Working with Art of Imagination and Deborah was a dream come true. They were so easy to work with and 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! read more

Deborah and the decorating team at AoI were amazing to work with! Communication was clear and prompt both in-person and via e-mail. She provided recommendations, explained pricing, and was very familiar with the venue space. We were blown away by how beautiful our ceiling decor and chuppah were, and the guests were raving about it as well! Overall pricing was very reasonable, and Deborah is also extremely sweet and supportive. I can't recommend AoI enough! read more

Art of imagination had exceptional communication, service, and execution. We had the most magical wedding imaginable and it all started with the scene they set. They made our vision come to life and it blew our expectations out of the water. They were kind, thoughtful, and forever present for all of the meetings we had with them. We couldn't thank them enough for their contributions and wish we could give 10/5 stars. Highly recommend for your wedding or next event! read more

See all

My husband and I couldn't be happier that we worked with Art of Imagination for our wedding at Bridgeport Art Center's Skyline Loft! We worked with Deborah and her team for both our production (drapery, chandeliers, lighting) and our wedding florals. We were blown away by both! The venue was absolutely STUNNING on our wedding day. In particular, I was absolutely in love with the chandeliers, white draping, the beautifully arranged floral centerpieces, and the stunning floral arch the team put together. On top of all this, pricing was much much more reasonable than all other floral / production vendors we reviewed. Definitely work with Art of Imagination if you can!! read more

See all

Deborah was an absolute joy to work with and truly helped bring our wedding vision to life. From our very first meeting, she was honest, thoughtful, and incredibly creative. Her eye for design is unmatched. I loved visiting her gorgeous studio space, which immediately set the tone for the beautiful aesthetic she created for us. We got married at Morgan Manufacturing, which is a large, brick, industrial space, so we needed a little help to make it look magical! Every detail felt intentional and perfectly "us." We're so grateful for Deborah's talent and kindness, and highly recommend her. read more

The drapery and ceiling design, by Art of Imagination, truly elevated the venue's elegant ambiance, enveloping both the ceremony and reception in beauty. From the moment we first visited Stan Mansion and saw the stunning drapery, we knew it was a must-have for our December wedding. The lighting complemented the décor perfectly, creating a warm and delightful atmosphere that lingered throughout the night. We are so grateful! read more

Deborah and the team at Art of Imagination were a pleasure to work with for our wedding at the Bridgeport Art Center. Our relationship with Deborah spanned nearly two years from the initial introduction to the day of our wedding due to the pandemic and a wedding reschedule. Throughout this time, Deborah and her team were professional, responsive, friendly, and invested in our vision for how everything would look. As we navigated a wedding reschedule and various changes, Deborah seamlessly went with the flow and provided valuable suggestions and also guidance. Her experience and familiarity with the space put us greatly at ease that the decor would turn out fantastic. Every time we spoke with Deborah, whether for a walk-through, a quick call about the plans, or sudden changes, she was always enthusiastic and personable and attentive. The process felt collaborative and she was present during our wedding to ensure all went smoothly. The wedding decor, lighting, and atmosphere truly were wonderful and we have Art of Imagination to thank for that. read more

See all

AOI was one of the first vendors we met with after getting engaged since they have done so much previous work at our venue, Room 1520. My husband is a DJ and saw the work Deborah and team did at that venue and he KNEW he had to have the globe lighting that they offer for that space. From the moment we met Deborah, she asked thoughtful questions about our vision and how she could help bring that to life in partnership with our floral and decor team. Even at our walkthrough after Deborah heard about some final details she suggested a small revision on our drapery, and it turned out perfectly! The entire AOI was always kind, responsive and worked well with our other vendors, and we can't thank them enough for being a part of our big day! read more

Art of imagination recently did drapery for our wedding. They were so easy to work with, very friendly and delivered flawlessly. Highly recommend! read more

Deborah is a true artist! She was recommended to me by wedding planner who I whole heartily trusted. I wanted to just add a slight flair to the wedding venue and Deborah caught onto my vision very quickly, even after just a few emails and image inspos. I knew from that moment, I could totally trust her and just let her use her imagination to create the perfect design for our reception. Not only did she stay in line with the style I wanted, but she was also honest and straight forward with pricing and explained to me what was worth the extra costs and what wasn't. I really appreciated that! I was so happy with how everything turned out, it truly looked effortless. Thank you again to the AOI team! read more

