Rick was the MC at our good friend's wedding back in 2016. He was also the MC at my sister's wedding in April of 2018. Then in September, Rick was the MC at our wedding. My brother just asked me if Rick does out of town weddings for his wedding next year. If you didn't notice the pattern, our family can't get enough of Rick! I cannot put into words how AMAZING this guy is! Not only is Rick easy to talk to and personable, he is organized and has the charisma/energy to keep everyone engaged during the reception. He is consistent, funny, and made our special day so much better! We used Special Occasion Events, LLC (Rick and DJ Mambo) for our cocktail hour and reception. On the day of, we had some technical difficulties with the wireless mic from the venue. Without charging us extra, Rick and his team jumped right in and were able to help us get it up and running minutes before the ceremony. We also forgot to send Rick a list of questions for our newlywed shoe game. Instead of skipping it, Rick said it would be ok to text it to him right before! We can't thank Rick enough! Family and friends have asked us where we found him and all I can say is that we were so lucky that we did! Weddings are expensive and stressful but this was a decision that I easily checked off from the start! The services they provided was very good value and I highly recommend Rick & DJ Mambo to any bride! read more

Wedding Planner Full Service I couldn't have better things to say about working with Rick and Special Occasion Events . We booked a full wedding planning package and MC. And Throughout the planning process, Valerie and Rick were attentive, organized and resourceful. Valerie helped to alleviate any additional stress leading up to the wedding by providing helpful tips and resources that kept me and my husband on track for our big day. She made the wedding planning process so much better. She went out of her way to accommodate us in many occasion . She make sure we were happy with every decision we made about our vendors and work professionally with every vendor. And on our rehearsal day and made sure all of our attendants (and little ones!) knew exactly what they were doing, and made it fun and enjoyable throughout. On our wedding day, I knew I had absolutely nothing to stress about because Valeri and Rick were on it. Every little detail, every step of the way. I couldn't have asked for a better planner and MC and am so grateful that we picked Special Occasion Events to help us throughout our wedding planning. I would recommend Special Occasion Events to absolutely anyone! read more

Rick and Maggie are the best! We hired Special Occasion Events for day-of wedding coordination, and we couldn't be happier with our decision. Rick and Maggie had a plan from our very first meeting (almost a year before our wedding day), and they helped us structure our wedding every step of the way. They went far beyond simple "day-of" coordination, and they were there to help us at every step in our journey. Rick has a charismatic personality that makes him an excellent planner: he was great at getting everyone excited about the wedding day. Maggie is also fun and outgoing, and she is superbly organized. We didn't have to worry about vendor organization or timelines on our wedding day; my husband and I were able to relax and enjoy ourselves knowing that Maggie and Rick had everything under control. On top of everything else, we were able to entrust Rick with the set-up of some of our most personal details - we provided photos and candles, and Rick was able to arrange a beautiful memorial table for us. We have nothing but great things to say about Special Occasion Events, and we would recommend them to anyone getting married in Chicago! read more

We chose to hire Rick and Special Occasions Events Inc for our wedding, and it was by far the best decision we made! They did an amazing job of keeping the party going, and working with us on every single one of our requests. Rick met with us on several occasions, in order to make our day absolutely perfect! In addition to providing the DJ/MC duties for our special day, Rick hired assistants and photographer to make everything run smoothly. On the day of there were a couple hiccups, but Rick and his team were right there to help us figure things out and get everything back on track. Rick was always there and available whenever we had questions or concerns. At one point Rick was actually on a trip to Orlando, but still texted us back immediately and even called us as soon as he got into his hotel. If you're looking to have the best day of your life, then you NEED to hire Rick and the Special Occasions Events Inc team! They made our wedding a lot less stressful, and we would recommend their services to anyone. Rick and the Special Occasions Inc team made our wedding perfect! read more

We couldn't have asked for a better M.C. & Choreographer, along for the ride were his trustly D.J. plus one! Thank you Rico for the wonderful job you did as our M.C. Saturday night for our daughter's Jazmin Quinceanera! Our friends and family were very pleased with how smooth the program went and the additional party favors at the end was priceless! I think the kids and teens where most excited about the glow foam sticks :-), but I did see some parents fist pumping them in the air as well! I used it as my very own personal sword and to keep the teens & adults from getting to close on the dance floor. You and the teens nailed it, from the waltz, to the father daughter dance, and the tres sorpresas, our family and friends couldn't find anything more fitting for these youngsters! I would definitely recommend you and your services to anyone. I'll be using you again for our next occasion whatever that might be! Gracias otra vez Chico! read more

