This owner lied three times in the response to our Google review. Why would you hire a company…read morethat can't admit fault? If Big Hugs had simply written, "We made mistakes at your event. We see that and we are sorry," I might have softened or retracted parts of my review, and responded in kind. But they made a different choice. So we double down, too: Do Not Hire Big Hugs. We will let our contacts in Chicagoland know our experience, and we strongly recommend our lovely Naperville venue's clients look elsewhere for a photo booth vendor. One Star. original review: We were so surprised and aghast that this highly-recommended photo vendor failed so epically: 1) subjects were cut out of photos 2) backdrop was broken and we had to fix it Big Hugs was hired for a large Celebration of Life event bringing together relatives and friends from across the country. To memorialize the day, we provided this service so loved ones could take group and family photos. Only after the event, paging through the photo book, did we see that on the majority of prints, subjects were not even within the frame of the photos! We had approval in advance from Big Hugs to provide our own rented couch to set in front of the backdrop, and asked repeatedly if the couch would appear too low in the frame, or if those standing behind would appear too high. Big Hugs' on-site attendant assured us he would make sure and this would be no problem. Yet in about 35% of photos, taller guests' heads were partially cut off, and guests on the couch appeared only from the neck up. Some were out of frame on the sides of photos. The rest of the photos looked ridiculous because the people on the couch were way down in the lower third of the photo. So, why is an attendant present if it's not to ensure good photographs!? From a once-in-a-lifetime event, our guests took home ridiculous, unprofessional photos as their remembrance. This is not what we intended when hiring a professional photo booth vendor at a premium price. Prior to the event, as the attendant set up, we noticed the backdrop was hanging crooked. Two event planners and myself asked if he would fix this before guests arrived. He replied, "I can't. That's how it is." Our venue manager said to the attendant, "This looks terrible and is unacceptable." He did nothing. So she stepped in herself and created a fix for the broken backdrop provided by Big Hugs. Subsequently, our event planner reached out and explained the situation to Big Hugs, who pushed back saying the attendant reported everything was fine. Then offered a 20% discount. Our planner detailed again the numerous points of failure, and then Big Hugs offered 50% off the remaining balance. That Big Hugs charged us *anything at all* after their epic fail should be an embarrassment to them. Highly do not recommend Big Hugs to anyone seeking professional photo booth for an event they care about.

I wish I could recommend this photo booth - but they won't return my calls. I have yet to receive…read moremy photos or emails that I have already paid for. When you pay, you are supposed to receive something. Good luck on getting your pics!

Shelia has been our loyal photographer for our school's Daddy Daughter Dance for over 10 years…read more She does a fantastic job managing up to 100 families getting their photos taken within a 2 hour period that evening. She does it with a smile and a great sense of ease. The photos come back quickly and are truly beautiful. There isn't one bad photo in the batch. The families are thrilled with the photos and will have them to cherish for a lifetime. Many thanks Shelia!

Sheila has photographed my daughter for 10 years and I have the most beautiful pictures to…read moretreasure. She is PERFECT for kids. She doesn't get frustrated and she has a way of getting the shot every time.

Throughout our time with Karolina, she was very unorganized, forgetting many details that had…read morealready been discussed. We spoke to her a few times about her lack of organization, but she didn't seem to correct it. Karolina may need and assistant as she seems too busy. I wrote out all of the details so she wouldn't forget and I also provided the venue with a copy as back up. Karolina did not seem comfortable with conversing via phone so it was difficult to reach her. She sent long emails, ignoring our preference of communicating via phone due to our busy work schedule. Karolina's true lack of organization was obvious during our wedding rehearsal, as she did not know what to do. Everyone was lost because she didn't bring copies of the ceremony schedule. It was very embarrassing for our wedding party and the venue staff to keep telling us how unorganized, overwhelmed, and how much of an amateur she looked, and how rude she was to them when they asked simple questions. I explained to Karolina that she was unorganized and everyone could see it. She stormed off screaming "I am organized. I am organized", which was one of the most unprofessional and bizarre moments I have ever experienced. Karolina disappeared many times during our almost THREE hour rehearsal, leaving us to figure things out. She left without apologizing or even saying bye to me. The rehearsal put us behind 2 hours, which forced us to cancel our welcome reception for out of town guests. We had to be the mediator for some issues Karolina and our vendors had. Our makeup schedule was thrown off because Karolina lied about sending the wedding day timeline to our makeup artist. BUYER BEWARE: She will make up lies about us firing "many wedding coordinators and florist" , which is SIMPLY NOT TRUE. Not apologizing for how much stress she gave us, as SPECIFICALLY cited above, not addressing her performance, and completely making up lies, truly shows her true colors.