Deborah and her team are magical! We were provided a list of approved vendors from our venue--Deborah was the only one who was reasonably priced and understood our vision of simplicity to let the space shine. The curtains and the globe lights were the stars of the decor. Deborah also added a greenery wall so that our guests have a photo area. Deborah hung up neon signs for us, and our guests had a blasts! She gave us a great price with a further discount because we were sharing decorations with a wedding from the night before our wedding! Go with Deborah--you won't be disappointed! read more

See all

Art of Imagination did a beautiful job at Stan Mansion for our wedding! Deborah and team were wonderful to work with throughout the entire process. They have plenty of pictures of what they've done in the past and for Stan Mansion, they have special packages even. The day of the wedding, the draping and lighting looked absolutely phenomenal and we got so many compliments from our guests! We are really happy that we went with Art of Imagination for our wedding as they made our wedding day so special. Thank you, AOI! read more

Art of Imagination - Party & Event Planning Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Art of Imagination did a wonderful job on our wedding at the Bridgeport Art Center. Nicole and Deborah were so accommodating and worked with us and our budget. Everything turned out so BEAUTIFULLY. 10/10 would absolutely recommend. Our wedding had a rustic chic vibe and they pulled together everything so elegantly. read more

See all

What Dreams May Come.... Deborah, I saved my 100th review for you! Words cannot begin to express how happy I am that I found you and you took the time to transform The Nineteenth Century Club's second floor. Every time I remember walking into that room I am overcome with Love and when I saw you I really wanted to give you a big hug but I composed myself. When I first started to plan my wedding I looked at lots of pictures of other people's wedding so I could have an idea of what type of decorations I wanted. I came across some pictures of paper lanterns in the photos on Nineteenth Century Club's Facebook page and decided that I wanted those. Some how I got connected to Teri Y. who referred me to Grand Stage Lighting where I spoke to Jason who referred me to Deborah. Funny how things take on a life of their own once you start something. I told her about the paper lantern idea and her and Sherry (her assistant) came up with a plan and emailed me about it. I have to say Sherry was so patient with me and my questions. She promptly returned my calls and emails. Thank you Sherry! I don't remember what the quote was but it was very reasonable. I was on a tight budget and had a small amount to play with. So small in fact, that when Deborah asked what my budget was I never really answered the question. Anyway, after looking at more wedding pictures from the Nineteenth Century Club in Oak Park, IL where we had decided to get married I started noticing more things that might need to get done. The stage definitely needed a clean and polished look. I emailed Deborah and Sherry again and they sent me new ideas and this time it did not include the lanterns. It included a structure that would mark the dance floor, this structure would be covered with ivory wrapping and have a Japanese fabric hanging over like a canopy stlye and upwashed with LED lights that were blue and green. She would also be covering the width and height of the stage with an ivory fabric upwashed with LED lights. It sounds amazing I thought. And although I was sad about giving up on the paper lanterns Deborah told me that she had been at Nineteenth Century before and was giving her recommendations based on that. I figured Deborah is an artist and she knows what she is doing and I should just trust her and her company. I also went on Facebook and found the page for Art of Imagination and analyzed every picture. These pictures are breath taking and Deborah works at venues like The Stan Mansion and Loft on Lake. I thought my event is little peanuts in her book. I have to admit I was nervous about not getting the proper attention for this reason. Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw when I walked in. I still get overwhelmed with emotion when I remember walking into that room and seeing Deborah and her crew there. They were a little late and were working so hard to get everything done. Deborah gave me extra side lights and the hanging crystals which were not part of the deal but she did this to make up for being a little late. What I paid I'm sure did not cover half of what she created. I had walked into my very own fairy tale and Happy Ever After! The room was so gorgeous and magical it knocked the breath out of me. Tim, my husband, cannot stop talking about how beautiful everything was. People came up to me and asked who my wedding planner was. I'm sure Deborah gets plenty of business but WOW does not begin to cover how happy you made me. You and Sherry and everyone at Art Of Imagination are true artists. read more

See all

Deborah and her team at Art of Imagination were incredible to work with! They saw our vision of creating a crescent moon floral arch and made it come to life. We originally booked in 2019 for our wedding, and finally had our celebration in Nov 2021. Throughout the entire process, the team at AoI was patient and kind, and helped us adjust as we moved from a summer to an autumn wedding. Deborah also helped connect me to a garland company (The Garland Guy) for our table garlands, which I greatly appreciated due to constraints in our wedding budget!! Overall, we had a graet experience with AoI and highly recommend them for wedding floral, decor, and design. read more

