If there were a choice of a thousand stars I'd give it! I contacted Big City Bride just a few weeks before my suburban farm wedding. I had most of my To-Do list checked off but a few things were really stressing me out like; ceremony music, transportation and all around schedule of the day. The first person I spoke to at BCB left me with a total felt sense of ease. She ran through all the things that BCB would be able to do to help and it was more then I could even have imagined. THEN, I spoke with Claire who would be my assigned day of coordinator. There aren't enough words or page space to allow for me to express my gratitude. When meeting and talking to her on the phone she helped me instantly with all my planning snafu's and then helped me iron out things I hadn't even thought about yet!!! She was a dream! Our wedding was in the far out suburbs and Claire was help with vendors even in our area! The second she was on my side I was able to even more truly enjoy being a bride. Until then I hadn't noticed how much the organizing was taking away from life but the second she joined me, every vendor was contacted and confirmed, details were ironed out, and to-do list and schedules were perfected! I was able to enjoy my wedding crafts and my family. The actual wedding day went off without a hitch. Seriously THE most amazing day of my life, Claire was like a superhero whizzing around setting up all my DIY projects perfectly to my vision, Keeping my squirrely groomsmen in order and basically navigating the whole night into a relaxed fun perfectly planned out day. I truly could never say enough about the amount of help, support, guidance, joy, and perfection that Claire and BCB brought to our wedding day. I am left with the BEST memories. I was told so many times by friends that, at least one thing will go wrong on your wedding day. Well, thanks to Claire, we proved them wrong! read more

I will start off by saying that I honestly don't think our wedding would have been so easy and carefree if it weren't for Darcey! My now husband and I were engaged for a while and planned a wedding as soon as I was done with school. I didn't really think this through too well as I had to take boards this summer and I also started a job. I knew I was going to need help! My mom recommended we meet with Darcey, and I honestly at first was a little skeptical because my mom does event planning so I figured she could just do it all...... well after meeting with Darcey for the first time I KNEW we had to have her help. It was the BEST money spent during this entire experience. Whenever I had a question or needed an opinion I knew I could count on Darcey for a recommendation or her help. She was always quick to respond and always such a pleasure to work with. The week of the wedding we dropped everything off that Monday and it was literally out of our hands! My husband and I (and mom) were able to enjoy the rest of our week with out of town guests and doing the fun stuff (massage, nails, dinners....etc.) I was so relaxed the entire week. I didn't talk to one vendor or have to deal with any of the details, Darcey made it so easy for us! The day of the wedding Darcey showed up to our hotel she was going back and forth between mine and my husbands room to make sure we had everything we needed. I can look back and say EVERYTHING was PERFECT! And I honestly kept saying to myself "don't freak out, not everything can be perfect today" but it was!! And if something did go wrong.... Darcey must have taken care of it! Darcey will always have a special place in my heart for helping us make this day the absolute best day of our lives. Words can not even express our gratitude! read more

When my California-raised daughter decided that she wanted to marry on New Year's Eve in Chicago, I was more than a little concerned about how I was going to pull that off. Kayla Mousser with Big City Bride was my saving grace. She nailed every detail and allowed me to actually enjoy my daughter's big day in a city far from home. Thank you to Kayla and her team for giving my daughter and her groom their dream wedding. You are the best! read more

All right. I'm about to get really weird here. Sorry I'm not sorry. This review is not only for Big City Bride, but for Arin Calamari. Can I curse on this review? Probably not, so I'll sensor myself... Arin is a flippin' miracle worker. She is attentive and caring, but also, she knows how to get sh*t done. The wedding planning process is not easy- there WILL be hiccups along the way, but if you have Arin in your corner, they will seem like little blips in an overall amazing path towards wedding day. She put up with my late night text messages and emails and knew what I needed even before I verbalized them. I would list out 10+ things I needed to get done and she would respond with, "already taken care of." NOTHING IS BETTER THAN SOMEONE TELLING ME, THE BRIDE, THAT THINGS ARE TAKEN CARE OF! Sorry, I had to use caps for that. She is really and truly a light in my life. My husband just walked by me as I'm writing this and asked me, "Why are you crying?" I'm crying because I have so much love and respect for Arin that I am becoming almost overly passionate about writing this review. She made everything just the absolute greatest and I am forever grateful. She made sure I didn't have to worry about a single thing. The billions of ideas and worries that were running around in my head were all thrown into Arin's lap (sorry Arin!) and she sorted through it all and the result was the PERFECT wedding- not only for me and my husband, but for our guests as well. Let me wrap this up by including quotes from our guests... "I need an Arin in my life"- AY, bridesmaid "Where is Arin? I want to see Arin"- KC, ring bearer "Arin is like a fixer. Like, I had a problem and before I could even get up to say something, she was there."- DB, groom "See above."- MB, bride Thank you Big City Bride. I hope you are all okay with me obsessing over you for the rest of my life!!! With absolute love and adoration, Michelle PS, I just got married- two days ago. Writing this review was on the priority list, that's how amazing Arin is. read more

