Plum & Ivy Events

Oh my gosh where to even begin other than to say Plum & Ivy helped us have our dream wedding and they were the absolute BEST decision we made! I hired them in the very beginning of our planning process for partial planning services because I wanted help with picking a venue. Maria & Lauren were so patient with me with the venue search, especially when I changed my mind about a venue at the last second & we went back to the drawing board. Then Brittany took over the rest of the planning and she was an absolute dream to work with! So responsive, thorough and on top of everything. Her input when I struggled to make decisions or pick a vendor was invaluable. On the actual wedding day, she ran such a tight ship we were running ahead of schedule most of the day and everyone, including our bridal party & parents, were so complimentary of her all day. I will truly miss talking to her all the time. Overall, we would not have had such a perfect, magical day without Plum & Ivy and I would recommend them to absolutely everyone!

I could not possible rave more about my experience with Plum & Ivy. My partner and I opted for the full service package as we both started busy jobs while wedding planning and it was perfection. Our planner quickly got to know us, our taste, our vision for the wedding, and the things that were important as well as the things that were not so important. She introduced us to exceptional vendors and was unbelievably easy to communicate with. To quote one of my bridesmaids "your wedding was seamless." It exceeded all of our expectations and I, an otherwise anxious person, can truly say that I was carefree and grinning the entire wedding.

We reached out to Plum & Ivy per our friend’s recommendation. We met with Maria and Brittany two years prior to our wedding and we were so impressed by their thoroughness and attention to detail, we knew we wanted them to plan our wedding. Brittany’s communication was excellent at key milestones. Their familiarity with various vendors was extremely helpful and quickly narrowing down our choices, which saved us a lot of time and energy. Brittany took care of the hotel blocks for our guests, transportation to and from the venue. She also booked our amazing dinner the night before and brunch for our guests the next day. Everything went precisely on time with no stress or need for the bride or groom to intervene . Brittany managed every detail on time and on budget. We could go on and on. Thank you Plum & Ivy for making our dream come true.

I would just like to say my wife and I had a wonderful experience with Plum & Ivy from the initial get go before we officially signed them on as the planner, through the end execution on day off. Specifics below Pre-Contract we felt incredibly comfortable when we had our initial call, and really thought they had a clear approach . I know I had great comfort in knowing the team's ability to project manage and event plan, while also getting the right details in execution made it a clear choice. From a cost standpoint, I thought they provided excellent value for the service, something that was customizable and didn't break our budget Planning While admittedly, I wasn't as deep in the specific details as my wife was, I know she felt a comfort level with your approach on the planning, and she isn't easy to please in that area! I think Plum & Ivy's approach to planning has a the right balance in the templates and communications without being over burdensome to the client. Communication Everyone we dealt with from Plum and Ivy was very prompt and thorough in their responses from you, when we started working with Lauren, and transitioned to work with Natalia. I will say one bit of feedback on communication, and I'm sure you're all trying to figure this out with your clients, but how to streamline/ reduce the amount of emailing? I realized by the wedding date, there were a lot of long and different email chains, and information buried in them. Thankfully things were translated to the planning form in summary of final decisions, and I liked how on top of things Natalia was in clarifying what decisions were made. Vendor suggestions We were mostly pleased with all the vendor suggestions you provided, and think that is a great service to offer. Not only did you help confirm that some of the vendors we had initially researched were great choices (Colin Lyons, Juliet Tan), you also gave us other vendors to explore as a comparison point. While Fig Media didn't ultimately execute as expected, I was ultimately happy and content with the resolution in the end. Natalia was able to also coordinate with all the additional vendors we dealt with from the cake vendor and the lion dance. Day of Execution Both Natalia and Maddie were really on point the day off the wedding. There was a lot going on, and I could tell they felt knowledgeable and confident in what needed to get done and when. They communicated succinctly and when necessary and at timely moments. They were able to adapt quickly and in the moment if needed. I didn't realize that Maddie would be closing us out the night off, but the transition from Natalia to Maddie was seamless, and Maddie did a wonderful job with us to help us to the end. General feedback on Wedding Planner Clear and Strong communication- Natalia demonstrated that she could understand what the client or vendor needed, and then could enable a course of action/action item for someone to take Good Rapport with Vendors- Natalia demonstrated good rapport with other vendors and the church planners; Of the conversations I observed, Natalia showed both cordialness and respect to all the vendors, even in more tense situations Action-oriented- as mentioned above, Natalia was very clear on accountability, who needed to take an action, and by when. Timeliness on Responses- Natalia responded to our queries and vendor queries very quickly and with great thoroughness and thoughtfulness.

