The Top 5 Wedding Planners in Chicago

By  Tommy Peske
Updated on 12/27/23
The Top 5 Wedding Planners in Chicago

The Top 5 Wedding Planners in Chicago

By  Tommy Peske
Updated on 12/27/23
Wedding

Part of the Wedding

The Top 5 Wedding Planners in Chicago

By  Tommy Peske
Updated on 12/27/23
seperator

 couple talking to a wedding planner

 

It usually takes 6 to 12 months to plan a wedding, and even a simple wedding celebration often requires more planning than you anticipate. Wedding planning can be even more challenging in a big city like Chicago, where many services and venues are available. 

Fortunately, wedding planners can take the stress out of wedding planning for the soon-to-be-weds. A wedding planner undertakes some or all of the planning process so that you and your future spouse don’t have to plan it alone. 

If you’re looking for a wedding planner who can make your dream wedding a reality, there are numerous event planners in Chicago, Illinois, to ensure your wedding is full of incredible memories.

 

 

What to Look for in a Wedding Planner

Planning your wedding isn’t just about booking services and sending invitations. It also involves budgets, themes, decorations, locations, schedules, and backup plans. Luckily, a good wedding planner has a team of people with impressive organizational skills who can help you tackle the logistics of the big day.

However, to ensure that your wedding matches your vision, it is essential to know how to find the best wedding planner for you and your partner. Here are some things to look for:

Relevant Experience

Some weddings have far more moving parts, and some need a more nuanced understanding of sensitive issues like cultural or religious practices. Depending on your relationship and the kind of wedding you and your future spouse want, it may be a good idea to seek a planner who’s familiar with:

  • Faith-based or interfaith weddings
  • Cultural or intercultural weddings
  • LGBT+ services
  • Destination weddings
  • Sustainable or eco-friendly services

Good Communication

The right wedding planner will not only fit your and your partner’s schedule but also be responsive and easy to reach if either of you has questions or concerns. 

Ensure they are available on various communication channels, including text, instant messenger, video chat platforms, and email. You’ll typically communicate with your wedding planner more frequently if they’re planning the entire event than if they’re only providing partial planning services, but you should always be able to get a hold of them if needed. 

Prioritizes Your Concerns

People hire wedding planners for many reasons, and all couples have different concerns and priorities. Are you and your future spouse primarily concerned with theme, budget, location, schedule, or something else specific? 

Good wedding planners will put your priorities at the top of their list, ensuring that your wedding plans look precisely the way they would if you and your partner had planned the entire thing from scratch.

Personal Connection

The best wedding planner is one with whom you and your future spouse personally connect and feel comfortable. You’ll have better results working with them if you and your partner get along well with the planners rather than treating it like a business transaction.
wedding cake, wine glasses and gifts

 

The Top 5 Wedding Planners in Chicago, IL

When it comes to wedding planners, no one planner is perfect for everyone. Specific planners are often recommended for particular wedding styles. No matter what you’re looking for, these wedding planners can take care of everything so that you can enjoy your special day.

 

 

1. Best Planner for Themed Weddings: Shannon Gail Weddings

A instagram post of wedding food

When you and your other half already have a specific idea of how you want your wedding to look, Shannon Gail Weddings may be the perfect planning firm for your needs. Whether you and your partner hope for a classic wedding or an upscale fairytale dream, the team at Shannon Gail is ready to help.

You can rest assured that they have the skills to pull it off: they also have extensive experience planning high-end corporate events.

Some of the services they offer:

  • Complete wedding planning
  • Partial wedding planning
  • Rehearsal planning
  • Budgeting services
  • Vendor referrals and bookings
  • Venue selection and booking
  • Venue design and decoration

 

2. Best Planner for Luxury Weddings: Designer Event Chicago

Instagram post of champagne

Designer Event Chicago is a team of experienced planners more than prepared to organize an upscale event in Chicago. They pay close attention to every detail and customize them according to your specifications. With the careful support and assistance of Designer Event Chicago, you and your spouse-to-be are sure to have incredible memories of your big day in the big city. 

