An absolute dream to work with. Made everything for our wedding look incredible. Was there for us…read moreevery step of the way while we planned our wedding from out of state. Went above and beyond and everything exceeded our expectations.

From the owner: Services Event Planning, Rentals, Tablescapes, Venue, Events…read more Business Description Welcome to elliestyled, your premier event venue situated in the heart of Highland Park, IL, and serving the surrounding regions with unparalleled elegance and style. elliestyled is more than just a venue—it's a full-service event styling and planning destination. We specialize in creating and executing memorable occasions tailored to your unique vision with an extensive selection of rentals to bring any theme to life. Whether intimate gatherings or grand celebrations, elliestyled is dedicated to making your event a flawless expression of your personal style, with additional offerings to enhance your experience. Step into the world of elliestyled, where your events become unforgettable masterpieces.

We had an amazing experience with Laura. Guidance was the most important thing since we were the…read morecouple that didn't really know what we wanted but we needed it on a budget and she delivered! Helped to right the wrongs I had done hah! and steer me in the right direction with the small stuff. Helped us quickly and efficiently answer the debatable items which kept me and my fiancé calmer than we would have been. She has a great (and reliable) network in the wedding industry. Saved me hours upon hours searching for the right vendors. She always had a calming demeanor which kept me calm, because weddings shouldn't be these huge stressors and having Laura definitely kept it that way.

I am so excited to be the first to review Laura and her wonderful business, The Ideal Day! It was…read moresuch a joy to have her help while planning my wedding - I never thought anyone could be as excited as the bride about every little detail! I hired Laura as a DOC (day of coordinator), but she really did SO MUCH more than that. She helped with vendor recommendations, she made timelines, and especially in the weeks leading up to the wedding, she really made sure everything was in order. When I was in the early planning stages, I wasn't 100% positive I really needed a day of coordinator, but I decided to at least see what they had to offer. What sealed the deal for me is when Laura showed up to our first meeting with a sample binder she'd put together for another bride's wedding. A binder! With organized tabs and labels and everything! A woman after my own heart! Sold! Laura helped me get the ball moving with lots of vendor recommendations. She even offered to come to our meetings with vendors or to provide us with some questions in advance to ask when interviewing vendors. Then once we had most everything in place (venue, dj, florist, photographer, caterer, etc. etc.), there were only a few emails exchanged between me and Laura until about 4-6 weeks before the wedding. During that time, I mostly emailed her with "wedding etiquette" questions, which she is very knowledgeable about! Then, about 4-6 weeks before the wedding, Laura asked me to send her ALL of our vendor contracts. It was actually pretty hard to gather them all up since some were saved on the computer as PDFs and others we had as hard copies. But I eventually scanned all the hard copies and emailed Laura PDFs of ALL of my contracts. Because I was so busy with work, I didn't really have time to explain to her what everything was when I sent the email, but lucky for me, Laura set up a time for us to meet and go over everything. And then... she brings it... the glorious binder! Filled with all of our vendor contracts and a detailed day of timeline she's put together simply by reviewing the contracts! I didn't have to explain a thing - she read through all the contracts herself and put the binder and timeline together on her own! It was beautiful. A work of art, really. From then on, Laura and I spoke much more frequently. She made sure we were on top of final payments. She offered to come with us to all the final meetings with our vendors. She circulated the day of timeline with all our vendors in advance and served as the main point of contact so I didn't have to be bothered with all the little questions. It was so incredibly comforting to know I could rely on her to handle everything. I trusted her completely. She had it under control. Then about 5 days before the wedding, I gave Laura all of the "day of" items she would be in charge of (programs, bubbles, card box, cake serving set, toasting flutes, cake topper, escort cards, table numbers, guestbook, etc.). I never for a second worried about any of it - it was all in good hands! The wedding went off without a hitch! Maybe that's bad luck, but I'm really not going to complain. Everything was flawless, and I have Laura to thank for that. I never had to question or double check anything on my wedding day - I got to enjoy every moment of it with my new husband, knowing Laura had everything under control. It was amazing. Thank you so much, Laura!! Oh, and when we got back from the honeymoon, everything we'd given Laura before the wedding was sitting in our living room waiting for us, along with all of our gifts. We'd given Laura a key to our place in advance so she could bring everything back there for us after the wedding. It was perfect. Laura was simply phenomenal from that first meeting through to the very end. I don't hesitate in recommending her to anyone!

