From the Bride: When I was looking at reviews to decide which wedding planner to go with- or to decide if I even wanted to go with a wedding planner at all- one reviewer said that there is no amount of money that you could pay for the Big City Bride service. It struck a chord with me and it still does now after the wedding day has come and gone. Claire and the entire staff at Big City Bride were an absolute dream. As the first one to get married in my family, my parents didn't have any experience with today's wedding industry. I am in medical school, my husband works full-time, and my parents are also full-time professionals. It would've been impossible for us to do what Claire and Big City Bride did for us. They knew all the top-notch vendors in the Chicago area and crafted the perfect team for us. Everyone they recommended from the photographer, the band, the caterer, and the designer, all were absolutely wonderful and beyond our expectations. Above all, Claire and Big City Bride foster trust and a close relationship with us that is invaluable as the stressful week and day arrive. BCB takes the time to get to know you and connect with you. Knowing that you can trust in them completely is something that is worth much more than the cost of a planner. It really allowed us to enjoy the day and enjoy our loved ones. Additionally I don't think many brides and grooms realize the importance of creating a team of vendors that work well with one another. It is not simply enough to cherry pick your favorite vendors. Crafting a team that has rapport with one another really makes a difference on the wedding day. For example, the videographer and photographer were comfortable with each other and had worked together previously. Since they have to work hand-in-hand on the wedding day, it was really nice knowing that they were completely OK with one another and had a plan with how to shoot the day. When it comes to the design and the catering it also makes a huge difference to have the planner and the caterer and the design team on the same page and able to communicate with one another, as there is a lot of rental equipment to coordinate amongst one another. Excellent communication between members of the team will help them to find the best prices for you and ensure you are not charged doubly for the same things. This is what Big City Bride does for you. They create an entire team of people that work well together and have the same goal in mind. Our planner Claire made sure that all the vendors converged on the same goal and that all details at our addressed at the most competitive price for you. Claire is so enthusiastic and craftsy. She brought pure joy to the table and absolutely loves what she does! She really takes the time to build rapport and get to know you as a person. This helps her truly understand what you want out of the wedding and she just loves getting to know her clients that much. My whole family fell in love with her and my mom even hired her to plan our bridal shower which was an unbelievably magical Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter themed tea party! From the Groom: Claire and the rest of the team at Big City Bride are truly the best in the business. We went with their "Grand Plan" service option; however, no matter what service you invest in with Big City Bride, you will be getting a first class experience. With their professional guidance, your wedding will go from being just another fun event to the best wedding you and all of your guests have ever attended. They remove a lot of the stress of planning a wedding by partnering with you to decide on every detail of your wedding from location to vendors to linens. We were so pleased with their fun and enthusiastic personalities. They were incredibly detail oriented and will coordinate and plan your big day very meticulous to ensure your wedding is a highlight of your life. We can't thank them enough for helping us create a beautiful, unforgettable, and once in a lifetime event. read more

