u/dinkthedolphin

If anyone has used Simply Elegant Group as their wedding planner in the past, I would love any and all feedback you have.

Context: We recently booked the Event Management package with SGE (begins 60 days out) for our wedding next spring (~180 people). However, after booking, our venue contact mentioned that many couples had not had a good experience with them. This was news to us, because we scoured the internet for reviews and they were recommended by a friend who used them and got married at the same venue.

Not sure if we need to jump ship to a more expensive option. Since our venue has food/bev/furniture/linens all in house, I don't think our planner has that much on their plate. But I also want to make sure we're set up for success on the day. So if you're a previous client, please share your experience - THANK YOU!

I just said yes to the dress (EEEEK!) so I wanted to share my dress shopping review in case it's helpful for any future brides looking for their wedding dress in Chicago. These recaps were super helpful when I was trying to decide where to make appointments.

For context, my budget was ~$3-5k. I don't know the exact price range for each store, but most will have that info on their website. I also reached out to a few stores via email to confirm if they had a good selection of dresses within my budget prior to making an appointment.

The style of my dress is mermaid fit, sweetheart neckline, basque-waist with all-over lace and beading.

1. Viero Bridal (Ukrainian Village) ** this is where I found my dress!

I went to Viero for my first (and last) appointment ever! They don't charge appointment fees, just a $50 fee if you cancel within 24 hours.

Pros: Overall, I was incredibly surprised and delighted with the experience. Their customer service was wonderful, I was the only customer in the store both times I went. I liked being able to browse their collections online and text a member of the team about the styles available before my appointment. The dress I loved from my first appointment was a new style and part of a traveling trunk show, and they arranged to ship it back to Chicago just so I could try it on again and confirm it was my dress. While I was originally worried about some of their styles looking cheap, I couldn't have been more wrong. I was impressed with the quality and design of each one. Every dress made me feel so snatched and like a modern, stylish bride. Viero isn't one of the "top" Chicago dress stores, but it's definitely a hidden gem. Good if you're going for a showstopping, modern, snatched look. And, they do in-house alterations.

Cons: The location was harder for me to get to living in Lincoln Park. My dress came out to about $4,500, which was on the high end of my budget. They don't list prices on their website, but instead share the price of the dresses you like after the appointment. For the level of quality and design, I feel like the price was fair. Also, be sure to look at their selections online and confirm they have your preferred styles in-store before going. I could see their selection being limited if you go in blind.

2. Lovely Bride (West Loop)

This is a store that disappointed me tbh. I've heard such great reviews and was expecting a much larger selection of dresses. There's also a $50 fee to book an appointment.

Pros: The staff were very young, bubbly, and friendly. They made the experience super approachable and were hyping me up the entire time. I was also the only bride in the store at the time of my appointment which meant I got all of the attention (and my bridesmaids got all the wine!), so definitely a fun experience. The prices also seemed reasonable, most that I tried on were around $3k. One thing I REALLY liked is that they send you a dress portal, and you "heart" the ones you like and can leave comments about why. It helps you narrow down your preferred style before your appointment.

Cons: I just wasn't very impressed with their selection of gowns. For the style I was looking for (tighter, lace/beading) there just wasn't a lot for me. The quality also seemed lower than some of the other boutiques I went to. My bridesmaid who went with me even said she was expecting a larger in-store selection. Might be better if you're into a more classic, drapey style. I felt a bit too dated/mature in a few of the dresses.

3. Mira Couture (Gold Coast)

Pros: I was worried this boutique would be out of budget, but they surprisingly had a lot of dresses within my range. The store itself has a large selection and they show you which racks are within your budget to browse (they carry some really expensive ones, lol). My stylist was wonderful and friendly and although I was not the only bride there, it felt private and comfortable. They carried a lot of unique styles and gorgeous designers.

Cons: No cons with the place itself, I just don't think they had the right styles for what I had in mind. The lace patterns were either too simple or too intricate. I often felt the dresses would be better for a destination wedding. I was also worried about shipping time, 6-8 months for the dress to arrive (before alterations). Either way though, I would recommend Mira for brides with a similar budget to mine.