A much needed service to help save time and effort when planning parties! Endless options, super…read morefriendly, and very reliable. Highly recommend them!

Alison and team were absolutely amazing! They helped us run a 100-person Halloween party and I…read morecouldn't have done it without them! They were friendly and helped with shopping beforehand, food selection and made sure the party ran smoothly. Will use this company again and highly recommend!

Great experience! They planned a wonderful intimate dinner party for 12 at home. A half hour before…read morethe guests were to arrive, a severe thunderstorm rolled in and the power went out. Despite the lack of electricity and a mad scramble to light candles, the party went off without a hitch. No one panicked, the caterer used the grill to finish cooking, the wine kept flowing and it was a magical evening. We were almost disappointed when the power came back on at 10:30 pm. They were great and gracious under pressure and the party was wonderful!

From the owner: Events catered to you to save you time. Who doesn't love a party? It has to be memorable, easy, and…read moremost of all fun! You take the element of stress away when you hire a party planner. Enjoy your day, and let us help it move seamlessly. We offer detailed innovative ideas, creativity, and attention to detail. Every party with us​ is unique. We are always budget friendly because a beautiful party should be fun and not worrisome.

Stacey knows how to put together an amazing event . I hired her for my son's recent bar mitzvah and…read moream so glad I did. She has impeccable taste and her attention to detail is remarkable. She is creative, organized, fun and easy to work with. She helped orchestrate the whole night and helped with service set up ( even designed and created our floral arrangements!) and helped with every detail of our celebration. While I knew we would have a fun party, Stacey's ideas and execution from start to finish made our event spectacular. Highly recommend!!!!

I call Stacey Moe the Energizer Bunny - she is unstoppable on the longest of days, never flagging…read morein energy, effort or creativity. We most recently hired Stacey for our daughter's bat mitzvah. From the very first meeting, she was creative, resourceful, and on top of all aspects of the party. Nothing was halfway. Even when I, long since tired of the planning process, declared something "good enough," Stacey came up with something better, a wow-factor that didn't stretch the budget. On the evening of the event, I didn't do a thing. Stacey never stopped moving, never missed a thing, and when it did occur to me to check on things, Stacey beat me to it by showing up with an update. What sets Stacey apart from the myriad event planners on the north shore is her range, adaptability and accessibility. She can do a lovely, refined bridal shower at the country club just as meticulously as a loud, techno party in a loft space. She never makes you feel like you need to spend more or do more than you'd planned. She doesn't push ideas. Stacey's so very fun and easy to work with, such an authentic person, it feels like planning a party with your best girlfriend, the one who knows all the best places and picks out the best centerpieces and has an amazing little source for favors that no one else has used - and is just as excited as you are about making it a great event.

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

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

Marcy and her team went way above and beyond our expectations for our 4/9 wedding at Salvage One…read more Highly recommend! Thanks again, Marcy, you made our day so unbelievably special. I'm happy to share our wedding experience with anyone looking for a recommendation, just private message me.

