Our daughter's wedding was on June 9, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. The day unfolded just perfectly…read morethanks to Katie Goggin of Designer Event Chicago. Katie's attention to detail, professionalism, and expertise resulted in an absolutely flawless event. We prepared for this day for over a year and Katie was with us every single step of the way. She met our requests promptly and cheerfully. It was just wonderful being able to enjoy the wedding day knowing that Katie was "behind the scenes" making sure that the entire day would be a lovely memory, which it is.

Katie Goggin was absolutely wonderful to work with! She was our wedding planner and truly made the…read moreexperience fun (and less stressful!). I looked forward to each meeting with Katie, she is so kind and professional. Also, the vendors she suggested were amazing. I owe it to her for our gorgeous location, spectacular florist, and great band .... and pretty much every other detail :) The day of went so smoothly thanks to Katie and her hard work and patience! We couldn't have been happier!

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!

This review is long overdue, but I had to share! I called several balloon companies and was getting…read morenervous about pulling this off in such a short time--until I connected with Megan at North Shore Balloon Decor. From our very first conversation, I felt completely at ease. Megan clearly knows her stuff! I signed the contract that same day (or maybe the next) and sent a few emails to confirm details. Every time, she stayed calm and reassured me: "I got this." And she delivered! The team arrived early, set everything up beautifully, and even made tweaks based on my suggestions. Everything turned out perfect. If you want a balloon company that truly knows what they're doing, this is the one. I recommend them hands down--actually, hands and toes down. I wanted an orange balloon arch and got exactly what I asked for.

They offer Beyond great service! I was in a bind, she came through and exceeded my expectations!…read moreThe balloon arch was gorgeous! Better than what we had expected and made a very very well! All the balloons were perfectly circular ( ours didn't have variety in size so this was important! She blew up the balloons and was using an arch that I owned to put put the arch together at my request . my arch had some tape on it from older use, the balloons kept popping ! she knew exactly how to remedy the problem, and fixed it so quick! She is very artistic fast and professional, and sweet and kind too! Do not hesitate for a second, whatever your request is she will fill it beautifully ! North Shore Balloon Decor will be my only Balloon people from now on! Great work, great price !

Sunshine Arts & Crafts is one of my daughter's favorite spots for a bday party. When I pick her up…read moreI can expect to see a big smile and a beautiful painted creation...usually something with a rainbow on it. I've been meaning to do a drop in visit, but the few times I've called in the past they've been closed. But today was my lucky day because when looking for a rainy day activity I called and their VM said they would be open from 11am-4pm. When we arrived there was (of course) a birthday party...actually 2 of them! My daughter and her friend looked longingly at the bday treats, but I insisted they quickly pick out their pieces and then we made our way to the other side of the shop. Then they saw a friend from school come out of the glow and the dark room (who knew there was one)...there was some sort of cosmic painting party going on in there. We checked it out and my daughter declared she was going to have a future bday party right in that room. Then they got to work on their pottery pieces...a popsicle for my daughter and a unicorn rainbow for her friend. At $17/piece this is more expensive than some of the other pottery places we've been to, but they do give you unlimited paint colors. It took a little while for the staff to get us our paint thanks to the bday parties, but the girls could learn some patience anyway. Once we got going the staff was on it...constantly changing out the yucky water. And the girls were absolutely thrilled when the bday party mom gave them lollipop favors. 30 minutes later their creations were done...the taff glazed them and even added some glitter. They were ready to display at home! Highly recommend for bday parties, but also a fun way to kill an hour...especially on a rainy/cold/hot day!