Hiring Claire Weller at Big City Bride was hands down the best decision we made during the planning process. Every single bit of the experience was more fun and exciting because of her. With Claire's guidance our wedding was wonderful and completely surpassed our expectations! From the first few phone calls to the last song on the night of the wedding Claire's suggestions made our wedding better at every step of the process. Claire's fun, excited and easy going attitude made each step of planning a complete joy and added to our building excitement for the wedding day. During the initial planning process she was dedicated to making sure that the wedding felt like our own, and was representative of the two of us. At no point did we ever feel rushed or forced into anything. On the day of the wedding I'll never forget her stopping traffic for us while we were taking photos in the middle of Michigan Ave (and cheering us on while we took them)! Claire had everything handled so effortlessly that we were able to completely take in the day. If anything didn't go according to plan it was a complete mystery to us! Claire made sure we were able to enjoy it all as much or more than our guests. I cannot recommend Claire and Big City Bride enough, it was an amazing experience through and through! read more

BCB is like your closest friend who knows your style (sometimes even better than you know your own) and brings forward the best of the best selections! Though Hollywood Romantic Comedies may disagree, wedding planning is fun! I can only say this because of my amazing experience at Big City Bride working with Darcey. BCB offers custom packages that allow you to pick the level of involvement. I initially thought I could do a lot on my own with the internet at my fingers tips, but trust me that there are SO many decision to make and options to consider. The level of service was just incredible. I always felt as though my wedding was top of the priority list and Darcey was infinitely available. I am so lucky to have decided to spend the money to work with BCB; everything just fell perfectly into place from there. read more

Big City Bride is he BEST! We do not know where to begin on thanking you for making our wedding perfect the best day!! Thanks to you, our families were able to take pleasure in our wedding. You were incredibly on top of every little detail and so pleasant at the same time. We really appreciate how at all times so up-beat and positive, showing us all options in every direction. Thanks for all of your hard work. Thanks to you...we kicked off this wedding season so in style. :) Our memories are with us forever, thanks to you. To any new brides...recognize that BCB is the ONLY way to go. We would not have it any other way. Thank you for the MOST amazing day of our lives and all the planning up to it. Even my mom admits we could never ever have done this beautiful of a wedding without you. We will be calling BCB to plan our 5 year anniversary party for sure. Lots of Love, Betsy & Joffre Colbert April 9, 2011 read more

I have nothing but wonderful thoughts to share about Susan and her staff at BCB! Susan orchestrated a dream come true wedding for our son and daughter-in-law in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin on 7/30/11. Susan is a quality person in so many ways. She developed a healthy relationship with the bridal couple and the parents from the very beginning of the planning process. Susan listened to the wants and desires of the bride and groom, and she came through with superb vendors to assist--the stationer, the designer, the venue supplier, the caterers, the band, the transportation service. Her creative ability took over as the wedding setting unfolded lakeside. Susan is to be commended for her organizational talents and attention to unique details while involving all of us in the beauty of the wedding. Our families and friends were taken away for the day into a lovely and exciting event in honor of our son and gorgeous daughter-in-law. Susan is the ultimate in wedding planners. Her caring and thoughtful manner was appreciated as she truly showed love and concern for the bride and groom. How lucky we were to have had Susan and BCB! read more

Darcey from Big City Bride was the best decision we made in our wedding planning journey. She is excellent at what she does. I could not have imagined doing our wedding and reception without her. She enabled us to have the best day of our life by not having to worry about ANYTHING! Working with BCB is a no-brainer and some of the best money spent for such an important day. read more

Hiring Darcey Lohman from Big City Bride was hands-down the best decision in the entire wedding planning process. Our wedding was the same weekend of the 2012 NATO summit, and she made what could have been an extremely chaotic weekend completely stress-free by always being two-steps ahead of any of our needs. And I cannot tell you how many guests and vendors approached us afterwards to compliment her on her pleasant and calm demeanor. I can imagine it must be taxing to be wedding planner, but you would never know it working with Darcey - she always has a sincere and warm smile on her face and radiates with this infectious positive energy. My husband and I were married at the Chicago Cultural Center and cannot imagine what the weekend would have looked like without Darcey. Leading up to the event, in addition to all the planning/brainstorming and logistical organization, she helped negotiate concessions with the venue due to significant changes caused by the NATO summit. The day-of she flawlessly coordinated the early arrival/set-up amongst all of our vendors, and was unbelievably attentive to our needs throughout the weekend. She was taking care of everything, everywhere! But unlike some other wedding planners of friends' events I've attended, not in a "in your face, this is my show" kind of way. I really believe Darcey went above & beyond to help make our day so wonderful and memorable. But it wasn't just the perfect weekend that Darcey orchestrated that proved her worth - it began months ago in the planning process. My fiancé and I were anxious about planning a Chicago wedding from Philadelphia but Darcey was always available to answer any of our questions and was a wonderful source of information/recommendations. While we did not go with every single one of her vendor suggestions, I did appreciate that she was constantly aware of any budgetary concerns. The vendors we did follow her recommendation on were absolutely incredible - easy to work with, extremely talented and very professional. Whenever I was particularly stressed or nervous about something, a quick call to Darcey was all I needed to help calm me down and focus me on what was really important - being able to celebrate marrying my best friend. We knew we were in great hands and somewhere along the way Darcey became much more to us than a wedding planner - more a relationship therapist and a wedding weekend ROCKSTAR. I understand hiring a professional planner is an investment, but would strongly recommend the services of Darcey Lohman - it will undoubtedly be the best money spent on your wedding. I consider myself a very organized person and had the benefit of several friends recommending various wedding vendors throughout the process, but even still I would not have made it through in one piece (mentally, emotionally, physically) without Darcey's help. Thank you Darcey & BCB! read more

