Working with Lori was a dream! We did the full planning package with Lola based on a recommendation…read morefrom a friend who had worked with Lori to plan his own wedding. She also planned his brother's wedding...then his other brother's...we were sold. Lori and the Lola team have all their ducks in a row. They have the tools, templates, and timelines needed to plan and execute a successful wedding. But more importantly, they have the many years of vendor relationship-building, the hard-earned knowledge of what works and what doesn't, and the unfaltering dedication to making your vision come to life that takes your wedding day from special to stratospheric. Of course there are many (manyyy) decisions for the couple to make when planning a wedding, but Lori put in so much of the back-end work to help streamline them for us. Her vendor recommendations were top-notch and our regularly scheduled meetings were as pain-free as they can be for two people who aren't "into" event planning. The day-of support was critical - I think we would have been 2 hours behind had Lori not be ushering us through the timeline like the pro that she is. Lori also gets an A+ on vibes: she's like your planning bestie that is your biggest cheerleader or your sage reality check depending on what you need in the moment. She also has a great eye for design, color, florals, etc. and was an invaluable input for those types of decisions. Multiple guests came up to us at our wedding and said it was the best wedding they had ever been to. Maybe everyone says that but if it's true (we think it is!), we have Lori to thank for it. We had the time of our lives at an absolutely stunning ceremony and reception, and we couldn't be more grateful.

Even weeks after our multi-day Indian wedding finished, we are still receiving heaps of praise…read more Multiple guests told us that not only was it the best wedding that they have ever been to, but it is also going to be the best wedding that they will EVER experience. People constantly mentioned the attention to detail, and one guest even highlighted that the most impressive thing about the wedding was not the extravagance but rather all the logistics, how everything operated so precisely. All that praise is due to Michelle, Kristy, and the entire LOLA team. Our wedding was from Tuesday through Sunday morning, with four large events in four separate venues and numerous smaller rituals and mini-events, involving over twenty separate vendors. Calling it complex would be a massive understatement. Yet, nothing fell through the cracks. We are in the process of building a house, and we half-joke that we should hire Michelle and Kristy to run that project even though it is so out of their ballpark simply because we don't know what to do without their organization. On our wedding ceremony day, we were faced with torrential downpour and unpredictable weather. From the beginning, our biggest desire was to have our ceremony outdoors. Michelle and Kristy worked tirelessly, fighting for our dream to somehow make that outdoors wedding a reality, coming up with some brilliant ideas with the help of Lori. See, they didn't take the easy route of just sticking with the rain plan. They cared. They cared a lot. We can't stress this enough because you can't figure that out by looking through portfolios or interviewing planners. It is found in all those moments where Michelle and Kristy picked up on one of our discomforts and gave us some quiet space, where they understood what we wanted (sometimes even better than we ourselves realized), where one of them would dive to the ground to look through their bag for a pair of scissors or to help place dance shoes on the bride right before she had to go onto the stage, where they literally helped rig an important décor installation when a venue installer did not show up. When the wedding was over, the saddest realization that dawned on us was that we were not going to be able to spend as much time with them. Michelle and Kristy helped us build a team of all-star vendors and venues for our wedding. They have the best connections in the Chicagoland area, but it never felt like they were pushing anyone on us. Instead, it really felt like they were understanding our needs and guiding us to the vendors that best fit those needs. They would always give us a list to choose from and never influence our decisions unless we explicitly asked for guidance. They helped handle all the communication with these vendors so that we did not get stuck with small details and logistics that were unimportant for us. There were so many conversations that happened in the background between vendors, venues, and LOLA that we thankfully did not have to join. As decisions started to mount, Michelle and Kristy were extremely organized and helped keep us on track with a planning timeline and a plethora of spreadsheets. We cannot stress how high our bar for organizational excellence is, and somehow, they managed to exceed it. We had over seven permutations for guest invites, tons of boxes that had to be delivered to different venues, multiple outfit changes, and so many different rituals that kept getting added on throughout the process. One of the best testaments to their level of organization was their four separate minute by minute timelines. Our families never run on time, but that weekend, everything ran like clockwork. On the day-of, they were everywhere all at once, in the hotel, at the venue, working with our family, working with vendors. They knew exactly what to escalate to us and which things to handle themselves. That week, we got to know more LOLA members. Shout out to Nicole who had the arduous task of dealing with both sets of parents, and she handled all their requests and worked extremely hard. Sanja was responsible for transportation, and despite all the intricate logistics, everyone was at the right place on time without any issues. Lori worked with us, helped attend to some of our last-minute emergencies, and shepherded us to where we needed to be, really freeing us to be in the moment and relax. Damina and Morgan helped answer questions for our guests. It was a whole team effort that put LOLA's best values on full display. Our wedding week, despite its intricacies, felt flawless to us. We literally could not have asked for anything better on any of the days. That is thanks to Michelle and Kristy's impressive work ethic, battle-tested experience, relentless pursuit of perfection, and simply their desire to make our dreams come true.