"Honey, we don't need a planner. I'm sure I can do it all myself." Boy, was I wrong. To say Johnna from Big City Bride was the MVP of our wedding might be an understatement. I (the Groom) was always skeptical about hiring a wedding planner. I thought my planning abilities could surely encompass a wedding. My better half had some reservations with that stance. About six months before the wedding, I gave in and agreed to join a conference call with my then-fiancé and Johnna. Happy Wife, Happy Life. The call proved to be extremely helpful. We explained where we were in the planning process, which vendors we had secured, what big picture items remained, what style and 'feel' we wanted our wedding to capture, etc. Then came Johnna's expertise with a slew of excellent questioning on details we hadn't thought of. Clearly very important items that she had been through a time or two, but ones we totally would have missed without her insight. Johnna went on to explain which planning package she felt would work best given our current situation. No pushy gold-plated sales act. She laid out a realistic package that she felt we would benefit from, which we immediately appreciated knowing full well everything in the wedding world seems to cost 2X what 'normal' might be. It was from that point forward our wedding was in fantastic hands. Fast forward to the night of our rehearsal. Without Johnna, I can assure you we would have had about 30 people just standing around not knowing what to do. Johnna immediately took charge, introduced herself and got the ball rolling. Who goes where, when to walk, how to hold your flowers, how to not look stupid (directed at the guys), etc. etc. etc. The process was made so much easier and completed in about 40 minutes. At the conclusion, she distributed a schedule to each member of the bridal party. Everyone felt much more comfortable about the plan and the events of the following day. Now keep in mind, our wedding was scheduled for 12/31/21, which (lucky us) turned out to be peak covid-variant-raging-through-the-world times. Not much we could do at that point, so we just rolled with the punches. Constant guest drops, table seating changes and meal-tracking nightmares were just a few of the perks due to the times. Stress levels were high on our side of the table, but Johnna was cool as a cucumber. She took the changes like a champ and worked with our venue and vendors to address. Never once phased by the craziness. Cue our Wedding Day. Johnna was full of energy and kept the wild animals (bridal party) in line. A few more guest drops were no issue for her as she made the changes without skipping a beat. Whether it was due to stress, lack of food and water, a surprise stomach bug, or a combination of all three, my bride-to-be was a bit under the weather much of the day. This is when Johnna stepped in and truly went above and beyond. Our bridal party photos and first look ended about 2 hours prior to the ceremony, so we came back to a quiet bridal suite tucked in a secret room within the venue. It was there where Johnna had laid out some ginger ale, water, chips, bread; anything to help the fearless bride tackle this bug. She continually asked what more she could do or obtain to help her feel better. In the end, the ceremony and reception went off without a hitch. Johnna kept to our schedule for additional photo ops and NYE gear distribution, which was much appreciated as the night flew by! We could not be more appreciative of the support Johnna provided during the initial planning stages, days leading up to the wedding, the wedding itself, and speedbumps along the way. The comfort she provided made the entire process so much easier and we would highly recommend her services to anyone! read more

We just had our wedding this past weekend at Union Station in Chicago. Our wedding planner was Chrissy and honestly, looking back we can't even begin to imagine what our wedding would have been without her. I agree with one of the past YELP reviews listed below- at first, justifying a wedding planner is a difficult thing to do because a wedding costs so much to begin with--an added cost just seems ridiculous. However, with my husband and my crazy schedule, we knew there would be no way to plan a wedding by ourselves. From the beginning, Chrissy was so organized- she gave us a timeline, updated budgets and gave us weekly "to dos"--all things that made having a large wedding completely manageable. Although we used Big City Bride's preferred vendors for the majority of our wedding, we did explore some options outside of the preferred vendor list for photography and paper goods. Chrissy never made us feel bad about this choice and went above and beyond to reach out to the vendors she didn't know in order for the day to run smoothly. So all of the planning leading up to the wedding was uneventful and organized because of her. We had conference calls with our DJ, and photographer before the wedding to make sure we were all on the same page with our timeline. The day of the wedding came and could not have been any better. I was not stressed a single second on my wedding day because I knew Chrissy had everything covered. She was one step ahead of me the entire day.... Examples include, making sure that 2 of my bridesmaids who flew in the day of the wedding had their jewelry (wedding gifts I had given out the day before) before I even thought about it (I realized as we were walking down the aisle they all had their jewelry on and I had totally forgotten) and bringing over my cowboy boots to change into during dinner for my surprise Daddy/daughter dance (I am from Georgia and we did some line dancing) when I thought I had left them in the hotel. The wedding was like a dream- it was so beautiful, more than I could ever ask for. Although I could go on and on about how much I owe Chrissy and how amazing my wedding day was--I think the thing I am most thankful for is that I really appreciated every second of my day. Chrissy took my husband and I aside multiple times in the night to really be able to stop for a second and look around. While people were in cocktail hour and just as the main room had been turned over from the ceremony to dinner, Chrissy took us aside and showed us a sneak peak of the room for the first time. We were able to do our first dance in the beautiful room with our photographer without anyone else in the room. She took us aside after the ceremony and we were able to enjoy some treats from cocktail hour in a room by ourselves and spend the first few minutes alone as husband and wife. I could go on forever about how amazing our wedding was but I guess I'll end by saying this. Although a wedding planner seems like an added expense when first looking at your wedding budget, I have to say that it was the best money we spent. We could not have gotten through our wedding without Chrissy and we will be forever grateful for the success and memories of the greatest day of our lives. Thank you Chrissy! read more