Art of Imagination was the preferred decorating vendor at our wedding venue, Room 1520. And after seeing some photos of what they can do, it's no wonder why. My husband and I wanted to keep our wedding pretty minimalist, so we probably didn't really challenge their creativity too much, but we were thrilled with how things turned out. We told Deborah we wanted stringed lights, a lighted backdrop for our "altar" and behind our sweetheart table, and candles everywhere, and her team happily delivered. They even set up the lights and backdrop a few days early since there weren't other events happening there before our wedding, so we got to see them when we were dropping things off for the big day. The AoI crew was on site right after our wedding ended to start breaking everything down, which I'm sure the venue manager appreciated. We were thrilled with how our wedding looked and have no doubt that Art of Imagination can realize any wedding vision you may have. read more

See all

Art of Imagination provided the decor for our wedding at Loft on Lake in Chicago. All of the decor ended up being beautiful including vines along wooden beams on the ceiling, white draping as a ceremony and sweetheart table backdrop, a beautiful white aisle runner, and even two chairs for the horah! Everything looked exactly how we wanted it to look and I am so happy they made our vision become a reality! read more

The team at Art of Imagination made our wedding at The Rookery even more magical and intimate. Deborah and her team were really easy to work with, very professional and on top of their communication. They made us feel like we were their only clients! I would highly recommend using Art of Imagination. read more

Our wedding was absolutely stunning and we have Deborah and her team to thank! She knows the business better than anyone and her vision and ideas made our venue gorgeous. Guests are still talking about how beautiful the venue was! She knew what was going to work best for our wedding day and she was spot on. We can't recommend enough! read more

Working with Deborah was so easy and enjoyable. Her guidance, recommendations and years of experience at the venue were invaluable. Deborah and her team created a truly dreamy and beautiful space, exactly what we envisioned! read more

Our wedding at Bridgeport Art Center would not have been the same without Art of Imagination. Deborah and her team knew the space so well and recommended various additions that made the space spectacular on our big day. We were supposed to get married in June of 2021 and postponed the wedding due to COVID-19. Throughout the initial planning process, to postponing, to re-planning the wedding a year later, AOI made our process easy, smooth, and took all of the chaos and guessing out of the entire process! I would highly recommend using AOI for wedding decor! read more

Art of Imagination...is exactly that. Don't have the experience (or resources) to turn a caterpillar space into a butterfly event? Deborah with Art of Imagination has the vision, the drive and the experience to do just that... I've worked with Deborah on two very large scale events, and a private non-profit event, and have seen her work at various trade shows, and vendor showcases. Always professional, detailed, and fun to work with. Elegance and class is an understatement. She truly transforms spaces with light and fabric. She works often at Stan Mansion (a very cool venue, but in need of some strategic lighting and drapery), and many other beautiful spaces throughout Chicagoland. (I've heard she does great stuff at Loft on Lake, a new wedding venue, too!) Her staff is friendly (polite!) and works hard, and Deborah is the point person for all events and sees the job through...I always felt at ease with the pace, and the finished product was always the talk of the party or show. I highly recommend her to those in need of some creative inspiration with raw spaces, especially weddings, fundraisers, etc. It just adds that "wow factor" that you want guests to leave with. read more

Art of Imagination - Party & Event Planning Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Deborah and her team created the most beautiful ceiling installation for our wedding. My husband and I were looking to create the feeling of being outdoors but being indoors. We worked with Deborah to design a ceiling installation that would do just that. In the center of the room, Deborah created a cafe light installation and interwoven greenery into the lights and then in the center of the room she created a suspended structure made of greenery. This piece was the focal point of the entire wedding design and it was beautiful. Deborah also added additional string lights to help balance the room. It was such a great choice and could not thank her enough! The wedding was gorgeous and so happy Deborah created this beautiful installation for us! read more

We used Art of Imagination for our lighting and draping decor, as well as the stage for our ceremony. It all turned out fantastic! AOI is only one of two preferred decor vendors for our venue (Bridgeport Art Center) and we were lucky enough to book AOI before they filled up. Deborah was super helpful and accommodating with the late additions of the stage and additional lighting needs. We had a great experience and would definitely recommend using Art of Imagination for your wedding or event! Her vast knowledge of our venue space and what decor / lighting it requires really helped create the vision we wanted for our wedding. read more

Art of Imagination created our picture perfect reception venue with beautiful drapery and up lighting! They were SO easy to work with, and created a perfect design for us quickly. We would recommend them to everyone! read more

