I couldn't recommend Bride & Joy more highly. Kim is the consummate wedding person. She was so much fun to talk with! She was always so quick to get back to me on any of my little questions and never made me feel anything but special. She's got great taste and really understands every aspect of the whole "Wedding Biz." We managed to stay on time, which is unheard of for a wedding! She was a pleasure to work with in the days leading up and totally crushed it the day of. We were free to just have the Time Of Our Lives and I can't imagine our special day without her! read more

I highly recommend Kim for month-of planning! We used Bride and Joy for our September 2018 wedding at Salvage One. Working with Kim was a dream-- she is so calm and professional-- Kim helped me organize the chaos and enjoy the process. Kim previously worked at Salvage One, so coordination was a breeze. I had many vendors and had a lot of DIY aspects to my wedding-- Kim was able and willing to help me coordinate all the vendors and went above and beyond, helping us organize and set up the whole room. I would work with Kim again in a heartbeat! read more

I had the honor of getting an accidental text from Kim. It's typical for me to go screaming in a blind rage swerving in and out of on-coming traffic in my underwear on a Divvy bike when I am the wrong number recipient from a stranger, but there was something about the words Kim had that soothed things. If there were a song that could theme my interaction with Kim, it would be Jumper (step back from that ledge) by Third Eye Blind. She uses proper grammar and spelling and I can truly say I am a better man from her now. She is also is one of the most loyal people I have ever come across as her initial text mentions her significant other, Joel. I am not sure how else to repay Kim for this experience besides asking you, reader, to hire Kim for your wedding(s). -Steve read more

Working with Kim was the easiest part of the entire wedding planning process. She's focused yet friendly and genuinely cares that you have an amazing planning process and wedding day. Day of she was checking in on how we were, grabbing us drinks just little things that made the day extra stress free. Couldn't recommend someone more!!!! read more

Kim is the apotheosis of wedding event production. I would recommend this company to absolutely everyone who needs someone to quarterback their big day. Kim can help advise and guide you through all the little details... entertainment options, flowers, food, style, vibe, photos, etc. She is super professional and friendly. On our wedding day we actually had a blast. The band was great, the timeline flowed, and the dance party couldn't have gone better. We know this is the result of all of Kim's professionalism and craftsmanship when it comes to delivering a fantastic wedding day experience. read more

Kim was everything we could have asked for in a planner and more! We felt like she understood our wedding vision from day 1 and she helped us to execute it perfectly! There are no words to describe how grateful we will be for her - we had the perfect wedding day! read more

Kim did a wonderful job coordinating my hectic wedding day. She went above and beyond to make the day as perfect as we imagined. I thank my lucky stars I selected her, because less then two weeks before my wedding I fell and broke my ankle. I was unable to do most of the errands I had planned and was not able to fully walk about the aisle without assistance. She sprung into action and coordinated all the extra details I had planned to take care of myself and she found us seats to sit in during the ceremony as I was afraid I could not stand on one leg the entire ceremony. I honestly didn't have to worry about any of the new issues or details that popped up due to the ankle issue. She did an absolute wonderful job and I am convinced my wedding day would not have gone so smoothly with all her expertise. I would highly recommend her and the company to anyone needing a coordinator. Thanks again Kim I appreciate all your hard work and your compassion! Ashlie read more

KIM IS AMAZING!!! She took our very unconventional, think outside of the box wedding and soared with grace, precision, and utmost professionalism! I highly recommend her services. Being a bride, who works in the wedding industry, I have seen a lot of wedding planners. Kim's exceptional work, personality, and attention to detail are impeccable and I couldn't speak any higher of her and her services. All in all, she'll have your back! She's your gal for planning! read more