Big City Bride (BCB) was the best decision we made about out entire wedding, hands down. Our experience every step of the way was so fun and stress free. Planning a wedding can be very stressful, but I have to say that I enjoyed every minute of the last 9 months. When my husband and I got engaged, we were both working full time and going to graduate school at night. The thought of planning a wedding seemed impossible with our crazy schedules. We contemplated waiting to get married until we had more time, having had some friends recently get married and vent to us about how stressful it was. And then we started to throw around the idea of possibly getting a wedding planner to help. While we were not sure if this was in our budget, looking back it was by far the best money spent overall. We met with a few planners around the city, some big name people and then some smaller, and then we met Susan from BCB. It was instant chemistry, and we offered her the job right away. Walking in to meet Susan you can tell right away she is the best of the best in her industry. Her class, organization, dedication, honesty, sense of humor, and overall professionalism is what sold us, and we had no doubt she would help us to create our dream wedding. Susan ensured us that not only could we pull an amazing wedding off in just 9 months, but that she would make it stress free and fun, and she did this and them some. These months have been some of the most fun and exciting in my life, and at the end of it all I truly believe we topped it off with our perfect wedding. From day 1, Susan made wedding planning a blast. Depending on the month, we had meetings to discuss various time related topics each time. My husband and I couldn't wait until our meetings because we had a blast going through everything with Susan. Susan is incredibly organized we always knew exactly what we were working on, and what the next meetings were going to entail. Nothing was ever work, it was truly fun. On the wedding day, I can't even tell you how impressed I was with Susan (and her staff!). We didn't have to think at all, just simply enjoy the day. We have many friends that didn't get to enjoy the day because they were very stressed out and thinking about the million things that could go wrong, but Susan takes this element out and allows her clients to truly enjoy the happiest day of their life. Looking back on everything, both my husband and I get sad because we miss planning and having meetings with Susan. Over the course of the last few months, Susan really became a large part of our lives and we would just like other people to know what a difference working with her made. If you are thinking about a wedding planner I HIGHLY suggest just meeting with Susan (or anyone from BCB) and I know you will be sold!! One last thing - we have heard from so many people who attended our wedding at The Drake about how classy and fun the night was. From the amazing band at the reception, to gorgeous set up in the ballroom, the night was picture perfect and we wouldn't have changed anything about it!! read more

Before I got engaged, I saw no need for a wedding planner. I had my wedding mapped out in my head since I was five years old. I already knew what I wanted, so why did I need any help? Let me tell you, I was TOTALLY WRONG. The minute I started working with Big City Bride, a weight was lifted from my shoulders. From day one of planning, Susan Cordogan, the company's owner, did all the heavy lifting. She created a budget for me, (trust me, you want a planner do this for you! I had no clue how much everything actually costs!), and presented me with options for venues, photographers, florists, and everything in between. She even brought the vendors to our meetings to be interviewed, which saved me tons of time. Susan knew my vision for my wedding from the start, so every idea she had was exactly what I was looking for. When things got stressful, Susan calmed me down. There is something about her personality that puts a bride at ease! I never had to worry about things going wrong, because Susan fixed them immediately. I'm sure things happened that I don't even know about, but that's the beauty of working with BCB. The bride doesn't ever deal with the normal stresses of wedding planning. I'm sure many of you reading this are wondering if you can afford to hire a wedding planner, and if it's really worth the money. Let me tell you, you can't afford NOT to hire Susan. Big City Bride is a well known name in the wedding industry. Because of this, Susasn was able to get me some significant discounts on many things. I would never have been able to get all of these discounts on my own. Susan literally paid for herself three times over with all the money she saved us. I will be forever grateful for this! Our wedding day was simply amazing. Our wedding was the first to ever take place at Ravinia Festival in Highland Park. It was an honor to be the first couple married there, and I wouldn't have been able to do this without Susan having inside information. Every guest in attendance told me it was the most beautiful wedding they've ever been to. Susan also planned my sister's wedding, and guests there had the same reaction. Everyone was blown away. I can't take an ounce of credit for that, I owe everything to Big City Bride. Susan and the staff have honestly become like family members to us. I will forever keep in touch with her, not only because she planned the wedding of my dreams, but because I love her like a sister! You want someone like that to be in charge of the most important day of your life. I couldn't recommend Big City Bride more. I don't know why every bride in Chicago doesn't hire them. Susan is worth every penny she charges. At one point I asked her why she doesn't charge more!! You won't be disappointed with Big City Bride. read more