Dear Future Bride,…read more I am happy to give you nothing but my utmost recommendation that you book Karolina and book her now! I would like to give you a balanced review in which I tell you all the good things but also mention things to be wary of, but unfortunately I cannot-- I don't have a single negative thing to say! If there is one thing in our wedding planning that was absolutely worth every penny (and more!), it was hiring Karolina on as our day-of coordinator. She is by far the most reasonably and affordably priced day-of that we've seen, and her dedication to your wedding cannot be matched (and will be apparent immediately). As far as "value for the cost"-- look no further! She is priced WAY below the "big name" (and not so "big name") coordinators, and her attention to every one of YOUR details will make you feel like you've gotten away with a steal! She never asks you anything twice-- she will know every detail of your dream and vision as well as you do! While she is a "day-of" coordinator, her work starts the moment you hire her and she communicates with you and your vendors constantly up until the moment you say "I do." Her response time via email is almost immediate, and you never have to wait more than a few hours. In fact, she often emailed me reminders and such before I even had to contact her! I don't communicate very well over the phone, so I can't comment on her availability via phone, but if she is at all as attentive by phone as she is by email, you have will have no problem! The timeline that she creates is very thorough and very helpful. She helped keep everything organized and moving throughout the wedding process. She actively communicates with all of your vendors throughout your planning and the day of your wedding, and I didn't worry about anything on my wedding day-- I knew she had it covered! She is very friendly, and her demeanor is pleasant. This is a plus when she's dealing with wedding issues, as people feel comfortable around her and do not feel like they're being yelled at. She was punctual and professional, and was always there to help with "emergencies," even if it wasn't outlined in her job description (i.e. I forgot vase marbles and she was there with a full bag!!). Overall, I highly highly recommend her as your day-of coordinator!!

I have volunteered for the Square Roots Festival for many years now. I love doing it, but the time…read morewasted waiting to be taken to your assignment is not fun. There is a chaotic vibe running through the people handling the volunteers. They need to get much more organized to earn a 5 star rating. My last assignment had 3 people on cash payment for tickets and only 1 for credit card, and you guessed it, the credit card line was ridiculously long, which the rest of us sat like mopes! What is needed here is organization, organization, organazation! And it would be nice if the head of the volunteer group didn't get so stressed that she borders on being rude. Just saying!

Big Buzz Idea Group creates and produces many of Chicago's most beloved summer festivals, as well…read moreas many other wonderful events around the year! I've interacted with the Big Buzz staff at several events over the past few years. They are professional, courteous of the neighborhoods/residents and respectful of everyone involved from staff to volunteers and event patrons. Most of all, Big Buzz Idea Group takes on events/festivals with the goal of leaving the neighborhood better than how they found it. This is accomplished through a volunteer grant program (which Big Buzz developed) that has funneled millions of dollars into local NPOs, schools, churches and other organizations. Big Buzz Idea Group are good people crafting great events for the betterment of others.

I really enjoyed using this Pristinelight Photobooth! The staff was welcoming, patient, and made…read moreeveryone feel comfortable in front of the camera.

Hands down the best decision we made…read more 312 Films absolutely killed it!!! I'd recommend them a thousand times over to anyone who wants their wedding day captured in the most beautiful way. Words can't describe how thankful we are for 312 Films. Our wedding video is beyond stunning..it's something we'll cherish forever. You can feel the heart, care, and creativity that went into every single frame. These memories are truly priceless, and because of your team, we get to relive them for the rest of our lives. You gave us the greatest gift of being able to relive the day over and over again, and we'll never stop being grateful. Your work is pure magic, and we feel so lucky that you were the ones to capture our day.

312Film is the best choice for your wedding video, period! Anna and Artem run 312Film- they are an…read moreextremely talented husband and wife team who personally film your day, edit the video, and deliver your final product. They are prompt and responsive so you don't need to keep emailing them to reach out or remind them of things. They pay attention during your meetings so you don't end up repeating yourself- they understand exactly what you're looking for/what kind of couple you are/what you'll end up caring about and then make a super individualized video for you. They gave the perfect amount of direction to us throughout the day, so my husband and I look natural- not awkward or forced- but we have all of the gorgeous romantic/epic moments you'd want in a wedding video. Anna is SUPER creative so she had me do little things for the camera that came out GORGEOUS (ex: she had me walk down the hallway and open the double doors to my bridal suite and I look like a QUEEN in that shot). They even split up- so Anna filmed my morning, while Artem filmed my husband's morning-before coming together for the 1st look and rest of the day's events and the film product ended up so cohesive with such an epic style. I think because they're two married artists, they have a deep, almost telepathic understanding of what will work so Anna and Artem would be filming us without having to talk to one another and interrupt/ruin a candid shot as it was unfolding or make us reenact things. These 2 can communicate just by looking at each other so they were able to capture us genuinely laughing or talking and those little natural soundbite pearls made the video extra special for us. Anna and Artem are such pleasant, loving, genuinely empathetic people that made a stressful day feel safe and relaxed. They have such a wonderful disposition and energy. I spent over 12 hours with them and never one time felt irritated, even during moments of stress (which you will inevitably have on your wedding day!). Lastly- Anna and Artem worked super well with my 2 photographers- which I didn't realize would be so important! 312Film would create a situation or give us direction on something to do and it gave our photographers some of their best shots/our favorite pictures. If you're shopping around- just take my advice and hire 312Film. You will not regret it. They are worth every penny and I'd use them again in a heartbeat!