Shannon Gail Weddings and Events

Dream Wedding!

Amanda was our wedding planner. We worked with her for about a year. We live in VA and the wedding was outside of Chicago, so Amanda was our "boots on the ground", and we really relied on her to make sure everything was taken care of, and in the end, she made it possible for us... Read More to have a dream wedding on what was a fairly tight budget. She truly understood my vision and made it a reality. Also, she's a total sweetheart- sooo nice and easy going! It felt like one of my girlfriends was our wedding planner! She was always easy to reach via phone, email, or text and very quick to respond. I can't imagine what the wedding planning and the wedding itself would have been like without her. She was worth every penny!

I don't know what we would have done without Shannon!

My husband and I were lucky enough to have Shannon Gail help us plan our wedding and I am not sure what we would have done without her! It's hard to articulate all that she did to make not only our wedding day a complete success but also the planning process. We live in NYC and... Read More were planning our Chicago wedding long distance on top of working long hours at our respective jobs. From the moment we signed on with Shannon she took control, helping us timeline our to dos and stay on track with them, finalize a dream team of vendors and feel less overwhelmed by the whole planning process. My mother died unexpectedly 3 months before our wedding and Shannon went from our wedding planner to our dear friend and wedding planner. She was so thoughtful and supportive and kept things on track when wedding planning was the last thing on our minds. Family crisis or not wedding planning is an emotional experiences and it was so nice to work with someone as empathetic and caring as Shannon. Her expertise and professionalism are second to none and her enthusiasm and love for what she does is contagious. Whenever anything potenitally stressful arose Shannon either handled it or came to us armed with several solutions for how to handle it. She is also extrememly budget conscious and was always looking for ways to help us cut costs or best use our wedding budget. On the day of our wedding we knew we could just relax and be in the moment because Shannon and her team would take care of the rest and they did just that. The entire day was perfectly coordinated. My husband and I both agree that hiring Shannon was the best money we spent and allowed us to not only enjoy our wedding day but also the 10 month planning process which can often be trying. Like I said before, it's impossible articulate how wonderful Shannon (and her team!) is in the confines of a review, we truly don't know what we would have done without her!

Bridget was a lifesaver!

Long overdue review for Bridget at Shannon Gail Weddings. We hired Bridget on a recommendation from a friend that worked with her previously in event planning and she also did my girlfriend's wedding last fall. We hired her as a full time planner since I'm not good at details... Read More and our schedules were crazy. Plus, I'm the type of girl that doesn't like to plan big events especially a wedding. We also didn't have a wedding party since we've been together for such a long time and we're a little older than the average couple getting married. Our wedding was Star Wars themed and she basically took on the challenge and made our wedding so classy and beautiful with our personal touches. From the day we first met her we knew we were in good hands. She was polite, well organized, detail oriented, and was a therapist especially when it came to our parents when they were too much to handle. She had amazing connections to a lot of vendors which we used, listened to ALL of our needs which were ALOT, followed through with all of our requests as well as our families requests and went above and beyond our expectations. She also was in constant contact with all the vendors as well with us. She kept us in the loop regarding our budget. Our beautiful wedding could've not happened without Bridget. Usually wedding planning can be stressful but with Bridget she literally took care of EVERYTHING and our wedding planning wasn't too stressful. We owe that to Bridget. If you want low stress, someone who actually listens to your needs, well organized, creative, polite, a caring person that will be with you from the beginning to the end and even after the wedding, Bridget is your gal.

We cannot say enough about how phenomenal it was to work with Samantha! She worked with us for over a year, and we couldn't have gotten through it without her. Samantha was there for us every step of the way answering all of our numerous emails, and contacting all of our... Read More vendors. On our wedding day, Samantha and Shannon made sure everything was flawless, and took care of any issues that arose. They are truly amazing women to work with, we would highly recommend working with Shannon Gail Weddings and Events for your planning needs.

Besides the guy at the end of the aisle, having Samantha from Shannon Gail was by far the best decision for our wedding. She was the absolute best!! She made wedding planning enjoyable again and I didn’t have to worry about a thing because she had it all covered!! On top of... Read More that she was an absolute pleasure to work with. I would highly recommend them. They will make sure every last detail is taken care of and take all the stress off of you. And they even become your friend through the process. Thank you, thank you so much Samantha!