I honestly don't know where to begin! To say that Arin Calamari (Now Busch) is a pro at her job, and an absolute joy to work with, is a complete understatement! Due to a postponed wedding thanks to COVID, I had the utmost pleasure of working with Arin for over a year and a half. One could say that getting to chat with Arin often was the silver lining during a challenging year. Throughout the entire experience, she was truly there for me through it all. Not only did she help us choose (based on my personal style and vision) and lock-in all of our vendors from the get-go, but she also helped us reschedule those same vendors and navigate the challenging reality of postponement, acting as my cheerleader along the way. She took care of the entire process, alleviating all the stress that came with starting from, what felt like, square one. Once there was thankfully an end in sight, it was full speed ahead. Arin worked tirelessly to ensure that our postponed wedding was well worth the wait and that it was everything we always wanted it to be. Knowing that it was a priority of mine to have floral and décor that was true to my colorful, non-traditional bridal style, Arin took the extra time to work with our vendors to ensure that every detail was thoughtfully curated and exactly what I had envisioned. Not only did she prioritize what I valued most throughout each phase of planning, but she was also on-top of every tiny detail before I could even think of them. I don't know what I would have done without her as she assisted with every aspect from invite wording and budgeting to speaking with our officiant and crafting day-of timelines. She ensured all logistics were taken care of ahead of the big day so that we could celebrate and be fully present. As if that weren't enough, Arin ran the entire show with ease when the day finally arrived. Not only was everything breathtakingly perfect from an aesthetic and setup standpoint, but any and all hiccups that arose were taken care of before I even had a chance to notice. She even took care of bustling my dress when my bridesmaids and I couldn't figure it out. While she worked in the background most of the day, her presence was felt throughout it all and we knew it wouldn't have been such a raging success without her. It was thanks to her that our wedding was truly the best day ever. While I could go on and on about all of Arin's great work, it was her wildly upbeat, incredibly empathetic, personable, and genuinely sweet nature that topped it all. She is truly a ray of sunshine and I'm so lucky to have gained her as a friend along our wedding planning journey. read more

When I got engaged, my mom immediately pushed me to get a wedding planner. She lives across the country from where I live and where I planned to get married, and she said she felt more comfortable if there was someone in Chicago who could guide me in my planning. To be honest I was hesitant; I had a year until my wedding and I was pretty sure I could handle it. But my mom insisted, so we scheduled a meeting with Big City Bride. I am SO FREAKING THANKFUL that my mom scheduled this meeting!! Claire Weller was my planner, and she is amazing! Yes, she's incredibly friendly and funny, but above all she is a FANTASTIC planner! I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted for my wedding beyond a few Pinterest pictures, and she was extremely helpful in making decisions and really narrowing down what exactly I was looking for. I really commend her with how patient she was with me - I can't tell you how many times I would show up to a meeting with her totally exhausted and overwhelmed with work, barely able to even think about my wedding, and she always put me at ease, got me focused, and really just made the whole planning process a complete dream. She set up meeting with photographers, caterers, florists...everything! She even helped me navigate some personal family/friend issues that came up by staying gracious and helping me to keep what truly mattered - me & my husband - in focus. When you get engaged, it's hard to really wrap your mind around how much planning a wedding really takes, and now that my wedding has come and gone, I can't imagine doing it all on my own. Claire and her team (special thanks to Mary who helped out a lot!) MADE our wedding! Seriously, I got more compliments on how wonderful Claire was during everything than I think I did on anything else! The best part was that my family, friends, fiance, and I were able to completely enjoy the day. Claire made sure everything was set up and all the vendors had all the information they needed. After the reception, she already had everything loaded up (including dessert!) and at the hotel so we could truly enjoy the whole weekend. I really, really can't recommend using Big City Bride and Claire Weller more! read more