4. Bella Bianca (Gold Coast)

Pros: Another boutique that I was worried about pricing, but they had enough styles within my range. They host multiple appointments at the same time but you are in a private area. My stylist was great, there was a moment when I clearly liked a dress more than my mom, and in the dressing room she offered to send me the information anyway, being very mindful of the competing personalities and preferences. I tried on everything from matte lace, to a fully-beaded corset ballgown. Lots of range here.

Cons: Given my budget, they didn't want me to walk around and pull things off the rack, but instead had a shopper go get dresses for me. My "top" dress from this store would have taken 8 months to ship, so I would have had to do a rush order (seemed crazy to me but maybe that's the standard). Similar to Mira, I don't have too many cons aside from not finding a style that I loved. It seems like they have quite a range, from aline gowns, to tighter lace moments, so I think brides of all styles could find something here. Some of their dresses can be quite expensive, though, so be sure to confirm with your stylist beforehand!

5. Alice in Ivory (West Loop)

This is a super cute spot and great for a bride with a unique vintage style. $50 appointment fee.

Pros: It's a very beautiful studio. Almost looks like out of a vintage painting. The customer service was great, you get a nice large room to yourself. My stylist was nice and listened to my preferences. I can't give a full review of their selection since I came here toward the end of my shopping when I had a specific style in mind, so I only tried on 4 gowns here, all from the same designer (Aleena Lena).

Cons: The stylist doesn't let you look at the racks but instead pulls the options for you. Again, they just didn't have a large selection in my preferred style. But they do have all of their dresses on a website and a Pinterest page so you can browse ahead of time. Like all of the stores, I recommend browsing their selection ahead of time and confirming before going in person. While I liked the experience, I probably shouldn't have made an appointment given the style I was looking for.

6. LBR Bridal (Bucktown)

Also went here at the end of my shopping journey so can't really give a thorough review. Had a specific style in mind and only tried on 3 dresses.

Pros: Nice customer service, very laid-back approach, didn't pressure me into anything.

Cons: Smaller store and dress selection. My #2 dress option was from this store, but there wasn't a super large range of similar styles. Also probably should have skipped this one, personally.

My overall dress shopping tips:

• Start EARLY. Earlier than you think. Dresses can take up to 6-8 months to ship, and some boutiques recommended rush shipping to give time for alterations. Luckily I didn't have to do that, but you don't want to put yourself in a bad situation.
• Talk to your stylist beforehand to confirm what styles are available in-store before going in. Usually they reach out via email or text. Send them your inspiration pictures from Pinterest. Give them an idea of what you're looking for (even if you're still figuring it out yourself). This helped me a lot and made the appointments very productive.
• Start broad and narrow it down from there. At your first appointment, go in with an open mind and try on all the styles (even ones you're not sure about). The dress I chose actually wasn't even my favorite dress from my first appointment, but as I kept shopping I realized it had everything I was looking for!
• Think about your venue style. Some of the dresses I tried on were beautiful, but just didn't match the style of my wedding. It made it easier to say no to ones I wasn't sure about.
• Take SO many photos and videos, from every angle. Looking back at pictures and 360 videos is how I realized how much I loved the dress I chose. It's so helpful when thinking about how the dress will look walking down the aisle and what everyone will see.
• Making the decision: You could shop for months and still be looking for your "perfect" dress. It's ok to not have a big aha! moment in the store. I chose a style that I originally didn't picture myself in, but now I realize it's better than what I would have imagined at the beginning. Also, most places are able to customize certain elements easily (lining, neckline, etc) so you can truly make any dress exactly what you want.

LMK if you have any questions. Happy shopping!

We’re getting married at the Union League Club on a Saturday in March, hoping to host our out of town guests for pre-wedding welcome drinks the night before. We were originally thinking about hosting at the club but it’s ~$10k F/B min before tax/tip.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good spot to host ~100 people for just welcome drinks? Standing/cocktail, no food needed (because we’ll be doing a small rehearsal dinner beforehand). Also what can I expect to pay, is $10k the norm?? I don’t have a set budget just trying to figure out what the standard is. THANK YOU!

Would love some recommendations for a wedding day videographer. We have our photographer nailed down (and we’re investing a LOT in her) so would prefer a less expensive videographer. Photo to us is more important than video but we still want to remember the day!!

We want the day captured, but couldn’t care less about a highlight video for social media. Just looking for the speeches and vows recorded. Goal is to stay under $5k for the video but even $3k or less is preferred.

Please let me know if you have any good options!! Thanks!!!