We got married this past August at Salvage One in Chicago. We LOVED our wedding, and a lot of that can be chalked up to the role Kim played throughout planning and on the day itself. There's endless positive things to say about Kim, but here were the highlights: 1) Logistics. Kim made the colossal task of wedding planning into a manageable schedule that my fiancé, mom and I were able to follow over the course of the months leading up to our wedding. She readily jumped on the phone with me when I had the occasional panicked moment, but more importantly stayed one step ahead so that I had far fewer moments of feeling overwhelmed than I would have had without her. She also took care of all of our transportation, our hotel blocks, and our print materials. I cannot recommend this enough. These are the not fun parts of the party to be dealing with, and handing them off to Kim allowed us to spend our energy on the things we cared about while ensuring that our guests had a really positive experience with all their needs met. With hotel blocks, she sat down with us about our priorities and price point, did all the research, let us choose the final hotels, and then secured all the contracts and followed up with all the details with the hotel staff. With print items, she guided us through a design process with the calligrapher we chose and then coordinated all the print details and pick ups. For transportation, she and I had a conversation about style (did we want limos, buses, trolleys etc) and then she took care of all the details including timing and schedule. These three specific areas were so important because they take a huge amount of effort to follow through from the initial idea to every guest getting the right thing, and it was such a crucial part of our wedding day. I also should mention that Kim created a day of schedule that not only ran flawlessly but really took into account who we were as a couple and what our priorities were. Simple things- like I wanted to make sure that I ate lunch for a moment by myself before getting dressed so that I wouldn't be hungry during my ceremony- got put into the schedule and followed up on. There were no moments where anyone in my wedding (or the vendors) were stressed out about time- it all was figured out beforehand and Kim managed the day perfectly. 2) Vendor Guidance. I quickly realized that Kim could help me actualize my plans much, much more efficiently than I could just by asking around. We had a few of our major vendors in place (venue, band, caterer) when we hired Kim, but for the rest we talked with her first about what we were picturing. She would send us 2-3 choices and we'd talk with each of them and have a clear favorite each time. We LOVED our vendors without exception and we saved a ton of money from using Kim's connections. 3) Good Judgment. At the end of the day, you are hiring someone who you want to spend your wedding day with and who you trust to solve problems that you hopefully won't ever have to know about. The first time I met Kim, she told me that her goal was that I would lose track of time on my wedding day because she would be managing the details. I was highly skeptical but that's exactly what happened. No wedding is perfect, but Kim solved problems I never even heard about- my sister with severe dietary restrictions didn't get the right meal at dinner but the only thing I heard about was several days later when she mentioned how Kim immediately solved the problem and got her the right food. We had 9 people over the age of 80 at our wedding- all of them had great seats and navigated stairs and hallways without problems thanks to Kim's coordination. The list goes on and on. Even more importantly, Kim manages people without them feeling managed. Her people skills and creativity are amazing. I met with several wedding planners when I first started this process- I chose Kim because I felt like she was exactly who I would want to have around on my wedding day- competent but not controlling, visible but not overbearing, and with a great, laid back personality. My time wedding planning with her only confirmed all of my instincts. read more

I don't often write yelp reviews, in fact I think this is my first, but I felt compelled to after working with Kim. My husband and I got married at the end of February and hired Kim early on in our engagement for full service wedding planning. From the beginning, Kim was not only organized, creative and knowledgeable (all of the things you want your planner to be) but she also helped to calm our nerves when necessary and to allow us to actually relax and enjoy the time leading up to the wedding rather than stressing about getting everything done. My husband was a little wary at first and tried to argue that we could do it ourselves. I'm a teacher and knew that time would not be on our side so I pushed him to at least talk to her. We decided to hire Kim and after almost every meeting, my husband would say, "I think you were right about getting the planner." She pays for herself in her extensive vendor knowledge and contacts as well as ways to save money here and there to make sure we stayed within our budget. Kim kept us on track and I most appreciated how she involved us in the things that we needed to be and just handled items when that was appropriate as well. I can't say enough about Kim and I truly feel like finding her was kismet (I know how corny that sounds) but she helped us to achieve the wedding of our dreams and one that we will always remember. If you're on the fence about hiring a planner, hire Kim, and you will certainly not regret it. read more

Joslyn is a life saver! I cannot say enough good things about her. My experience with Joslyn and Bride & Joy in general was more than amazing, and my wedding day was perfect. read more

Kim is a wonderful person to have by your side during the biggest day of your life! She is super professional, easy going and knowledgeable. I hired her for day of coordination at our winter wedding at Salvage One just a few weeks ago. She knows the space and team at S1 so well, it was almost an extension of that team. She also had worked with the majority of my vendors before, which was great. I received comments from close family and bridesmaids that they were so impressed with Kim running around on the day of, getting everything done. To be honest, I don't even think I noticed, which is a testament to exactly why I'd recommend Kim - she gets everything done and keeps the stress away from the bride. When Kim and I started to work together six weeks out from the wedding I simply shared all of the vendors I had contracted and she was able to coordinate all of the details leading up to the day. She also provided great feedback on some last minute decisions and helped create some signage and details that I had forgotten about. She made sure all the vendors knew to work with her that day, including something so simple as a lunch delivery to the Hotel for my bridal party. She event went above and beyond to help deliver my flowers to the Hotel so I'd have them in time for pictures. If you're on the fence about a day of coordinator, I would 100% tell you to do it and 100% tell you to work with Kim and her team on the best day of your life. read more

Kim can plan a wedding in Chicago with her eyes closed. Her expertise and finesse are hands down the best in the biz. She makes the planning process smooth and seamless, always goes above and beyond, and will make sure every last detail is perfect. You'll walk away with more than just a great event, but will have made a true friend in the process. read more

