Award-Winning, Luxury, Full-Service Planning
We Plan With You Locally, Nationally & Internationally
Service area
Brianne Garritano
OWNER
AWARD WINNER (8X)
Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot
With over twenty years of experience in the industry, Michigan Avenue Events led by Brianne Garritano is a full-service wedding and event planning company. MAE offers Full Planning to Custom Planning solutions to suit your celebration needs! Planning with Michigan Avenue Events is comprehensive and we present to you the very best event resources in your city, across the nation and abroad to serve your every detail to the fullest. Vision to event, Brianne and the team create elegant and memorable experiences for their clients. Michigan Avenue Events will express your love story through the finest level of event production and artistic expression.
Whether you are a busy power couple with zero time to plan and you simply want the Full Service experience from start to finish, or a power couple who has it all planned out and simply need Custom Coordination, or a multicultural couple with lots of detailed needs from logistics to rituals, Brianne Garritano and Michigan Avenue Events are equipped with all of the resources you will need to enjoy every second of your dream wedding!
Woman-owned Business
Details
Destination Weddings
Destination Wedding Packages
Destination Wedding Planning
Planning
A la Carte Wedding Planning
Budgeting
Day-Of Coordination
Destination Wedding Planning
Full Service Wedding Planning
Honeymoon Planning
RSVP Tracking
Wedding Design
Wedding Website
Wedding Activities
Getting Engaged
Engagement Party
Honeymoon
Rehearsals & Parties
After Party
Bachelor Party
Bachelorette Party
Bridal Luncheon
Bridal Shower
Couples Shower
Engagement Party
Rehearsal Dinner
Welcome Party
Wedding
After Party
Ceremony
Cocktail Hour
Day After Brunch
Reception
Rehearsal
Rehearsal Dinner
Awards and Affiliations
Any questions?
Meet the team
Brianne Garritano
Owner
Award-Winning Wedding and Event Planner, Brianne Garritano of Michigan Avenue Events, embarked on her professional planning career over 20 years ago. Her skill set is as diverse as her clientele who come from every walk of life, including high profile executives, celebrities, musicians and couples of every cultural & religious background. She is known in the industry for her eye for design, expertise, experience, work ethic, dedication, positivity, budgeting prowess, detail-orientation, flawless execution, and successful client & vendor relationships!
Reviews
5.0
out of 5.087 reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
Michigan Avenue Events and planner Brianne Garritano receive glowing reviews from multiple clients for their exceptional wedding planning services. Clients praise the team's professionalism, creativity, attention to detail, and cultural sensitivity, particularly in handling fusion weddings such as Indian and Sri Lankan traditions. Brianne and her team are commended for seamless coordination, innovative ideas, and alleviating wedding day stress, ensuring a flawless and magical experience for couples. The team's availability, expertise, joyful enthusiasm, and ability to exceed expectations make them highly recommended for stress-free and memorable wedding planning experiences.Lisa Blume B
5.0
9/22/2025
Brianne of MAE did the most incredible job planning and managing my wedding at ShoreAcres on the North Shore. She is so warm and friendly but also so good at taking care of business. I have been working in the wedding industry for 18 years and have not come across another wedding planner that takes such good care of her clients. She's not only someone who you want to plan your wedding but you will want to be best friends with her afterwards!!! She's the Best!!!
Rina M
5.0
1/01/2025
My husband and I are based in New York, but I wanted to have a hometown wedding in Chicago. I was looking for the right planner and team to deliver on my vision of a sleek and modern Indian wedding in the heart of the city—and Brianne did just that.
From the very beginning, it was clear she was the perfect fit for us. She was diligent, detail-oriented, and incredibly communicative—all the qualities you hope for in a planner. With her wealth of experience, she brought invaluable insight and had connections to a variety of vendors, making the planning process seamless.
What truly stood out, though, was Brianne’s cultural sensitivity and her genuine effort to understand the specific traditions we wanted to incorporate. Our wedding was a fusion of Indian and Sri Lankan traditions, and she not only took the time to learn but was already well-versed in many aspects, which made the process so much easier.
Brianne’s creativity shone through in her innovative ideas, from the tablescape design to finding thoughtful ways to incorporate our stories and work into the wedding itself. It felt so personalized and unique to us.
Her day-of coordination was simply impeccable. She brought her incredible team, and they executed everything flawlessly. My husband and I felt completely supported the entire time. If anything went off schedule or didn’t go as planned, we had no idea—Brianne was always there with a solution and kept us on track.
I cannot say enough good things about Brianne and her team. She made the entire process stress-free and brought our dream wedding to life. If you're considering her for your wedding, don’t hesitate—I’m also happy to chat further if you want to hear more about our experience!
Any questions?
Jennifer P
5.0
12/31/2024
Brianne Garritano and her MAE team are outstanding! As busy professionals we wanted someone we could rely on to help execute our wedding vision. We trust Bri wholeheartedly to help
plan and coordinate any event we have. Getting married out of the country added another layer of uncertainty. We hired to help with the entire wedding planning process from venue selection to the day of the wedding. Her professionalism, knowledge, expertise, and connections made planning a destination wedding a seamless experience. We appreciated her availability throughout the process. Any questions and concerns we had she would respond to in a timely manner. She made working with the vendors in Mexico a much easier process than it would have been on our own. She truly went above and beyond to make sure we had what we wanted for our wedding and we will always be grateful for her. Bri and her MAE team are the best! Do yourself a favor and hire her.