Special Occasion Events (Rick and DJ Magic) made our wedding reception a total blast! Rick is super organized and met with us ahead of time to get the timeline and song list finalized, traveled to the venue to check it our ahead of time, and seamlessly MC'd the reception! DJ Magic really impressed us with his mixing skills! We incorporated a lot of music from Africa and he masterfully mixed with salsa, bachata, jazz and top 40 hits - even after receiving the music only 2 weeks ahead of the event! They even kept us up to date on the Cubs playoffs score (as requested) throughout the night! My family was so impressed with how easy and smoothly everything happened - and I give all the credit to the wonderful team Rico, his DJ and the reception site staff at Osteria Via Stato for doing a spectacular job! Thank you for giving us a reception our families will remember with smiles and warm hearts for a lifetime. read more

We hired Rick and his team to provide Emcee and DJ service for our wedding and honestly couldn't have wished for better. Rick was incredible in every aspect, he kept the wedding running flawlessly, while at the same time ensuring that the attention was in the right place. Every single person that we have spoken to since the wedding mention how incredible Rick was, I can't thank him enough. I will be actively recommending Rick and his team to anyone and everyone and have already passed his info onto a few people that attended the wedding that have said they want to book him for any event they're doing. Anyone looking for an emcee and DJ service for their wedding or event should definitely book Rick and his team quickly to be sure he's available as I'm sure he will be in high demand! Thanks Rick and team, you truly made our wedding an amazing day! read more

There is one word to describe what special occasions events does to an event....PERFECT! I have been doing events for over seven years I hosted events everywhere in Chicago from Navy Pier,private banquet halls even to Hotels and none of them were able to compare to the Decore and the beauty that he brings to your event! I recently had a fundraiser at the Zhou B art center and the guest were simply amazed at how great the place looked! Rick and his crew worked for over 12 hours nonstop to make it look the best it has ever looked, from the location of the stage to the set up of the bars and even hanging up the banners all was perfect! Rick's and his crew were professional, courteous and polite but most of all come "show time" the event glowed and made us all look great in pictures! Call them to get your event looking like it should...PERFECT! read more

I hired Special Occasion Events INC for my wedding in July of 2017. Having seen Rick and his team in action at a previous wedding there was no doubt as to who I was going to call when my wedding came along. Special Occasion Events in extremely responsive and proactive in communications from beginning to end. Rick is full of recommendations to help your wedding day run smoothly and to make sure the party is amazing. Not only do you get a fun DJ staff playing a setlist build custom for you and your guests, but you get THE BEST MC in the world!! Rick and the team is always lively and energetic and the vibe is felt by everyone involved. Special Occasion Events in extremely knowledgable and professional. I am beyond pleased with Special Occasion Events and would encourage anyone looking to have a great time with some great people! read more

Rick is fantastic! He's got a magnetic personality, and he's so good at managing the event that once we hired him we didn't have to worry at all. He dealt with our vendors to coordinate the big day, and I was way less stressed knowing that I could hand something over to him and he would take care of it without any problems. I can't imagine someone doing a better job, and his rates are very reasonable. On the day of the wedding, he and his assistant were on site before anyone, and we didn't have any hiccups because they handled everything smoothly and professionally. During the reception, they were the life of the party, and Rick helped rally the troops more than once to keep people dancing and having a good time. I cannot say this emphatically enough-- if you're having a wedding in the Chicago area, hire Rick Mangram. read more

Rick was awesome! I had a small wedding but he turned my reception into a total dance party like no other. 5 stars for you, Rick and your team. My family members and friends were so impressed and all said amazing words about him. If you are looking for an MC, look no farther. Maggie and the DJ were outstanding too. Rick's coordinating and hosting skills are not just professional but he was also very compassionate making sure that I and my fiancé were comfortable and guests were well attended. Maggie was so sweet, like a sister helping us out and making sure things are flowing smoothly. I had very good feedback from guests saying that they had so much fun! All thanks to Rick and his team. FYI Special Occasions Events is also affordable, you will be getting more than your money's worth! Thank you, Rick -- from Ross and I. read more