We worked with Kim from BCB and she did an amazing job! We used her for day of coordination and it was such a relief knowing that someone was there to deal with all the minor details. Our wedding day was so much fun and I didn't have to do anything except have fun! I give 4 instead of 5 starts because they are EXPENSIVE! Make sure you have room in your budget because it will be worth it to have someone deal with all the craziness on your big day :) read more

I can't imagine our wedding without Darcey of Big City Bride. We live in San Francisco, but were married in the western suburbs of Chicago. I was initially nervous about planning a wedding from so far away, but once Darcey got involved she made it easy. We only came back to Chicago twice before our September wedding and Darcey helped organize each visit so that we got the most out of our limited time there and kept checking things off our 'to do' list. Darcey's management of our vendors was invaluable. She worked behind the scenes in a very responsive manner to negotiate options, prices, etc. Since my husband and I work full-time, discussing details with vendors was the last thing we wanted to do on weeknights or weekends. Darcey would hear our needs, work with the vendors and come back with great options to make our decisions easy and quick. Since so many of our guests were from California, we wanted to offer hotel blocks downtown Chicago. Darcey handled everything. Her due diligence offered us ten great hotel options. We ultimately chose room blocks at two downtown hotels and one suburban hotel. Darcey managed the logistics with all three. She also managed the very complex shuttle schedule to get our guests to and from all three hotels and our wedding site. My husband and I got to Chicago five days before our wedding. Instead of having to run around finalizing details we were able to enjoy that time with our friends and family. Darcey had everything so well organized that all we had to do was exchange a few quick emails and meet for one check-in meeting. On the day of our wedding, my husband and I did not have to worry about a thing. Darcey had everything under control. Again from behind the scenes she kept us to our timeline and everything went so smoothly. Our wedding party loved her easy going and positive attitude. If anything didn't quite go to plan, I'm still not aware of it. She was so calm and sweet that we were all able to just enjoy. The peace of mind Darcey gave us made our whole wedding experience just perfection. We could not have done it without her. I would highly recommend Darcey's expertise and talent to any bride to be. Thank you, Darcey!!! read more

Our daughter and fiancé used Big City Brides to organize their wedding and they assigned CLAIRE WELLER as the wedding planner. She interfaced seamlessly with everyone, practically becoming one of the family. This wedding was intended to be out-of -the-box and not traditional and she got that from the very beginning. She picked certain vendors that she knew would work with that concept. She was very organized, it was like she had a Day Planner and Rolodex in her head! There was always a choice and every choice was great and she always had a smile no matter how challenging the situation. When a problem came up that had no apparent solution she had one. After I thought she had gone beyond her call of duty there she was again solving another problem! She was always there but never in the way. There is so much going on leading up to and including the big day that no one in the wedding party should be thinking about the details. She even helped write the processional! She was amazing! We're trying to think of what we can work with her on next! read more

I don't think we would have been able to have the wedding we did without Chrissy's help. From keeping us on budget to taking care of all the little things, my husband and I could not have asked for a better experience. After our initial meeting to go see venues where we saw 8 places in 3 hours and made a decision, I knew that working with Chrissy was the best idea we had. My dad echoed those thoughts after the wedding and asked when we could have another party like that :) -Budget- We told Chrissy our total budget number, and she made an itemized spreadsheet of every possible thing that we might have wanted for our wedding, giving us a low end and higher end number given our estimated guest count. This allowed for us to be realistic when looking at options and making informed decisions. Seriously, who knew that napkins could be so expensive, but Chrissy found us options that saved us a decent chunk of change. Also, when DIY projects could save us funds in other places, Chrissy made sure to let me know and then I decided whether I had the time and patience to take on the projects. - Vendors - Before we started working with Chrissy, one of my biggest stresses was the thought of vendor selection and finding those individuals who were fun to work with and were within our budget. Almost every vendor that met with us and Chrissy were absolutely amazing. It was very apparent that the BCB team works with these vendors on a frequent basis and knows what they have to offer their clients. Chrissy made sure to bring up these questions in the vendor interviews so that we were all on the same page. I can honestly say that I would have never found Eric from Allori Photography on my own, and I'm so glad that Chrissy recommended him to us and he was able to take absolutely stunning photos of our day. Roberto from Monastero Entertainment kept our guests dancing all night and even sang a song at the reception. Erin from A Stem Above took the photos that I gave her and brought them to life (my bouquet lasted for 2 weeks after the wedding!). Nicole and Eliza at Limelight made sure that the catering was organized, provided an amazing meal for everyone, including my friend with crazy food allergies. Jason from Lexoria was great and made sure to get footage from throughout the day for our video. Christy from The Ivy Room was lovely and made sure that everyone was in order for our day. - Organization- Chrissy is one of the most organized individuals I have ever met. She is meticulously detailed and made sure that everything was under control throughout our planning process and on the wedding day. A few days before the wedding, we turned over all the place cards, guest book, reception items, etc. to Chrissy. My stress ended that day and my only concern was getting to my hair and makeup appointments on the day of the wedding. When the wedding day arrived, Chrissy had everyone under control and on a schedule. The timeline of the day was so helpful for my parents and the bridal party. Everyone kept to the timeline and we were able to arrive at the reception early, enjoy some appetizers before the guests arrived, and get to greet everyone. The reception flowed smoothly and everyone commented and how nice the venue (The Ivy Room) looked. My husband and I were able to see all the time and effort that Chrissy and her staff took to make sure the room matched our vision for the day. It was perfect. If there was a crisis on the day of our wedding, I didn't know about it. Chrissy and her staff took care of everything throughout the day and along the way in the planning process. There was always someone sitting at the front desk to greet us at the BCB office (usually Claire), and make us smile. My wedding planning experience was amazing because of BCB and Chrissy. I didn't think I could get married in downtown Chicago on my budget, but Chrissy and BCB made that dream a reality. Thank you so much Chrissy & BCB!! read more

