NSWE Events

ok and a lot of stress off my shoulders. For instance, she was in touch with all the vendors making sure everything was ready. I felt like I didn't need to worry about anything at all on our wedding day and even the weeks leading up to it since she had everything under control. Instead, I just got to enjoy the process!! On top of that she is also so sweet and enjoyable to work with and has excellent advice about all aspects of wedding planning. Thank you so much Megan--we couldn't be happier with the memories from our wedding day. Finally, I highly recommend you have Megan design some of your printed materials (programs, place cards, hotel cards etc) because ours ended up gorgeous and very affordable. THANK YOU!

re has managed weddings for two daughters and WOWED our guests each time.

e. It took a lot of stress off of me and our wedding turned out beautifully. On the day of our wedding I really didn't have to worry about anything, which allowed me and my family to enjoy everything fully. I would recommend NSWE to anyone.

ever attended. We could not have done it without her. She is incredibly knowledgeable, starting with organizing all of the things we would need, proposing great ideas and little touches (e.g., a bourbon bar that was a huge hit), suggesting incredible vendors (the band, caterer, florist were all flawless and I could not imagine them being any more perfect), keeping us on schedule and on-track, and making sure the night went smoothly and without a hitch. I would not change a thing and could not even imagine a more amazing wedding.

cation skills, and made every activity and task fun and exciting. The end result was truly magical and I would not have had the most perfect day without Megan running the show. She has relationships with the best vendors, and expertise in the space, and was always there to give an honest opinion and insights. The best quality about Megan is that she was truly a friend through the entire process and was always honest and looking out for our best interest. Megan was able to execute exactly what I was looking for and I could not have done it without her!

x weeks before the wedding. She even helped me design my invitation. She also did all our printing which was an incredible help. She was fast and always on top of it. her timeline was perfect and we were always ahead of schedule! I would 100% recommend Megan to any Bride.

hing that I greatly wanted for my black-tie wedding at the Armour House. Megan is also open to everything, and is a truly good listener; there were some aspects of the planning process where I knew exactly what I wanted, and Megan allowed me to have that agency with grace, but for those aspects where I was clueless, she presented options before me that spoke to me, showing that she was keenly aware of my desires. She also did a fabulous job of managing the budget, presenting me with a highly detailed, multi-dimensional spreadsheet immediately in the process, as well as a proposal that listed three suggested vendors for each needed item. This tightened list of choices allowed me to choose what I wanted to splurge on and where I wanted to cut back, all while remaining on budget, and not impeding my busy work schedule. However, Megan’s acts as an individual largely outshone her skills as a planner. She was a true friend, and not simply in the sense of being a joy to spend time with. I needed more than a friend; with my mom living out of town, I needed an advisor and guide—an emotional support. Megan easily slipped into all those roles, accompanying me to appointments when I needed her, giving me space when I wanted to do something alone, but always being only an email, phone call or even text away to offer me help at any moment. A highly illustrative example of how Megan’s kindness and support reached beyond the role of a planner was when my plans for picking up my dress the day before the wedding fell through. I got married over Thanksgiving weekend, and living in the northern suburbs, I panicked in tears when I found out that my arrangements for having my dress picked up in the city had backfired—and on Black Friday. With a million appointments that day, and my own family busy with getting into town, Megan instantly stepped up, offering to not only pick up my dress, but also brave the mania of shoppers and figure out parking the day after Thanksgiving. Coming back to my apartment to find my dress lusciously draped over a chair certified Megan as a savior. She demonstrated this same selfless resolve during the actual event. The whole thing went flawlessly from start to finish, but a transportation issue that occurred during the rehearsal dinner, which Megan wasn’t even meant to be involved with, found her showing up at the event regardless to direct traffic outside, as well as recruiting a second assistant for the next day, lest the same issue should happen at the wedding—which it didn’t thanks to her. Megan Estrada of North Shore Weddings and Events is a true professional. Her business background in the hotel industry makes her a poised and effective negotiator, and gives her a sense of calm that is all-encompassing in everything she does. Her creativity is able to glean elegance and fun into luscious and personalized settings, and her pristine work-ethic combined with an eye for beauty left all of our guests saying that they had never been to a wedding so beautiful, and they’re still talking about it. I truly love Megan, and people about to embark through this consuming yet exciting process could do no better than have an ally like her at their side.