Plum and Ivy made our wedding day so effortless and magical. I cannot say enough wonderful things about our coordinator, Brittany. She thought of every detail and took so much time and care to make sure that things ran smoothly. Leading up to our big day, Plum and Ivy had so many fabulous vendor recommendations and answered all of my countless questions. Do not hesitate- hire them for your day!

Our wedding day absolutely exceeded our expectations and Plum and Ivy played a huge role in making sure everything was perfect. Can not highly recommend them enough!!!

I cannot say enough great things about Plum & Ivy! We had the pleasure of working with Brittany and our wedding could have not been anymore perfect. I attribute that entirely to Brittany, I don't know what I would have done without her. She is so organized and knowledgeable. She was always available for any questions and issues that came up and knew exactly what to do. Also, it wasn't just my husband and I who saw how hard she worked to make the day absolutely perfect for us. My parents, extended family, bridal party, everyone was reaching out asking how we found her and just had the nicest things to say about her. Brittany kept everything on track, was always there if something needed to be done. I can't put into words how much we appreciated Brittany. I will recommend Plum & Ivy to all of my friends and relatives for any event they are hosting. I truly do not know what we would have done with Brittany. Our wedding was the best day of our lives and I give Brittany all the credit! I highly recommend Plum & Ivy.

Our wedding day was absolutely perfect and it’s fully owed to all the work Brittany did from the moment we began working with Plum & Ivy! From vendor recommendations, to providing us with a detailed Master Itinerary and Planning Tools Kit, to just jumping on a call to stay up to date with where we were at, she was there every step of the way. Right away, she was able to pick up on my taste and the things that mattered most to me, and made sure we got what we needed because of how well she worked with all our vendors! Most importantly though, Brittany made our wedding day absolutely stress free for not only my husband and I, but our parents! She made sure all of us were able to relax and know things were getting done the way they needed! Can’t express enough love for the Plum & Ivy team, especially Brittany:)

Working with Plum & Ivy was the best decision I made for anything regarding my wedding. Erika and Maria were incredible from the first call I had with them. Erika worked with me throughout the planning process and replanning process since my wedding was originally planned for July of 2020. I always knew it would be helpful to have someone for day of, but Erika also helped with keeping everything organized, reaching out to vendors on my behalf, and just generally always had great advice for me on how to proceed with anything. The team was incredible day of and I truly cannot reccommend them enough.

If you are considering hiring a planner for your wedding or event, hire Plum & Ivy. Hands down, the best decision we made for our wedding. Maria, the owner, is an absolute delight and knows ALL of the ins-and-outs of planning the perfect wedding plus she has all of the industry connections to make your vendor dreams come true. Natalia was our fabulous coordinator and she was a total fairy godmother, lifesaver, boss babe. Natalia was so helpful, responsive and she truly cared about all of the details of our special day. I really felt like I could count on her to make things happen and her support truly took so much pressure off of us. It was honestly the best feeling to get to wedding day and just enjoy every moment knowing that Natalia & Brichel had all of the behind the scenes stuff totally under control. My hubs and I just got to have FUN and that’s the best, most important reason to hire a planner. Our dream day happened just as we had hoped and we owe that to Plum & Ivy. Thank you for keeping this COVID-bride’s spirits up and making my wedding day dreams come true. Plum & Ivy has my highest recommendation!

Maria, Lauren, and Natalia with Plum and Ivy made sure our wedding day at Walden was everything we dreamed of and more. With Walden, we were given wedding planners that arranged every detail of our perfect day. We were provided a personalized app that had a to-do list with due dates that assured we were always on task and allowed for the perfect means of communication with our planners. They took care of every aspect from providing lists of recommended vendors, looking into vendors that we suggested, getting proposals, and contacting all the vendors about every detail of our day. They were along for the ride of planning through COVID and were amazing being open with communication through all of it with and the changes it caused. The day of, I could not have been less stressed or more relaxed knowing that Natalia could handle anything thrown her way (from coordinating vendors to leaking windows during a tornado warning to setting up all of our details and decor). We wish we could hire Natalia to be our life planner and we know who to contact when we need any other party planned.