We cannot thank Chrissy, and the Big City Bride team, enough for planning and executing the most amazing wedding experience one can have. Our wedding day was PERFECT, and we would not change a thing. That is a testament to Chrissy's experience and knowledge in wedding production. At first, we were skeptical. But, we read online reviews, just like this one. After meeting Chrissy, I was sold, but my fiancé was not. It only took a few emails from her, and one more meeting, and he was completely sold! It started from the fact that Chrissy spends time getting to know the couple. After that, her in-depth knowledge of Chicago area venues and vendors is unsurpassable. Her organizational skills (which are incredibly important) are beyond reproach. However, most importantly, it is her personality and disarming, warm, and friendly demeanor that really goes a long way. Planning a wedding can be stressful. Chrissy takes on all the responsibilities, and makes it fun for the couple getting married. At times where something might be stressful, or tempers might rise, Chrissy has a way to be able to lighten the environment, and diffuse any anxiety. It is a truly fabulous personality trait. Lastly - let's talk about the wedding day. Chrissy and her team completely take care of EVERYTHING. As the bride and groom, we never had to think about what was going to happen next at our own wedding. We were there, enjoying every single aspect just as our guests were. We had so much fun; it was hard to believe that it was our wedding! In addition, Chrissy and the vendors we chose (which were her favorites) executed the vision we had of our wedding to the tee. It was beautiful, unique, exquisite, elegant, and FUN! If we were to do this all over again, we would hire Chrissy in a heartbeat! We highly recommend her services to anyone who will be getting married. Chrissy - Thank You! You made our wedding day an incredibly memorable event that will stay with us forever. Dr. Melina Kibbe & Dr. Marco Patti, July 2013 read more

AMAZING!!! We will always be so thankful to Kim of BCB and send her praises for all her guidance, from beginning to the very end,,,I mean, this young lady stayed to the end of the reception, arranged transportation back to the hotel and literally walked us out to the car...and I'm sure she stayed at the site for some time, wrapping up. I have to say when my daughter said she wanted to have her wedding in Chicago my head starting spinning with all the details. I was very ill at the time, living down South, and knew we had to have a planner. Ashleigh searched and found a few planners "on paper". After meeting Kim she knew right away that they were a good match. Ashleigh, also living in the South, would be coordinating most of the plans on her own..I was in the hosptial for months, her fiance was deployed to Afghanistan. Well, Ashleigh was never alone. She travelled back and forth to some meetings with Kim, always clearly organized and convenient to Ashleigh's schedule, and had numerous phone conversations. Kim was always conscious of including me in everything, and getting near to the wedding I was able to even attend some of their meetings, which were always so pleasant. Kim reassured us every step of the way with her seamless organization. When I think back at all the concerns we threw at her along the way, it makes me dizzy, but words I will remember Kim by were, "NO WORRIES". She trully meant that. I can't imagine any wedding without a glitch...my answer to that is KIM GAPINSKI. We had what could have been a nightmare transportation issue, due to my own mistake, and Kim handled it with no problem...no worries. I could go on and on, and I have, but from site selection (by the way, Fulton's was amazing...guests still raving about the food!) to flowers, D.J., photogragher...Kim found all the best vendors! All I can say to anyone out there planning a wedding is RUN to Big City Bride. They were all very sweet, but we can personally vouch for KIM...Love you, Kim! NO WORRIES! :) read more

