Words cannot express how thankful I am for finding Patty at Fairy Godmothers Inc! Patty is…read moreabsolutely wonderful and so incredibly talented. I didn't have much of a floral vision, so I needed all the help I could get. After meeting with Patty and discussing different ideas, she asked if we had a theme for our wedding. At the time, we also didn't have much of a theme, other than wanting to highlight the city of Chicago through the skyline. So, I showed Patty our wedding invitation and she immediately had an idea for our centerpieces. She showed me a large clear vase (and floating candle) with a cut-out of the skyline that wrapped around the vase and I immediately fell in love with the idea! She then added flowers and greenery around the vase to complete the look. It was the perfect look for our big day, and the centerpieces looked so amazing at our venue! On the day of the wedding, Patty arrived on time with the bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages. All the flowers looked so fresh and elegant. I could not have asked for a more perfect look! She also added a small charm to my bouquet in memory of my grandmother and it was beautiful. Patty even stopped by our church to ensure everything was perfect, even though this was not a part of our contract. She truly went above and beyond and I am forever thankful for talent and kindness. Patty also offers other services such as day of coordination, and other wedding details. Although I didn't need to use those services, I am sure she is as exceptional with those services as she is with the florals. Patty is a true gem. She is kind, knowledgeable, creative, and passionate about helping to make your wedding day truly the best day of your life. Thank you Patty!!!

Patty truly is a fairy godmother. She just handled my wedding this past weekend and of all of the…read moreelements of my wedding, the flowers and decor was the star of the show. I was having a smaller wedding and honestly, my goal was to spend as little money as possible on flowers because I didn't feel like they would make much of a difference in a wedding as small as mine. Patty set me straight and showed me how much these things can make a difference especially in a wedding like mine. I spent more than I had originally intended, but I will tell you that the end result was worth every penny. Patty had some great ideas and is extremely creative. I met with her to plan everything and gave her some basic ideas such as colors and themes and she turned that into the most beautiful wedding I could ever imagine. So many of our guests complimented us on the decor and flowers and we gave away the centerpieces because we hated to see them go to waste. Everything was just perfect the day of too. I had to worry about nothing and all of the other vendors commented on how great she was to work with. I would definitely recommend Patty and use her again. She was a pleasure to work with and she is not only florist, but really an event designer who will make yours shine. One note is that they do not take credit cards, but they were very flexible with payment scheduling.

Was searching for fun stuff to do in Chicago and the suburbs with a toddler and this place popped…read moreup for us! Perfect way to beat the heat wave! Wonderful selection of things to play with, though this isn't really a "museum". Because it isn't a museum, it does seem a little crazy that they charge for adults. All of the indoor play places I've visited in Phoenix (where I live) they only charge for the child. But my son had so much fun it was worth it! His favorite were the treehouse and the cars. Glad we came here!

We visited this museum in Oak Park with our 15 month old grandson…read more He had a great time playing with so many different things. There were other families there, but it was not overly crowded. Many separate areas of play; a treehouse, veterinarian, kitchen, blocks, puppet stage...etc. fun place for young kids.

Instead of paying a zillion dollars for fairytale flowers or having a generic photo booth, consider…read moregetting an ice sculpture instead! We had a Nadeau's elephant ice sculpture for our downtown Chicago wedding and it was such a unique and memorable centerpiece of the entire event! It was beautifully constructed with trunk and foot up, as well as our initials etched in the middle. All of our guests were raving about how amazing it was and taking photos in front of it the whole night! Brenda at Nadeau's was so great to work with, we immediately clicked. She was super responsive and accommodating. Definitely recommend going with Nadeau's and I can't wait for another excuse to order an ice sculpture for a special event!

i totally recommend this company ice sculpture perfect customer service amazing…read more i'm assuming a family owned business and they are great even when they were sick with covid always responded. went above and beyond will definitely recommend and use them again thank you