Miranda L
5.0
6/10/2024
We had an absolutely amazing experience working with Michigan Avenue Events for our wedding planning. From the very beginning, they were incredibly communicative and always made us feel supported through every moment—both the highs and the lows. Their professionalism shone through in every interaction, and it was evident that they had well-established relationships with other top-notch vendors in the area. One of the standout aspects of Michigan Avenue Events was how fun and enthusiastic they were throughout the entire process. They really knew how to keep our spirits high and made the planning process enjoyable and stress-free. Their organizational skills were impeccable, ensuring that every detail was meticulously planned and executed. There were no negative aspects to our experience. Michigan Avenue Events exceeded our expectations in every way possible. Yes! We wholeheartedly recommend Michigan Avenue Events to any couple looking for a top-tier wedding planning service. They are not only professional and well-connected but also incredibly fun and supportive, making the entire wedding planning journey a memorable one.
Response from Michigan Avenue Events on 06/14/2024
Thank you for entrusting us with your beautiful celebration! xo
Khudajah K
5.0
5/31/2024
It's officially been 2 weeks since our wedding and it was the highlight of my life thanks to Brianne and Team MAE. Brianne is smart, charming, and confident, and exactly what we needed to feel comfortable planning our 3-day Indian/Pakistani wedding in Chicago all the way from Texas. While I have ZERO complaints about their services, I could speak for days on end about why they are the best in the business. From the day we hired them, Team MAE went above and BEYOND in every single aspect of our planning. Her team was always 3 steps ahead of us, and helped alleviate our wedding stress by taking care of most vendor communication, details, and concerns without us ever having to ask. She and her team were also extremely well versed in our traditions, cuisine, and dress which made us feel understood.
Although we knew Brianne was constantly managing other clients, traveling, and attending events, we never once felt like it was difficult to get a hold of her, and most meetings were scheduled when it was convenient for US. In fact, if I didn't know any better, it felt like we were her only clients, which just speaks to the unwavering care and attention she has given us (and is STILL helping us take care of post-event details) since we hired her over a year ago. If you are looking for a planner who knows this industry forwards and backwards, who can give you tasteful recommendations, advocate for you in every situation, and make wedding planning ENJOYABLE, then look no further than Team MAE.
Response from Michigan Avenue Events on 06/14/2024
My heart is still positively soaring from your astounding celebration! xo
Lena T
5.0
5/24/2024
Brianne and her team at MAE were unbelievable. They made the whole day so stress-free that I didn't have to worry about a thing besides having the best day of my life. They think of everything during the planning process and help track down emails and answers when you need them. They think of little details that I never would have thought of. I don't know what I would have done without them and I would trust them in planning my life!! Thank you, Brianne and Team MAE for making my wedding day more magical and amazing than I ever could have imagined.
Response from Michigan Avenue Events on 06/14/2024
Our hearts are still skipping a beat for you, Jack and your families! xo
Tanvi S
5.0
5/23/2024
Brianne and team MAE went absolutely above and beyond in getting us to and through our wedding weekend!! Brianne was the first vendor we selected, and we would make the same decision 1000x over. She is so experienced in Indian weddings, even with their multiple complicated ceremonies, and everything went off without a hitch. We and our parents and guests were able to absolutely enjoy every moment of our wedding weekend! She was extremely respectful with all our guests, and managed sooo many different moving pieces. During the planning process, Brianne held our hands every step of the way, and was so responsive and helpful in bringing our vision to life. We love team MAE!!!!
Sunny H
5.0
4/01/2024
Brianne and her team went above and beyond to ensure that we had the wedding of our dreams at the Waldorf Astoria. From our very first meeting, Brianne was attentive, knowledgeable, and energetic. My fiance and I planned our wedding in Chicago while long-distance and Brianne made our planning process so much less stressful with her expertise and attention to detail. I am especially grateful for how Brianne jugggled multiple asks from our family members and helped walk them through everything over a zoom call leading up to the wedding to address any and all concerns and questions. Any time a potential issue came up, Brianne was ready with a plan of action and always asked for our input to make sure everyone was happy. On the day of, she and her team truly delivered on their promise that they would be there for me from start to finish. She had multiple team members present to handle logistics with vendors, timelines/schedule, and even be literally by my side throughout the day, helping with my dress and my outfit change and everything in between. Wedding planning is such a stressful time and I can’t imagine how we could have gotten through it without Brianne. While Michigan Avenue Events does specialize in luxury events, we really appreciated how Brianne helped us stay within our desired budget and helped negotiate our contracts with vendors. We are so incredibly happy with our wedding and can’t recommend Brianne and her team enough. Brianne is an absolute gem and you will love working with her.
Svetlana S
5.0
12/31/2023
Hiring Brianne and her team was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding! We had the pleasure of working with Brianne and Mariella, and Arika joined on the day-of. Brianne and Mariella provided us with thorough and thoughtful guidance throughout the year-long planning process, and connected us with wonderful vendors. On the day-of, we were kept at ease as the MAE team worked as a professional, well-oiled machine behind the scenes, leaving us and our families with peace of mind and a truly magical wedding day. In the days after our wedding, my husband and I agreed that MAE was key to making our wedding dreams come true!
