I hosted a baby shower at the DL loft in 2018 and then hosted a 30th birthday party/dinner this year (2020) and both events were unbelievable! Debi and her team are available, responsive and creative. In both instances I shared a theme and they ran with it, far surpassing our expectations. We had another 30th birthday planned and unfortunately the plans were ruined due to COVID. With 6 days notice I reached out to Debi and asked if she was available and could help me pull together a "Vanderpump Garden" theme dinner. She was emailing me late into the evening on the weekend making arrangements, and when we walked in we could not believe what she had accomplished in such a quick timeframe. The decor was stunning, the food was amazing and the overall atmosphere was exactly what we needed to be able to relax and spend time with our closest friends. Thank you so much to Debi and team for a truly special night. We will be back! read more

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I was hired by DebILilly to provide ice cream sandwiches for a wedding that she was planning. I explained that the outset the challenges, but I went ahead and followed through with what I promised, which was with that I delivered to her Uber that she had hired to drive them to Grand Rapids met in Ann Arbor. It was clearly explained that once she received the ice cream sandwiches, they would need to go into the freezer as they would not be served until the next day evening. Apparently, she did not put them in the freezer as discussed, so when she went to serve them, they were melted. That only has she refused to pay me. She refuses to communicate at all and acknowledge of the situation and acknowledge her responsibility I would be more than happy to find a resolution that works for both parties. However, I do that if she's not willing to communicate. I would not recommend working with her at all. Completely unprofessional. read more

Went here for their open house. It seems like the majority of their business is weddings. Their location is jam packed with gorgeous displays and different options for your wedding or event. They had displays of different table settings, different flower arrangements (even a flower wall for taking pictures), many different food options and a warm and welcoming staff at their open house. They do want to space out for events and it is gorgeously decorated. It's not a large space as far as with but it is long and there is a kitchen area available. They also have an upstairs area that's available for rental but since there was a baby shower happening at the same time, I was not able to take a look at that space. They seem to be able to help with your wedding from start to finish, anything and everything. However, I would check some facets of your wedding yourself, to make sure that you are getting the best prices and exactly what you want. That was my main concern that there were no prices available and they said they would have to meet with you individually in order to get you quotes. Gorgeous space for rental, and if nothing else, a wedding planner you can check out and get comfortable pricing. read more

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I had a heartbreaking experience hosting my wedding shower here. The place was nice but horribly unprofessional. We signed a contract in February, clearly stating cost. I paid with my credit card and this company overcharged me by $1300 (this is almost a 100% overcharge). When I emailed them to resolve, they said they would look into it - but then completely stopped responding. Text messages left on read. They didn't even pay back the security deposit. I tried contacting them repeatedly through email, phone etc - to no success yet and it's been over a month. RUN from this place. Extremely unprofessional. Ruined my event. read more

A Perfect Event - Party & Event Planning Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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What a beautiful venue! I mean really beautiful. When I entered the venue for my friends 30th birthday I just knew we would have an awesome time. He's very particular about his events and I knew right when I entered why he picked this place. Yes it's beautiful but I felt as though the owners did not trust renting to him. One co-owner stayed on site, very visibly while the party was going on. Now this was a very dressy event, she had on jeans, a tee shirt and gym shoes, while working on a desktop computer in the middle of the party, THE ENTIRE TIME! We were all very confused as to why she just sat there and worked during an event that was rented out privately? I mean Kate sat there the whole time, the photographer was trying to figure out how to not photograph her because she was spot in the middle working! This created a very weird ambiance for the guest. Since she was just sitting there, we decided to put her to work, and ask her for trash bags garbage cans and things we needed. Just weird and I also assumed her presence was racially motivated. I tried to encourage my friend to get a refund of some of the money he paid, especially if it did not state in the contract that she would be working during party hours, and not dressed for the occasion. Plus a professional photographer was on site and had trouble photographing everyone w/out getting Kate in the pictu Nonetheless I wanted to book this space for my bridal events, but hell no if I have to have Kate on sight, watching every move my guest make the entire time. No thanks read more

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Beautiful space but the lady who runs it, Deb, is extremely unprofessional and a nightmare to deal with. Multiple emails and phone calls and you will go weeks without them being returned Run away quickly. Book elsewhere. read more

