did not disappoint. Cindy's attention to detail is remarkable. She recommended the venue and took the reigns. From the flowers, decor and layout it was perfect. She suggested so many fun things...like a s'mores bar for dessert where guests assembled and "cooked" their own! We had mini individual cast iron skillets with fresh chocolate chip cookies and guests could top them with ice cream. Everyone raved about it and EE did it all...I just showed up and enjoyed it. Thanks Cindy + team!

We had a beautiful Boy Baby Shower yesterday for our daughter -in-law, Abbye, at The River Room at…read moreElements at Water Street in Naperville. We had a brunch buffet followed by a sweet table of Chocolate Dipped French Macarons, Chocolate Mousse Tarts and Lemon Bars. We had plenty refreshments with waitress served OJ/Champagne Mimosas. The presentation was beautiful, and everything was delicious. The staff was excellent. I couldn't be happier with the way everything turned out. Thanks so much!

Had my daughter's wedding there and they failed on so many levels. Food was awful, It was…read moreovercooked, under seasoned and soggy. Wait staff was running in and out like their life depended on it but unavailable to address the needs of the table, could not even get water refills which should be the bare minimum much less obtain a soda or cream for the coffee. Wine service was non-existent - a single pour and the bar staff disappeared yet I paid a pretty penny to have consistent wine service for dinner. The staff decided to take down table arrangements and all other decorations a solid hour and a half before the end of the event. They literally reached over guests conversing at tables to remove the center pieces. I could keep adding things which occurred but I think you get the overall incompetence and unprofessionalism of the evening When I spoke to management about my disappointment I was informed me that nothing they had done impacted my guests enjoyment and they did not understand why I felt they had not delivered what had been promise/presented at the tasting. They even tried to gaslight me that certain events had not occurred despite the fact that I had been there and witnessed them happening.

We used An Affair to Remember for our rehearsal and day-of coordinator services for our wedding in…read moreJune 2022. Jena and Audra were wonderful and provided exactly what we needed. Before the wedding, they were open and quick to answer any questions we had, including vendor recommendations and tipping quandaries. Unfortunately, Audra was ill and unable to attend the rehearsal/wedding, but Jena was able to step up and provide 5 star service nonetheless. At the rehearsal, she coordinated with the venue to ensure everything was set up appropriately. On the wedding day, when the weather prevented us from having our first look at our scheduled outdoor location, Jena contacted all of our vendors to let them know of the updated location. She helped our photographer coordinate family photos and wrangle family members, provided setup/cleanup at the venue, and did a whole lot more behind the scenes that I wasn't even aware of-because isn't that the point of having a wedding coordinator? We appreciated all of their hard work and would highly recommend them.

We chose Audra and Jena for our day of coordinators and are so glad we did. They really took the…read morestress out of the day and made sure that everything was perfect. They are friendly and very professional. I'd highly recommend them if you are considering day of coordination for your event or wedding!

My experience with this team was terrible. I also fell for all the glowing reviews online only to…read morerealize that they were very unprofessional. I have also tried to leave reviews on other platforms only to find them deleted or disputed which explains the fake 5.0. I would not recommend this team.

LEGIT ANGELS. Kristin and her team are a bride-to-be's dream. PLEASE snag them up before hundreds…read moreof other brides. They are so well organized and fantastic at taking the lead and making myself (the bride) feel like I can truly kick back and relax before, during, and after the wedding. They truly made the vision of myself, Peter, and my mother come to life. Special shoutout to Gibson for designing such stunning decor, Alan for keeping me calm and holding my bouquet, and Shannon for helping fix my hair throughout the night. We are so blessed by all of you!

Went here last Friday with 2 friends and my daughter! Place is very cute ! Staff is friendly …read more Painting is very well instructed . Love this place very fun and great night out with the girls ! Highly recommend!! It is byob so we had wine & snacks with us to make it a complete night

I had a lot of fun this past week at one of their painting socials. The overall concept is great…read moreand I appreciated the painting that we did that day. The live music provided a great atmosphere and the BYOB was also a bonus. The location is easy to find and the owner was there the entire time with us. We had someone replenishing paint and bringing us napkins as needed and they had cupcakes from a nearby bakery for sale which where some of the best I have had. Overall it was an enjoyable experience. Just a few things that kept me from giving it five stars. The painting area was a little too cramped. I was elbow to elbow with the people on either side of me, which made it a little hard to move around and paint. The actual brushes we used seemed to be a little worn, so they didn't paint as well. Maybe omitting one or two chairs from the tables to provide extra painting room would make it a little more comfortable? Just a suggestion, otherwise I would definitely recommend attending one of their painting socials.

Swetal and team helped make our fairytale wedding a success! They were incredibly easy to work with…read morethroughout the entire process, inclusive of providing budget friendly recommendations of how to dress up our space for the sangeet, ceremony, and reception. Swetal was also accessible in convenient ways -- I knew if I texted or e-mailed her, I wouldn't have to worry about constantly having to follow up to get an answer. We received numerous compliments on our wedding decor, and I would definitely recommend working with this team!

Swetal and her team did an amazing job for a last minute engagement party! She was helpful and…read moreworked within our budget to create this beautiful stage within 1 week.

Carol did our flowers for our wedding a few weeks ago and they were beautiful. She has a great eye…read morefor knowing what looks best with the environment and colors. Ours was an outdoor wedding and the flowers on the chair to the arch at the alter looked whimsical. Carol herself is absolutely marvelous. I loved discussing the wedding with her and her ideas on who should have what, colors and centerpieces. You can tell she loves what she does and because of it she has quality work. I very much recommend her and her business!