Nicole, Colleen, and the rest of the Urban Allure team did all of the florals for our wedding and…read moreit completely exceeded all of my expectations. Nicole worked with me over several meetings to help me bring my vision to life. She had amazing creative ideas that I would have never thought of on my own and really understood what we were going for. They hung florals, disco balls, and even chandeliers over our dance floor, creating the most stunning environment. Colleen, who handled a lot of the floral sourcing, even included some beautiful blooms from her personal garden in our arrangements. It was such a special touch. Choosing Urban Allure was one of the BEST vendor decisions I could have made and I'd recommend them to anyone.

I agreed to work with Nicole on 2/23/24 and paid her $2,000 based on her assurance that there would…read morebe no issue securing sponsors and selling tickets. However, after more than four months had passed, there were no sponsorships or tickets sold and for that reason, I had to cancel the event, which was only two and a half months away. Here were two assurances in her contract: Create impactful promotional content Assist in sponsorship level creations & materials While I can't prove if the promotional content was impactful, it certainly didn't appear so given there were no sponsorships or tickets sold. And while she did create sponsorship materials, they clearly weren't helpful either in terms of selling tickets or securing sponsors. She also said that she had previously hosted a fundraiser for the charity I was looking to raise money for, so I believed her claim that she could secure sponsors and sell tickets without a problem. When I asked why there were no sponsorships or tickets sold upon cancelling the event, she said the market was unusually bad. If that was the case, I don't see how she couldn't have known this information merely four months earlier when we agreed to work together. Is it reasonable to think that the market changed so drastically so quickly? And why didn't she tell me the market was bad sooner before she started spending more time? She could have offered me the option of requesting a refund and suggested I cancel the event some time sooner. I should also note she did not create promotional materials until 4/5/24 and did not share a task list until 4/6/24. I then waited until 5/11/24 and saw that she hadn't contacted anyone on the list yet, so I sent over 100 e-mails over the next week, but hardly received any interest. The event was scheduled for 9/16/24, and since we didn't have any sponsorships or tickets sold, I decided to cancel the event on 6/27/24. I know people don't always buy tickets early, but the fact that not a single ticket was sold made no sense. At the very least, given that she materially misrepresented what she could offer, I would think Nicole would have offered a full or partial refund or at least a credit if I agreed to work with her again, but she made no such offer. I initially communicated all of this information through the Better Business Bureau, who reached out to Nicole multiples times, but Nicole did not respond to any of their requests. If she did, then I wouldn't have written this review.

Best money spent! I highly recommend Naturally Yours Events…read more Kristen was our event coordinator and she executed our day with perfection. 10 out of 10!!

The team at NYE events was fantastic to work with from start to finish. I had a great first…read moreconsultation on what I was looking for and was paired with Tempris, who I cannot say enough good things about. She is kind and thorough and truly made me feel supported and confident that all of our plans would be executed. She is both professional and warm and it was a true joy to spend the day with her! I wholeheartedly recommend NYE and am so grateful to Tempris and the rest of the team.

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.

If I could give BCB 10 stars, I would. They are amazing!…read more We recently worked with BCB to plan and execute my son's Bar Mitzvah (they do more than just weddings!). We had the privilege of working with Susan and Johnna. Susan is a visionary who can help you dream big and tap into your imagination, and Johnna makes all your dreams realities. Our event was held at 1970 N Lincoln (formerly Stanleys), which has been closed for almost a decade. Susan and Johnna were magicians and made the venue come to life, ensuring we had the epic dance party we envisioned. No detail was left unattended, from the creative catering to the security to the coat check to the lighting, the DJ, the party's flow, and then some. After the event, there was an issue with our bus company in which one bus never arrived. BCB was able to get a last-minute bus to come, all without letting me know, so that I could enjoy the party and not stress. I cannot recommend them enough. I only wish I had another party to throw so I could work with them again. If you're looking for an incredibly creative, thoughtful, detail-oriented, fun-loving, caring team to throw your next big event, look no further than Big City Bride. They are THE BEST!