Debi was communicative and was sure to send lots of emails. She offered some suggestions and did a decent job of researching vendors. She worked with Oprah so has the credentials to be a good event planner. In just two weeks worth of work she was able to provide: 1. Rehearsal Dinner Research and Assistance 2. Ceremony Programs, Tablecards, Menu Cards and Tablenames for each table 3. Vendor Walk Through Scheduling and Communication 4. Designing the floorplan for the reception 5. Hotel suites for bridal party 6. Transportation for the bride/groom read more

Let me start by telling you that I am a huge DIY person, like huge. I rarely find something that I can't create myself in the custom/unique way that I envision in my head, and there are few projects that I would pass up when it comes to anything related to events/decor/hosting/etc. With that said, I just got married on 9-21-13 and had planned to do all of my own floral for the centerpieces. About 4-5 months prior to the wedding, I was ambushed by my family members who flat out told me that I was not allowed to do the flowers so that I would be sane and stress-free on the big day (and on time). Reluctantly, I resigned as head event planner and moved over to chief supervisor for those things that I was not going to do myself. As you would expect I did an immense amount of research before committing to a company for both my wedding invitations and my floral/centerpieces along with the ceremony/aisle decor. When I initially found A Perfect Event, I only intended for them to do our invitations. I worked with Lindsay who did an absolutely fantastic job helping us with our invitations design, the budget we were working with, but she even helped assemble the final product so that we would be able to get them out quickly! I got in touch with Christine who is the chief event planner at A Perfect Event once I decided to have my floral done, and she was a dream. Seriously she was like my fairy god mother. Because I was so set on my vision that I had planned to execute, I needed to feel like whoever I worked with totally understood the details that I had in my head, and Christine did just that and more. We were able to come up with a design plan that was streamlined with our invitations so that the overall "big picture" made sense, and the end result was beyond words. There are not enough compliments that I give these two girls, they literally made my dream wedding possible. Last but not least, I also wound up using A Perfect Event to provide a week-of wedding coordinator, Monica, who was just as amazing as the other two. She literally made sure that my wedding day was FLAWLESS - the three of the girls are like the trifecta of wedding perfection. I did not hear about ONE SINGLE day-off hiccup because Monica was there before anyone else to deal with any issues and solve problems. From bringing my bridal party flowers to coordinating a surprise dance that the groom and myself did, Monica kept me cool, calm, and collected and in the end I had the best day and night ever. There were aspects of this event that I had not even begun to think about, and they took care of all of these things for me PLUS made my wedding look like a magical fairytale. I still have people talking about the wedding, the invitations, and overall how perfect this event was. I was even able to use the vases that I was making for the centerpieces and all other details that I myself put together for the wedding. Monica, Lindsay, and Christine found ways to integrate all of the things that I wanted to pull in somehow. If you are a perfectionist who is also a dreamer with a very active imagination, this is the company to use for your events. They can make anything happen, and they were fabulous to communicate with. All calls, emails, etc. were replied to within minutes for the most part. Whatever we need, they took care of...I could keep going but there are not enough words that I know of to explain the positive experience that I had with A Perfect Event. Plus I love going into their store, it's like the amazing events they plan in a nutshell : ) read more

Not only did Debi Lily and staff do an amazing job planning our destination wedding in September of 2006...she did it in only 3 months! She was personally there to make sure everything went right, and believe it or not, offered to help put my Made-Of-Honor's 5 kids to bed (my sister's kids) when it got late. Gave herself up to the event! Additionally, I worked with A Perfect Event on a much smaller scale. I simply rented some outdoor victorian couches for a rooftop bridal shower I hosted. They made the party amazing. Thanks Debi! read more

I have attended multiple events that have been organized by Debi and her team, and have to say that they are really a talented bunch. My favorite event that was planned by her and her team was a school fundraiser in Lakeview. The details that were brought to the table made the party over the top, unique and fun. People are still talking about the original party favors and food samplings! Besides the great ideas, her leadership and direction made everything come together flawlessly. I now follow Debi on her blog and you tube channel to keep abreast of current party trends and I will sometimes snag a good idea to incorporate into some of our small family birthday parties or gatherings. read more