Art of Imagination - Party & Event Planning Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Deborah and AOI executed perfectly. We had a Tim Burton themed wedding at the Stan Mansion and when we walked into the ballroom, I felt like I was in Spectre. We had alternating black and white drapery behind the king's table, floor to ceiling drapery on the side, and I can't even count the globe lights. The globe lights lit the stage behind the band and the canopy of globe lights above the dance floor was stunning and exactly how I pictured. We started planning pretty far in advance and had some miscommunication at first but rest assured everything was so well-done for our day. The week before and of, I felt like all of Deborah's energy was focused on our event. At our final meeting, Deborah came to Stan Mansion and walked us through each individual space of the mansion for ideas and recommendations. We did a lot of DIY and her creativity helped us visualize and bring it all to life. Deborah even stopped by the venue to make sure the decor was perfect. We cannot thank AOI enough for the time and effort put into the decor. We will post a follow up with pictures when we receive them from the photographer. Thank you Deborah and AOI! read more

Deborah and her team were great to work with! They listened to our ideas and helped provide direction when we needed it. They were very flexible with rescheduling in a difficult year and ultimately brought our vision to life! read more

I got married at The Rookery and had Deborah do the first floor only. I was really nervous about it, but it was so perfect and looked so beautiful! I loved only doing the first floor because it covers the store fronts without hiding the architecture. I really felt like the drapes actually accentuated the architecture because you weren't distracted by other things. We also did the swagged fabric by the elevators and it was PERFECT! Worth every extra penny! The swag gave so much privacy to the ceremony and the reception. We were able to do so much more just because of that such as staggered ceremony entrances, brides entrance, wedding party introductions, and then just general privacy from the general public outside. Whether you have a choice or not on Deborah, she and her team are the absolute best. It was a magical night because of their work. read more

Art of Imagination - Art of Imagination work at The Rookery with floral arrangements by Pollen Floral Design and catering setup by George Jewell Catering. - Party & Event Planning Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

I would just like to say that working with the group at Art of Imagination during the planning of my daughter's wedding while dealing with a pandemic was easier than I thought. Through all of the chaos and uncertainty they went above and beyond to make my daughter and son in laws day absolutely perfect. We received so many compliments about how beautiful the garden looked and the gender reveal during the first dance will never be forgotten. The name of the company speaks for itself. They take pride in their craft! Words cannot express our gratitude read more

Art of Imagination is absolutely fabulous ! Deborah is been doing the Fabric draping and lighting at The Stan Mansion for the past 5years .She will meet with the client and discuss ideas and design - she will customize any decor to fit your vision, dream and budget! I love working with her and see my space transformed - her staff is very professional and creative .She is on artist and is always a pleasure having her at The Stan Mansion read more

See all

Art of Imagination did the decor for our wedding at Skyline Loft (Bridgeport Art Center). They are a no-brainer for this venue and, in my opinion, know the space better than anyone. To start, we met with Deborah and she was the first person to walk us through the event from start to finish - every detail! They want to know what feel you are trying to create and then work with you to pick the right details. Deborah put together a proposal and the process was very collaborative. Let's talk about execution. The day before the wedding, I was having a meltdown because my mother had made us 1,000 paper cranes for the wedding but we had no idea where/how to hang them. Not the kind of stress you want the day before your wedding! I called Deborah and she calmly said "drop them off at the studio and we'll take care of it." And that is exactly what they did. Look at the photo attached - not only did they alleviate my stress but the cranes looked INCREDIBLE!! The entire venue looked beautiful and we received tons of compliments about the decor. I'm pretty sure I almost cried when I walked in and saw the space all ready for the ceremony. There are lots of photos of Skyline Loft with the white drapes and chandeliers - they really make the space feel special. However, the addition of the hanging greenery structure and white backdrop were the perfect pop to pull everything together. Deborah, Sandra and the Art of Imagination team were amazing and we are so grateful!! read more

Art of Imagination - Art of Imagination @ Skyline Loft - Party & Event Planning Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Deborah and the Art of Imagination team did an amazing job at our September wedding this year. We couldn't be happier, it was more than we expected! Our venue (The Stan Mansion in Chicago) has a lot of character as it is, but she added that wow factor with her fabric and lighting. All my guests kept saying the same thing.. "the place feels so magical". It was not over the top or gaudy but definitely kicked the space up a notch. Deborah is so nice and easy to work with, has great ideas and is open to other suggestions, she understands "wedding budgets" and will work with you to stay within yours. Thank you Deborah! read more

Art of Imagination - Stan Mansion - Party & Event Planning Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