This review was removed by Yelp saying... And I quote:…read more "We're writing to let you know that we've removed your review of Sunshine Arts & Crafts because it falls outside our Content Guidelines. Ultimately, while we understand you were at an event where Sunshine Arts & Crafts provided service, at this time we think that the people who are in the best position to review businesses like these are the customers themselves (who may deal with the business not only on the day-of the event, but other aspects as well such as pre-event planning). Thanks for understanding and we'll see you on Yelp!" To this I respond, MY review was written by me while at MY son's birthday party. I paid for the event in question. So to wit... I am in the best position to have experienced this business for TWO events I PAID FOR. Thank you for not removing the review without having at least asked me. And now for the review. ------- First, my review is NOT based upon one visit but several, it is only this last visit I thought I should take the time to write a review. Normally, I don't write reviews that are negative and definitely not if the review has to do with a personal pet peeve. I personally hate those types of reviews because all that means is someone got a isolated bad experience. All the prophylactics made now let me give my feedback.... The owners are a husband and wife, they fit one another perfectly - they are a hyper-sensitive overly-anxious couple that appears to be incredibly nervous every time a child moves around their shop during birthday parties which is something they supposedly specialize in. Anyone who is in the business of hosting children's birthdays needs to be less than neurotic when children show up. Mind you no one was running around or yelling or misbehaving on any of the times I went to see birthday events but these two acted like nervous grandparents watching children in a hand blown glass store. The woman hovers over and micro manages the kids and the husband stands back and scowls at the kids. It's amazing to see two of the least laid back least friendly people one could imagine are in the business of hosting children's events. There is nothing wrong with having their up-tight personality in and of itself, it's just I have never seen two more misplaced people for this job in my life. Neither of them have ever smiled that I could see at any of the birthday parties I have come to, this last one was no exception. The man guards the one half of the shop from infiltration by children as if he is a border guard on the Berlin Wall. The woman is so anal retentive (uptight) she spends most of her time tasking the kids to move along - she could be mistaken for a railway guard rather than an art teacher for children. At the end, I actually felt sorry for the owners. For reasons I can not fathom they have assigned themselves to their own personal hell since it appears from every fiber of their being that they are completely stressed out and unhappy at what they do. Mind you, the product at issue is fine, the art is fine, the venue is fine, it is just I have never seen two people who appear more viscerally unhappy than these two and in the context of a kids event it just isn't worth it to subject yourself to that type of negative energy.

Amazing unique eye for design. Ellie is lovely and so easy…read moreto work with. She will make your dream event come true!

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.

My son has been on the boys hip hop dance team going on his 7th year this year. This has been the…read moremost amazing experience. We have an incredible leadership team in our choreography and studio director. The communication for the team is amazing and we the team of boys has grown together over the past few years so much that it has led us to compete and win First Place of World of Dance and we have traveled to CA for the past 2 years. It has been an incredible experience and moving into our last year is very emotional to think we have to leave the studio when he graduates.

My granddaughter has danced at Soul2Sole since she was 11/2. She finally moved into the preschool…read moreprogram and has had a wonderful experience with the preschool team! They are warm and friendly, they have an amazing energy and work very hard for each child to have a positive experience. I couldn't be more pleased with them and Soul2Sole.

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 had spent a ton of time planning a full weekend of events for my son's bar mitzvah and then a few…read moredays before realized I hadn't ordered flowers for our Friday night dinner for out of towners. Yelp (and Delores) to the rescue. I've had some great experience with local florists in the area, but always up for trying a new amazing business and couldn't resist reaching out to Delores after reading her amazing reviews. Delores made the process super easy. I told her the colors we had in mind and the # of tables/bar and minutes later she sent pics of gorgeous flowers. And minutes after that she sent a payment link. Done and done! After detailing with one detail after another for the weekend I was glad this was easy. They took care of delivering the flowers to the venue the day of the dinner and they looked absolutely gorgeous when we walked in the room- the flowers themselves and the vases they were put in. I even reused them for our Sunday morning brunch and they were still in perfect condition! I will definitely use Luminous Blooms for my floral needs again!

I called Luminous Blooms for a last minute (poor planning in my part) anniversary arrangement. The…read moreowner was very pleasant and accommodating, and most importantly created a beautiful arrangement with minimal direction. My wife LOVED it! (Picture taken on third day)

That Special Event catered a fundraiser at my home in Hinsdale. Jerry was amazing. His and the…read morestaff's attention to detail made the evening enjoyable and memorable for everyone. The team is professional, the food was delicious and the presentation was both creative and beautiful! I highly recommend Jerry and his team.

When I realized I misjudged the amount of food needed for my party and the amount of time and help…read moreI needed, Jerry drove over with a team of 3 additional people who, IN ONE HOUR, pulled everything together. I had the most elegant charcuterie board ever. I will never do another event without them will let them handle everything. I was relieved, impressed and delighted at the same time. This team is talented and has customer service down to a science. Thank you all for making my event so special.