I wish I could hire Erika to run every day of my life!!! She was absolutely incredible every step of the wedding process. We had to postpone our wedding due to COVID and she went above and beyond contacting vendors, updating contracts, and giving calm and helpful advice. She was also able to negotiate with vendors to ensure we're getting the best prices and organized every small detail. She helped us feel so relaxed and answered each email, call, and text right away! She had terrific insight and made sure to create the wedding of our dreams. Having her for the day of the wedding allowed everything to run smoothly and on time. On top of it all, she is hilarious, positive, and was like having a close friend throughout the planning process and wedding. Thankfully my sister and friend are using Plum & Ivy when getting married at The Walden next year and I'll get to see their brilliance in action again soon! Thank you thank you!

100/10! Brittany, Lauren, and Maria with Plum and Ivy made my day happen. I am a covid bride who had to postpone to 2021. Plum and Ivy made everything seamless in transition and worked with us to make sure every vendor was on top of everything. I couldn't recommend them higher at this point. Our big day would not have been the same without Brittany running around cracking skulls and making sure everyone was where they needed to be at the proper time! She made the day stress free for me - which is saying something because I am naturally stressed about everything. If you on the fence about whether or not a planner is worth it, I would absolutely recommended it and I would follow it up with hire Plum and Ivy so you can focus on the important stuff on your big day.

I could not recommend Plum & Ivy more and my husband and I both agreed it was the absolute best decision we made for our wedding. Brittany, Lindsay and Andrea were absolutely phenomenal to work with. They were on top of every detail throughout the process. We have a big silly group and Lindsay did an amazing job of keeping everything organized and moving but also keeping everything fun. Our day was truly perfect and would never have been so amazing without Plum & Ivy working behind the scenes so we could enjoy. I am so grateful we found them and would HIGHLY recommend them. They are the best there is!

WOW!! That word completely sums up how I feel about the services of Erika with Plum & Ivy. My daughter's special wedding day was originally scheduled for May 2, 2020. We started the wedding planning in January of 2019 and soon had our first phone call with Maria (owner) of Plum & Ivy, when she began gathering information regarding my daughter's overall vision including the number of people attending, reception site, etc. Then when we had our first meeting with Maria in March 2019, the overall logistics of a Chicago wedding, including estimated costs based on 175 attendees, was discussed. Since my husband and I are not from the Chicago area, this was extremely helpful in planning our budgt. Soon after this initial meeting, we began working directly with Erika.....at that time, little did I know that she would be the most important and helpful person in the entire wedding planning process. As 2019, rolled on, vendor selections were made and the wheels were turning very smoothly for the wedding my daughter had always dreamed of. Then 2020 showed up, and so did the Corona virus which brought on lots and lots of changes including state and city imposed restrictions In fact, out daughter's wedding for May 2, had to be cancelled. So in true Erika form, she immediately contacted each Vendor to see what dates they would be available for later in 2020. This date was quickly narrowed down to a couple of options and November 13 was selected. Then just 2 1/2 months before the big day, Chicago restricted all social gatherings to 50 people. Then just 14 days before the wedding, Chicago further restricted the number of attendees at a social gathering to 25 people. Yes, our daughter's wedding went from 175 attendees to 25......... I truly do not know what we would have done without Erika through all of this. Seriously, her calmness and positivity helped keep everything in prespective.....she continually affirmed both my daughter and I that the end result was going to be beautiful and as our Leader, she had it all under control. During each one of the changes, Erika was right there....her response time was immediate and she was extremely detailed and well organized. In addition, Erika was "our voice" to all Vendors as she worked through changes in both the number of attendees, event times and numerous other items that had to be addressed. Something else I noticed about Erika is how respected she was by all the Vendors we worked with. When asked, Erika always offered us names of several very reputable Vendors. Some of the Vendors we selected had not worked with Erika before, but her ease in dealing with others - new and old - especially under these extremely diffcilut circumstances was truly amazing. The TEAM approach - Erika, Vendors and Bride - was perfect and made every step so flawless. As I close this review, I thank Erika for making our daughter's wedding so magical. In my daughter's words, "Tonight was so much more than I ever thought was possible". We are planning something much, much smaller (Birthday celebration) in Chicago for June of 2021 and my very first call will be made to Erika of Plum & Ivy.