We used Art of Imagination for the decorations at our wedding a few weeks ago, and we had a great experience from start to finish! My first meeting with Deborah was wonderful. She asked a lot of questions to make sure she understood the type of wedding we wanted so they could cater to our needs. Her passion was clear during this meeting and I knew they would do an excellent job. Deborah also provided guidance for how the catering team should set up the tables for our reception, which was very helpful. During the process, I exchanged several emails with Sandra and Jill and they were truly a pleasure to work with. They responded very quickly and made sure we were all on the same page. They set up a beautiful white drape as the backdrop for our ceremony and reception, hung a chandelier over the head table, and hung lights on the back wall by the DJ. I had seen pictures of everything ahead of time, but was still pleasantly surprised when I saw everything in person for the first time. The drape is absolutely stunning, the chandelier added a nice touch, and the globe lights by the DJ brightened up the dancing area (and ended up being a very popular background for our guests to take pictures!). I never had to stress or worry about the decorations, because I felt confident Art of Imagination would do an excellent job - and they did! read more

Art of Imagination - Beautiful white drape that we used as the backdrop for our ceremony and reception - Party & Event Planning Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Working with Deborah, Sandra and their team was literally the best thing my husband and I could have done!!! They completely transformed our wedding venue, Room 1520, into something out of a dream! They really listened to what our vision was and then amped it up to something even more incredible and magical. The first time I got a chance to see their creativity come to life at the venue left me completely speechless. Also, during the process leading up to the big day, they made me feel completely at ease and always had a "can-do, do not worry about anything" attitude. I cannot recommend them enough!!! I will miss working with them as they made it so much fun! read more

The best in the business! Debra and Sandra were an absolute joy to work with. They did such a beautiful job making our wedding venue the most beautiful place in all of Chicago! Debra did a wonderful job of communicating with us throughout the entire process and kept us up to date on every detail. We are so thankful for the Art of Imagination team! They truly made our wedding SO beautiful! read more

I don't know where to begin with this amazing company. If you want to go with someone who genuinely cares about understanding and capturing the vibe and hopes you have for your dream day, please have one conversation with Deborah and you'll look no further. She was kind, curious, thoughtful, and understood the goal my now-husband and I had for our big day and did everything needed to make it perfect. At our venue walkthrough, we met Sandra from AOI who we ended us asking to be our day of coordinator and our day wouldn't have nearly been the same without her. She's a true gem. The whole team, from start to finish, was so thoughtful, in the big details and especially the small, and I can't say enough great things about them. I would recommend Art of Imagination above all others over and over and over again. Thank you AOI! You are all the best! read more

See all

My mother and I met with Deborah to discuss possibilities for my fiancé and I's June 2013 wedding at Ravenswood Event Center. We really liked her, and she told us she would send us a proposal. Then...nothing. We emailed her seperately (my mother and I) 4 and 5 weeks after the meeting and never heard a peep. Our meeting was in mid-July. Don't really know what the deal was with AOI and their lacking communication skills , but if it's any indication of how they operate, I guess we dodged a bullet. Check out Kehoe Designs, who we've hired. They're awesome. read more

We met with Deborah two months ago. Prior to that I spoke with her assistant on the phone. She told me that Deb is quite busy and would need me to send pictures of my dress, invites and my favorite 10 things on pinterest to them before meeting with her, which I did. My fiance and I met with Deborah at 7pm on a weekday night - we were really happy that she could accommodate such a late appointment. When we got there, she had no recollection of the things I had sent her assistant, which seemed weird since her assistant had made such a point of me doing so before I was able to speak with Deb, but I ran with it and broke out my iPad to show her some things. Deborah was great during the meeting. She loved that I could be a bit of a DIY bride and help her with planning. We left in really high spirits and she told us it would take two weeks to send a proposal - totally understandable. Three weeks went by and we heard nothing. I sent an email during week four and got no response. I tried again the week after and gave up after that. I guess if you want to hire Deborah and don't have the budget she wants (ours was $8,000 for decor) she just ignores you. As a bride who has manners and looks at many vendors, I take the time to tell vendors I'm not hiring that I don't intend to do so. This is just poor form. read more

Deborah and her team at Art of Imagination were great! My initial meeting with Deborah got me so excited for wedding planning. She is a wealth of ideas and knowledge about event planning. I came to her with some ideas, but she provided so many additional suggestions to make the wedding our own and personal. We used AOI for a back drop, cafe hanging lights and greenery. Everything turned out exactly as I imagined. They were collaborative and willing to work within our budget. Thank you, AOI! read more

Reached out to inquire about decor for our venue, and since my initial conversation with Deborah there has been a lack of response and she was very unprofessional. She kept promising to send her ideas and quotes and over a month has passed with no replies to any of my emails. We decided if this is how she conducts business prior to the wedding, we will be a stand still closer to and possibly could ruin our perfect day. We went ahead with a different company and MDM Entertainment has been absolutely amazing, responsive and great at meeting our budget! read more