Riham A
5.0
12/31/2023
We witnessed MAE's amazing work at our friend's wedding in 2021. After getting engaged and started planning, we decided to reach out and use them for our wedding! From the beginning, it was clear that MAE was the right choice for us. Brianne was so easy to work with and immediately understood our vision. She helped guide us through multiple conversations with vendors and helped ease any stress. After all the planning, we were finally ready for our big day. The security and peace of mind that Brianne and her team provided on wedding day was worth every penny. From helping us with final details, to even having all our reception supplies back in our hotel suite at the end of the night, their work was like magic. Even our family and guests couldn't help but compliment their professionalism and kindness. For anyone looking for a completely stress free wedding day, we highly recommend MAE!
Nellie D
5.0
12/29/2023
Brianne and her team are worth their weight in gold in the wedding industry. From inception to the Big Day, she helped us seamlessly plan, design, and execute our vision at the Adler Planetarium. We couldn’t be happier with the outcome and all the support and guidance she provided throughout the entire process. On our wedding day, we were hit with unexpected torrential rain (even though we were monitoring the weather for 2 weeks prior to our wedding day). Brianne and her team sprung to action and immediately realigned everything to our indoor Plan B. Plan B was executed so well and beautifully our guests had no idea the original ceremony was meant to be outdoors.
There are about 100 more examples that I can recall that made our day so special and perfect because of Brianne and her team. If you’re looking for real wedding professionals with style and a knack for detail and precision, you will not go wrong with Brianne and her team at MAE!
Abby K
5.0
12/20/2023
Brianne and her team were amazing to work with. They made everything so approachable and easy when it came to the daunting tasks that wedding planning brings. It was a joy and a pleasure to work with them. I would recommend them to anyone over and over again. Everyone was so nice and willing to answer any questions that came up. They took my inspo pictures and turned them into a reality.
Cristina W
5.0
11/30/2023
Wow, we have nothing but amazing things to say about Michigan Avenue Events. Brianne and her team were nothing but AMAZING to work with. We 100% would recommend any future bride and groom to choose Brianne as their wedding planner. Her attention to detail, professionalism, vibrant personality, and expertise is UNMATCHED. We can go on and on about how incredible she is. We just got married in September 2023, Brianne and her team made the entire day go extremely smooth. Every detail was spot on, and I seriously never had to worry about anything on my actual wedding day, because I knew it would be handled. Not only that, for the year leading up to the big day, she ensured we were up to date on contracts, meeting deadlines, recommending preferred vendors, and staying on track. She is very organized, which is an imperative quality we were looking for in a planner. She also was very responsive in a timely matter, which is very hard to find in the wedding industry. She truly made us feel special and went above and beyond for us. We are forever grateful for Brianne!
Ellen K
5.0
5/17/2023
I cannot stress enough how amazing Brianne and her team were to work with. In the beginning of planning my wedding, I thought to myself "do I really *need* a planner?? Can't I just do it myself?"
Thank GOD I ignored myself. My wedding day was 1000x more peaceful than I ever thought. Everything was absolutely seamless and Brianne was there with me at every step of the way. She caught the smallest details that I truly would never have thought of. I was able to enjoy myself AND have a stunning wedding at the same time. I honestly probably enjoyed myself too much since I know I didn't have to worry about anything.
10/10 recommend!! Save yourself and let this team help you. My husband was hardly involved in anything, and even he talks about how helpful this planning team was.
Thank you so much Brianne!!!
Leah D
5.0
4/16/2023
Brianne and the team at MAE made our short-window wedding planning time frame a reality! We were able to pull off an elegant, intimate wedding in Chicago amidst the sky scrapers and summer breeze. Team MAE executed our wedding in less than 8 months, advocating for us and making sure our needs were met at every step of the way! They helped us to dream big, and find a venu we initially would not have even thought about or known about, and also were very respectful of our projected budget. Most importantly, on the day of the wedding their calm and collective presence ensured our day ran without a flaw! Our wedding would not have been possible without them. Brianne demonstrates exceptional leadership skills, communication skills and elegant taste. She is 100% here for the couple, always. We loved that she identified a team member who matched our communication style, and had that individual support us through the entire wedding planning process. Shout out to Michelle Dallas, a rising star and an absolute gem to work with!
We have sincere gratitude towards Brianne and team MAE, they will always hold a special place in our hearts as we continue to celebrate our marriage!
Melanie R
5.0
12/31/2022
Brianne and her team were one of the best investments we made for our wedding! From meeting weekly to help bring my vision to life, hearing her knowledge about best practices, to helping negotiate pricing with vendors, her support was invaluable. Over the course of a year we worked intimately through every detail of my wedding (as I had full planning support). During this time Brianne made herself available, day and night, and was even a shoulder to cry on from time to time. Her expertise and emotional support helped set up our day to be the most meaningful moment of my life. My husband and I are grateful for her support and HIGHLY recommend her!
Oeindrila D
5.0
12/12/2022
I cannot imagine a more ideal wedding planner than Brianne and the MAE team! Brianne was with us every step of the way, from the initial planning stages to the gorgeous end product of the wedding itself.
She has exquisite taste and is extremely well connected to a large network of talented vendors – which means she always found several high-quality vendor options, which is exactly what we wanted!
Brianne also goes far above and beyond the call of duty. As just one example, when the printing company made an error on our rehearsal dinner invite that they couldn’t rectify in a timely manner, she somehow managed to have them re-printed with another company, free of charge, and put them in our hands within 24 hours! Mistakes will happen. You want someone by your side why has the ability to calmly and collectively rectify these. This is Brianne!