Chrissy, As Eddie and I sit reflecting on our special day, we find ourselves bowed over in smiles and laughter as we reminisce of the many highlights. We are truly in awe of how special our wedding day really was! Needless to say we are still over-whelmed with well wishes and encouragements from our friends and family. Some days I shed tears of joy thinking of the amazing weekend you help create. Occasionally, we still get the question of, "Why Chicago?" It's without a doubt that your city has a special place in our hearts and now you share in that with us. I still cannot believe just how much went into making it all happen. The thing that makes me smile is that you were there every step of the way. Eddie has adopted the joke of "1 take." However, that was indeed our reality the entire time we worked with you and your team. You've done an amazing job and we were so fortunate to have such a dedicated planner. If what we experienced is any indication of what happens when opportunity and preparedness meet, then we've hit the nail on the head! We knew all along that Chicago would be magical! It is our hope that we will see you again during our visits to the city. We would love to get together just to show our appreciation. Until then please know that we are beyond thankful for the time, patience, and hard work that you put into making our special day fabulous. We send our love, friendship, and gratitude for all that you've done. Best, Sherra & Eddie read more

If you are looking to hire a wedding planner in the Chicagoland area, look no further than Crystal at Big City Bride. She was absolutely instrumental in helping us throughout our entire wedding planning process as well as assisting us for day-of coordination. Convincing my husband to make the investment in a wedding planner was a bit of a struggle at first, however after our first meeting with Crystal, he quickly changed his mind. Big City Bride has all types of packages depending on what you are looking for. We did a custom package and every dime was well spent. It was very affordable and she made us feel like we were her only clients, which wasn't the case. Crystal has a great deal of experience, and has valuable opinions about vendors that really made the selection process so much easier than it could have been. Additionally, she has so much goodwill with these vendors that we often were quoted prices that were well below other quotes we had found on our own. She was so helpful with questions and guiding us through the process. In addition to these benefits, Crystal was very adept at translating our dreams into tangible design elements for us. Being somewhat overwhelmed by the process, Crystal was able to bring my vision into a beautiful reality. I was completely blown away on the day of our wedding! It was everything I imagined and more! As for the day of our wedding, she was also INVALUABLE. Her and her team were on the spot with everything we could have needed. I can't say enough about her services. Don't make the mistake of looking elsewhere, you've found the team that will make your wedding as amazing as ours! read more

Crystal Moriarty and her team at Big City Bride did an exceptional job assisting my husband and I on our wedding day this past weekend. Prior to the big day, Crystal took time to make sure she understood my vision for the day and helped me to organize the entire weekend into a manageable schedule! As for the day of, I cannot say enough great things about Crystal and her team. Any issues that arose were handled without me ever knowing a problem existed. All of our vendors were completely organized and on time. The set up of the venue, with Crystal's help, was absolutely flawless. I highly recommend Big City Bride to anyone looking to pull off a fabulous wedding in Chicago, big or small, high budget or low budget. The day flies by and with Big City Bride's help, you are able to really enjoy every single minute of your day with your family and friends. I cannot thank you enough Crystal and BCB! read more

