About this vendor
Monarch Creative Events is a wedding planning company based in Manhattan, IL. This creative business strives for excellence in all its endeavors. Its talented team specializes in marital celebrations and will work diligently to help bring your vision to life for your momentous occasion.
Owner Alexa is extremely passionate about event design and discovered her love for wedding planning when she was organizing her own. She loves witnessing the delight in her clients’ faces when they see their finished space for their celebration. Alexa would love to help realize your dream and create an unforgettable event for you and your loved ones.
Monarch Creative Events offers a selection of packages so couples can find the perfect service for their special day. They provide a full-service experience and can take on all of the stress that comes with organizing a wedding. If you just need a helping hand here and there, this company also offers partial planning services. Alexa and her team can assist with decorations, budget management, day-of coordination, vendor selection, and more.
Details
Business Attributes
- Woman-owned Business
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
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Engagement Party
- Honeymoon
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Bachelor Party
Awards and Affiliations
Reviews
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5
out of 5.027 reviews
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I found Alexa on the Knot and booked her for Monarch’s full wedding planning package as my husband & I were planning a wedding outside of Chicago in an unconventional venue, 9 months away, and lived in another state. It was a big challenge but from the initial consultation, we loved Alexa’s energy, organization, commitment and just knew we could trust her with our once in a lifetime event. The planning process was extremely organized, thorough and well-paced. She matched my attention to detail, tackled unplanned challenges with ferocity (which included a limited selection of vendors given the location of our venue) and was as dedicated to bringing my very specific vision to life as I was. She brought great vendor recommendations and connections and did countless hours of research on new vendors. Details were well-documented and thoroughly discussed to ensure all parties were aligned. Even though our venue was farther outside Chicago (Indiana), she ran several venue walkthroughs in-person, attended vendor visits with me, and always accommodated my husband and I’s busy schedule. As Alexa started to step away for her maternity leave (which started right before our wedding date), she did an amazing job ensuring her team was fully prepared to handle last minute preparations and day-of responsibilities. The day-of team of 3 were awesome with completely handling all details A-Z so I didn’t have to worry about anything, even despite some last minute changes due to weather!
Due to the complexity of our venue, its location, short timeline, and being from out-of-state, we are SO GLAD we booked Monarch for their full planning package and had the privilege of working with Alexa! It was sincerely our pleasure to have her bring our special day to life, she was a joy to work with and get to know. If I were getting married again, I’d book her services again no question! Thank you Alexa!!
Photo credit: Spencer Penfield Photography
Hiring Monarch Creative Events to assist with planning the wedding of our dreams was such an easy decision because of their professionalism, knowledge of the wedding industry, and their attention to details. We could not have planned our wedding without the help of Alexa and Sarah. They are truly the best. Throughout the entire wedding process, which was a long one for us (almost 18 months!), Alexa and Sarah were so detail-oriented, organized and communicated with us very well about each step and what we should be doing and looking forward to. They were both so supportive, engaging and FUN which eased my anxiety and nerves as we got closer to the date. Sarah was fantastic during the wedding weekend and let us know where to be and when! She was our lifesaver! I cannot recommend Monarch Creative Events enough, I am so grateful to them both for everything, bringing our wedding vision to life, and helping us navigate the details that I never would have thought of. If you are looking for a wedding planner, I highly recommend Monarch Creative Events, they will go above and beyond for you to help plan your dream wedding! Thank you thank you thank you!
Alexa and her team at Monarch Creative Events are absolutely amazing! From beginning to end, Alexa was there for us every step of the way. It only took one meeting for me to know I wanted Alexa on my team for planning our wedding, and I am not exaggerating when I say that we could not have done it without her. She helped with vendor suggestions, but I ultimately chose them. Alexa coordinated all of the day of events amongst the vendors and took everything off of my hands the month before the wedding so I could breathe. She always encouraged me and let me know how great everything would turn out (she was right!). She has so much experience and advice to give that it put me at ease when I was having trouble communicating with one of my vendors. She really stepped up and took care of it before I even had another chance to stress about it. Her attention to detail made our day of vision come to life, and I could focus on enjoying my day and not getting décor up or organizing who goes where. Beyond all of this professionalism, Alexa is such a genuine person. She is fun to talk to, relatable, and clearly puts her full effort into everything she does. I would recommend Monarch Creative Events a million times! Thanks Alexa + team!!!
