Wedding Planner

alissarenee

I would appreciate recommendations for a wedding planner in Chicago - preferably someone located downtown (i.e. not the suburbs).  I have a demanding schedule and will not be able to visit dozens of reception sites and florists.  Any suggestions would be much appreciated.  Thanks!

kthame

I always seem a little hesitant when I see a post such as this; I feel like it's a vendor post.

I apologize if my assumption is wrong, but because this is your very first post, I'm a little suspicious. Typically girls are very excited to introduce themselves here on the Chicago boards and I don't get that in your post.

Again, I apologize if my assumption is wrong, I'm just going with my "gut" on this one...

alissarenee

I can assure you I am not a vendor; in my experience vendors or trolls advertise services on boards, not request information.

I would really appreciate recommendations from other girls out there!  I'm not engaged yet, but expect (i.e. hope!) to be soon.  I'm a huge planner and would like to be able to pick up the phone the second it happens and contact some planners.  Thanks for any suggestions or comments about your experiences!

BeeMarried

I worked with Simply Perfect by Melissa and loved her. She kept me on track and made my planning super easy. I was working on my masters and my husband was finishing up law school...she really was a life saver. She travels to her clients so where ever is convenient for you...she will work with you.

BTW...there is nothing about your post that makes me think you are a vendor...sorry that was the first response you received to your post. There are a ton of girls on here who do not post regularly and there are others who live on the board. Welcome!!
Best of luck!!

ChiHeatherM

kthame, she didn't plug a vendor she was just asking for recommendations. I'm new to the board and I didn't introduce myself either. Is there some type of etiquite we should follow?

allissarenne, I don't have any suggestions since I haven't started looking yet but I'll keep up with your post to get some recommendations.

thealphabride

To the original Poster:
Welcome to the board.

KVMW9182010

I am using Anthony Navarro with Liven it up Events - he is located in the city - lakeview, I think.

mandybear7

ChiHeather- there are no rules or etiquette. Just join in!
Alissa- welcome! I'm not using a wedding planner, but I have read tons of reviews and I have seen reviews for Amy Vaught and Honeybee Weddings.

kthame

Ok, I apologize for my original post. I literally received two PMs (on the Knot) from 2 wedding coordinators today (which led me to think there were more lurkers wanting to pounce on the brides-to-be), literally 2 minutes prior to this post, so I thought maybe it was a plug.

So I retract my b*tchy first response to your very first posting on the Chicago boards. First of all, WELCOME! Secondly, the holidays are here so fingers crossed that you will be making that call REALLY soon!

As far as Coordinators, there have been quite a few big names on here:
 - Amy Vaught: she isn't taking any new clients for 2010, she's referring out to her employees. Amy's reviews have been just OK as of late.
- Shannon Gail, I believe she's downtown and she's also on the knot because she's also a bride-to-be, so you could page her on the boards. I just emailed her today (not one of the PMs I received from the lurkers) and she's going to be offering discount prices to Knotties.
- Elizabeth from Anticipation Events has received great reviews and is very reasonably priced.

Hope that helps!
Kate

Also, I sent you a PM.

kthame

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_illinois-chicago_wedding-planner-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:72Discussion:06a51d99-2dd9-4124-a84b-767fbe37b4bbPost:765a7d4a-bfa5-4d73-ad5c-b69e419946ce">Re: Wedding Planner</a>:
[QUOTE]kthame, she didn't plug a vendor she was just asking for recommendations. I'm new to the board and I didn't introduce myself either. Is there some type of etiquite we should follow? allissarenne, I don't have any suggestions since I haven't started looking yet but I'll keep up with your post to get some recommendations.
Posted by ChiHeatherM[/QUOTE]

You're right Heather...I explained in my response that I literally received two PMs from two different wedding coordinators on the Knot within minutes of her post, so I assumed it was playing into that. Now that we have the PMs I have  received SO MANY PMs from vendors, even from a supply company who saw that I asked someone if her silver chargers were still available to purchase, and they told me they rented them. I kindly replied and told them they shouldn't be on the knot if they're not a bride-to-be.