If you are looking for a wedding planner than truly do not look any further than Becky. Becky is…read morethe absolute best from organization, people skills, vendor awareness/contacts and overall planning of your special day. The most important thing is she does it all with a smile and always makes her clients feel like they are top priority to her, because they are. Our wedding went off without a hitch thanks to Becky and her amazing service. We truly could not thank her enough and will definitely recommend her to others who are in need of assistance for their big day, whether it's partial or full wedding planning she's THE BEST there is. Thank you so much Becky for all your help and for most importantly being the best person we could have found!

Becky came highly reccomended by a friend, and exceeded our expectations. My fiancé and I got…read moremarried in Feb of 2022 on the tail end of a COVID spike which gave us crazy anxiety. Becky was the Xanax in human form and her organization and communication was such a source of comfort. Becky coordinated seamlessly with our vendors to make sure everyone was on the same page leading up to the event. She created a day of itinerary that was left in a shared google drop box so that any changes were easily added and communicated. As much as we left room for error or delay in our timeline, everything went to smoothly that it almost wasn't necessary. On the day of the wedding, Becky checked in on me to see if I needed anything and reminded me to enjoy my day. I was able to enjoy the day to the fullest due to her preparation and execution. I was extremely stubborn about using a wedding planner and insisted I could plan everything, but was totally kidding myself. Do yourself a favor and get yourself a Becky, my only regret was not hiring her sooner in my planning process.

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!

This is our 2nd year working with Artists & Events to hire the Champagne Girl for our Gala. It was…read moresuch a big last year we had a special request from our executive leadership to invite her back. Mary worked with us in advance of the event on costume ideas to ensure we got a look we wanted. The team showed up on site the day of the event, paid attention to every detail and provided top notch service. The guests were wowed once again. I would highly recommend Artists & Events and the talent they bring forward for any event.

We hired a strolling performer, Champagne Dress, who was absolutely wonderful. She was…read moreprofessional, theatrical (which really added to the moment) and made such a statement for the guests (which was our goal). When we first reached out to Mary Rothe from the company and suggested our theme, she went as far as to send suggestions of costumes the artist could wear and lumped it into our contract. Mary was wonderful to work with and provided great customer service along the way. My only wish was that we would have been able to hire more entertainers through her for our event. I've hesitantly hired other entertainers in past and they've showed up with a cheesy presence, unprofessional, outdated, and sometimes just not polished. Everything was top notch with this experience and I would work with Mary Rothe and her team again in a heartbeat.

My company, The Chicago Carolers, have worked with Wantz Events the past few years at an event at…read moreMacy's in downtown Chicago. Sarah has always been wonderful at making sure we have all the information we need and making sure we are able to provide top quality service to the customers. She is efficient, communicative, and extremely friendly and professional. I highly recommend working with Wantz Events!

On behalf of my organization, Libbey Glass, we were beyond impressed by the planning, attention to…read moredetail, execution and genuine care exhibited by Wantz Events for our corporate executive summit in Chicago. We were excited to invest in a meaningful and engaging summit for our top 40 senior leaders from across the United States and Mexico. We chose Chicago and wanted attentive partners to help execute an intentional and special time for our leadership. Wantz Events placed great and thorough rigor into the planning process, researching and presenting only the very best solutions to meet our desired outcomes. The team's professionalism and attention to service really gave us the confidence in our plan. The team delivered the advanced planning, communication prep, location and vendor management. Throughout the live event, the team was onsite, ensuring our plan and vision were achieved with excellent service and management. After the event, the team reviewed our feedback and any follow-up / closure needs. Our event was on-time, under-budget and dubbed by our CEO as "spectacular." We could not have delivered such an outcome without the partnership and leadership of Wantz Events! Thank you, Wantz Events!! Excited to work together again, real soon!