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.

STAY AWAY!!!! Trust me, you will want to stay away from Rupal who is the owner of Malenia Events…read more She was absolutely the worst thing that could have happened to us when we planned our wedding. 7 Weeks before our wedding was to take place, she said not to worry at all that we did not choose a decor vendor! She did almost NOTHING! Her contracts states she will do a lot but oh my god she what we experienced was total laziness. We also caught her in verbal lies saying she did things long earlier when she actually never did. She talks a big game but does not deliver at all! Because we never got what we needed from her, which was planning...we got caught doing almost all of the work ourselves. For example, she told us she was going to give us "Inspiration Pictures" for our wedding. You know what it was....it was 2-4 small pics on a piece of paper! All she did was keep talking about these inspiration photos which would help us to decide decor and she showed us something so lame that a 15 year old could do way better! She is definitely not a good wedding planner in my opinion. She was rude on the phone with us, refused to do the work that was her responsbility so we ended up spending long days and nights drafting long emails to her about what exactly we wanted in our wedding. We sent complete pictures and design and all sorts of things. She offered ZERO unique ideas for our wedding and all of the ideas she did suggest were tacky and not with any level of class. We never saw eye to eye and she wrongfully said that we had a tight budget (which we corrected her numerous times) so she never communicated properly with our vendors. And it shows how foolish she is because we had our wedding at the top 2 most expensive places in Milwaukee. Our wedding was in the six figures so its clear she was completely clueless. When we told her we were unhappy with her services, she got mad at us and was very rude on the phone. She said she would help us find someone else to use and when we said we would fire her and get someone else she got mad and apparently started bad-mouthing us to all vendors in Chicago. When we asked for a refund she refused and threatened that she should charge us more! Every vendor we lined up said they barely ever heard from Rupal so she did virtually nothing. We were left scrambling to find a new wedding planner to take over and because we were so close to the wedding date we had to do 90% of the work all because we mistakingly chose to hire Rupal and Malenia Events. Do yourself a favor and DO NOT CALL RUPAL! She's the absolute WORST!

Where do I start with Rupal? She was our right hand throughout our wedding planning process. You…read morecan just see the passion in her work and her dedication to follow through is amazing to watch. From our weekly calls to the week of execution, there is no way we would have been able to have the wedding we did without her. Both our families felt so comfortable around Rupal and she did such a great job communicating with everyone. Never once was there any hesitation for any request that was asked of her and she went above and beyond to ensure that everything was perfect. Her timelines are absolutely godsend and we heard numerous compliments from our vendors about how easy it was to coordinate due to her incredibly detailed timeline. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you Rupal for everything last week and we love you so much!

Working with Pam was truly one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. From the very first…read moremeeting, she brought a sense of calm, confidence, and genuine care that made the entire planning process feel seamless. Pam has an incredible eye for detail and an innate ability to turn a vision into something even more beautiful than you imagined! She was organized, responsive, and always ten steps ahead, coordinating every vendor flawlessly and ensuring we never had to worry about a thing! On our wedding day, Pam and her team made everything run so smoothly that we were able to be fully present and actually enjoy every moment. Beyond her professionalism, Pam is simply a joy to work with; warm, thoughtful, and deeply invested in making the day special. Our guests are still raving about how perfect everything was, and we owe so much of that to her!!

We came here for an event honoring volunteers and achievements by the Respiratory Health…read moreAssociation. I like the outdoor setup, being cradled and surrounded by ivy walls. I wonder if that's the 'Ivy Room' of the namesake? We grabbed some drinks and enjoyed music, speeches and a special award. It's a nice space with seating, not just wicker chairs either but cushions! There were passed drinks and hor-durves, as well as friendly, helpful bartenders for those wanting beer, water or soda. One of us spilled something on a light-colored jacket, and they came to our rescue with seltzer and wipes. There was also a buffet with Spanish themed food (empanadas, paella) and small bite dessert bar. I asked about what had red meat/pork and thankfully I was dutifully informed. The caterers gave me and my party some leftovers! Not sure what prompted that but we appreciated it(we tipped even on free drinks). The missing star has to do with the wine. It was AWFUL! I tried to break it up with beer, but I got so sick the next day, I had to cancel my evening plans. I probably over indulged, but I have had more wine in one sitting with way fewer side effects. I may just stick with beer next time.