Debi created an amazing set up for my baby's first birthday. Everything was all ballerina and tutu inspired and i loved it! I got so much praises for how elegant my venue looked. And at the end of the day, we got to celebrate my baby's day without a bit of stress. Thanks soo much debi! read more

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Complete disappointment. Was at a lake house wedding where Debi handled floral, decor and coordination. She completely dropped the ball, leaving bride, groom and all involved absolutely crushed. Look elsewhere. She is bad news. read more

Obsessed with this place! The DL Loft is the perfect space for any type of event. The decor of the interior are beautiful and picture perfect. Debi Lilly is also such a sweet lady to be able to work with :) read more

The people that work there are RUDE and think somehow they are too good to help you. Debi Lilly, the owner the of the company got big because Oprah likes her -- but there has to be more pleasant people to deal with; with nicer more accommodating staff. I know they do beautiful flowers but she basically just outsources it. Please go somewhere else. read more

Our experience with A Perfect Event was a bit mixed. We will say that they really came through for the coordination on the week of and day of the wedding, and our wedding planner Kaitlyn literally gave me her shoes at one point between the ceremony and the reception because my feet were sore from walking around in high heels. The reception was beautiful, especially the floral centerpieces and all of the different elements of the event design. Another review said that it feels like A Perfect Event doesn't start focusing on your wedding until the week of the event, and I have to say, I think that's true. We also had our original wedding planner, Christine, leave A Perfect Event about three months before our wedding without a real explanation as to what was really going on. To A Perfect Event's credit, we were quickly set up with another wedding planner, Kaitlyn Gomez, and Debi provided her services in the transition as well. But until the week of the wedding, I often felt like we were managing all of the item follow-ups more than they were. We sometimes felt like details mentioned during meetings weren't properly noted on their end, and we were often asking for follow-up from them. Granted, my husband and I are very organized people, but we still had more of an expectation that when we pay for wedding planning services, that they would not just bring creativity to the wedding, which they did, but also an attention to detail. We'd definitely recommend going with a wedding planner, but whether or not you should go with A Perfect Event is somewhat dependent on your personality and what your expectations of wedding planning might be. I will also caution that A Perfect Event will definitely try to have you do your stationary and floral/event design through them, so be aware with that. They also, like another reviewer pointed to, are pretty oblivious to your budget and there were many times where I felt like the massive amount we were spending on floral was pocket change for them. Ultimately, we were happy with the final product; our wedding was the best day of our life and A Perfect Event deserves credit for that. But there were definitely some bumps along the way. read more

This company actually stole money from me! I couldn't believe it after they sold themselves as such a great place. If you want to have a great product or event go anywhere else. I would hate for someone else to have to go through this. read more

Tina from A Perfect Event made our baby announcements and they turned out terrific. She was extremely helpful and offered great tips and suggestions. We came up with an idea and she went with it and made it better than we could have imagined. It was a pleasure to work with her and we were very pleased with the end result and all the effort she put into her job. She definitely went above and beyond. Those who saw our announcements were very impressed! read more

I have worked with Debi on several events and she is a total professional and a creative genius! She always comes up with fun details that make each event special and unique. Debi and her team alway reply to emails quickly and are extremely knowledgeable. Her loft space, DL Loft, is stunning and I have used it time and time again. Debi truly knows how to take the stress out of planning an event. As someone with 4 years of experience in wedding and event catering, I highly recommend working with her. She is the best of the best. read more

Debi Lilly and A Perfect Event planned our September 2010 wedding-- everything really was absolutely amazing! Debi always had fabulous and new ideas. She is also an expert in all things French, which was perfect for our French-inspired wedding. She thought of everything, from our custom monogram to serving milk and cookie shots as part of the desserts (LOVED those!) She was also great at incorporating our Greek traditions into the wedding seamlessly. She always replied to emails very quickly (even late at night) and she knows how to handle/work with vendors to get the job done right and on time. Also, all the vendors she recommended were just as wonderful. Debi was a dream come true for us-- we would tell her an idea and she would build on it and bring it to life. We didn't have stress out over any details on the day of the wedding- everything was so smooth and executed wonderfully. We had a schedule for the day and everything went according to plan because she is so organized and she is able to keep her staff and vendors on time. She even emailed me pictures of our reception hall as it was being set up (such a fun surprise). Lastly, we had the chance to work with Debi's A Perfect Event team and they are great as well! I always felt so welcome and special when I was in her studio. I would definitely recommend her to all couples. I can't wait for her to plan our next big event! : ) read more