My family hired Special Occasion Events for dance choreograph and emcee services for my niece's quincenera. Rico provide excellent instructions to the children, was very patient, and had a great enthusiastic attitude throughout the 3 months of reversal. On the night of our event Rico went out of his way to keep our event on schedule, provide much support to my family, other event vendors, and instructed the children of my niece's court with great enthusiasm. Last but of course not the least part of his service, Rico emcee service was outstanding, he keep the mood of the event up beat and engage our guest to ensure my niece, my family, and our guest had a great time. Thank you Rico and Special Occasion Events, all of your great work and support was greatly appreciated. My wedding is next!!! read more

Rick did an absolutely outstanding job being the MC at our wedding. We had a wide assortment of guests on a boat and really wanted everyone to have a good time. Rick masterfully filled in the blanks between events so that everyone knew what was happening and that they were enjoying themselves. When it was time to dance, his energy kept everyone out on the dance floor. Whether they could dance or not everyone wanted to be there with Rick, even my 80-year-old-grandma was up and moving with a smile on her face...MY GRANDMA(!!). Even though he was running the show, we never felt like he stole the spotlight from us as bride and groom. Rick kept everything happening with us in mind and we all had the time of our lives. It was the best wedding day ever. Thank you Special Occasion Events! read more

Rick recently MC'd my mother's celebration of life party. He did a great job managing the flow of the evening and was able to keep everyone entertained throughout-- including having to do some stalling to keep the crowd distracted because of technical difficulties we were having with our slideshow. He has great energy, connects with the crowd well and stays on task while keeping things fun and engaging. He took the time to meet with us beforehand to plan the evening and is serious about being organized and staying within the theme of an event. He gave us guidance on what would work best (chronologically) and he also gave us some unique ideas to make our event more special. I highly recommend Special Occasion Events and would use them again! read more

The soonest you meet Rico from Special Occasions you get the impression that he will turn your party up. At the day of our wedding, it was exactly that. Rico was there throughout the whole wedding helping and guiding us. He was very adaptive and manage unexpected things that came up very calmy and professional. He kept communicating and checking in with us, which really put my wife at ease. Rico's energy is so contagious that he had everyone at our party participating, laughing and enjoying themselves. Dj Magic rocked our party. Our friends and family kept dancing all night because music selection was on point. We have nothing but gratitude and love for Rico and Dj Magic of Special Occasions. They really made our wedding a special occasion! read more

We hired Rick to be our wedding DJ and he was THE BEST! Everyone had an amazing time at our wedding because of his effervescent personality, excellent music choices and the smooth way he kept us all on track. He was courteous, respectful, enthusiastic and just a lot of fun. We have handed out his cards to all the friends who complimented us on his service and we highly recommend him to anyone looking for a memorable DJ who will make your wedding the best party anyone has ever been to. We had so many people tell us that very thing! We are actually thinking of throwing a party for our one year anniversary just so we can hire him again, no kidding! Hiring him was the best thing we did for our wedding, without a doubt! read more

Rico and DJ Mambo are hands down the best duo i have ever seen at a wedding!! My wife and I had the honor to have them at our wedding this past friday 7-7-2017 and WOW what an amazing time. Rico is a fantastic Host and he brings such an incredible energy to the party. Their music selection was beyond perfect. These guys are true professionals and they were like family members in our party!! There was not one person sitting down once the party kicked off and im still having people talk about how fantastic Rico and DJ Mambo were at the party. If your planning a wedding, these guys are a MUST at your party!!!! Thank you Rico and Dj. Mambo for making our special day the best ever!!! read more

Loved loved loved Rick and his team! He literally did everything with the biggest smile on his face, made sure we were always having a great time, and literally made the party with his outgoing personality! I especially loved how he joined in on the dancing...he's got some moves :) He was amazing with all our guest to the point where we had several people ask where I found him so they can use him in the future, some guest even requested his business card personally! I would definitely recommend Special Occasion Events to anyone who is looking for a team who will go above and beyond! Our reception was perfect! read more

Rick and his team did an excellent job for our wedding this past weekend. He got everyone on their feet and dancing, even my brother who never dances! All of the guests kept coming up to my wife and me to tell us how much they loved Rick. Rick and his team were at the venue early to set up and we very much appreciated his punctuality. We also loved that his services were so affordable and fair. Weddings can be very stressful at times but Rick and his team made everything so fun! I would highly recommend Rick and his team to anyone throwing a wedding or special event. Thank you Rick! You made the wedding! read more