Hiring Plum & Ivy was the single best decision we made of all the choices and decisions we had to make as part of this process. I was referred to Maria through a close friend and I will make sure all of my friends and family know about Plum & Ivy after this. Our wedding had to be planned 3 times due to Covid. At the end, we had to completely scrap our original venue and plan and Erika handled it all with ease. We ended up moving our wedding to Plum & Ivy’s new venue, Walden, and the evening was absolutely perfect. I couldn’t have survived one wedding without them, let alone 3 attempts! Thank you Maria, Erika and the whole team for making our day so beautiful and so easy for me!!

I got married in 2016 which was the first year that Maria opened her business. I am super delayed in writing my reviews, but I kept putting it off since I didn't want to shortchange her. She was an indispensable part of wedding planning for us. I interviewed with a few wedding planners, but Maria was the most personable and helpful among those that I met. She was enthusiastic and even offered free advice at the consultation before I even hired her! For the most part, I planned my wedding remotely. We got married in Chicago but by the time most of the planning was happening we had moved out of state. Maria found the best vendors for us and was able to maximize our visits to Chicago. She wrote thorough and timely emails in response to my (admittedly neurotic) queries. She also knows a TON of people in the business. She found out that our caterer WENT OUT OF BUSINESS almost a full month before the caterer sent a notification to clients. She called us, explained the situation and already had plans of how to fix everything to make our day perfect. We turned a disaster into a minor inconvenience. A few days before the wedding, we moved the location of the ceremony due to rain. Maria handled ALL of the communication with vendors, reconfigured the schedule of events and handled the new last minute decorations. It was seamless and NOT stressful at all. That's not something many brides can say during the wedding week. On the day of my event, I felt like Maria was everywhere at once. It was amazing! She had previously mentioned (in passing) that she had another wedding that day - and you would have never known. Everything went smoothly (and if it didn't, I never heard about it!) If I ever plan another event in the Chicago area, I will reach out to Maria. She was a pleasure to work with and I am glad that her business seems to be doing so well.

I absolutely LOVED working with Maria and Brittany during my wedding planning process. I put on events for a living so I knew I wanted to make sure my wedding felt not at all like me working, so I chose Plum & Ivy and Brittany for day of wedding coordination. Honestly, It was the best decision I made in the whole process besides deciding to get married. Working with Brittany before the big day was easy, she was so organized and had so many resources to help me plan. And the day of my wedding, I truly didn't worry about a thing at all. I'm not kidding when I say I recommend them to everyone. I would absolutely choose to work with Plum & Ivy again in a heartbeat. I found the value of their services extremely affordable based on all of the support and resources I received and they contributed to my wedding being the best day ever!

We looked at having our wedding at The Walden and worked with the Maria in the process of choosing venues and laying out a budget. While we did not end up having our wedding there due to financial concerns (we had to keep it smaller and did it in Wisconsin instead), I loved working with Maria. She was so kind and helpful, she never pressured us to "just make a decision before someone else gets the date" like a lot of other vendors. She even suggested a bunch of vendors in Wisconsin to look into after we decided to change locations. I would recommend Plum Ivy and the Walden wholeheartedly to anyone looking to have their wedding in Chicago. They really seem to care that you have the wedding that is right for you.

As a wedding coordinator at a local venue, I wasn’t sure if I needed to have a wedding day or coordinator because I am so organized and do it for a living. After a lot of thought we decided to use Plum and Ivy and it was the best decision I have ever made. Brittany was INCREDIBLE. My wedding was the best day of my life and the entire thing went off perfectly. I cannot stress enough to brides the importance of having a coordinator and Plum and Ivy will forever be my only recommendation. Thank you for making our day the best day of our lives.

I have had the best time working with the Plum & Ivy team for my wedding! They were diligent, hard-working, caring & down-to-earth women that knew exactly what I needed before I even knew it myself! We did partial planning with them, but I felt like I had full on team dedicated to us anytime I needed them. During the entire process from consultation to the day-of, Maria & Erika were with me every step of the way and went above and beyond to make sure that my entire vision of my wedding experience was met. Let me tell you, they succeeded. I cannot recommend them enough!!