Working with Shannon Gail was the best decision we made throughout the entire wedding planning process! The style guide they created for us guided all of our decision-making (and there are a lot of decisions - flowers, linens, theme, bridesmaid and groomsmen colors). The end... Read More result turned out cohesive and better than we could have imagined. On the day of the wedding, Samantha and her assistant were 100% in control - they kept everyone on time, and they even went WAY above and beyond in helping out our event staff, who were not experienced with weddings unfortunately. There was no task too big or too small for Samantha and her team, and truly the day would not have turned out as wonderfully as it did without them (seriously - things like pouring champagne for a toast because the bartenders were short-staffed to picking up more alcohol halfway through the reception when we were running short on Tito's). We are so thankful for them, and our memories of the day are stress-free because of their hard work! Finally, Samantha and the whole team were just a joy to work with from beginning to end - you can't find a more professional, polished, experienced, confident, and friendly group of people to help with your wedding day. We recommend them 10000%!

Let me start out this review by saying - if you're even considering hiring a wedding planner - HIRE SHANNON GAIL. Amanda was my planner for my November 2017 wedding and I can honestly say that she is the reason everything was flawless. I did their partial planning package and in... Read More the months leading up to the wedding, Amanda was instrumental in my peace of mind. I knew without a doubt that she was always 10 steps ahead and had every detail orchestrated - literally minute by minute of our big day. Our wedding party & parents were blown away by her detailed itinerary, experience, and positive attitude. She clearly knows what she's doing and truly makes all of your stress just disappear. As the bride - the most amazing part about Amanda is that she allowed my parents and I to attend the wedding as guests and soak in every moment. Not worrying about who needs to be where and if the flowers and cake showed up to my liking. Amanda took care of everything so that I could enjoy the whole day with my family and friends. She is also so incredibly kind and patient and made everyone feel at ease. Amanda blended right into our day as if we have been friends for years and she was just there to make sure everything went to plan. Hands down best decision for my wedding was to hire Shannon Gail!

Shannon Gail Weddings and Events is an OUTSTANDING wedding planning service. We had the pleasure of working with Breanna. From day one forward, my husband and I knew that we could count on her to fill in all the necessary details that we might forget. Breanna was friendly,... Read More sweet, easy to work with, and incredibly organized. Even though we technically hired her as a "day of" planner, she was also helpful months prior to our wedding with vendor recommendations. She made an effort to accomodate our busy schedules when planning became overwhelming (we planned a wedding outside of our home city). Needless to say, our wedding day went flawlessly. We had no worries at all day-of and were able to enjoy everything in the moment. I highly recommend Shannon Gail!

Shannon and her team are absolutely amazing. Erin from Shannon Gail was my planner and she was an absolute doll. She was around the clock so helpful and absolutely knew her stuff! Any questions or concerns I had Erin or Shannon would almost immediately answer and provide... Read More feedback or suggestions. There were a few hiccups along the way with my photographer and venue and when i explained the situation, Erin handled it all. She exceeded my expectations of what a wedding planner should do and be! I would have been so stressed without her by my side. The day of, Erin knew exactly how to keep everyone's nerves down and made sure everything ran seamlessly. If you are on the fence about getting a planner - here is your sign,- you 100% need one and should absolutely go through Shannon Gail. You will be so happy you did!!! Thank you so much Erin!!!

I simply cannot say enough about the service and attention to detail the Shannon Gail team provided for my wedding in Chicago. We had the pleasure of working with Samantha who is a rockstar! She really understood the vision we had for our wedding and made sure to compliment... Read More ideas with what we already had in mind. Although we only had the day of service (two months total), we felt like her only clients leading up to the day. Questions were answered promptly and we felt taken care of throughout the whole process. When it came to the day of, Samantha made me feel so at ease and I did not worry one second about if that one candle got placed in the exact spot I wanted it, she had every detail taken care of all with a warm and helpful attitude. Great service, knowledgable staff, connections all over the city and customizable packages for whatever you are looking for. Without a doubt the best decision I made was working with Shannon and her team!