I am struggling to put into words how to thank Lindsay Gaeta and her team and acknowledge every…read moresingle detail she knocked out of the park and executed on our wedding day! Throughout the planning process there were so many little behind the scenes details she saved me time on which I am so appreciative! I will miss seeing her monthly on our planning calls! I don't plan to get married again anytime soon but I do hope our paths cross again! I am speechless about her help from the rehearsal to the very last minute of shutting down the after party!! The top 3 highlights that people mentioned to me on the wedding day were 1. Dad's speech, 2. Florals, 3. How hard she HUSTLED!!! My bridesmaids and close family constantly approached me on the wedding day with sentiments of "wow, she's good!!" She exceeded our expectations and anticipated our every move! I have close family in the hospitality business (who are the harshest critics about everything in the event planning world) and were over the top satisfied with her commitment and follow through to make the day as seamless as possible! I am sure there were many hiccups that day that were not brought to my attention and for that, I give Lindsay full credit! I was able to relax, be present and have a B+ personality that evening instead of my typical A- for all things attention to detail! I felt completely comfortable 'handing Lindsay the reigns' and entrusting she would handle everything as necessary, which she did!!!

We are beyond grateful for Kim Weinberg of LivenUp Events! From the very beginning, Kim was the…read moreultimate professional, so patient, kind, and supportive, even when I, as the bride, was feeling overwhelmed. She has this incredible ability to stay calm, cool, and collected no matter what comes her way, always finding solutions effortlessly and proactively preventing issues before they even arise. Her industry knowledge is unparalleled, and her planning experience truly shines through in every detail. From her amazing vendor connections to her creative, thoughtful ideas, Kim went above and beyond to make our wedding not just beautiful, but absolutely seamless. She kept us organized, on track, and stress-free throughout the entire process. But what really sets Kim apart is her heart. She genuinely cares about her couples, listens with empathy, and makes you feel supported every step of the way. We couldn't have asked for a better wedding planner. She is a true gem, and we feel so lucky to have had her by our side. Kim Weinberg didn't just plan our wedding; she made our dream day a reality, and we will be forever grateful.

My mother turned 50 years old and I wanted to celebrate her birthday somewhere where we could have…read moredinner and then dance. Ella's Banquet was the perfect venue for the occasion to accommodate 100 guests. I had the catering delivered and the live bands ready. My mother was so happy with the event. This newly remodeled venue has great air conditioning, which was important during one of Chicago's hottest summer days. The staff was friendly and professional. Tony, the owner of the venue, was always making sure everything ran smoothly and took great care of us. My mother was pleased with his humbleness and customer service. The venue has free parking that is easily accessible. I also hired a sound technician for the live bands. We were able to fit a band of 15 members at a time. The sound technician did an amazing job and the live music kept everyone on the dance floor. This is the perfect venue to celebrate with a 100 guests.

I had to miss my friend's baby shower in Chicago, and sent her an Operagram as a surprise…read moreinstead--and they did NOT disappoint! Everyone at the party was thrilled to have a surprise opera performance, and Rose was everything I hoped for: responsive to my emails, punctual, sweet, funny and SO talented! Highly recommend!!

For an unique gift, use Rose at OperaGram.com. It is the best money you will ever spend to show…read moresomeone how much you adore them! The shock of seeing her in full costume, at your door, or at the office, or where ever you request her to be, is well worth the "price of admission"!! Rose is one of the most talented people I've ever met! She has a tremendous sense of humor (check out her comedy group Salsation!), but it is her soprano voice that is what you will long remember! Boy can this lady SING!!!! Seriously, if you are looking to send a gift that will be remembered years from now, that is unique, that will have others saying "I wish I'd have sent on OperaGram.com!!" THIS IS IT!

I will give them 5 stars but they have very low staff and most of the young staff have no idea what…read morethey are doing remember some if not all the rides need to be supervised and have to be harness. If they don't know what they are doing your kids have potential risk to get hurt. They have 2 or 3 rides closed to lack of staff. Which they should tell you upfront before you pay full price for all the rides. I had fun but I was getting annoyed that non of the staff will want to open the rock climbing nor the flying ride nor a ride That spins because Insufficient staff. I had not seen my bra daughter for over a year we met There and we paid the most expensive ticket so she could ride all of them And those rides were Closed until I actually told A kid to please Let My granddaughter rock climbed and he said no we don't have enough staff but eventually after telling him we were there for only 2 Hours he let Her climb

Ok so kids do have fun no matter what, but....we aware that half of the attraction may be broken or…read moreclosed. They have VR in the advertising and it has been permanently closed for years. Today ropes are down for maintenance. Spin zone has 2 karts working, speed karts have 5 max working at a time. The obstacle course is closed, all 3 lanes. I mean, you pay over $40 and half the attractions advertised are closed.