Plum & Ivy Events did a spectacular job for us! Erika was just amazing at managing all the moving pieces. We were in awe at her ability to listen so closely to all of our requests and ideas and how she immediately "got it". Every detail was carefully written down in her notes, then showed up in her meticulous timeline, and was executed the day of our wedding. Her professional demeanor, and knowledge put us all at ease immediately, and allowed us to place our trust in her very capable hands to make the most important day in our lives, the happiest. Thank you Erika and Plum & Ivy!

Plum & Ivy was one of the best decisions we could have made for our wedding day! Everything was perfect. On the day of the wedding, I felt so comfortable and relaxed knowing Erica had everything organized and flowing flawlessly. Aside from her friendly and easy to work with personality, from beginning to end, Erica was responsive, prepared and took charge of everything that she needed to making it feel like we had much more than just a Day-Of Coordinator. I can't say enough great things about Plum & Ivy!!

As a fellow wedding professional we have seen it all and Plum & Ivy Events is simply THE BEST. Erika was an absolute dream to work with. The wedding day was so smooth, the bride and groom were relaxed and everyone enjoyed themselves. Something that really stood out to us was that Erika even had little details covered (like texting us the morning of, setting out bridal details before we arrived and making sure we had the time we needed) that made our life as vendors much easier so we could do an even better job for the couple. We couldn't recommend her or Plum & Ivy more highly!!!

We can’t speak highly enough about the P & I team for what a spectacular experience our wedding turned out to be! It all came off seamlessly, without any stress for me, my daughter or my husband. Their expertise, terrific organization skills and calm, confident demeanor were on full display throughout. They were available and responsive at every turn, especially day-off. We truly enjoyed working with them and, most importantly, our wedding was the stress-free day of our dreams.

If you are even slightly considering a wedding planner or day-of planner, BOOK Plum & Ivy. I reached out to them about a year out from my wedding for day-of services. I quickly learned that they went above and beyond just the day of my wedding. Erika was with me every step of the way. I am not from Chicago and had never even been to a wedding here so I had no clue where to even start with vendors. She did e-mail introductions to all her favorite vendors including, floral, lighting, hair/make up, and videography. I always felt I could reach out to her with random questions leading up to the wedding. She also set up our final vendor meeting and wedding day itinerary. She took over all communication with vendors and ensured everyone was on the same page. On the day of, she did it all! She picked up breakfast for the bridesmaids, steamed our dresses, coordinated with all the vendors and went to the venue to oversee the set-up. She was so amazing to work and so helpful along the way with all of my questions!

Where do I even start?? If you are thinking about hiring a wedding planner for your wedding, look no further! We worked with Melissa for our wedding and she was an absolute dream to work with. She kept my husband and I organized, on track, and did an amazing job coordinating all of the wedding day details with our vendors. We never would have been able to pull off such an amazing wedding without her help! They are truly the best!

Working with Plum & Ivy was the best decision we made for the entire wedding planning process. We booked a day of coordinator and ended up working with a Brittany. She was so much more than a day of coordinator. She was in constant communication with us from providing vendor recommendations, reviewing contracts, laying out our final payment plan, and so much more. There were so many unforeseen details we did not see coming and Brittany did an amazing job handling. Your wedding is such an important day and can be stressful if you’re on your own. I would highly recommend working with Plum & Ivy.

The best decision we ever made in the wedding planning process was choosing Plum & Ivy as our wedding planner. Living in CA, we relied on Erika and Maria heavily to make our Naperville wedding come true. Their flexibility, patience, recommendations and calm girl boss professionalism created the wedding of our dreams. I think I was most impressed day of the wedding though. I truly enjoyed every minute of the day and it all happened because of Erika. I would just look around and things were done, and beautiful, and she had a smile on her face guiding me and all 175 other people there as to what to do next. The only thing I’m sad about is not getting to work with her now that the wedding is over. I can’t say enough about how fabulous this team is and how happy we were through the entire process and day of. They truly made a day we will never forget, and I like to think a friendship I’ll always cherish. Thank you so much ladies!

We could not have been happier with having Erika as our day of coordinator. She was helpful, professional, and a joy to be around! Erika and the team had great recommendations throughout the planning process, put us at ease, and went above and beyond.

There are no words for how truly grateful we are for everything Brittany did before, during, and after our wedding. She made everything extra special and most importantly stress free. If anything went wrong the day of I didn’t know because Brittany took care of it. If you’re on the fence about Plum and Ivy, I hope this review seals the deal and you just do it. I promise it’s 100% worth it. Best wedding coordinator in all of Chicago!