Upon a co-worker's glowing recommendation, and after interviewing a number of other planners, we engaged Chrissy Magliano at Big City Bride and it was by far one of our best decisions in the wedding planning process. We immediately knew our wedding would be in incredibly capable hands. Chrissy walked us through the entire process -- from determining a date to booking a venue to helping us achieve our dream wedding style. Chrissy's incredible organization, insight on Chicago weddings and flexibility was invaluable. Neither my fiance nor I are from the Chicago area and we didn't have much capacity to drive the planning process ourselves. With Chrissy as our planner, I can honestly say that the wedding planning process was incredibly smooth and stress-free. Not only was the wedding planning process stress-free, but so was the actual day of the wedding. Chrissy prepared a completely detailed schedule that made for a calm, relaxed and beautiful wedding. Not only was I not the least bit stressed on my wedding day (because I knew that, no matter what, Chrissy had it under control), but when we walked into our reception venue, we were completely blown away by how wonderful it looked and how perfectly Chrissy and her team captured the exact look and feel we were going for. I, without any hesitation, would recommend Chrissy as a planner to friends, family, co-workers or anyone else looking for a completely wonderful Chicago wedding experience. We can't thank Chrissy enough for truly making our wedding beautiful and memorable. read more

Big City Bride exceeded our expectations across the board. We worked with Susan Cordogan, the owner of BCB, who I reached out to because she was the planner for my sister's wedding 9 years earlier, which was also amazing. Susan's experience and expertise with wedding planning in Chicago was a huge advantage. Our first task to pick a venue is typically the most challenging part of the process, especially in a city like Chicago with such high competition to secure a date. However, Susan set up just one day to visit ten venues, and by the end of the week we had our dream pick at the Chicago Cultural Center for the date we wanted. During the actual planning process, the biggest benefits were Susan's familiarity and close relationship with the vendors, as well as her ability to manage and work within our budget. Right away Susan narrowed down vendor options to those that fit our style, and worked out significant discounts. Our planning process was incredibly organized down to every detail; she proactively kept us on track, and our friends and family were shocked as to how relaxed we were throughout the process. For the day of, we did not have a worry in the world. Susan and the team made the family and wedding party feel relaxed, and everything was perfectly timed. What surprised us the most, aside from how smoothly everything went, was how astounding the wedding looked beyond what we could have imagined, especially the décor and overall look and feel. Susan played an especially large role in that, and her hard work showed. BCB and Susan were the best investment we made in the entire process! read more

If you want to have the most lovely time at your daughters wedding hire Chrissy M from Big City Bride from the beginning. We have just had the most magical wedding for our daughter. Chrissy knows all and takes care of you and all of the details and guests effortlessly. I am on cloud nine and could not have been happier. A Chicago wedding is fabulous. She was able to hold several venues so we could think about them for a few days. She keeps us on a firm time line so all details were taken care of easily. My daughter and I had the best time planning and laughing through it all. She knows all the venders in the city and beyond and could have help us with a destination wedding as well. So should we have another wedding in the future we will be revisiting Big City Bride and Chrissy. Bravo Xo Mary Alice read more

A Rabbi, a Priest and a Mariachi band walk into the Chicago Symphony Orchestra...It sounds like the start of a bad joke but it was actually the best day of my life and it could not have been possible without Susan and Big City Bride. As I celebrate my first wedding anniversary I have been reminded by so many people who attended our wedding what a special day it was (a day that included everyone mentioned above). Everything far exceeded my wildest expectations and we need to thank Susan and Big City Bride for making it happen. It's a real testament to the Big City team that so many people are still telling us what an amazing and special day it was a year later. read more

Mary Ellen from Big City Brides was honestly a God send! I could not have asked for a more organized, prompt, and detail oriented person to help plan my special day -it was just a bonus that she was amazingly sweet and cheerful! Mary Ellen perfectly toed the line of making sure everything was completed and submitted in a timely manner (seating charts, food selections, etc.) yet never made me stress out or feel rushed about things I had yet to complete. She took on the sole responsibility of coordinating with vendors, which was the biggest relief the week before a wedding. Having Mary Ellen allowed my family, friends and I to relax and enjoy my final days as a single lady, instead of running around like a chicken with my head cut off to ensure everything was taken care of. On the actual day of my wedding, Mary Ellen seemed to be everywhere at once, tending to EVERYTHING and making sure all guests were satisfied. She was such a doll during the getting ready process and pictures, ensuring that the photographers got the best shots at various locations in the city/venue without my husband to be and I seeing each other before the ceremony. Mary Ellen stayed at the event well into the night just to make sure if anything came up, she was on it. I honestly could go on for days raving about how wonderful she was. If anyone is looking to get married and needs a planner, Mary Ellen is your girl! read more

Cannot say enough good things about our experience with Big City Bride and most importantly our planner, Kayla. We were planning our Chicago wedding from Connecticut and worried about finding vendors and coordinating from afar. All of those fears and worries completely went away once Big City Bride came into the picture. They guided us through the entire experience and helped us find the BEST vendors in the city. I was super swamped at work and honestly don't know what I would have done without Kayla mapping out every detail. On the day of our wedding, it was pouring down rain and behind the scenes Kayla and Arin effortlessly worked to make sure our wedding party and guests had the same experience as planned. Any bride who chooses this crew of women will not be disappointed - they far exceeded our expectations and most importantly made our day one that we will never forget! read more