Claire Weller is one of the most creative, dedicated, and supportive people I've ever had the privilege of working with- all qualities which made her a dream wedding planner! My history with Claire dates back to 2017, when she planned my sister's gorgeous 300 person wedding. She instantly became an honorary member of our family, so when it came time for me to plan my own 15 person celebration, Big City Bride was our first and only call. Given my sister and I are polar opposites, along with the challenges of a pandemic, I knew that this was going to have to be a completely different kind of event. I can now confidently say that whether you have been planning your wedding since childhood and need someone to help execute your ideas or someone starting from square one looking for a planner to inspire the vision, Claire is the one you want by your side. Her desire to genuinely get to know and embrace each couple allows her to create a truly one-of-a-kind event that perfectly fits each individual. Throughout the planning process, Claire helped us secure the most sought after vendors, all of whom were incredibly talented in their own rights. That being said, I continuously found myself looking to Claire, above anyone else, when it came to any and all decisions each step of the way. I trusted her opinions and judgment implicitly, which provided an invaluable sense of comfort. On the day of my wedding, Claire was everyone's rock. Her organizational skills led her to always be 10 steps ahead. That, combined with her ability to make fast (and accurate) decisions, made it easy for her to solve the inevitable snafus that came up before anyone even noticed something was wrong. From 8am to 12pm, Claire's vibrant and bubbly personality made even the smallest moments feel magical. Working with Claire was easily the best decision we made. I will forever be grateful for all of the time, effort and love she put into making our wedding so special!! read more

I cannot rave enough about Big City Brides - but specifically - Arin Calamari. Words cannot describe how grateful we are for everything that she and her team did - she is simply the best. Arin was our "day of coordinator", however, she far surpassed that title in every way. We met Arin about a month before our wedding date and she was so thorough - walking us through the whole process, all of the paperwork, timelines and final things to consider. She was so sweet, caring and kind. She answered every question in our initial meeting - and that night sent over every item of follow up. We couldn't believe how thorough she was and easy to work with. It was a blessing to have someone working so fast with so much care, as we had a quick engagement - so time was of the essence. All of our communication was quick, precise and helpful. She was incredibly organized and held our hand through every step making the whole process super smooth! 5 days before our planned wedding date, my father passed away. We had no idea how to proceed - or if it was even possible as his funeral was scheduled for our initial wedding date. Arin, incredibly, moved our entire wedding and every detail to the following day. We have no idea how she was able to do this, but she made sure all catering, every vendor, hotels, everything was secured and moved our wedding from a Friday to a Saturday, in the city, on a holiday weekend. UNBELIEVABLE. She also made sure that all guests knew of the changes and offered to help in any way she could - apart from just the wedding planning. It was so wonderful to work with someone who was not only an insanely talented and organized planner, but someone with a heart and soul that made this day so special for us. She was exceptional - and will undoubtedly overdeliver on every event she oversees. We are so blessed to have worked with her and so grateful for all that she did to make our wedding day a beautiful reality! read more

Susan Cordogan and Big City Bride made our wedding (Sept. 4, 2010 at The Drake) the most amazing event that we have ever attended. We just got back from our honeymoon and we couldn't wait to sing the praises of Big City Bride and specifically Susan Cordogan. Susan and BCB made our wedding above and beyond anything we could have ever imagined. Every person who attended our wedding keeps telling us how it was the most beautiful and wonderful wedding they have ever attended and this makes us so proud. We know that our dream wedding would never have been possible without Susan. After going through the planning process and all the events of the wedding day, I have no idea how anyone could have a smooth and enjoyable wedding without the assistance of a planner/coordinator. And if you're going to hire a planner make sure it is Susan Cordogan (or another coordinator from BCB because our exposure to the other coordinators leads us to believe that they are equally as wonderful). Going into the wedding planning process I was very skeptical of the value that a wedding planner could add. I didn't think we needed to pay for a planner because I couldn't see how they could possibly be worth the cost. Following the wedding, I feel that Susan was worth every penny and much much more. I truly believe the time and work she put into our wedding was worth much more than the cost. Susan was so pleasant to work with throughout our wedding planning process. She made every step fun, exciting and virtually stress-free. She always made us feel like our wedding was the only wedding she was working on and that she was so excited for our big day. She became a close friend that we plan to stay in touch with in the future. We are happy to speak to anyone who would like a personal reference. Just ask Susan to provide our contact information. read more