My review of HCTP is soooo long overdue! I contacted several coordinators before deciding to go…read morewith Marcy and HCTP, and I picked them because I had a gut feeling they were the right ones for me and because they charge a fraction of what other places do for the same services. Marcy was completely accommodating of my schedule and always came to where I was. The majority of her vendor recommendations were excellent! As for the two that caused a little more stress - the one I had fair warning about and Marcy totally stayed on her to get the results we wanted. The other she had worked with before succesfully, but I doubt she'll recommend him ever again, so not to worry. HCTP searched high and low for a fabulous photographer that fell within our budget and found us the best team ever - they worked hard to make me happy! I'm not the kind of person who has been envisioning my wedding since the day I could walk so it was really important for me to have Marcy and her team helping me figure out what we wanted. I'm also not a details person, and they made it so easy for me to manage what details I needed to deal with. My family and friends who were around the weekend of really enjoyed Marcy and her team which was important. I am a budget-conscious person, and I appreciated that HCTP kept track of where we were with our budget and had great recommendations for vendors who would give us the most bang for our buck or little ways to cut corners. Every penny we spent was totally worth it, and it makes me suspicious that other places charge triple what she does! I suppose the wedding could have still happened without HCTP, but the event certainly would not have. I highly recommend Marcy and her team for your wedding or event, even if you don't think you need a planner.

We recently attended a wedding reception at a nearby forest preserve that used the services of A…read moreTouch of Elegance. Needless to say, it was an enjoyable experience! The meals came from someone else, but the orderly fashion it was presented and served was duly noted. That goes double for the drink line as well; I ordered non-alcoholic drinks and still felt appreciated. Kudos to the two sisters and Diane D. who worked the event! A Touch of Elegance definitely showed a touch of class!.

A Touch of Elegance was nothing but a disappointment by Denise (Owner) our event executer…read more When reading this review, please realize this was written to help other brides and people who deserve an amazing event planner/executor for their special day. We hired a Touch of Elegance to ONLY execute our designs for our wedding in September 2019. I (The Bride) worked with the owner herself, Denise, who agreed to take on this project. I gave her specific details and instructions on how I wanted key aspects of my wedding to come together which included: putting up a photo backdrop which I designed, placing all tent cards in order on the backdrop, assisting with gathering family members for pictures during cocktail hour, making sure the banquet hall was ready (table numbers, reserved seating, guest gifts) for photography before guests arrive, setting up the memory table, the autograph table, and placing signage. We also had a surprise swing dance number for our guests and I had a dress change, so that is the only thing that she helped us with correctly. Please see the images attached regarding how each part was executed INCORRECTLY as there was not enough room to write it all here sadly. We gave Denise a Call regarding feedback Being the "Hospitality Power Couple" (name given by our family and friends) and myself for receiving a degree in graphic design and hospitality, we were EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED. Learning of some of the issues during our wedding, after our wedding, learning much more from family friends, and the staff of our hotel venue about Denise was hard to take in. Unfortunately, we had to call Denise to ask how she felt our wedding day went as we wanted to hear her side of the story. The best way to sum up the call would be that it showed us who Denise really is. She kept telling us "She DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH TIME". Our first thought was, if you did not leave yourself enough time, why not bring in more of your staff to help you. We placed our trust and faith in her as she reassured us many times everything will be wonderful on our wedding day since we were over organized and too detailed, but it shows that no matter how OCD you may be, it can still be executed WRONG. With Denise knowing all this taking place during our wedding, we feel we wasted our money as we never planned to have an event planner execute our designs but my now husband convinced me that she was worth it. Sadly, we were wrong, and we paid for it as we DID NOT RECEIVE A REFUND from Denise. From one business owner to another (founder of my graphic design company and a nonprofit), I was also DISAPPOINTED that she DID NOT CARE TO CALL us for our feedback. I had to reach out to her to set up a call. As an owner, I would want my clients to be honest with me about my work, my work ethic, and how I am as person when working with clients. I am always trying to be better for my clients, and I hope she does the same going forward because I will never recommend her to family or friends after this experience. I hope Denise learns from our wedding on how not to treat people and their guests when hosting an event. My biggest hope is that she does not cause any of these problems for anyone else's event going forward as no one needs more stress on a big day like their wedding or any special event for that matter.