Brianne also engineered perfect coordination of the wedding itself. Her team functioned with the discipline and efficiency of a military brigade; but they did this with smiles on their faces, displaying charming courtesy toward everyone around them. We were all simply amazed by their remarkable performance.
And those smiles are genuine. You will see this right off the bat when you meet Brianne: she is very caring and very energetic. Trust me, it’s real; and trust me, you want to be surrounded by this kind of warmth and positivity when you are planning your wedding.
Thank you Brianne, we are just so thrilled we picked you!
Celeste B
5.0
12/04/2022
Brianne and Team MAE are truly the best! I hired Brianne for month-of wedding planning and I was so relieved when she took the wheel about 6 weeks out from my wedding day. She gave great recommendations for vendors while keeping our budget in mind. Her expertise helped us consider details that I would not have thought of myself. I had complete faith in all of her recommendations from vendors, itinerary, and wedding day details. My family was very impressed with the attention to details and we were so happy to have a detailed timeline. Brianne and Team MAE are professional, organized, and fun to be around! We had 300 guests at the Four Seasons Chicago and everything truly turned out perfectly. MAE is a MUST for wedding planning, I cannot recommend them enough. Thank you, Brianne!!
Shauna B
5.0
11/08/2022
THE most amazing and special team to work with. LOVED every minute of working with Brianne and her team!
Ariella G
5.0
11/05/2022
Brianne and her entire team were amazing! They were SO helpful on our wedding day. There was a team of 4 planners (yes, 4), and they could not have done a better job. They even ran some helpful errands for me in the morning. I highly recommend Brianne and her team. They are true professionals!
Response from Michigan Avenue Events on 11/05/2022
Thank you, Ariella! It was such a joy assisting you, Sam & your wonderful loved ones!
Shannon H
5.0
3/02/2022
Brianne was phenomenal to work with and I give her and her team all the credit for making my wedding day run so smoothly! My husband and I truly couldn’t have done it without them, from folding our escort cards to doing my bustle and ensuring all of our special moments were captured throughout the night, they were simply amazing. They thought of so many things that I just didn’t have the energy or experience to think of and made my day perfect. Don’t hesitate to hire this wonderful team, you won’t regret it!
Michael F
5.0
1/24/2022
It's tough to truly communicate how amazing Bri and her team at MAE were. My wife and I immediately knew Bri was the planner we wanted to go with after our first meeting. She was able to show us and prove how much she cared, her empathy towards the process was second to none. MAE were so attentive and wouldn't let any detail be too small to review. Of course, our wedding was postponed cause of Covid...but Bri wouldn't let that affect us! She kept in touch throughout the entire time and was a huge help in our efforts to re-plan and finalize everything. We had known Bri came highly reviewed as two mutual friends of ours used her for their weddings but nothing could have prepared us for how impressed and how thankful we would be for her. Our wedding would not have been what it was without her Bri, thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!! Mike and Lexi
Alexandra W
5.0
1/10/2022
I had an excellent experience working with Brianne and team MAE. When I was planning my wedding, I had so many people tell me "Don't worry, no wedding is perfect, there's always something that goes wrong" Well, not my wedding! Thanks to the team at MAE, my day was absolutely perfect. They worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure that every detail was in the right place. They also helped me the month before my wedding with planning and logistics, and helped me make sure I had thought of everything before the big day. I can't say enough great things about Marquette Avenue Events!!
Lara M
5.0
1/04/2022
WOW. First off i consider myself Type A and organized. I can tell you point blank i would NOT have been able to do this without Bri and her remarkable team. They were so professional, kind and quick to come up with solutions for day of mishaps. I cannot recommend MAE enough to anyone planning an event and wedding!!!!!!!
Spencer T
5.0
1/03/2022
Brianne and MAE were absolutely PERFECT to work with. Brianne was always extremely responsive and always made us feel that our wedding was very important to her. We really felt like we were the only wedding that she was focusing on. The day-of execution was flawless as well. We had multiple guests tell us how perfect the day was and how everything seemed to flow together without any effort. I quote the mother of the groom directly: "I always found myself exactly where I needed to be without ever feeling like I was being led anywhere, it was like magic." If that doesn't sum up how perfect MAE executes an event, I don't know what does. Thank you so much for everything you did for us, it was the perfect day and more!
Steven K
5.0
1/01/2022
Brianne and her team are truly amazing. They took care of everything on our wedding day and it went off without a hiccup. My wife says she hopes one day she can be as good at her job as Brianne is at wedding planning. Many thanks to MAE and couldn’t recommend them more.
Allie B
5.0
12/31/2021
When we started the wedding planning process and decided to throw a giant party at Lottie’s, that seemed like a fun, easy idea. As it turned out, holding a wedding reception at a dive bar unaccustomed to hosting such an event presented a laundry list of challenges. But Brianne at MAE faced each and every one head on, from helping us figure out how to make as much usable outdoor space as possible, to working with their kitchen staff to ensure 300 people could eat at the same time, to creating the tequila bar of our dreams with a ton of special little touches that could not have better represented who we are as a couple. She also talked me off the ledge about a hundred times, as pandemic wedding planning is not for the faint of heart. I would recommend the MAE team to anyone looking to do something a little different but with no clue where to start, as they truly gave us the perfect wedding rager/reception of our dreams.