contact with us was truly appreciated. She allowed us to be as hands on as we wanted and had many ideas to save money. Her knowledge of contracts and her background in catering really helped us get the most from our vendors. I look forward to my sisters getting married so that we can work with Megan again.

executed it perfectly. We couldn't have asked for anything more.

de planning my wedding fun--she introduced me & my mom to some outstanding vendors, she helped to guide us in making our decisions while always respecting my vision as the bride, and helped to keep us organized and on top of everything--especially towards the end when a seemingly million and one details pop up--Megan was always there to make sure that we had everything in order. One of my favorite things about working with Megan is her postive attitude and that she is a genuinely kind person. Megan is always so respectful of everyone that she works with--all of our vendors had only good things to say about their experience working with her. I can honestly say that our wedding this past December (12.13.14) was the best day of my life in large part thanks to Megan and all of her help in planning the wedding of my dreams. If I can offer any future brides two pieces of advice it would be as follows: 1) Hire a wedding planner--this will by far be the best investment that you will make out of all of your wedding expenses. 2) If you do hire a wedding planner, I HIGHLY recommend North Shore Weddings & Events--Megan is such a wonderful person and she is an extraordinarily talented professional, she will help to turn your vision into the wedding of your dreams too!

ve been luckier to find Megan Estrada. I knew within 5 minutes of meeting with her that she was the right planner for me. She worked with me to develop a custom planner budget since I had already done some of the leg work. All other planners I met with either offered full planning service or day of service. Megan works differently and is willing to create these custom plans based on what the bride really needs help with. Megan went above and beyond in every aspect of her role. She never pushed the most expensive options on me and always came up with solutions to for on my budget. She was always readily available and provided exceptional guidance. My wedding was absolutely beautiful and beyond my expectations. I can't say enough about Megan and what an amazing wedding planner she is. Look no further - she is the best and you won't be disappointed.

n with not only myself, but with all of the vendors we used. She recommended vendors as well as became comfortable with a few vendors I was adamant on working with. At one point a vendor needed pick up service for rentals and I was too busy to get to it. Megan organized another vendor to pick up what we needed to make the night perfect! You will need to trust her when it comes to big decisions on your big day. Megan knows the business and can navigate her way through a flawless event. I recommend North Shore Weddings and Events. Thank you to Megan and her team. It was a night to remember!"

us from the outset why she does "month-of" instead of "day-of" coordination, and it made sense at the time but proved to be particularly sensible as the wedding approached. While the specific benefits that Megan provided are too innumerable to list, I'll briefly describe what we told everyone else who asked about our decision to hire a coordinator: it was the difference between an incredibly fun, relaxed wedding day, versus a stressful day that we would have to manage ourselves. My wife and I did all the foundational planning ourselves, and about 6-8 weeks before the wedding turned over all the vendor relationships to Megan. All of the supplies and materials needed for the big day we packed up a few days beforehand and Megan picked it all up on Friday. When Saturday rolled around we were as relaxed as could be. Megan set up everything at the reception venue and no one from the bridal party to our parents needed to do any of the heavy lifting, leaving us all to relax and enjoy each other’s company on the morning before the wedding. When we arrived at the reception after the ceremony, everything was perfectly set up and ready to go. We actually hired NSWE for a few extra add-ons, like transportation planning, and seating chart, and everything was handled perfectly. A few key takeaways: 1) I would not be surprised if Megan and NSWE cover their own cost in savings they can get from vendors, particularly if you use them for the more extensive planning packages. This was the case for us with the transportation planning that Megan did. 2) We didn’t want to burden ourselves or parents with logistical planning on the day-of, and NSWE absolutely accomplished that goal for us 100%. 3) Despite not hiring NSWE for the full wedding coordination, Megan was an incredible asset to us at every point in the process (long before the actual month-of) and was extremely responsive throughout. And 4) Megan helped immensely by being our advocate with vendors and also family members, helping to communicate our wishes when it would have been difficult for us to do so. Final recommendation: The month-of coordination was easily some of the best money we spent on the entire wedding in terms of making it an enjoyable experience. We’ve all heard horror stories about the stresses that come up on the big day and we had zero of those, despite fully expecting them. Megan and NSWE made that possible.