Debi and her team are spectacular, kind, accommodating, intelligent, stylish, I could go on forever. This space and the people that work here have never disappointed, I have been to cocktail parties, foodie events, they also host showers, bridal parties, and many other things. The space is unlike anything I have ever seen, amazing vibe inside transports you to another world in the middle of Chicago. Highly recommended, host a party here and invite me along! :) read more

Debi and her team are AMAZING!!! My wedding was absolutely stunning and a perfect representation of who I am. Being an Interior Designer brought with it a different level of expectation and they blew me away! The day was so incredibly easy and I was able to enjoy every minute without worrying about a thing. They are setting up my Christmas day festivities as we speak. I'll use them for any event I have where I want it to look really special. read more

A Perfect Event - Stunning wedding decor by Debi Lilly and A Perfect Event. - Party & Event Planning Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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My daughter often walked past DL Loft because she lived just down the street and visioned having an event there someday.... Well after her 200+ wedding for May was postponed to 2021 due to Covid, she looked to DL Loft for help in hosting a small ceremony/reception and Debi did not hesitate to help. In 3 weeks time we were able to hold an intimate 12 person ceremony on DL Loft's romantic rooftop, and celebrated with our family in the spacious light filled loft. This space is just gorgeous - the natural light, chandeliers, furnishings, offer the relaxed chic experience my daughter was looking for. Guests commented that the setting was romantic, enchanting and magical, and my daughter and fiance were more than happy. Debi never made us feel like our event was "too small," in fact, just the opposite. From our first contact she offered all kinds of assistance. She worked with me on details like extra serving pieces and cleanup that allowed me to really enjoy my mother of the bride day. Throughout our short planning and on the day of the wedding she was available 24/7. She is not only professional, but warm and kind, and truly means it when she says she and her crew love helping people celebrate beautiful moments in life. Anyone considering a smaller event, and especially a micro wedding, should consider DL Loft as it will truly give you the beautiful memory you are looking for. read more

The store is really cute (I mean - even before I got engaged I wanted to use Debi) and the girls in the store come off somewhat nice when you walk in - but they were really busy and were not very helpful. I thought I had made a breakthrough when Debi briefly met with me to talk through pricing. She promised to send me a quote over the weekend but never did. After 3 phone messages and 2 email messages (over a 2 week period) I still had no response from her which I actually think is a bit rude. Maybe she was busy but still - a response with a reasonable date to get the proposal by would have been appreciated. Debi hopefully knows she is not the only planner/designer available and if she wants to keep up her reputation - she has got to bring her game and be as responsive as the others out there. read more

Our NYE Wedding at the Blackstone Debi,I can't stop smiling revisiting that magical, majestic evening. You took the grand elegance of that little palace ballroom and turned it into a glistening, shimmering heaven. I will never forget the moment I walked into that room, swooning, intoxicated by the unimagined beauty reflected over and over again in the multiple mirrored doors. Indelible. This wedding exceeded all expectation. Thank you for helping me present my precious girl with the gift of a lifetime. We thank you for every perfect decision, from the florals, linens, invitations, menus, programs, martini bar, etc., to the glorious glamelia bridal bouquet. And thanks to your recommending Avery House Photography we now have stunning visuals to remind us of that once in a lifetime evening. Thank you for spending the evening with us and ensuring that everything ran smoothly. The execution was flawless. You deserve every accolade and award given for your brilliance and vision. I hope as a result of sharing our experience, others in the sea of wedding confusion find their way to you and experience the joy that can be a wedding done by a master. Caily and I will stand as a testament to any on the fence Bride and Mother of the Bride. Please use us as a reference when need be. And, we miss you too! I try and keep up with you via your blog. It feels like girlfriend talk! I love it. So many great entertaining ideas. So excited for all of your upcoming adventures. When I get overwhelmed with all that we have going on (Weddings, Concerts, Spring Gala, travels) I think of you and how you manage to do it all with such style. Your joy is infectious, you are an inspiration and I am so happy to have found you! Deb Hoban read more