Big City Bride made our wedding experience everything we could have dreamed of!! My husband and I wanted our wedding (July 9th 2011 @ the Chicago Illuminating Co.) to be different - not like every other one that we had been to in the 7+ years since college. Big City Bride made that happen. Susan Cordogan and her amazing team came up with innovative ideas that would really "wow" our guests. They took our ideas and expanded on them to make them bigger and better than we could have ever imagined. Not only are they creative, but they know how to get you the most for your money - every bride has a budget, and Big City Bride helped us understand what the most important components/costs to a wedding are as well as where we could stand to cut back a little. Susan's help throughout the planning process put me and my family at ease, and her on-site management on the big day was a true blessing. Everyone told me that I was the most calm bride they had ever seen. It's because I knew I didn't have a thing to worry about - Susan and her team had everything under control from the day of our first meeting until after we got back from the honeymoon. One of the best parts was BCB's flexibility when it came to meeting times. My husband and I work crazy hours and couldn't leave our offices mid-day, but Susan met with us whenever we could make the time - sometimes until 11pm! Hiring a wedding planner can be an expense, but hiring Big City Bride is more than worth it - I am so happy that I got to truly enjoy the planning process as well as the big day by putting all of the details in Susan's hands. I am happy to discuss my experience with anyone looking for a great planner. Feel free to ask Susan for my contact information. read more

We pulled off our dream wedding in downtown Chicago without a hitch, and we couldn't have done it without Kim Gapinski at Big City Bride. There were so many wedding planners that came highly recommended, but Kim met and exceeded all of our expectations. We described our vision, and she worked tirelessly over the course of the next year to make us happy. She was extremely organized, had numerous contacts in the industry giving us multiple vendor options, and most importantly, she listened to what we wanted and worked with vendors directly to ensure that every detail was in order. And on our big wedding day, Kim orchestrated things so beautifully. She calmly and confidently directed guests, the wedding party, and various vendors throughout the night. She made sure that everything from photographs to cake cutting to speeches were done on time, and she not only attended to our specific needs throughout the day, but also addressed all vendor questions/concerns and other logistical issues to ensure that we, the bride and groom, were simply enjoying our wonderful night. Kind, sincere, and the utmost professional, Kim is amazing at what she does, and in getting to know her over the course of the year, we consider her not as a business contact but a friend. I think it goes without saying that we give our highest recommendation to Kim Gapinski and Big City Bride for anyone planning a wedding in Chicago....it will be the best decision you make. Adnan and Stefanie A. read more

Big City Bride was the first wedding planner I called when I got married, and as soon as I talked to Susan (the head hancho lady) on the phone, I knew it was a perfect match. I got along with her like we had known each other for years, and she made me feel like my wedding was the most important event for her and her staff (even though I knew they maybe had others?) She made it VERY easy for me and my family to relax during the whole process--even the week before, I felt confident everything was on schedule. My ideas were perfectly duplicated and Susan had many more genius ideas to add--she thought of a super creative and elegant photobooth setting in our outdoor venue. She brought up of all the necessary items that I would have never even thought would be needed, such as permits, bathrooms, parking, rain plan etc. She also knew all the best vendors in the city, all I had to do was interview them, look at their work and pick! I was very satisfied with every vendor I used. During the wedding day, everything went super smooth and the event itself was more than I could have ever asked for. There were 7-10 Big City Bride staff there until the last bus left with our guests at around 2:30am. I highly recommend Big City Bride to anyone who is not a pro at planning weddings, anyone who wants a smooth relaxing experience for their wedding, and anyone who wants to be connected with the best vendors in the city. read more