Mark W
5.0
12/29/2021
Brianne and her talented team were beyond amazing. We had the perfect day for our daughter's wedding and it was all made possible through the care, professionalism, and attention to detail from Marquette Avenue Events.
Since this was held on our property, there was a ton of extra planning necessary to pull all the vendors and plans together seamlessly. And that's exactly what Brianne and team did. Fabulous!
I recommend MAE to anyone wanting to enjoy a perfect day!
Haley K
5.0
10/15/2021
If I could give Brianne and her MAE team a 100 stars I would. They are absolutely incredible in all aspects, I would never have had the most perfect day if it wasn’t for them. Brianne planned my mother’s wedding in 2018 and became a close family friend and I was honored to include her in my planning. She is meticulous, kind, and an overall genuine person that gets work DONE. She took care of any hiccups that occurred on my day and her assistants Mariella and Kristi were a dream. Having them there made me the most calm and collected I could have been on my day knowing they would take care of everything. We love MAE!!
Kim L
5.0
8/16/2021
Brianne is AMAZING! Disclaimer - my now-husband and I are pretty organized, type-A people (ex. when we got engaged, he made an Excel project plan with milestones and tasks for us to keep track of) so we didn't budget or plan to bring a planner on. Plus by the time I started thinking about planning services, we had gotten a lot of our big milestones and vendors taken care of.
But friends and family kept telling me how much they valued their planner, even if just for day-of services. And getting engaged and planning a wedding during COVID has been pretty stressful with all the fluid regulations. I had a few planners earmarked and, honestly, didn't expect to like Brianne as much as I did! (This is because I was looking at smaller planners with smaller followings who I thought would be able to give me more hands on planning but our initial call was great and I just LOVED her energy and honest feedback so we signed her for a hybrid package - a mix of day-of and partial planning for the remaining vendors we needed help with). Brianne introduced me to my florist, Thistle and Plume, who I would not have found without her, coordinated some hotel visits to check out getting ready suites, and weighed in on remaining contracts for trolley transport, cake tasting, photobooth and other odds and ends to round us out. She was responsive for all my questions whether by email, text or calls and always gave me her honest feedback because she knows all of this / has seen it before. And she was a good spring board for where to spend vs save our money and always so respectful of our budget.
While Brianne wasn't with us for the day of, shout out to Michelle and Arika who were also amazing to work with (!), she did stop by for my first look and helped dry off my path as we did it at the Intecon pool area :). Michelle and Arika were great for day-of and kept things moving. If things went awry, they haven't told me about it. Michelle was firm but always directed people with a smile and kept us moving during our tight photo call schedule (even when I didn't think we would be able to make quick pics at Kerryman happen). Towards the end of the night, Michelle and Arika packed up and got a lot of our things back to our hotel suite so we wouldn't have to worry about it. We could not have had our wedding day turn out as smoothly as it did with out them! If you're even remotely thinking of a planner, please don't even hesitate - reach out to Brianne and her team ASAP!
Christine S
5.0
7/12/2021
I don’t think I would have had my dream wedding turn out like a true dream if it wasn’t for Brianne and her team. Planning during a pandemic with one challenge after another was so incredibly difficult, Brianne was amazing at not only calming me down but fixing anything that came up. (And a lot came up because of this pandemic!) At the end of the wedding night my parents even said, thank God you had her. Her energy was inspiring, I’m so thankful we hired MAE!
Nathan H
5.0
11/14/2020
Brianne's love and passion for weddings is evident from the moment you first talk with her. She cares as much about your wedding as if it was her own and she'll do everything in her power to make your wedding day special and memorable. She has a great team behind her and they all helped make our COVID wedding as great as we could have hoped for!
Cassandra W
5.0
10/29/2020
If you are unsure about your wedding details and think you are a “do-it-yourself” bride—please stop the nonsense and call Brianne and the MAE team! You will not be disappointed! :)
My husband and I had been attempting to plan our wedding for a year without a planner. Our venue indicated that they take on most of the heavy lifting on our wedding day, so we thought we could find the vendors and be done! Then COVID happened, everything was closed and our September date was in jeopardy. When things finally started opening in July, we went out on a limb to try to have our wedding anyway and a month in, we realized that only a crazy person would be able to pull off having a wedding, especially with no planner, during a pandemic. Frantically looking though local ads for wedding planners, and with most we reached out to declining our request stating the event was too soon, we came across Marquette Avenue Events.
From the first call I had with Brianne, I knew she would be awesome. Brianne wanted to know everything about the day, and was genuinely ready and willing to help, even with short notice! I was still on the fence about hiring a planner (crazy me!), but she started assisting immediately even before I’d made a payment! She genuinely wanted me to have the wedding day of my dreams. Brianne is on top of everything. She would call/text daily not only to handle business (business we didn’t even know we had) but to make sure we were happy, healthy and ready for the big day. Brianne is literally like the maid of honor you wish you had, project manager, and cheerleader all in one! It’s hard not to love her with her positivity and ability to get things done both creatively and professionally. You can literally just tell her what you want, and she delivers (sometimes even more than you asked for)! For example, we needed a DJ and she got us a live musician and a DJ for less than the price of one! Needless to say, I was able to wake up the morning of the wedding knowing I could relax and Brianne would handle the rest. Our day was beyond beautiful! My husband keeps saying that our wedding was the best day of his life and I couldn’t agree more! We owe it all to Brianne! If we could do it all over again, the only thing we would change is to hire her sooner!