My initial consultation with Carol went well. I quietly flipped through magazines and pointed out…read moreconcepts/colors/styles I liked. Throughout all subsequent consultations (once the deposit was made), Carol seemed to push back/question my ideas. "Sunflowers are too casual" (even though they are my favorite flowers), and "Orange is too bold." She pushed me to select pastel colors... the opposite of what I wanted, even though I brought pictures of only bright colors. I tried to keep an open mind throughout all of our meetings since she was the expert and knew what was in season, within budget, etc., but even my simple request for a colorful bouquet was ignored, and I received the one thing I absolutely did not want: an all-white bouquet. Don't get me wrong, it was a lovely bouquet! I was just flabbergasted that of all requests, this one seemed like an easy one. At our final meeting before the wedding, she told me she had lost all the photos from our studio appointment, which is essentially a practice round for centerpieces. We also had 3 types of arrangements at our reception hall... low, medium, and tall. We opted for only 4 of the tall variety, as they were quite pricey. In all, the room did not need any tall centerpieces. I will also mention, our low centerpieces were lovely. I wish she had advised us to only use low and medium sizes. I emphasized that I was looking for lush bouquets for my bridesmaids (on a budget, but still full). The only way I can describe how they turned out is "spikey." So, in comparison, I'm happy I had a lush white bouquet rather than a colorful spikey one. To my surprise, walking into the wedding reception, I saw we had a HUGE head table floral piece that we didn't ask for (and frankly looked like something for a funeral home), and those flowers would have been much better utilized in the pieces we actually wanted... pretty bouquets. If I ignore the flowers, the wedding day itself was absolutely perfect. It is just a shame to spend so much on a detail I disliked. I'm not one to provide a negative review, but felt inclined to inform other brides who are still shopping. I'm sure she is as talented as the other brides have explained, but that was certainly not my experience.

My family and I enjoyed the decorations for the quince. It was very elegant and she brought the…read morevision to life. When we arrived to the venue it was better than explained! Very beautiful- we received a lot of compliments. Communication was amazing and fast!

My wife and I needed emergency decoration for our wedding when we learned we would be having a…read morechange in venue. Kaneez and her team stepped up big time. Totally transforming our venue into a wedding venue. I cannot thank her and her team enough. GO WITH ELITE PARTY DECOR

I hired Amy as a partial wedding planner and day of coordinator, best decision I made! I had my…read morewedding my Gallery 1028 in Chicago, Amy had worked with them before, which was a huge plus. She was able to bring my vision to life and everything turned out simply beautiful!! Amy is extremely organized, efficient, and detail oriented, but also keeps it real which I appreciate. Hire Amy, you won't regret it!!!

This review is LONG overdue! Have you ever had such an amazing experience working with someone that…read morefinding the right words to express how grateful/ thankful you are seem impossible? Thats how my husband and I have felt since our 5.18.2019 wedding! From the moment I met Amy I knew she was our wedding planner. After talking to almost every wedding planner in the greater chicagoland area I thought Amy is just too good to be true. So in true OCD crazy bride fashion I asked for references and previous brides to talk to about their experience. Amy did not even blink or make me feel totally insane which is a quality every bride should look for in a wedding planner. We thankfully chose the full planning package, because we were planning our Chicago wedding from across the country. Amy responded to every midnight email, every pacific coast phone call and never made us feel like we were alone. She kept us on budget and when we were going over budget she wasn't afraid to bring us back to reality. Amy negotiated all of our vendors and got us the best deals, I cannot stress this enough! Before Amy we were getting quoted 2-3x the costs, and for brides who hate to negotiate she was a God send. Amys wedding day timeline is better than any book or planning binder you can find, she really knows what she's talking about with a month to month breakdown that becomes like your checklist and makes sure to keep your wedding day timeline on track. Leading up to the wedding she was there to lead our rehearsal, take all of our "extra" last minute buys to incorporate into the decor, and she happily took the role of "bad guy" to nix any unwanted suggestions from our adoring family. She brought our dream wedding to life, flawlessly. She is the definition of a fairy wedding planner! If you are even considering her wedding planning service book now, I have no doubt in my mind that she will be the most highly sought after wedding planner. To this day we have family and friends that our wedding was the funnest wedding they have ever attended. We honestly owe those compliments to Amy and her meticulous planning and attention to detail. From one OCD bride to another book now you will be forever grateful that you did. Thank you Amy & team from the bottom of our hearts we will never be able to express how amazing you are! (sorry its taken us over a year to write this we love you tons!)

As a wedding photographer I am directly affected by how good or bad the wedding planner is... and…read moreKristina is terrific! She is incredibly professional, organized and positive. Getting everything in order before the big day is one part of her work, she gathered vendors months in advance and made sure we were all on the same page. But the day of is critical, there is so much going on behind the scenes and keeping the couple happy and calm PLUS maintaining a friendly and helpful demeanor isn't easy. Kristina does it with ease! She is a pleasure to work with, not just a great planner but also a lovely person. I have had the pleasure of working alongside her at two weddings now, both days were a success from start to finish and I am sure the photos were also better because of how smooth things went. Thank you Kristina, I look forward to teaming up again soon! -Bethany Fritz; Maypole Studios Photography

Kristina is awesome!! She was our wedding planner and we loved her! First she has great vendors…read moreto recommend. She has been in the business for a long time and knows what a wedding entails. From the save the date to saying goodbye to all the guests after it is all over. Before the wedding she is creative, organized, accommodating, on top of everything, gives good advice, tells you how it really works, gives you lots of options to consider and such an educator in the wedding world, and again has great references of vendors. The day of she becomes the personal assistant for whatever you need and makes sure everything runs smoothly by taking care of all issues behind the scene. We loved working with her and she made our outdoor ceremony and tented wedding reception run completely smooth. Not an easy job!