I highly recommend Monarch Creative Events. They helped me in my day of process and really put me at ease with wedding planning. I hired them for the day of planner and they went above and beyond months prior to my wedding to make sure I felt confident in their team to take care of my wedding day. They are so thorough and know what questions to ask your vendors. Alexa took the time to go over details of contracts and make sure everything was put into place. I can’t thank them enough for all they did for our wedding !
Alexa and her team worked diligently with us throughout the entire planning and day-of process, and handled curve-balls with swiftness and care. Importantly, they were very clear about all aspects of communication- Alexa is the reason we came out the other end with our sanities intact. Especially after our venue kept adding surprise charges and making last-minute, uncommunicated changes, Alexa was phenomenal at sharing what was standard, what was not, and how to best maneuver delicate situations. She knew to ask vendor questions we never would have thought of, and made sure that we had the details that were most important to us. They are the reason that our ceremony and reception were organized, beautiful, and exactly us.
The absolute best to deal with! Handled everything with no issues! Sara was so great to work with! She truly made this whole process less stressful! 10/10 recommended!!!!
We loved working with the wedding planner Sara from Monarch. Planning the wedding was so stressful until we started working with Sara and would recommend her to anyone. She’s easy to talk to and helped guide us when making difficult planning decisions.
Sara also had her work cut out for her when about a month before our wedding the contact at our wedding venue left. Sara was able to help carry over all of our wedding details to the new contact. She also coordinated all of the logistics I didn’t even think of (like walkthroughs with vendors for example).
On wedding day, Sara and assistant, Kayla, made sure we stayed on track with our timeline so my husband and I could enjoy the day. Thank you Sara and Kayla for making our wedding so memorable!
Alexa and Sarah both did an amazing job! They helped make our day perfect! Alexa was our main planner, she helped us with every detail. I highly recommend Monarch Creative Events for your big day! You won’t regret it!
My day would not have been as special, complete, well-executed, or fun if I didn't have Alexa and Sarah there helping me along the way. Throughout the entire process, Alexa's attention to detail, conduct, and process ensured I had a great day. From the initial planning stages, meeting with me regularly, answering my last-minute questions, organizing the ceremony rehearsal and making sure everyone paid attention, and finally the day of - she did a phenomenal job. The procedures of sealing cards, signing papers when handing out tips, and overall confirming every step of the way was respectful of my Type-A personality and done without asking! She has a team that is compassionate during the emotional moments of the day and does everything to keep the day running smoothly and calmly. She gave me honest answers when I had tough questions and was so helpful to other parties in my wedding as well. MCE is so well prepared and has a great leader in Alexa, I wish I could do it all over again to work with her more!
Alexa was great to work with. She was very professional and organized and had wonderful planning tools to make sure that no detail was overlooked or left out. I dropped off my decorations at the hall the day before the wedding and was amazed at how perfectly she had created exactly what I had picture in my mind at the Hall. I would recommend Monarch Creative Events to everyone.
Oh man where do I even begin!? Sarah and Alexa are an amazing team and we couldn’t have done it without them. Sarah was our lead planner for our October wedding. Working with both Sarah and Alexa leading up to our big day was seamless. Any question I had they were able to answer and they had such great suggestions to offer for our big day. When it came to the day of the wedding, Sarah and her assistant knocked it out of the park. The day from start to finish ran smoothly and they helped make my vision come to life. We are forever grateful for this team and our wedding went off without a hitch, thanks to them!