Erika and Brittany were fantastic, I never knew I needed a "day" of coordinator but Erika thought of every detail throughout the month before the wedding and everything worked out perfectly. I would recommend Plum & Ivy to anyone getting married!

Just married yesterday! Thanks Brittany and the rest of Plum & Ivy! As an older couple, Tom and I felt we had the knowledge and experience to plan and execute much of our own wedding. But we also knew that we wanted to hand off the reins on the day of, so that we'd could be totally in the moment. Brittany gave us the perfect amount of support and assistance. Completely organized, calm and smiling, Brittany remained. Several of our guests noticed their excellent service also. We give them our highest recommendation.

We worked with Erika as our day of coordinator (and Brittany for the later part of the day) and it was so wonderful! We were so impressed with the amount of work Erika put in before the wedding day, given that we only did the day of package, and the way she eased our stress the day of was worth every penny. Erika understood our vision, handled every crisis, and made us feel so comfortable on our big day. We can not thank her enough!

Melissa is truly the best, and we could not have asked for a better person to keep us on schedule and organized throughout the whole process. Also she is just an overall fun and nice person, which really helps when sending so many emails back and forth. Best money we spent all weekend.

My family and I worked with Erika and she was ON TOP OF IT from start to finish. We used her for the month before/day of, but went above and beyond. From answering all of our questions, coordinating with all of our vendors, family members etc... the whole experience was very seamless. Additionally to her professionalism, she was very easy to get along with and felt like I was planning my wedding with a friend. I would recommend her to everyone. They also helped create weekend of itineraries to use and share with our bridal party. Please use them!

I couldn’t have asked for a better planner! Erika was so helpful through the whole process and incredibly responsive! She made my dream wedding come true and really understood our vision! She made everything run smoothly and I couldn’t have done it without her! She had amazing suggestions and thought of every last detail. I will recommend this team until the day I die

Erika is amazing at what she does! We hired her for day-of coordination and she made our wedding day one of the best days of our lives! Her organization skills were impeccable and she guided us through countless decisions with clarity and joy. Then, after Erika's expert preparation, the entire wedding day was filled with bliss and connection. We would recommend her and Plum & Ivy to anyone!

As the mother of the bride, Maria was simply invaluable! We had lots of questions and she answered all of them promptly, and was able to offer suggestions and insight. Never did she shy away from questions or requests, and met often with our vendors even though she was only the "day of" coordinator. Maria thought of everything. Nothing was missed and she was a master of the details. She and her assistant were with us every minute of our wedding day. If you need a wedding advisor, Plum & Ivy are simply the best.

Maria is incredible and made our wedding so much more seamless! I used her as a day-of-coordinator since we had already selected many of the vendors, but she went above and beyond what I expected that job to entail -- working with my whole family and answering our tiniest questions, walking us through an incredibly detailed list of itinerary and details we only would have thought of too late in the process, and making the day itself much less stressful. No matter how organized you think you are, you need someone like Maria during the wedding to let you enjoy it without stressing that vendors will miss sometime etc. She inspires total and complete trust which is essential! Her team members were also great -- nice, professional, and on top of it during the event. Can't say enough good things about Plum & Ivy!

I cannot say enough great things about Plum and Ivy! Both Maria and Erika were absolutely excellent and just the greatest to work with. They both have the cherriest personalities and really go above and beyond throughout the process. I was particularly greatful for their recommendations of other great vendors and for the comprehensive lists of items to know and do in the months leading up to the wedding (we hired them for Month-of-Coordination). The wedding day could not have gone smoother either. Erika showed up and was wonderful in making me feel like everything was covered. During the wedding she also orchestrated things seamlessly and she even handled a medical scare that was happening with my husband's grandma such that everyone remained calm and I didn't even know about it till weeks after the event. I would recommend Plum and Ivy to anyone 100%.

I do not know where to begin! Plum and Ivy really were incredible. Melissa Scheerer was our day of wedding coordinator but her services went above and beyond just the day of activities. She was ALWAYS available to me from the day I booked their services. She created very organized itineraries and online documents that helped me understand what needed to be done and when. She was always a text or a call away if I had questions or just needed an expert opinion. She kept all vendors notified of all my information and if any changes came up. She kept our rehearsal organized but still kept it fun for our bridal party. On the day of she was running around like crazy making sure each little detail was perfect. I am entirely sure our day was as wonderful and magical as it was because of her and Plum and Ivy. Myself and my new husband will be recommending her and Plum and Ivy to any and all our friends who decide to tie the knot.