I work full-time and go to school part-time and knew I could not handle planning and throwing a wedding with my crazy schedule. I knew Kim's sister and contacted her to see if Kim was available to help me with my wedding. We clicked from the start and even though Kim offers different levels of involvement I knew that I needed her full time. Kim helped me work out all the details from invitations to theme, and even helping me with the task of finding the right dress for an "older" bride. I knew what the big picture should look like but Kim got all the little details and big details right on point. She understood what I wanted and was perfect to work with. Everyone at the wedding could not get over how beautiful it was. My greatest comment was when my Aunt came up to me and said she could see my mother influence in the room. Kim got it just right. read more

Bride and Joy Events - Our beautiful reception at Mon Ami Gabi designed by Kim. - Wedding Planning Near Me

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Kim is one of the most talented, nice, organized, spunky in all the right ways, and humble people out there. She is so creative and super professional. She knows what she's doing and is worth every penny. She has tons of experience in the industry and is trustworthy. Wedding planning is overwhelming and she makes the entire process enjoyable. read more

Kim was our incredible wedding planner for our wedding at Lake Shore Country Club in August 2015. My husband and I cannot say enough great things about how she conducts her business and her overall demeanor. She was a calming force throughout the whole process and was extremely organized and helpful. When looking for a planner you want someone who is knowledgable and trustworthy of your vision and Kim totally got it. She was also independent and took care of things she knew we didn't need to be involved with. She was one step ahead of handling an issue before we even asked or without us even knowing. She is the type of person that we would be friends with outside of a professional setting. If you are even questioning hiring her, stop and do it. It will be one of the best investments you make in your special day. read more

My now husband (!!!) and I feel so lucky to have had Kim on our team as we planned our wedding. With two very large families, two demanding jobs and collective problem of general indecisiveness, Kim was a Godsend. She was so calm, organized, flexible and capable. From day one, she provided us with sage counsel, and her support never wavered over our year-long engagement. Her knowledge of the wedding world is unparalleled, and she has some of the most amazing relationships with the BEST vendors in the country. If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't change a single thing. Now, THAT is the true hallmark of an incredible planner. Thank you for everything, Kim! read more

The very first day I met Kim, I knew I wanted her apart of my wedding day. Her suggestions from day one were spot on and I could not have imagined planning a wedding without her. She was truly a miracle worker. Kim pulled off my dream wedding with a professional, fun and relaxed manner. I would tell every bride and groom that Kim is the best investment you can make when planning your wedding day. Thank you for everything Kim! read more

Kim was the absolute best! My husband and I had our wedding at Salvage One on Halloween, 2014. I didn't want to spend any extra money on anything, so deciding to get a wedding planner was a tough choice. We hired Kim as a 'day of wedding planner' even though she worked with us for months beforehand planning everything. I don't know how we would have done it without her. It was really the best decision we made. Since our wedding wasn't at a hotel or anything like that, it required us to do all the decorating, getting food, organizing, etc. She helped come up with all ideas for the wedding. We met with her a few times beforehand to walk through the location, talk with the caterer, etc. She also emailed all of our vendors and organize with them all. She even came up with her own decorating ideas for Halloween because her dad has a pumpkin farm, so random I know (random and perfect). She got a lot of small pumpkins from his farm and painted them silver, white, and black (our wedding colors). She used those for the table numbers and spread them randomly. She used all our decor to decorated the tables perfectly. She organized the candy table we had perfectly. I just had to show up the day of and it was all worked out. She came up with a timeline for the day and gave it to all the vendors. Throughout the event, she came up to me to say "go get your food", "go cut the cake", "its speech time", etc. After the wedding was done, she stayed and put all our decorations in our car, cleaned up the venue, talked to all the vendors, and even got us all into cabs. I don't know how it would have ran if she wasn't there. She is very bubbly, nice, and cool. I clicked with her immediately. She was made for this job! She was one of the best things about the wedding. read more

I am so thankful that we hired Erin Shanley Kim at Bride and Joy Events as our day-of/month-of coordinator for our May wedding at Salvage One. Erin is extremely responsive, detailed, and organized, and she's also fun to work with. From our initial phone call to our first meeting to go over all the details, to the wedding day, she felt like a close friend. She made me feel comfortable and reassured me along the way, which helped manage any wedding stress I had. She coordinated seamlessly with all my vendors and family, and she was with me on my big day from the morning until the last guest had left the venue, and I couldn't have done it without her. Everything ran so smoothly and we received so many compliments from our guests. If anything went wrong behind the scenes, I was blissfully unaware - thanks to Erin, I was able to sit back and enjoy my wedding day. She's worth every single penny and I couldn't be happier with how everything went. Would highly recommend Bride and Joy Events to any bride and groom looking for planning/coordination services! Thanks Erin! read more