Where do I begin! Sarah was my lead planner and I can’t say enough good things about her! She was the perfect person to help ease my stress throughout the wedding day. She was relaxed but in control. She didn’t pressure me to stick to a specific timeline, but instead let my husband and I adjust based off what we needed! Talking to her feels like talking to a friend I’ve known for forever! Do your self a favor and book this team! Thank you!
Love the Thoresons!
Professional, prompt, articulate, detail-oriented, passionate. This only covers the tip of the iceberg regarding the quality of service you receive by Alexa and her assistants. It was so refreshing to find someone to work with who is as meticulous as I am! They truly care about helping you any way they can through your planning process. Our wedding went off without a hitch and my husband and I still cannot believe how smoothly it ran. We owe a great deal of this to Monarch's management skills. They helped elevate our day to make it absolute perfection. Alexa is truly one of a kind and anyone would be lucky to have the pleasure of working with her!
I am so thankful I stumbled on Monarch Creative Events when looking for a Day of Coordinator. As a "Type A Bride" I wasn't looking for a full on wedding coordinator, but instead someone to run the show the day of the event. Monarch Creative Events has a variety of services they offer and after talking about by needs we were able to pick what services would be perfect for me. Alexa was huge asset to my wedding running smoothly and provided so many invaluable planning tools to help me make sure everything I needed was accounted for. The day of the ceremony she ran EVERYTHING for us so we could just relax and enjoy the day. I was so impressed with the communication and organization that Monarch Creative Events brought to the table. I LOVED working with Alexa and would recommend Monarch Creative Events 1000% percent.
Alexa McNish did an amazing job coordinating our wedding and helping organize events leading up to it as well. She was a lifesaver after firing one coordinator and being on the hunt for a new in the middle of our wedding planning process. She hopped on board and got to work immediately to make sure that I had everything I needed as a bride and to make sure
my husband stayed as cool as a cucumber. Her process was amazing with making sure we didn’t forget a step from ordering decor to packing the night before she crossed all the T’s and dotted all the I’s! Only reason I am give 4 stars instead of 5 is because her assistant Sarah wasn’t as involved in the planning process as we would have liked her to be so on the day of the wedding she seemed to be a bit more panicked than Alexa had been our entire course.Making for some minor miscommunications but Alexa kept things smooth and on track! So if you need a coordinator in any capacity book Alexa for your next event!!!! 👰🏾💍🤵🏽♂️
Alexa and her team are incredible! Through the entire process she was incredibly detail orientated, engaging, supportive, and personable! I like to think I was a relatively lowkey bride, but I still don't know what I would've done without her and her team the day of the wedding - having them there just made the day even more easy and seamless. I have a very supportive family where my mom and aunts would've been more than willing to step in and help out, but having Alexa and her team there allowed my family to enjoy the day without the hassle of setting up/keeping everyone organized.
Seriously cannot say enough good things!
I would without a doubt recommend Monarch Creative Events to anyone!
As the MOB I wanted to enjoy my daughter’s wedding. I knew to accomplish that I needed to hire a Day of Coordinator. I think Alexa and her staff are perfect. Alexa is professional, detail oriented and very responsive. During the planning she kept us on track which helped us achieve the wedding my daughter envisioned. The money spent on her services were well worth it.
As a vendor (DJ) loved working with Monarch Creative Events! Very organized and was in great communication leading up to the wedding. Had a detailed timeline for each vendor, so everyone knew when/where to do everything. The wedding events went seamless and amazing. I'm sure the bride was happy how the day played out. If I'm this thrilled about Monarch Creative Events as a vendor, I couldn't imagine how a bride would feel!! Highly recommend!
Alexa and her team did an excellent job from start to finish. This was a unique wedding celebration in a Forest Preserve. There were so many small details that were covered by her that might have gone unnoticed by some. Being a planner myself I know how challenging it was. Everything ran smoothly and if there were any issues no one noticed. heard over and over that this was such a fun wedding! Great job Alexa and team!!