There are no words to express how thankful I am to have had Chrissy of BCB plan my wedding. From the first meeting onward, she was patient, resourceful, and committed to making our day everything we dreamed. And our weekend turned out even better than that! Having little clue of what type of wedding we wanted, Chrissy assisted us in choosing EVERYTHING from the venue to print materials to decor. She was completely in tune with the items that were most important to us and made sure they were realized. Even the tiniest of details were covered--including the items I barely mentioned! Very quickly, I learned that I could trust in her opinion and experience in planning. She was always available to us, answered our thousands of questions, and never let us feel that our wedding was anything but of the utmost importance to her. I could go on and on about how wonderful Chrissy was to work with; however, it just wouldn't do her justice. She made the very daunting experience organized, stress-reduced, and fun. During the actual wedding weekend she literally had everything covered--for example, she set up two entirely different ceremony spaces in case of rain - without me even knowing it. She was professional and never let us worry even for a moment, which allowed us to have the best weekend of our lives. I wish I could thank Chrissy every day for making the experience so fantastic for us. Needless to say, it was the best decision we made during the process! Thank you so very much Chrissy and BCB! read more

When we first got engaged, my fiancé was on the fence about hiring a wedding planner; however, we can both honestly say that Claire and her team were one of the best investments we made while planning our wedding! My mom is from Malaysia, my dad is from Hawaii, and my husband is from Tennessee. We knew we wanted to incorporate elements of our culture and background into our special day but didn't know how to tie it all together. Claire flawlessly coordinated a traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony, Chinese bridal door games and a lion dance during our rehearsal dinner. She helped us tie together all the southern and Hawaiian personal elements into our wedding and was such a warm and comforting presence throughout the weeks leading up the big day. I love how I didn't have to worry about a thing the week of my wedding because I had complete faith in Claire's artistic eye and close attention to detail. My mom still says that Claire had her work cut out for her and did an amazing job ensuring we didn't have to worry about a thing. We were able to enjoy every moment of our special day and I feel like I'm one of the rare brides that can say NOTHING went wrong (at least nothing that I was aware of) during our wedding weekend all thanks to Claire! read more

Best $$ I spent in this whole VERY expensive process!! I worked with Chrissy in BCB's petite package. Her advice on all the little details was priceless in the month before the wedding anf she was AMAZING the weekend of the wedding. I didn't need my phone the whole weekend and my mom & sister could drink as much wine as they wanted!! The answer was always, "ask Chrissy." The next morning all the gifts were packed, champagne flutes & cake cutter washed, and all issues I never had to worry about! WORTH EVERY PENNY!@ read more

Unfortunately, 3-stars is the best I can give BCB. We had a number of hiccups with Kayla, but the owners seemed to really care when we gave feedback and tried their best to make it right in the end for us. read more

If I could give Arin Calamari and Big City Bride 5,672 stars, I would. I cannot say enough about what an incredible experience it was to work with this amazing girl!! I began planning for our wedding on my own, we had a whole year and I thought - "why not? I'm creative!" Little did I know that when it came down to crunch time in the last month that I would need so much help. Arin was quick to call and save the day, and once she had all the details she literally ran the whole of everything with such grace, poise and excellence. Throughout the whole night of our wedding we kept getting asked about our planner and who she was and how amazing everything had come together! Just thinking about all of it still brings tears to my eyes. I don't know what I would have done without her, and our parents were so beyond amazed with her work as well. She is the sole reason why my best day ever was just that, the BEST day ever. Thank you to Arin for your hard work and patience with me and our giant wedding group (23!!) We are forever grateful and can't wait to give your name to everyone for when they get married and hopefully to see you again soon!!! read more

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There are not enough words to use to describe the exceptional work Big City Bride does...especially Chrissy!! I'm an extremely organized person, and completely Type A who needs to be in control. However, my mom insisted that I get a planner for my big day. From the first time we met Chrissy, I knew she would be able to take this vision I had in my head and make it a reality! Chrissy is organized, creative, and was able to handle the wandering minds of both myself and my mom! She was patient, kind, efficient, and enthusiastic. Chrissy was amazing in taking the blank slate of Union Station and created the wedding that dreams are made of! She helped find vendors for lighting, design, music, hair. And I knew these vendors would be amazing because she used some of them for her own wedding. One of the best parts was the desserts. I have a huge sweet tooth and am a baker, and Chrissy not only helped handle the logistics of my many dessert vendors, but she created the dessert table of my dreams! I had never seen a line so long to get to the dessert table! All my guests were saying this was the most organized and elegant wedding that they had attended. If anything went wrong...I had no idea. If you're looking for a wedding planner to create the wedding of your dreams...definitely hire Big City Bride and Chrissy! One of the best decisions I have ever made! I also want to give a shout out to Chrissy's assistant, Christine. She was amazing!! From handling photos and the bridal party to helping to calm my nerves before walking down the aisle. A true testament to Big City Bride that everyone who works there is truly exceptional! Thank you!! read more

I'm a man and I was absolutely dreading planning a wedding. Kim G. made the experience as good as it could possibly be. I couldn't imagine going through the whole process without her. She was very organized and was very aware of our budget. There is do doubt that planning and paying for a wedding can be one of the most stressful things anyone goes through. I'll admit that it was still somewhat stressful, but I honestly feel that Kim made the experience as smooth as possible and even somewhat enjoyable. She is excellent at her job and her primary concern was always focused on us. I would recommend Kim to any of my friends or family. read more