owledgeable about the wedding industry and helped us find a great venue and vendors. She worked hard to make our event run smoothly. There were some overall communication issues in terms handling vendors and stressed family members. Overall, she helped us plan an event that we were very proud of.

t planned my wedding in Chicago and Megan not only helped me plan one of the most beautiful weddings ever, but helped me plan it on a budget and without any stress. I'm an overwhelmed with gratitude for Megan and North Shore Weddings and Events. I would recommend Megan to EVERYONE looking for a coordinator. She was not only affordable, but knowledgeable, pleasant to work with, funny and just plain awesome. The saddest part about my wedding being over is that I don't get to work with Megan everyday.

ls, and gave great advice. Megan answered my emails right away, and coordinated all communication with the vendors. She organized all our invoices, and created a personalized wedding binder which included a timeline and budget. Each detail added to the wedding, she updated to the budget and timeline and emailed it to us right away. Megan is very knowledgable of the North Shore area. She was able to save us a lot of money by negotiating with vendors. She kept our wedding under budget, and had great ideas for DIY projects. She even helped us make the projects. Megan is outstanding, and her work is simply perfection. Words cannot express how thankful we are for her. Any bride would be lucky to have Megan plan their wedding day.

hing. We were able to enjoy the process and the day of to it's fullest because of her. I would recommend, and have recommended Megan to everyone I know that is planning a wedding. She was the best decision we made. Thoroughly enjoyed every minute of working with her.

Hiring Megan was such a huge help - I actually wish that I had sought her out much earlier. One of the best things about Megan is that she helps you plan the wedding of your dreams without breaking the bank. She was incredibly professional and had much knowledge about the wedding industry. She helped us save money several times by working with our vendors to get us the best deals possible. Having her as a wedding planner made me feel like I had an advocate when dealing with wedding vendors - which made me truly appreciative because wedding vendors can be very expensive! I had so many questions for her, and she was always quick to respond and help me problem solve when necessary. She is very detail oriented, and constructed a timeline for our ceremony and reception that took everything that had to be done into consideration - including things that I never would have thought of on my own! She also had a ton of great ideas for DIY touches to make the reception feel more elegant without us having to spend a lot of money. The day of the wedding was incredible. Everything came together beautifully and because of Megan, I felt like I was able to enjoy myself at the wedding. I got to celebrate with friends and family, just like I wanted to, because Megan was taking care of EVERYTHING behind the scenes. I can't say enough good things about Megan's services. She went above and beyond to make sure everything was great. My husband and I got so many compliments on our big day. I have already recommended to several friends who are getting married and will continue to do so!

enue design, and last minute vendor choices. Megan stepped in and went above and beyond what we originally hired her for: she lined up all of my vendors, attended design consultations at the venue, came up with all of the décor for my ceremony and reception, came up with a precise rehearsal dinner and wedding day timeline, made sure everyone was where they needed to be, and the list goes on. She truly does it all and she does it well. Not to mention, she is very well-respected by vendors and maintains great relationships with them. She made my dream wedding a reality and I cannot thank her enough for that.