Awesome venue!! I had my wedding and reception in the LUPE room this past Tuesday. This venue is…read morefantastic, it's small, intimate and cozy. Letty (owner) and Priscilla were so nice not to mention professional. They answered every question I had and their follow up was excellent. They were so helpful and I really appreciate being able to reserve this location since COVID-19 threw us for a loop. Everything was absolutely fantastic. If your looking for a place to host your upcoming event this is the place for you!

We hosted my sister-in-law's baby shower at the Berwyn Bottega this past weekend. Rates are very…read morereasonable considering all the amenities that are included, and you can rent the whole space or half. Priscilla was very helpful when it came to booking and shared ideas on how to set up the rooms for the baby shower. If you are looking for a venue in the area you should definitely check the Berwyn Bottega out.

This is a restaurant my girlfriend frequents as she's a huge fan of their martini selection. I'm…read morenot a huge martini person myself, but their javatina - available in DECAF!!! - is phenomenal. Also, yes I realize it's weird to 'yell' Decaf since we should be calmer without caffeine - but it's great they offer that option! I ordered the Chicken De Luca which was good and cooked very well. It could've used a bit more seasoning though. We also got the fried polenta calamari which was great as well - the sauce with it definitely helped. We also got the Chopped Caprese and the Pizza Abruzzo which were both very good. Crust on the pizza was nice and crispy. The service was great and while I wasn't drinking, the smoked Old Fashioned looked delicious!

The staff is very nice, gentle, and attentive. The food was fresh, and it was very tasty! The…read moreatmosphere is calm. I plan on returning to dine on the roof.

I chose this venue because of its historic charm and unique character, and while it is beautiful,…read morethe amount of stress, anxiety, and sleepless nights it caused was honestly not worth it. To start, they are extremely rigid with their list of "preferred vendors," and despite claiming to have great relationships with them, it quickly became clear those relationships are more about kickbacks than quality coordination. The tent vendor situation was particularly frustrating. I was pushed to use their recommended provider, only to find out -- too late -- that the venue had no clue about that vendor's logistical requirements. Despite repeatedly telling them that I was planning an outdoor reception, they gave me a laughably short two-hour setup window, expecting a tent, full décor, catering, and everything else to be ready in that time. Totally unrealistic. They eventually allowed just the tent to be set up earlier. Worse, the staff seemed to have no shared understanding of the venue's rules. I have emails where different team members contradict each other -- on major things like setup times and allowed equipment. And don't get me started on the DJ and music restrictions. They stressed everything had to be battery-operated, yet still managed to ban battery-operated sparklers for being a fire hazard? It just didn't make any sense. Communication was also a nightmare. I called multiple times about different issues such as renting heaters -- no answer. I would try to call during work hours. Emails are the only form of communication they respond to. Then on the day of the wedding, they emailed me saying they turned the heaters away. During the event, things only got worse. We had a mariachi singer (not a full band) performing at 6 p.m. on Memorial Day weekend, and were repeatedly harassed by staff about noise complaints -- even during speeches. Yes, the manager literally came up to me, the bride, mid-speech, to tell me neighbors were threatening to call the police. I kept wondering, is this their first wedding ever? The mic wasn't even loud. The venue could be great -- but only for small, intimate weddings, maybe under 60 guests. Anything larger becomes way too complicated. The interior lacks a proper dance floor, and their "ideal flow" of food inside/dancing outside doesn't really work. You'll spend the whole night shuffling people and plates. Constructive feedback: Train your staff consistently so they all understand -- and communicate -- the same rules. Be upfront about what's feasible for outdoor events. And if you're going to force couples into using preferred vendors, at least be informed about what those vendors need. In short: gorgeous place, but unless your wedding is small and you're okay following their every (often unclear) rule, be prepared for a bumpy ride. I did love my wedding, but be mindful it costs me way more (outside vendors, additional hours) to put it together. I lost lots of items in their lightning speed clean up requirement.

I very recently had my wedding at the Cheney Mansion and we had an amazing experience. What a…read morebeautiful place to host a wedding ceremony and reception. We were lucky with the weather and were able to use their outdoor spaces for both ceremony and reception. Our guests enjoyed exploring the indoor space which we used for dinner and the bar. The staff were friendly and helpful. I would recommend this wedding venue to anyone looking for a magical venue with lots of vintage charm.