If I could give 0 stars, I would! I have never written a review for anything in my entire life, but as an EXTREMELY disappointed bride-to-be, I had to worn future Chicago brides to STAY AWAY! Signing a contract with Debi Lily was the first, and BIGGEST MISTAKE I made as a newly engaged girl. From the very beginning, my planning with Debi was far from "perfect". She was constantly "so busy" and would continuously make excuses for not getting back to me in a timely manner. I felt like I would give her chance after chance to redeem herself and she never did. Honestly, the only thing she did quickly was cash her deposit check. I would have to ask her the same question(s) NUMEROUS times before getting a response, and when she did finally respond she would shoot me a one-liner and MAYBE answer one of my questions (if I was lucky). She always ended each one-liner email with the same FAKE phrase: "We are so excited!" What is she so excited about, cashing a $3,500 check and not having to work for it??? While I worked with her, for approximately 3 months (3 months too long!) she must have gone through at least 3 "assistants", and none of them had a clue what was going on. One time I stopped in Debi's store to check on the status of an invite, and her new assistant was unable to help me, of course, and told me that Debi was out filming a commercial and that she would have to get back to me at a later time. So I am just wondering...what exactly is Debi Lily's job title?? Is she an actress? A television star? A wanna-be Martha Stewart? I will tell you one thing, she IS NOT an event planner! She is rude, unprofessional, and sarcastic. Her time is more important than yours, and she makes that quite obvious! The only clients that are of any importance to her are those that she believes will somehow get her and her "perfect event" noticed. Unless she knows that she will be recognized in a magazine or on television for planning your event she could care less about you, no matter how much money you are willing to spend. She cuts corners, orders cheap material, and then charges an outrageous fee...a fee that I would not mind paying, for a quality event planner and quality work, but Debi Lily is far from high quality. She is a SCAM ARTIST. She pays absolutely NO attention to detail and could quite frankly care less about your special day and what you are envisioning for that day. She does what she wants and makes MISTAKES, and does not apologize for her wrongdoings. In fact she blames you, the client, for the mistakes that she makes. If you notice...all of the reviews on Debi are either one extreme or another (all one star or all five stars) which seems a bit strange to me. Trust me, the people giving her one star have her all figured out, and those giving 5 stars must be friends, family, and paid employees of Debi. Do NOT let her "Mary Sunshine" personality fool you, she is a fraud, and I promise you that if you go with her, your event will be far from perfect. I cancelled my services with Debi and paid her to do absolutely nothing...please do not let this happen to you. I am now working with a wonderful planner who is truly helping me plan the wedding of my dreams and I am so glad to say that Debi Lily will not get any credit for my "perfect event" read more

The venue is beautiful however Debi the owner is not a professional business woman. I hosted an event here in July. Left the venue spotless however Debi has yet to return my security deposit of $500. For the last three months she's misrepresented several times that (1) she mailed a check which was a lie no check was ever received. I ask for proof which she was not able to provide then (2) she was instructing her accountant to verify the check sent and resend my $500 and never did. I offer her to send the check, chasepay, zelle. Whatever method was convenient. She claimed her account didn't have any of those options (3) she stated she's sorry a family member pass away. It's been a month later again since that excuse and still haven't received my $500 which i'm entitled to. It's been nothing but excuse after excuse. Please give me my money back. The venue was left spotless which there is no dispute of. There's no reason not to return my money. It's been three months and if she mismanaged the funds she could have done enough business to recover the $500 and repay me by now. I would avoid booking here unless you don't mind losing $500. read more

Don't go to this place at all. Supposedly they pride themselves in customer service. Everything is overpriced and it seems as though the girl who works the shop area is very self involved and not so articulate. I walked in there and asked her a question and when she started to answer, she just walked away in the middle of it to gossip with the workers in the back. I even overheard them talking about people with accents, being "foreign" and all kinds of racial comments. Any time I have walked into their shop, it's a mess. Can you believe they actually outsource a company to make "custom tablecloths" for their customers just to rent, and they keep it for themselves??? Who does that? I don't know how this business has lasted as long as it has because their events and staff members are not so perfect. read more