CHRISTOPHER T
5.0
10/28/2020
Our daughter lives in Chicago and we live in South Carolina. Due to the complexities of long distance and Covid scheduling, we reached out to Brianne to assist. She responded promptly and delivered a gorgeous wedding in about a month!
Working with Brianne team MAE, you can expect frequent communication to make sure everything is on track and phone calls as needed. The MAE team is very detail oriented and will explore every avenue to ensure expectations are met or exceeded. If you want a planner who will help with every detail, I strongly recommend team MAE.
Nicole P
5.0
10/27/2020
Let me begin by saying Brianne and her team at MAE are the BEST event planners you will ever come across. No one is more dedicated to their craft than MAE.
We had planned a destination wedding for March 2020 in Florida, but wanted to be legally married in our home church in Chicago. Brianne not only helped us arrange our church ceremony but went out of her way to even help and advise for our destination wedding. We began by meeting and getting to know each other. Brianne’s kindness, sweetness and imagination exuded in her. We instantly were able to connect both in personality and vision. She completely understood my vision and then expanded on them in ways I never could have imagined.
Throughout the process Brianne personally escorted us to bridal and tuxedo fittings, venue locations, tastings, florists, etc. It was beyond comforting to have her hold our hands through this scary and stressful time....and that was only the beginning!!
We were one of the unfortunate couples who were effected by COVID-19. My destination wedding in FL had to be cancelled and now our ceremony was supposed to be cancelled. The week leading to the ceremony was chaos.
Two days before our ceremony date, the City of Chicago/State of IL announced that a “shelter in place order” would take effect the day of our ceremony. Brianne and her team worked diligently to get all the information they could to see if our ceremony could take place. Behind the scenes, unbeknownst to me, Brianne negotiated with our church, florist and photographer to squeeze in our ceremony just 2 hours before the Shelter in place order took effect!
When I arrived at church it was beautiful! The church was beautifully decorated and the floral arrangements were stunning. Brianne was able to calm me down. I was a nervous wreck! Covid 19 was such a new and scary thing at that time that I was a mess. She called me down, confirmed that she personally disinfected the church prior to our arrival, had Hand sanitizer available for everyone and even was wise enough to socially distance our family before socially distancing was even recommended!
After our ceremony she escorted us and our photog through the city in a timely manner to get our photos done before the lockdown went into effect.
A few days later, Brianne called to check in and see how we were doing. It was on the phone call that she revealed to me all of the chaos that was happening behind the scenes the day of the wedding. For example, the florist never delivered all of the flowers that I ordered. Among those missing flowers were boutonnières and bouquets for me and my maid of honor. I had no idea that Brianne scrambled to make boutonnières and bouquets herself from flowers she pulled from our altar arrangements! The bouquet she handed me when I arrived at church were just as beautiful as the ones I had originally ordered from the florist!!
When it was all said and done Brianne also took lead to deal with the vendors who did not hold up their end of the agreement. Brianne may be small and sweet, but do not for one moment think that this chick is gonna get pushed around. Brianne guards her brides and grooms like a fierce pit bull and will always protect YOUR best interest, even after the wedding is over. In uncertain times like these everyone MUST have someone like that to advocate for them. Brianne will always fight for what’s best for you.
Please, trust in me when I say you could not be in better hands than Brianne’s!
Rachael W
5.0
10/23/2020
We had a PERFECT wedding because of Brianne! There are no words available to express the gratitude and appreciation we have for the energy and effort Brianne put into our wedding in September 2020 in Chicago!
Due to the pandemic, we decided (in June 2020) to cancel our 150-Guest-September-2020 wedding that we had been planning for 3 years on our own, and to instead have an intimate micro wedding of 30 persons. We were cancelling 3 years of planning, and creating a brand new wedding from scratch in only 3 months. We are both healthcare workers, and we did not have the time to make this happen. We found Brianne from searching through all the wedding websites, and reached out to her. We told her our goals and budget over a phone call and honestly, she did the rest.
In only 3 months, she canceled (and got us refunds) from EVERY vendor from the canceled wedding, and then scheduled us to meet with new venues, DJs, tailors, florists, make up teams, livestream, etc… She only chose vendors that she thought would fit our tastes and budget based on what we told her we liked and disliked. We had never heard of the majority of these vendors (who were all very professional) so having Brianne was ESSENTIAL! We could not have found these businesses on our own in that timeframe (or ever!). Along with finding venues, Brianne was amazing at negotiating prices down. We didn’t pay the listed price for any of the vendors.
Brianne responded to ALL of our messages at any time of day. Our contract with her mentioned that she would be available something like M-F 8:00 AM -6:00 PM to plan the wedding but we found that she responded on weekends and at night whenever we emailed or sent her a text message. She told us that since we were healthcare workers and had busy schedules she would accommodate us any time.
Brianne was very familiar with the local laws and guidance for the pandemic. There was no point where we felt unsafe due to Covid19 – and again – we’re healthcare workers so we have high standards (masks, social distancing, limited travel, etc…)! She even made sure all of the vendors abided by the pandemic rules.
On the wedding day, she had every logistic planned. She had first aid kits, a little fabric sewing kit in case clothes got damaged, she was tracking the weather, all the vendors, the rides, all the little trinkets and decorations, our rings, you name it! We didn’t keep track of ANYTHING because Brianne did it for us.