What a venue! After searching for months, we selected Chez. The location could not be better with…read moreeasy access from airports, a ton of hotels for all price ranges within stumbling distance, and the venue is just amazing. Communication was always prompt and they even helped us select the right designers/catering for what we envisioned. The techs made custom graphics for the massive LED wall, custom light shows for our events, and assisted with everything we needed every step of the way. I cannot recommend Chez's enough! If you need to host a meeting, event, or WEDDING- this is your place!

Attended a friend's 50th bday. I didn't see an elevator, there are 3 flights of stairs ... all the…read moreladies wearing heels and fancy dresses be warned . Inside is nice and clean with decent space for dance floor and food setup . Clean bathrooms and food is from the attached Indian restaurant which was okay.

First time going to a pottery class and Mar was amazing!!! Thank you so much and I'm so excited to…read morepick up my piece!!!

This was a phenomenal experience!!! I didn't think it was possible to do something like this, but…read morewe did it and I am so glad I did. Mar was amazing with teaching us and helping make beautiful pieces and was such a great person to talk to!!!

WARNING: DO NOT TRUST SONYA I hired Sonya in May 2020 as a…read morefull-time planner to help me plan a wedding for Aug 2022. I worked with Sonya for 4 months before I terminated the contract. In the 4 months, Sonya did not do anything except e-mail some venue options. I found Sonya to be highly unprofessional and dishonest. Sonya does not communicate and kept making excuses for not being able to accomplish any tasks. I got frustrated with her lack of progress and started planning my own wedding. It took me only 3 weeks to tour multiple venues and book one. Sonya would send me venue options via e-mail but never followed up or scheduled tours. She blamed the venues and claimed they were not responding to her. Weeks would go by and I would hear nothing from her. I checked up on her every 2-3 weeks to even get any information. After 3 months, she calls me saying she found a venue. She tells me it is within my budget and allows outside catering. She askes me to send me my availability to schedule a in-person tour. I send her my schedule and don't hear anything back. Two weeks later I call her and ask what happened. She again makes excuses that the venue isn't responding, etc. A few days later she e-mails me a contract for the venue with no information except the attached contract. The contract did NOT match anything Sonya told me over the phone. It was double the cost and did not allow for outside catering. I asked Sonya and she said it was just an "example" of a contract for me to see (what?) and that she will work it out with the vendor. Guess what? Never heard from Sonya again about this venue. We communicated to Sonya about our concerns with her work she never addressed them. I got frustrated and decided to contact venues on my own. In two weeks, I set MULTIPLE in-person venue tours and within 3 weeks I secured a venue that was within my budget and had flexible catering options. I fired Sonya after that. I did not have any issues contacting venues or hearing back from them. Sonya was being dishonest. I asked her to refund my deposit and she has not. I have filed a formal complaint to the BBB. Because of Sonya wasting 4 months, I was not able to secure the date I wanted. TLDR - Sonya took our deposit and accomplished nothing for 4 months. She barely communicated and she did, it was constant empty excuses and lies. She has refused to refund us. Because of her negligence I was not able to get the date I wanted at my venue.

I only wish I had hired Sonya earlier; my husband and I would have enjoyed our wedding prep and…read moremaybe even our wedding day a lot more. Who knew that was even possible? Sonya was kind, understanding, helped me find vendors, created my wedding timeline, ran errands, and so much more. Everything was so easy from the beginning. It starts with an initial consultation and she lays out all the details of her services. She was direct and genuinely does all that she can so the bride and groom can enjoy their day. She is also incredibly creative, energetic, and will go out of her way for you. I don't know what we would have done without her!

Jarrod's work would make Charles Dickens proud! Incredibly meticulous with details and delivers…read moreeverything on time. I would recommend his services for every holiday occasion

From the owner: curating premier, timeless designsread more

Tamar has planned several events for the alumnae group in my city for which I'm a board member…read more I'm particularly impressed by her attention to detail and commitment to the "experience" of an event. For example, Tamar's communications with planners and guests ahead of the event are informative, cordial, and focused. She quickly assesses the needs and vision of the hosts but also asks questions that allow her to obtain information needed to go above and beyond. Tamar has helped us think through the ways in which guests would hear about the event, the ways in which they'd be welcomed upon arrival, and how they would be able to connect with us afterward. Her commitment to a positive, energetic, and thoughtful event has really helped us bring our events to a new level and to reach new audiences.

Tamar Westphal Events can provide you exactly what you're looking for. From large-picture planning…read moreto small-scale details, Tamar will make sure that your personal vision will be carried through. She has an artistic flair and disciplined work ethic that means everything will look fabulous and run like clockwork.