Shannon Gail and the planners on her team were professional from start to finish and so fun to work with. As a corporate event planner myself, I had high expectations for how a live event should run and they did not disappoint. During the planning process, Breanna kept us on... Read More track when work got busy and suggested creative ideas that we never would have though of. It was so great having a local expert on our team while planning an out-of-state wedding and her relationships encouraged other vendors to exceed expectations. Day-of she handled problems as the arose quickly, effectively, and quietly (missing decorations and incorrect menu item). As the bride, I'm so thankful I didn't have to worry about the logistics.

What can I say that 91 positive reviews already hasn't? Shannon and her incredible team are always high on my list of recommendations for wedding and event planners here in Chicago and beyond! Every time I photograph an event or wedding with them, they always have the clients... Read Moreauyfcbefvrafaxtfuutwwtrufxwrzdburayxxw interest first, taking challenges and turning them in to opportunities!

I don't think I will ever be able to thank Shannon Gail enough for helping plan my absolute dream wedding! We worked with Breanna Manzie and she was incredible. She is the sweetest, most organized and detail-oriented planner. She always knew exactly what I was thinking and was... Read More able to translate my style perfectly to our vendors. Beyond the fact that she was an amazing planner before the wedding, she completely made the day of the wedding. I did not need to worry about anything - she made sure that everything was perfectly orchestrated and that I was able to focus on having the BEST night of my life! Love love love this team!!

What can I say about Shannon Gail ? Amazing , Awesome , Incredible!! Having a destination wedding can be daunting , but the girls from Shannon Gail made the journey so seamless ! My daughters wedding weekend was absolutely incredible ! We could not have done this without the... Read More team from Shannon Gail but I need to shout out to my coordinator, Breanna Manzie , we couldn't have done it without you ! The professionalism and organization of time lines and vendors and so many other hats you had to wear ! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts ! It truly was a wonderful weekend and we Highly recommend this company to any one putting a wedding together . Thank you for a wonderful memory ❤️

We used Shannon Gail for our "Day Of" coordinator and really they start 2 months before your wedding and are such a help to have those last 2 months. We had Lauren has our planner and she made sure that every little detail was taken care of. I could not have imagined not having... Read More her leading up to the big day or the day of. Lauren was great at communicating with me and our vendors. Cannot say enough good things about Shannon Gail as a company and specifically, Lauren. THANK YOU!!

We worked with Samantha Helimg of Shannon Gail Wedding Planners for my daughter's wedding. I highly recommend using them. Samantha was professional, responsive, could get things done, and best of all very easy to work with. Samantha handled all the details so my daughter and... Read More I could have a stress free day! The morning before the wedding, one of the vendors called my daughter wanting to change the schedule. My daughter text Samantha and she was on it, she worked with the vendor and produced a new schedule. What a blessing for my daughter to not have to deal with this. Also, about a week before the wedding my husband decided he wanted to have a choir come in and sing to my daughter, a childhood dream of her's, we reached out to Samantha and she made it happen. Not only did she arrange everything, but took it upon herself to video the performance so we would have it. What a great experience! There isn't a doubt in my mind that using Shannon Gail and Samantha was worth every penny. Again, I highly recommend them!!

I love Shannon Gail! Best decision I could have made during the planning process. I was set up with Amanda, and she was absolutely wonderful. She took care of everything, made this process as stress free as possible. She was extremely organized, has a great eye for design, and... Read More is extremely personable. I loved getting to work with her. She made the day before and the day of the wedding go so smoothly. I couldn't have asked for a better planner. I highly recommend Shannon Gail, their services are worth every penny!!