Brianne was professional, timely, and well-networked. She was both assertive, and kind. She made us the center of our own wedding. After a few weeks with Brianne, we barely stressed at all! On our wedding day, we weren’t wondering about the music, the photographer, the food, etc.. It literally felt like we were guests going to a cool party where the theme was “us”, and then we got to take credit at the end for being great hosts! It’s 8 weeks later and a coworker just told us that they re-watched our wedding video because it was so gorgeous! It was an absolute privilege working with this amazing wedding planner.
Thank you Brianne. We will cherish our wedding day forever because of the work you did for us.
We would recommend her to anyone for anything! She is truly amazing at what she does!
Alice T
5.0
9/25/2020
Brianne and her team helped plan our September 2020 wedding. Brianne was patient, organized, and positive as we had to postpone our June 2020 wedding due to COVID. Brianne helped guide my husband and I throughout the process and was instrumental in helping us change our venue and make sure we could have the wedding we envisioned. Brianne always asked pertinent questions to our vendors and always had our best interests at heart. On our wedding day Brianne made sure everything ran smoothly and everything was on time. She even reassured us and got answers when the fire alarm went off unexpectedly at the reception! I am truly thankful that we had Brianne in our corner and our dream day happened!
Response from Michigan Avenue Events on 10/17/2020
Thank you so much, Alice & Victor! It was such a joy assisting you and seeing to it that n...
o matter the circumstances that you had a beautiful & safe dream wedding! xoxo
Lauren B
5.0
5/06/2020
Brianne is amazing! She was referred to me by my cousin, who is in the wedding industry - so I knew I would in good hands. Marquette Avenue Events went above and beyond and exceeded all of my expectations! I was so relieved to have Brianne and her team help my husband and I create and plan the wedding of our dreams!!! Looking back, there is truly not one thing that went wrong (or that I know about) because every step of the wedding process was handled so professionally. At the beginning of the process, I explained to Brianne that I did not have a clear vision and I was not the common bride who had Pinterest boards/clear ideas of what they wanted in their wedding. When I look back at videos and pictures, I am in awe with how well Brianne helped me follow a vision I never knew a had, from the smallest to the largest details. Brianne has impeccable taste and I fully trusted her with her amazing ideas. When I was stuck between two choices of something, she always knew what would work best for our special day and she was right. My husband and I are so pleased with Marquette Avenue Events and I am so glad that I was referred to her! If you are in the process of looking for a wedding planner, look no further- you are absolutely in the right place :)
Atul J
5.0
4/26/2020
Brianne and MAE worked with us to plan our winter 2019 destination wedding in Cancun. Brianne came highly recommended from a close friend. The wedding was a three-day extravaganza packed with events that blended Indian and Latin cultures. My wife and I wanted to share unique elements with our guests at all of our events including live musicians, bands, Mexican and Indian caterers, photo/video, DJs, venues, etc. With the help of the Brianne and Diana, we were able to secure a long list of amazing vendors in the Cancun area and bring our vision of a destination wedding to life. Both Brianne and Diana accompanied us on visits to Cancun to help select our wedding hotel, meet with vendors and make sure all logistics were ready to go. We appreciate their months of hard work and dedication and the countless phone calls, video conferences, emails, and in-person meetings along the way! Our wedding was an unforgettable experience and our guests are still raving months later. Thank you MAE!
Amie A
5.0
4/20/2020
Hiring Brianne and her team was the absolute best and easiest decision my husband made while planning our wedding. The whole process was incredibly stress-free and at the end of the day, our wedding was everything we could have dreamed of and more. So many of our wedding guests told us it was the best wedding they had ever attended- and that was all because of MAE! From the moment we met Brianne her professionalism, optimism and love for wedding planning was contagious. MAE was so involved in the entire process (coordinating calls or site visits with vendors, menu tastings, etc.) ,was on top of every detail from the florals, linens, lighting, etc. and created the most extensive timeline to ensure the whole day ran smoothly. We were so lucky to have Brianne and team help us plan our special day, and we wish we could do it all over again. MAE is the best in the business!
Katie M
5.0
4/14/2020
Hiring Brianne and team as our wedding coordinators was one of the best decisions we made while planning our wedding! We had issues with a previous planner who didn't follow through for us, so I contacted Brianne about 1.5 months out from our wedding scrambling and knew from the second that we spoke that she could dive in and help. and she did!! She made the entire month leading up to our wedding (and day!) stress free. She was organized, responsive, kind, and on top of EVERYTHING. Our whole family loved her, the vendors loved her and she kept everything organized and running smoothly. The day of her and Michelle made everything flawless, if anything went wrong, we had NO idea. From giving me advil when I had a headache, to making sure timelines ran smoothly, lighting candles at the reception if they went out, and directing over 400 people, the MAE team did it with a smile. We are SO grateful to the team, and would recommend them to ANYONE planning a wedding who wants to enjoy the day and not worry about the timeline and anything going wrong. We were so lucky to have Brianne, Michelle and team part of our day. THANK YOU for everything that you did to make our wedding perfect, we are forever grateful!!
Lane C
5.0
12/29/2019
Brianne and her team at Marquette Avenue Events were SO on top of every detail for wedding planning my family and I were beyond impressed. Our wedding day turned out better than I could have ever imagined thanks to Brianne and her team. From lighting to florals to wardrobe and music they were there every step of the way to help us make decisions big and small. The day of went flawlessly without a single hiccup. Thank you again team Marquette!