alissarenee

Thanks for all the suggestions!  Sorry for not introducing myself earlier.  I don't really want to advertise to work when I'm on here.  Unfortunately I don't have a billing code for "reading and posting to theknot.com."   Thanks again!

kthame

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_illinois-chicago_wedding-planner-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:72Discussion:06a51d99-2dd9-4124-a84b-767fbe37b4bbPost:569c4afe-400b-4509-b359-4e6ace35084f">Re: Wedding Planner</a>:
[QUOTE]Thanks for all the suggestions!  Sorry for not introducing myself earlier.  I don't really want to advertise to work when I'm on here.  Unfortunately I don't have a billing code for "reading and posting to theknot.com." ;)  Thanks again!
Posted by alissarenee[/QUOTE]

LOL. I too should hae a client/matter number for my time spent on the Knot.
<img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-wink.gif" border="0" alt="Wink" title="Wink" />

mariannebride

Hi there and welcome to the boards! You are in good hands! I had Shannon Gail plan my whole wedding and she did an amazing job! I actually just rec'd her a few posts down but I interviewed a lot before choosing and would be happy to share my experience with you!  Feel free to email at marianne bride at yahoo dot com And, kthame, Shannon's engaged!!?? What!?

kthame

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_illinois-chicago_wedding-planner-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:72Discussion:06a51d99-2dd9-4124-a84b-767fbe37b4bbPost:fa0820db-c8d3-4c06-9ab9-9030795f384d">Re: Wedding Planner</a>:
[QUOTE]And, kthame, Shannon's engaged!!?? What!?
Posted by mariannebride[/QUOTE]

Yep. She posted on here that the wedding coordinator's getting married...so I know she's excited!

Litgirl77

I used Elizabeth from Anticpation Events and she was wonderful to work with. Full review is in my bio. Good luck!

mariannebride

AH SHE IS! I just emailed her. That's so exciting. Is she planning your wedding too!? I just got married and she was awesome!

kthame

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_illinois-chicago_wedding-planner-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:72Discussion:06a51d99-2dd9-4124-a84b-767fbe37b4bbPost:beae4f65-3635-4b18-b6bb-5e583ee6b213">Re: Wedding Planner</a>:
[QUOTE]AH SHE IS! I just emailed her. That's so exciting. Is she planning your wedding too!? I just got married and she was awesome!
Posted by mariannebride[/QUOTE]

I'm still debating using a DOC; I have a pretty tight budget, so I can't really say for sure right now, but I know she's been highly recommended. She and I were emailing each other. Love her personality...she seems like she'd be a real blast!

edwinajon

I think it depends on the level of "wedding planning" you are looking for.  As you will find while planning your wedding, there are vendors that charge platinum wedding type of rates and some that charge something that sounds too good to be true. 

It definitely can be overwhelming - trust me, I've been there since I have been planning my wedding for 17.5 months!

My advice is to call some of the top caterers in the area and ask them for their recommendations.  Caterers work with wedding coordinators all the time, from DOCs to full time planners.  They should be able to give you a few good leads on who they consider are the good ones. 

This is not to say that knotties don't have good advice - definitely use them but don't forget about ppl in the wedding industry who work with coordinators every weekend for a living. 

It seems like everyone in the  Chicago wedding industry knows each other and you'll be able to get a good scoop on who vendors like to work with and who they weren't impressed with.

I booked some of my vendors using this method and highly recommend it!  Good luck and enjoy your engagement!

kthame

Edwina, that's a great suggestion!

BTW, LOVE your name...reminds me of one of my Best Friends from Toronto!

mrsmiller630

I've been so busy with work for a few months that I haven't been on much, and I am having trouble navigating this site so I hope this works!

In case you are looking for another suggestion, I am using Katie with Simply Eventful and I recommend hiring a wedding planner no matter who you choose.

designerheather1

I second Anthony Navarro with Liven it up Events http://www.livenitup.com