I first saw Debbie's designs at Waldorf Astoria open house in the summer of 2016, and her table set up and the flowers she used made such an impression on me. Debby has a keen eye on how to implement colors and flower types with china and silverware, candles and table cloths, and incorporate small details such as colors and designs on menus. The following month I was engaged, and we were planning a small wedding within the next 2 months. The only person I could think of doing the flowers and decorations was Debbie. I was put in touch with her through the event planner at Waldorf and from the beginning Debbie was very quick to respond to the emails, willing to meet with me, discuss my vision, offer ideas and show albums of her previous work. Through ongoing, timely correspondence we were able to reach a vision that I was happy with, and also something that Debbie was going to be able to do in the time and budget I had. On the day of the wedding, I saw Debbie two times, once to bring my gorgeous bouquet to my suite, and second time when I was taking pictures before the ceremony to congratulate me and take few photos. I was happy with seeing her only two times, because that meant she had everything under control, through our ongoing conversations leading to the wedding, she knew where the decorations and flowers should go, how to arrange them, at what time to have everything ready. The first time I saw the ceremony room was when I walked down the aisle, and Debbie did everything perfectly, just like I envisioned it, from the flowers and colors we chose, to the decorations and candles she used, to her arrangements on dinner table were perfect. My wedding went smoothly, because Debbie was professional, through listening to her client, and keeping an ongoing correspondence, she had everything ready and ready perfectly. read more

Debi - thanks again to you and your whole team for creating the wedding of the century! I have never heard such amazing comments and compliments on each and every detail. Our phone has not stopped ringing with praises from people who you'd never think would even notice. Everyone at A Perfect Event is to be thanked for all the hard work. There isn't a single thing I'd change or do differently. I can't wait to see the pictures and video! C.S.R. read more

Debbie put together an incredible wedding for us which was beautiful, fun and unique. We were proud of the event we put on together in front of all of our family and friends.She executed flawlessly on all of our unconventional requests which were plenty. We even threw in a monkey wrench and had her also help with a second event that was connected to the wedding weekend. She didn't hesitate at all, was extremely helpful and didn't charge us extra for that assistance. The only criticism I would note is that she wasn't that sensitive on the budget. We paid approximately 25% more than the stated budget. Part of that was are neverending list of requests but she also holds some responsibility for not keeping a tight formal budget. This is a big issue of course but the wedding was so great that I couldn't stomach giving only 4 stars. If you want a perfect wedding and don't care about cost then she is obvious choice. read more

I've worked with Debi Lilly herself on several events now including one of my own client's weddings (I work as a photographer), and anyone who takes care of and values my own clients as much as Debi does deserves a lot of praise. The level of meticulous care and detail she puts into each event is unbelievable, and the fact that she can perfectly plan a wedding, a child's birthday party, baby shower, birth announcement cards, or even a mother-daughter luncheon all with equal precision and skill is incredible. Other things that I've found notable while working with Debi Lilly and her company are that her email and phone communications are both timely and professional, and the way she speaks to her clients with respect and grace has always impressed me. Before I completely run out of synonyms for the word 'amazing,' I'll leave it as this - do yourself a favor and save the details and planning for Debi so she can make yours 'A Perfect Event.' read more

I was really looking forward to working with Debi and a perfect event however my opinion quickly changed. First I was working with Katie on invitations after not hearing back from her I stopped into the store to find out Katie was no longer there and no one bothered to do any processing on my invitations. The staff was unable to answer most of my questions and seemed very uneducated about the business they were representing, additionally I stopped by during regular business hours to find a note on the door saying they would be back in 20 minutes, but no one returned for over 40 minutes. I gave them the benefit of the doubt thinking maybe they were just in a transitional stage and I would contact Debi directly to set up event coordination. My emails (3) were ignored. I feel the staff was very unreliable. I would not recommend this company to anyone and was very disappointed by the whole experience. read more