We worked with Big City Bride throughout our engagement year to plan our wedding. This was quite possibly the best investment and decision we made throughout the entire wedding process, and we strongly recommend working with BCB to engaged couples. We had family and friends flying in from all over the country and world and had over 200 guests. We also had quite a few events occur in our personal lives which, in combination with the factors above, originally worried us about our capabilities to plan a wedding. From the first visit to Big City Bride's office, we knew that we found the right place and people who would enable this wedding to be exactly what we wanted. We worked with Chrissy Magliano (more on Chrissy in a minute) as our head planner, along with Kayla Mousser. Even with the staff we didn't directly work with, we had consistent positive interactions. We couldn't walk into BCB without a kind smile, an offer to help with something and/or congratulatory wishes. Chrissy is exceptional. It's very clear through her work that she not only knows this industry and process incredibly well, but also is very highly respected by others within the industry. Whenever we spoke with vendors (ones recommended by her and also ones whom we contacted on our own) and mentioned Chrissy's name, we would receive nothing but positive feedback: "Oh, she is the best!," "Oh, we love her.," "Wow, well you are in good hands!." We predicted that for things to run as smoothly as we hoped on our wedding day, it would be important for vendors to work well together - Chrissy's professionalism and reputation guaranteed this for us. Aside from her expertise, Chrissy is just the loveliest person to know and work with. During an engagement, you are in touch with your wedding planner quite frequently at times, and I would enjoy seeing Chrissy's emails in my inbox throughout the year. It never became stressful, and I think a large part of that is due to the combination of her talent and personality. She handled unexpected questions with a smile that would come in from family, wedding party members and guests. I think it's important to note that she would also directly address and change any element of our wedding that ended up not feeling like what we envisioned. As someone who changes her mind quite frequently, this was important for me. (For example, the flower colors that I thought we wanted just didn't come out the way I envisioned. This was due to my own vision, not to the quality of the florist, who was fantastic. Chrissy made it very clear that we were going to go back to the drawing board until we got it right. She was dedicated all elements being what we wanted, even if that meant more work for her.) Above all, I think the most important piece of information I'd like to convey to future brides who are reading this review and considering using BCB - our wedding day was EXACTLY how we designed and pictured it! Chrissy hit the mark 100%, which was, no pun intended, remarkable. My husband and I continue to marvel at how Chrissy and BCB were able to deliver. They can really take a vision and EXECUTE, which again reflects such talent. The room, the flowers, the lighting - it came out exactly how we had discussed it. It's very clear that BCB planners hold themselves to the highest expectations. Thank you, Chrissy, Kayla and BCB, from the bottom of our hearts. Our wedding was the best weekend of our lives. read more

If you want a planner who fits your budget, and has also had major experience designing, planning and executing celebrity weddings... Big City Bride is for you. Our wedding was featured in People Magazine, E! News Online and many more. We worked with the dazzling, vivacious and lovely owner, Susan. In the beginning I wanted to go it alone. Thank goodness we didn't!! Susan connected us with bakers, linen retailers and a florist that was in our budget. If you tell Susan your Big Day vision, she will make it happen. Each time we met with Susan, we felt like royalty, with a special, personal greeting sign at the BCB entrance. She met with us for hours, emailed incessantly and coordinated with all our vendors so we didn't have to!! Imagine all those last minute questions from vendors... not in your in-box. It's amazing!! On our wedding day, Susan ignited special surprises along the way. She had a rain plan ready to go for photos and the ceremony. (Luckily we didn't need it.) We were married 25 stories above the city of Chicago. Unbeknownst to me, one of our Readers was afraid of heights. Susan comforted him and he didn't miss a beat. Our DJ (one of the groomsmen) was also a little nervous and Susan was able to calm him down too. With BCB by your side, you avoid all potential wedding day hazards and can revel in your day. Problems disappear (as do fears). You don't realize how many obstacles you face trying to plan a wedding until a planner is there to ward off what could be an apocalyptic day. read more

I couldn't have asked for a better group of women to help me enormously. My wedding was a dream come true - best damn party in the world - and it was so classy and elegant and fun - Susan understood me and my husband as people right away and introduced to us to the best vendors with our same philosophies and always knew the best suggestions to help us make the decisions we were struggling with and get everything done. They made my life easy and kept the process fun! I couldn't recommend them more highly - they are as good as it gets! The best of the best! read more