Not sure where to begin, other than Shannon Gail is amazing. You will be SO grateful you made the decision to hire them. I just got married 6 weeks ago and wish I could still use them to manage my day-to-day life! I find random reasons to email Breanna - who was my main point of... Read More contact, just because I miss her :) I hired Shannon Gail for a custom package - Breanna helped us at the beginning of our planning process with vendor referrals and setting up our budget, which turned out to be the best combo, as Breanna took the hours of internet searching for photographers and makeup artists out of our hands, and gave us 3-4 selections in each category that fit our budget. This was beyond helpful when the "Day-of Coordination" package kicked in 2 months before the big day because she was already familiar with everyone we were working with. She reviewed every contract and jumped in to plan our trolley transportation without me having to talk to anyone, it was amazing! I always felt like I could email Breanna the most random question, and she would get back to me within 24 hours w a solution or some advice. Once the Day-of Coordination kicked in- Breanna stepped into high gear and contacted every vendor to confirm every last detail, from remaining payments to load in/load out times- I never had to worry about one single vendor issue for that day. Her google docs are a work of art. The timeline for our wedding day was so detailed, I had everyone in my family and wedding party read it to avoid and "where should we be when" questions. There were no problems. It was magical. Basically - if you're wondering if you need a wedding planner - GET ONE. It will be some of the best money you spend through this process. I am beyond glad we did a custom package, that was above just the Day-of Coordination because it made things so much easier during that year. My husband and I both work full time and Chicago is FULL of vendors and wedding options - it is very easy to get overwhelmed, and having a planner helped with all of that. I seriously miss Breanna - my day was flawless. She coordinated with my hotel to make sure I had the day-of set up for my bridesmaids perfect, she worked with every single person and was always SO positive and helpful. She even talked to my Dad on the phone a few times, when I just couldn't deal with anymore questions from people. I was really able to enjoy the week (yes, the whole week!) of my wedding - because Breanna made sure we were done with everything well in advance. I had my tips in envelopes, my gifts wrapped, and accessories ready to roll - no last minute madness. She made a packing list for the hotel, the church and reception. I can go on and on about the detail involved I know I'm missing a lot. Just hired Shannon Gail - their entire team is awesome, from my first convo with Shannon 14 months before I walked down the isle, to asking Breanna a questions about my certified marriage license just last week - every interaction has been wonderful. I don't ever plan to get married again, so it makes me sad I can't use their services in the future - all I can do is spread the good word. Shannon Gail for the wedding win! Trust me on this. Delegation is the key to happiness. Don't make yourself crazy. Stress will come naturally, don't task yourself with the rest of the heavy lifting. Hire a planner. Breanna - you are the best. Thank you for everything. :)

My husband and I hired Shannon Gail Weddings for "Day Of" wedding coordination for our July 2017 wedding. Our coordinator was Breanna. Unlike some of the other wedding planners I researched, Shannon Gail Weddings begin the "Day Of" coordination two months in advance. Prior to... Read More our "Day Of" wedding official package starting at the two month mark, I was able to contact Breanna for vendor recommendations. The final vendors she recommended (i.e. hair, transportation) were absolutely wonderful! Leading up to the wedding day, she provided us with a timeline, our weekly "to-do" list, and checklists. There are a lot of things that need to be completed within the last couple months, and it was a relief to know how to prioritize what needed to happen and when. In addition, Breanna was extremely responsive to my lists of questions and tasks I needed assistance in completing. On the wedding day, Breanna was extremely professional. She was there to organize, assist, and direct myself, bridal party, and family as needed. She managed our vendors, made sure everything was set up according to our plan, and every part of the timeline went smoothly and was on schedule. At the end of the night, she took care of packing up all our personal belongings at the reception so we could enjoy dancing and mingling with our guests. Having Breanna there allowed us to be present during our wedding day and just be the bride and groom! Having Shannon Gail Weddings coordinating your day will be one of the best decisions you make!

I worked with Breanna at Shannon Gail for day-of wedding coordination, and was very happy with my experience. Though Breanna technically didn't start working with us until a few months before the wedding, but unofficially, she came on board earlier than that and went above and... Read More beyond. She came to my home to meet me 9 months before the wedding (and even brought a sweet engagement gift). After that, she checked in periodically and sent some helpful reminders. She was a true lifesaver when it came to our timeline. It was incredibly detailed and helped pull all of our vendor schedules together. I didn't have to worry about a single detail day-of. She set up our candy bar and gift table, coordinated the ceremony timing, and made sure everyone was in place for pictures and our sparkler exit. I am so glad that we had the chance to work with her!