We had the BEST experience working with Big City Bride, and in particular our wedding planner, Johnna. Johnna and I clicked from our first call / consult. I did not have a super clear vision for my wedding initially, and did not know where to start, but she put me right at ease and lead us through the entire experience. Post-wedding, I am still gushing about how everything turned out. Everyone says something major always goes awry at your wedding and to just expect that....as of now I can't think of a single thing that went remotely wrong! Everything came together as planned and envisioned, with no major hiccups. And not for lack of effort! Johnna was so on top of things and knowledgable, and had a great relationship with all of our vendors. Her attention to detail and overall organization was so helpful at keeping us on track. Her recommendations and guidance were always appreciated, and she was incredibly collaborative. And her energy is infectious! Family and guests are still reaching out rehashing what an amazing weekend and beautiful day it was, and how impressed and wowed they were with all of the details. It just all came together even better than I could have envisioned or imagined. Myself, my husbands and my parents cannot stop talking about the day, and are beyond elated and impressed with how everything turned out! Thank you Johnna and Big City Bride! read more

We worked with Claire Weller from BCB and she was sensational. From the very beginning, she got to know us as a couple, understand our style and our love, kept ALL of our things and thoughts organized. She kept up with us weekly so that we were always on track. She provided multiple wonderful vendors within our price range. She is so well connected in the wedding industry that every vendor was thrilled to work with her. She fights and negotiates for you as clients, making sure you get the most for your investment. Every problem or speedbump she handles with her beautiful smile and grace, I (the bride) never felt anxious or overwhelmed. She grew to know our friends and family and was a helping hand to them as well. Overall, the entire year was incredible, and I can't imagine it without Claire. Day of, she was our biggest champion and the entire day was seamless, I don't think any couple has enjoyed themselves more at a wedding. Every burden was lifted from us. Claire is talented, has an incredible eye for beautiful weddings, is personable (and if you're lucky enough, will become your best friend), is professional, beyond organized and overall wonderful. Again, I can't imagine the best day of our lives without her, and if you're on the hunt for a wedding planner I would book her, or someone from BCB as soon as possible. read more

Creative, knowledgeable, organized, personable, wonderful and fantastic are just a few words that I can think of to describe Chrissy and the entire Big City Bride team. Jack and I were married this past June and could not have dreamed of a more magical, perfect day to start our lives together. From the beginning, Chrissy was full of great ideas, very organized and just a pleasure to work with. I travel a lot for work, so having her and the Big City Bride team during the planning process was invaluable. All of the vendors that we were introduced to and worked with (Riverbend, Roberto Monastero Entertainment and Blue Plate) were equally fantastic. On the wedding day, we did not have a thing to worry about; everyone kept commenting on how smooth, beautiful and easy everything was; with Chrissy leading the charge everything was executed perfectly and all we had to do was enjoy the moments and have fun (and we had a lot of fun!) We are both so very grateful to Chrissy and the entire Big City Bride team for making our wedding day so magical. It's been six months and all of my relatives and friends are still talking about that day! I keep trying to think of new ways to work with them again, maybe renewing our vows every year?/! read more

I highly recommend Big City Bride for any stage of your planning process! I had already picked out my venues and assumed the biggest decisions were over. I quickly learned that there were SO many details that I wasn't prepared to answer. Darcey Lohman saved my sanity! She provided a package that fit my needs perfectly. We met regularly to discuss our to-do list and potential vendors. She scheduled meetings with all of them, reviews, and photos of their previous work. As I was incredibly indecisive, Darcey was so patient and kindly provided as many options as I cared to see! On the day of the wedding, I couldn't have done this without Darcey and her assistants. She coordinated all of the vendor set-up: band, caterers, cake, lighting, flowers, make-up, hair, etc. She was there to direct everyone to the right place at the right time... even corralling the groomsmen and getting them lunch. Darcey and her assistants were also totally on top of all the transportation: 3 buses, a Rolls Royce, and even a boat!! Because of her, everything ran smoothly and on schedule! I was really able to enjoy my planning process and especially the day-of. I couldn't have been as relaxed and assured without Darcey! read more