Alexa and her team were an immense help the day of my daughter's wedding. I wanted to enjoy the big day despite the wedding reception being hosted in my back yard and her team delivered great hospitality, organization, leadership, and creative thinking the day of to be sure my family could dance, drink and smile ALOT. For a backyard event, there is a lot of planning, preparation, and checklists that need to be accomplished in advance. Not being an event specialist myself Monarch's direction and tools were immensely helpful to be sure we were on track and considering all the aspects a wedding host must consider. Last minute weather issues were top of mind creating last minute changes so guests were not impacted negatively and my role was simply to be consulted...they handled the rest. Kind, respectful, organized, and positive would be a few words I would describe Alexa and her team. Make sure to reach out and consider Monarch for your next event -- inside or outside.
Alexa and Phoebe were rockstar wedding planners and executed perfectly the day of! Not only are they super fun and beautiful people to work with but they are GREAT at their jobs. They were prompt, patient with our large family and ongoing requests, efficient throughout the day with set up/everything in between/break down, friendly, kind, and organized! You will not be disappointed with Alexa and her amazing team!
Monarch Creative Events exceeded my expectations beyond belief! I am quite the control freak, but Alexa was so respectful of my ideas and tweaked everything to perfection. Any time I needed her opinion or advice on a matter, she was right there by my side (through email, text, or a phone call) with exactly what I needed. As you can see by the title of this review, my husband and I were not her typical bride and groom. We did not want a ceremony and we wanted something pretty casual with bits of tradition, but also something different than what most weddings are like. Alexa worked with us every step of the way, even went I went rogue on the décor instructions, and never had one complaint. And this is all only PRE-event! The day of was, no joke, more than I could have possibly imagined. Alexa made my vision become a reality, when I wasn't sure it could be possible. To give you a visual, we had our celebration at a forest preserve with food trucks, a mobile bar, an ice cream cart, caricature artists, flower crowns and tattoos, and TWO DOG RESCUES WITH PUPPIES! The amount of compliments received on our celebration was insane!!! If there were any issues the day of, I never heard about them or dealt with anything. Everything went PERFECTLY! I owe it all to Alexa and Monarch Creative Events for making my dreams come true! I can't wait for my pictures to come back so I can re-live the day and share with as many people as possible!!! Thank you Alexa and Monarch Creative Events!!! You truly are angels!!!
Alexa and her team made our day seamless. Everything in the venue was set up so beautifully and she really helped to bring my vision to life. It really made the day perfect, and I don’t know how I would’ve done it without her! She was so efficient and organized. Definitely would recommend to anyone thinking about using her!!
I’m currently working with Alexa and felt the need to post a review even though my event hasn’t taken place yet. She has been not only a joy to work with, but available whenever I need her and always offering great advice and opinions. I have trouble making decisions, and it doesn’t help that my husband says “whatever you want” to everything for our post-elopement celebration, so having Alexa there to push me in the right direction or validate my thoughts and ideas is helping to make the planning experience so enjoyable. I’m so happy to be working with Alexa and Monarch Creative Events, and will post an update after our event! :)
If you are looking for a wedding planner you can stop here. I had no idea how many things you need to be aware of in planning a wedding. We are getting married 06/11/2022 and we are planning a small wedding, 50-60 people. At first I thought I can handle everything on my own. After h
having a consultation with Alexa I realized that there are so many things I did not even think about. She is very organized, detail oriented, knows exactly what questions to ask of you but also of the vendors. She will be able to save you $
overall and the best if it she will be able to save your senity. Thank you Alexa for
making my big day become reality!!!
Alexa was such a big help. She made my day so special from start to finish. She brought my thoughts to life effortlessly. Would 100% recommend her to my friends and family!
We're very excited to plan all of our upcoming events with Alexa. She just completed a Lunch & Learn event last tuesday, where she was enthusiastic, on time and engaging!
Alexa is creative, organized and full of great money saving tips! I have watched Alexa grow into a woman of dignity, she is ethical, and a north pointing moral code. She grounded and realistic. She will not overpromise and underdeliver. she will be goal and budget minded. Get excited, this will be a great adventure!
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Monarch Creative Events
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