With the team of Plum and Ivy, my son's and daughter-in law's dream wedding came to life. Maria, Erika, and Brittany worked with us to create a magical wedding celebration which was not only beautiful but immensely fun for all our guests. We started this journey with them 1 1/2 years ago and it was quite seamless. They created a timeline for us with gentle reminders. Their preferred list of vendors was spot on and every tiny detail was addressed. They were very responsive to e-mails and were patient with our endless questions. They were there every step of the way. I cannot think of any negatives other than I will miss all the communications with them now that the wedding is over!

As MOB who lives a plane ride from Chicago, I will always be grateful that my newlywed niece recommended I consider hiring a day of Event coordinator. My good fortune continued when my research of Chicago based planners led me to Maria and her staff at Plum & Ivy. As planning for my daughter’s big day was underway Erika was consistently available via emails and phone. Asking important questions and offering valuable advice Erika was committed to making sure everything would run smoothly and that everyone would be able to celebrate the day with the least possible anxiety. Her professionalism, patience and a to detail was amazing. Much gratitude to Erika and Lauren for being on site to ensure my daughter’s wedding day an incredibly memorable day.

Erika was a fantastic coordinator and helped us navigate all of our planning and logistics easily and professionally. She was great with reminding us what we needed to do and where everyone needed to be, and thought of things we never would have. Our day would not have been nearly as successful without her.

We could not have asked for a better wedding day, and that was largely due to Plum & Ivy Events! Erika & Brittany were an absolute joy to work with and are amazing at what they do. Having a day of coordinator truly let me just enjoy the day with my wedding party & not have to worry about the in's and out the day & everything that goes into planning a successful wedding. If anything went wrong, I didn't know b/c Erika & Brittany had it all covered. I would recommend investing in Plum & Ivy Events to anyone getting married, you will NOT regret it! Thank you for a wonderful wedding day, XO Erin & Joe Goes

wish i could give more stars to beyond amazing Erika Baumgartner and Brittany Reynolds! as a wedding dj i work with many great wedding planners...but i wanted to write this review as i believe they stand out so much more than others. this past saturday, i had the honor and opportunity to work with them, and witnessed true professionalism. many wedding planners come off very bossy and cold...i totally understand as everyone is nervous as to insure the bride has her best day ever. Erika and Brittany were just so nice and made ALL the vendors at ease, which is very important for prospective brides to understand. i know if i personally get frustrated...it shows in my work. i worked with Brittany more throughout the wedding and she was getting hit with all sorts of requests from EVERYONE! always had a real smile and just completely nailed everything easily! she is very impressive! i know this is NOT easy. Brides! my main point is...if they are able to make your vendors at ease and feel good...they are going to do even better for you, your family and friends! do not hesitate to hire the utmost awesome Erika & Brittany of Plum & Ivy! James Mastrino DJUj

Maria, Brittany, and Erika with Plum & Ivy Events are truly better than the best! As others have said, we wouldn't have survived without them. From the very start, Plum & Ivy continued to impress. They made our wedding such a special, personal, and memorable event. We had such an amazing experience and are so grateful. We were able to enjoy our planning experience and more importantly, the wedding, because we didn't have to worry about a thing. They're even continuing to help us after the wedding! We feel lucky to have had them. They've given us a priceless memory. Our wedding was so unique thanks to their creativity. I could go on and on. Thank you so much, Plum & Ivy!!

I have no idea how I would have managed to pull of my wedding without the help of Maria and the Plum and Ivy team. I started off by researching wedding planners and taking referrals from my venue before narrowing it down to three possible options. I was worried at first because Plum and Ivy was the most expensive option; now I can look back and laugh because hiring them was one of the best decisions we made, and it was the best money we spent on our wedding. During our first meeting before we even signed our contract, Maria was a huge help and she was sharing some vendor suggestions and general ideas with me. The meeting lasted an hour and I left feeling more confident about the wedding plans and my overall vision for the day. After we signed the contract, we met again, this time with my now husband and our day-of coordinator Erika to really dive into the planning. Throughout the planning process, Maria was my go-to with any silly questions or if I needed an outside opinion on something. Their team was incredible during our final walk through since they were able to use their skills and knowledge to help nail down the final details, and to help us make some decisions we were struggling to figure out on our own. On the day of the wedding, everyone kept telling me I looked very calm for a bride and they thought I would be a little more stressed out or worried about the details. I didn't have to stress at all since I knew that Erika and Brittany would handle anything that came up. Erika was with me in the morning and she kept the day running smoothly and on schedule. She even helped me into my wedding dress when my mom was spazzing out about her hair! Brittany did a phenomenal job at the reception and I loved that she would periodically check in with me and my husband to see if we needed anything. Needless to say, I absolutely recommend Plum and Ivy for any bride who wants a caring, smart, and awesome wedding planning team. Maria, Erika, and Brittany - thank you for everything!