Designer Event Chicago’s portfolio includes weddings in urban lofts, world famous hotels, art galleries, museums, and historic buildings. Their events span a range of themes from industrial to modern glamor to timeless romance. 

Some of the services they offer include:

  • Complete wedding planning
  • Partial wedding planning
  • Vendor coordination
  • Rehearsal planning
  • Budgeting services
  • Vendor booking
  • Venue design
  • Venue selection and decoration
  • Scheduling assistance
  • Corporate Events
  • Bar/bat mitzvahs
  • Social Events

 

 

3. Best Planner for Low Budgets: Chicago Vintage Weddings

Instagram post of a beautiful wedding venue

Chicago Vintage Weddings services start at much lower prices than many other options in the area. But that doesn’t mean they’ll sacrifice attention to detail. You and your partner will receive as much or as little help planning as you want or need, even if your budget is on the lower end of the scale.

Chicago Vintage Weddings plans everything from low-cost ceremonies to luxury weddings, so they know the difference between a budget wedding and a wedding within your budget. If you want to spend a little (or a lot) more on your ceremony, they go the extra mile with their offerings, even allowing you to rent furniture or event spaces. 

Some of the services they offer:

  • Complete wedding planning
  • Partial wedding planning
  • “Month-of” or “day-of” planning for weddings in a month
  • Custom wedding packages
  • Budgeting services
  • Contract negotiation
  • Vendor booking
  • Venue design and decoration
  • Furniture and decoration rentals
  • Venue rentals

 

 

4. Best Planner for Destination Weddings: LOLA Event Productions

Instagram post of a couple all packed up for their destination wedding

Whether you and your spouse-to-be dream of a faraway wedding or want to plan a wedding in Chicago from afar, LOLA Event Productions can provide the wedding of your dreams. They have extensive experience juggling complex plans, thanks to the fact that they also organize large corporate and social events. 

Regardless of where you want your wedding to be, LOLA’s team is right there with you and ready to help.

Some of the services they offer:

  • Complete wedding planning
  • Partial wedding planning
  • Destination wedding planning
  • “Last minute” planning for weddings in 3 to 6 months
  • Rehearsal planning
  • Budgeting services
  • Vendor recommendations and bookings
  • Venue design
  • Venue selection and booking
  • Wedding website creation and maintenance
  • Scheduling assistance
  • Unlimited consults with the planning team

 

 

5. Best Wedding Planner for Multicultural Weddings: Sweetchic Events, Inc.

Instagram post of a couple holding hands

Focused exclusively on wedding planning services, Sweetchic Events is a wedding planning company run by owner and lead planner Charlene Liang. Though the company is dedicated to providing every wedding with incredible service, they take particular care to treat multicultural weddings with the sensitivity and respect they deserve, celebrating both of the newlywed couple’s cultures and customs at the ceremony.

Sweetchic Events takes on far fewer weddings than most planners to focus their full attention on the ones they’re working on. Whether your ceremony is small or large, simple or elegant, long or short, they’ll make it look exactly the way you and your partner want it to look.

Some of the services they offer:

  • Complimentary initial consultation
  • Complete wedding planning
  • Partial wedding planning
  • Wedding coordination, two months before the wedding
  • Rehearsal planning
  • Budgeting services
  • Vendor recommendations and bookings
  • Venue design
  • Venue selection and booking
  • Scheduling assistance

 

 

Get the Help You Need with Wedding Planning

Wedding planning can be overwhelming; from the guest list to the venue to the menu, there’s a lot to consider, and there’s no shame in needing help sorting out the logistics. The support of the right wedding planner is guaranteed to remove some of the pre-wedding stress, no matter if they’re planning the entire event or are just offering some advice before the ceremony.

If, at any point, you’re lost in the planning process and don’t know what to do next, contact a wedding planner that suits your needs. With their assistance, you and your future spouse will have the wedding day you have always envisioned. 

 

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