My husband and I cannot imagine - and don't want to even think about what our wedding day would be without Big City Bride!! Three months before our wedding, my husband and I realized we were in way over our head with our wedding plans!! We had a hotel (the Knickerbocker) and church (St. Vincent de Paul) to worry about and transportation arrangements seemed to be getting confusing. Things became especially complicated since our wedding weekend was also the same as the NATO Summit. We decided a coordinator was needed to help make our day stress free. We interviewed a few other highly rated (from Yelp) but we knew instantly when we met with Claire that BCB was for us!! She immediately put us at ease - her knowledge, ideas, organization, and bubbly personality made it an easy decision. Advice for anyone planning a wedding - HIRE BCB!! The sooner you realize you need them the better! I wish my husband and i had decided sooner about hiring a coordinator. We really thought we could handle everything - which we did as far making the big plans but having someone there to take all the worries away for the week and day of was the best investment. It was the greatest feeling to be able to drop off all our wedding items (from the checklist they made us!) the week of the wedding so we wouldn't have to worry about anything the day of the wedding. I was told I was care free by my photographer compared to most brides and my answer was I'm not worried because I have Claire! When ever anyone was confused in my bridal party or family - it was easy to just tell them look at the timeline! The timeline and plans Claire put together helped enormously. I had a nightmare mess with my place cards - not knowing if I had doubles of certain guests. Claire took the box of place cards and made my problem disappear! BCB is magical and helped make my day magical:). As far as my husband and I know - the day was flawless and we cannot thank Claire and BCB enough. read more

Perfection, seamless, flawless and exact execution. Those are just some of the adjectives I can use when it comes to Big City Bride - especially Chrissy Magliano. The BCB team is always welcoming, warm and friendly. Having a Type-A personality and finding it hard to let go of control, I found it easy and beneficial to let BCB take over the reins of planning the most important day in my life. From finding me the perfect venue and vendors to ensuring a flawless execution of my vision and the production of the day - I couldn't have asked for better. I'm still getting complements from my guests on how outstanding my wedding was and how everything flowed without hiccup or pause. My planner Chrissy kept me on schedule the day of and we didn't run a minute late! Throughout the planning process, she thought of things that never came to my mind and double checked things to ensure accuracy. I felt totally comfortable and at ease in her hands. To sum it up, BCB "gets it" and caters to the needs of any bride. You will not be disappointed! The most important day of my life was also the greatest event of my life because BCB was there and ensured that nothing went wrong (and even if it did, they had the professionalism to keep it away from me and my guests and not make it any of our concern)! I can't say enough... read more

Hello brides-to-be! I worked with Kim Gapinski and she was super helpful! As the wedding got closer, I was a jittery mess. I didn't know how I was going to handle EVERYTHING going on during the wedding events. My sister recommended a wedding planner and I really didn't want to spend a lot of money on one and I REALLY didn't want to spend ADDITIONAL money either. I went to The Knot and found Big City Bride. I sent in my information and a few days later I got a call and started working with Kim. I told her what I wanted to spend and she was willing to work with me. For the most part, I had everything completed down to transportation. I just needed a "point-'man'" if you will, to basically be traffic control. I gave her all my contracts and she made the entire day wonderful. Her calmness and quick thinking made the day go smoothly. It rained on my wedding and regardless of the gloom, she was very cheerful and made my day even more special. I would definitely recommend a wedding planner, even if it's only for the "day of", Kim was patient and aggressive! Thanks Kim!!! read more

Susan Cordogan and the team at BCB are amazing to work with!! Susan helped us plan our dream wedding in Lake Geneva, WI this summer. Within a few minutes of meeting her, we felt comfortable putting the biggest day of our lives into her hands. Weddings have so many moving pieces and Susan orchestrated everything from the food, photography, church, tent, lighting... you name it, she did it. Her ability and passion come naturally. Susan exudes positive energy and it's contagious. We worked with Susan through her pregnancy and it never slowed her down. Susan is amazing at taking a few pictures/inspiration boards and turning them into reality. Her style is impeccable!!! The day wouldn't have run so smoothly without her taking care of every detail. She was born to dominate the wedding industry! We can't thank her enough for the incredible celebration she helped us to create with our family and friends. read more

You expect people to give the usual compliments during and after a wedding ... "you look beautiful," "your flowers are gorgeous,"what a beautiful dress." I loved to hear those things as any girl would! But... my absolute favorite thing to hear after the wedding, and actually, the thing I heard most was, "You were the happiest bride I've ever seen." As much as I attribute this to marrying the love of my life, I also give a lot of this credit to our wedding planner, Chrissy Magliano, at Big City Bride. The day turned out more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. The only thing I had to worry about on my wedding day was making sure I took a moment to step back with my new husband and really appreciate the extraordinary space that was created and savor watching all of our friends and family enjoying it. I don't even know all of the things that she ended up dealing with... and that's the magic of Big City Bride. read more

Words cannot express how amazing Susan and her staff are. They went above and beyond for my husband and I. Susan took every dream I ever had and made it a reality. We would recommend her to anyone who wants the best wedding of their lives! read more

Big City Bride is your ace up your sleeve when it comes to planning your wedding. I worked with Claire and was completely blown away with her talent. She knew exactly my vision and brought ideas to the table that I never even thought of. Claire truly has a passion for planning weddings and parties, and she cares as much I as I did about the details. She literally becomes your confidant and best friend, all while being a master wedding planner. At no time did I feel stressed out over the wedding. Claire brings you the best most talented vendors all with in your price range. She truly wants your dream wedding to happen. The day of the wedding was flawless. There is nothing Claire and her team can't handle. If you want the best go to Big City Bride and ask for Claire!! read more