Plum & Ivy Events is an incredible company with a team of professional and caring planners. Maria was part of my planning process from the very beginning. She was helpful in selecting vendors and always gave her honest opinion. Maria and her team kept everything so organized with shared Google Docs. For the wedding day, we had a detailed itinerary so that everyone was on the same page. The wedding day was incredible - I didn't have to worry about a single thing! Maria, Erika, and Melissa took care of everything and helped me stay calm so I could enjoy the day. They had anything and everything we could possibly need and were ready with it right away. I can't say enough about this incredible team and would HIGHLY recommend them to everyone!!!!

We booked Plum & Ivy as our day of coordinator for our wedding and I can't speak highly enough about how great Brittany was. Before the wedding, Brittany's questionnaires and planners kept us organized when preparing our wedding. The day of, Brittany was a force of nature, setting up our venue beautifully (with very little guidance from my wife or I), keeping all of our vendors on track and making sure everything ran perfectly smoothly. There wasn't a single hiccup during our wedding (!) largely thanks to Brittany's hard work. I can't recommend Plum & Ivy enough! Best money we spent for the wedding.

I worked with Erika, Brittany, and Annie for day of coordination on my wedding. They were incredibly organized, professional, and sweet. The time and effort they put into scheduling the day and still finding the time to remember tiny details was unbelievable. I'm a very organized person but there's no way I would've been able to keep everything running as smooth as it did if I didn't have them on the day. They each brought something different to the day and made it even more special. My husband even said that was the best money we spent on the wedding-- that's a pretty big compliment coming from him!! I HIGHLY recommend considering Plum & Ivy Events for your day of coordinator, or wedding coordinator in general if you want a stress-free wedding planning process!

It's hard to even put into words how incredibly thankful we are to Maria, Erika, and Brittany! Their enthusiasm, attention to detail, and help was so much more than I could have expected. Our wedding ran incredibly smoothly due to the help of these ladies, and I am truly thankful to each of them. We received compliments from guests about their service, throughout the wedding as well. I highly recommend their service :)

Working with Maria, Erika and the Plum & Ivy team was the best decision we made when it came to our wedding. From our first meeting with Maria we knew we were in good hands. Both her and Erika were amazing to work with; they provided clear, organized direction to keep things moving, and went above and beyond the day-of coordination we were expecting. Whether it was a recommendation, answer to a question, or simply providing peace of mind - they were on it. When it came to the actual wedding, it would not have been the perfect day that it was had Erika not been there - hands down. I was completely calm throughout the day of our wedding and it was because she had everything under control. Erika is the sweetest, and both my husband and I were sad when the weekend was over since it meant we wouldn't be seeing her! We can't thank the Plum & Ivy team enough!

I cannot even explain how incredible Maria and the Plum and Ivy team was!! Literally every detail was perfect! If you tell Maria an idea she immediately envisions how to put it into place and make it a reality. My Husband and I opted for back yard wedding so literally everything had to be brought in, Maria did an outstanding job, every single detail was accounted for and perfect. As amazing as Maria is- she knows the MOST AMAZING vendors- our caterer, our florist, the lighting team, the band, the hair and makeup crew, everyone did an outstanding job! Her network is priceless. Maria should charge double what she does for as incredible as her services are. I cannot image my wedding without her- she even helped me go to the bathroom day of- too funny! The best detail though is that while taking pictures Maria ensured there was staff at the ready for us with fresh drinks (our favorite drinks none the less) and apps, literally their only job was to make sure we had appetizer and a cocktail! It was amazing! HIRE MARIA! Don’t think twice she will make your day beyond what you can even envision! DO IT!