TL; DR - If you get the chance to work with Shannon Gail & her team, please do yourself a favor & book them! They are the friendliest bunch of people & seek to always look after you & work to make your special day a great & special one! Yelp Review:... Read More http://www.yelp.com/biz/shannon-gail-weddings-and-events-chicago?hrid=JYmW4bERWlAVMXFUR4isrQ

Consider us one of Amanda Huelsman's and Shannon Gail's happiest clients! Chicago, our previous home, and a city easily accessible to guests coming from all over, was the decided destination for our daughter's wedding. Early on we recognized the need for a wedding coordinator... Read More and how fortunate we were use Shannon Gail and have Amanda assigned to us. Amanda was extraordinary. She skillfully steered us to a remarkable, beautiful wedding and reception throughout the entire planning process. Amanda demonstrated masterful organizational skills, absolute professionalism, endless support, and impressive judgement at every step. We are so grateful for her detailed and well crafted timelines, excellent vendor recommendations, expert handling of communications, and her graceful consideration of our preferences and budget. Her positive, caring attitude not only calmed and cheered us, but welcomed family and friends. Many accolades and sincere appreciation for a job well done.

We used Shannon Gail for our June 2017 wedding and worked with Amanda for a year + leading up to our wedding day. From our initial meeting, we felt confident that Amanda was the one who could help us plan our wedding and she did not disappoint! Amanda provided vendor... Read More recommendations which was so helpful. There are so many options for vendors in Chicago and Amanda narrowed down our search to a few within our budget and good to work with from her prior experience. She sent monthly to do lists and made sure we got everything done that we needed to. She responded to my constant emails and questions promptly and always had an answer for us. We had a lot fewer guests than originally anticipated, and Amanda worked with our venue to help make sure we got to the minimum so we weren’t wasting money. She was super organized, professional and very easy to work with. On the wedding day, everything ran smoothly and we could enjoy the day and not worry about a thing knowing Amanda was on top of it. She even brought back our items from the venue to the hotel room at the end of the night so we could go to the after party without a worry. I could not recommend Amanda and Shannon Gail more to someone who is getting married. The process was so much less stressful and enjoyable due to Amanda and all her help!

I cannot begin to say enough good things about Shannon and her team. I remember the day I sat down to conduct interviews with coordination companies. I had 3 back to back calls set up to compare each company's skill and organizational process (if you think you're a crazy... Read More organized bride, we'd probably be friends; I made flash cards to finally spell boutonnière correctly). I was so incredibly impressed with Shannon's affable nature and ability to connect with me. She was able to truly understand what I wanted so quickly that I canceled the following call that I had. I KNEW Shannon Gail was a perfect match. I specifically worked with Samantha, who is so ridiculously amazing that I don't know how else to describe her. On the day of your wedding, you hear of little things that your coordinator helps you with, but it was the amazing kudos' I heard from guests after the fact, that proved how instrumental she really was. From texting a friend from my phone to grab the table numbers from my apartment (that I forgot), to making sure I was using my family heirloom during my ceremony (that I forgot). She even organized 175 custom cookies with each guest's name on them that got delivered in a box with no rhyme or reason (that one was not my fault). She was organized, on top of it, and thought of all the things I didn't think of. She was always available leading up to the wedding and consistently checked in with me to make sure we were staying on schedule for everything. This made me feel SO at ease and I was able to enjoy the day without being stressed at all. Finally, she felt like a friend throughout the entire process, but especially in the weeks leading up to the big day. My father passed away the Monday of my wedding week, and the things she did to ensure my family's happiness on the day of, is something you can never plan or pay for. I can't recommend Samantha, Shannon and the rest of their team enough (shout out to Erin who helped the day of!). They are absolute PROS and you for sure want them in your corner on your wedding day.

Erin from Shannon Gail was an absolute delight to work with. Seriously. I have never planned a wedding, I would have been lost without her. She took care of everything, answered every single question (even if they were repetitive) and made me feel at ease on my big day. I would... Read More 100% recommend them to take part in your Wedding. They made ours flawless.