James G
4.0
11/03/2019
Brianne and Diana were lovely to work with. They were very timely and detail oriented... we thoroughly enjoyed working with their team and would highly recommend them for any couples wedding planning!!
James K
5.0
11/01/2019
We put ourselves in MAE’s capable hands and never looked back. The rehearsal dinner was magical, the wedding day personal and seamless, and the brunch warm and inviting, thanks to Brianne’s attention to detail, experience and professionalism. We all received personalized attention and unlimited hand holding, which calmed jittery nerves and made the process fun and creative. I always felt the team had our backs, and they kept the project on track and on budget. Bravo Brianne!
Danelle W
5.0
10/31/2019
More than the gorgeous day we had (and it was absolutely gorgeous) and more than the commitment and professional quality of work that Marquette Avenue Events created and coordinated for us - what puts Brianne and her colleagues in the highest regard in my opinion is the care and genuine love they put in for each one of their couples. They will help you find exactly what and who you are looking for to make your day truly special and put so much heart into it. They have built amazing relationships with both their clients and the vendors they connect you with. They will advocate for you and give you so much confidence and the highest standards. Brianne was the best decision we made (besides choosing each other!). We cannot thank her enough.
An extra note - my veil ripped a gigantic hole minutes before our ceremony. Brianne and Diana were as cool as cucumbers and performed basically miracle veil surgery and it still looked beautiful going down the aisle. This is just one of many moments they went above and beyond!
Nancy C
5.0
10/17/2019
We had so many great moments for our daughter and her groom! And we owe those to MAE and Brianne’s team. We are beyond grateful to the entire team for precision in coordinating and executing the perfect wedding. Thank you for the many contributions you made. We appreciate your hard work and commitment! We strongly endorse everyone we worked with through MAE and Brianne!
Elena T
5.0
10/15/2019
Once it finally dawned on my husband and I that we weren’t going to be able to plan our wedding without professional assistance, I interviewed five wedding planners on the phone and ended up meeting three of them in person. After meeting Brianne from Marquette Avenue Events, I could tell right away that we had found our planner. She was modern, friendly, energetic and very professional. Our intro meeting was also no pressure – it felt like chatting with a girlfriend and I left very excited. Coincidentally, I learned my co-worker and his wife who just had a big wedding also had hired Brianne as their planner and couldn’t have been happier with the process and result. This sealed the deal so we hired Brianne and now I can't imagine if we didn’t. The planning was just a blast given that we put Brianne through a lot. We toured around 15 venues, met a lot of vendors, negotiated a lot, went to different bridal events, veil shopping, etc. and it was always easy, fun, exciting, efficient, organized and productive. At the end, we got the best of everything, for us and our needs – two perfect venues in the city for both our rehearsal dinner and our ceremony and reception, a super creative design team, extremely talented photographers and videographers, and a band that exceeded our wildest expectations. All of this made our wedding a total success, the time of our lives, a dream come true, a perfect fairytale. And it all started with finding the best wedding planner – Brianne. She surprised and impressed us, exceeded all our expectations, overdelivered, and made it all happen. I’m so happy we hired Brianne that I would recommend her 1000% to everyone. She knows everyone in the bridal industry, and everyone knows her, she has a lot of connections outside of the industry, a huge network, and she will get anything for you. We had the MAE team for the full package from start to finish and have no regrets. They did all the work allowing us to just enjoy the process. Both days of our wedding weekend were seamless and flawless like a perfect orchestra of everything and everyone. Brianne’s team always stayed professional, organized, positive, tireless, and went above and beyond. As an example of a special touch, after the wedding her team brought all the flower arrangements to our room at 1am, decorated and set it up so we returned to a romantic paradise with music from our first dance playing in the background and all the gifts and items beautifully aligned. We would hire Brianne/MAE again a hundred times and hope to do so in the future. MAE is your lifesaver, you won’t regret it!!!
Robert B
5.0
10/12/2019
My wife and I were both so happy we went with Brianne, Diana and the rest of the team at Marquette Avenue Events to plan our March 2019 Chicago wedding. We went with the full wedding planning package and were introduced to the best of the best of Chicago's wedding vendors. The suggestions on every aspect from venue to design to music to photography/videography and everything else we needed helped us put on an event that we loved and our guests of all ages raved about. Thoughtful suggestions, attention to detail and extreme professionalism were all part of the package. Day of coordination for both our rehearsal dinner and reception was seamless. We were able to focus on having fun in the moment with our guests. I would definitely hire them again if I ever needed to coordinate another big party and hope to have the opportunity to do so sometime soon. Thanks for everything again Brianne and team. - Robert
Sarah S
5.0
10/09/2019
It was the best decision to work with Brianne and her team at Marquette Avenue Events. I didn't know how much we needed a planner until we had one! She is professional and no request is greeted with any hesitation. Because of her team, our families were able to enjoy the day without worrying about any details, timing, or logistics. I would recommend her 10x over!! Thank you MAE!
Allison M
5.0
11/26/2018
Brianne and her team are incredible. Our wedding day was fun, relaxed and flawless thanks to MAE. Brianne is an expert on all things that must happen in the planning process to make sure we could achieve our vision of a formal, but fun event. The day of the wedding Brianne and Dianna took care of every detail from coordinating vendors to finding a lost handbag. The team was essential to the perfect weekend.
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Michigan Avenue Events
Brianne Garritano
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Owner
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Michigan Avenue Events
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