ny aspects of planning, dealing with vendors and calming my nerves during inevitable wedding crises. Hiring Megan actually saved me money because she was able to assist me with vendor negotiations. The treatment and pricing I got from some vendors when I contacted them on my own vs. having Megan contact them on my behalf was night and day. Having her on board made the difference between my wedding being a stressful disaster to being a perfect beautiful day that I actually got to enjoy. If I had one thing to do over for my wedding, I would have hired Megan at the beginning of my wedding planning process. It would have saved me hundreds of hours of stress and meetings and emails and research. Even if I had to cut my guest list to afford Megan's planning services, I would have done it. If you are planning a wedding, do yourself a big favor and hire Megan!

is a bright young woman, with great communication skills and adept at multitasking and negotiating with vendors. Through meetings with her and looking at my daughter's Pinterest boards, she quickly grasped what type of wedding we envisioned. We received a very professional folder from her at our first meeting and she continued to provide excellent written, visual, and verbal communication throughout the entire time. From the beginning, she patiently guided us through the long, emotional, and joyful process of planning a wedding. Megan had great recommendations for all the vendors we needed, and ones within our budget. The best part is that she negotiates with the vendors to get the best price, and the best value/product! In meeting with the vendors, she knew what questions to ask and was "our voice" for the difficult situations. With her experience she was able to determine what is reasonable and customary, and that was invaluable! Signing contracts for a venue, caterer, band, florist, photographer, videographer, harpist, jazz duo, linens, etc. can be daunting and confusing and she was always "on the ball" with options, suggestions, advise, etc. Luckily for us, she has a critical "eye" when checking contracts. In the last few weeks before the wedding I felt so at ease knowing that everything was under control, and that if last minute things popped up (and they did!) Megan would keep us informed and calmly handle it for us after getting our input. We were thoroughly able to enjoy ourselves at the wedding and reception, because she was in the background making sure everything was done the way we wanted it. The wedding was more perfect and beautiful than we imagined it could be, and our friends and family are still talking (a month later) about how beautiful and wonderful it was! Megan played a vital role in making that happen!

ous excel spreadsheets to detail our budget, guest list, and wedding timelines. I planned my wedding while living out of state and she was great at communicating with both my mom and I. She was always on top of all of the details, and would include us and our visions every step of the way. She even helped print and organize programs, place cards, and charity cards. On the day of my wedding I felt calm and relaxed, because Megan oversaw the timeline and details. She did so much behind the scene, I know I can't give her the credit that she deserves. My wedding was beautiful, and elegant. It was everything I had dreamed of and more. I HiGHLY recommend her! All of the vendors commented on how organized and thorough she was too.

sure and was completely up front with us - what we could or couldn't do, what the cost was going to be. Megan listened to the wishes of the bride and groom (and the MOB!) and was so creative in bringing their vision to fruition. Her list of vendor contacts was endless and, quite frankly, saved us a bunch of money. THE BEST MONEY I SPENT WAS ON MEGAN ESTRADA!

ards, etc. Megan also has some great recommendations for vendors such as DJ, photographers, makeup artists, and florists. We ended up using her recommendations and were very happy. My mom and I both work full time jobs so hiring Megan to help with the wedding was the best decision we could have made! The wedding went so smoothly...it was a great day!

and confidence put my mind at ease SO many times. All my questions and concerns no matter how crazy or off topic were always answered in a timely manner with great advice. Her knowledge and connections in the industry made picking venders so easy and seamless as well as saving us so much time and energy. She listened to what we wanted our wedding to be and found the perfect people to fit our style. Her phenomenal organization skills kept everything on track throughout our nine months of planning and our day of couldn’t have gone more smoothly. We were able to enjoy our wedding in its entirety all because of Megan. Megan's love for her job is truly amazing and is seen in everything she does. She went above and beyond what we could have ever imagined a wedding planner could be!! We love you Megan, thanks for everything!!