Shannon Gail Weddings and Events

One of the best decisions we made for our wedding was deciding to hire a wedding planner and hiring Shannon Gail Events. We were fortunate to get Cecelia McIntosh as our coordinator, and she is just everything you could ever hope for when it comes to every aspect of wedding planning. From start to finish, she was positive, helpful, experienced, and on top of it. She gave STELLAR recommendations of vendors who absolutely blew us away, and she was a fantastic liaison between us and them. Her working relationship with incredible vendors in the city made everything easy and smooth, and the wedding itself was an absolute dream. As the wedding week approached, it started to become clear that it was probably going to rain and we made a venue change just 5 days before the big day. Not only did this go way smoother than it should’ve gone, but Cecelia was determined to make sure that we were 100% happy with our plan B if we needed it (we needed it). On the wedding day, she went above and beyond the duties of a standard wedding planner. On top of managing the flow and timeline of the day, she did things like steamed clothes for us while we were getting ready, unloading a mini-van full of supplies (including 54 lamps… 😅), coordinating a ton of last minute logistics at a high security and logistically difficult venue, and staying till the very end to pack up the huge load of supplies and delivered it to our hotel room where it was all waiting for us when we got there. All this while being positive, calm, cheerful, and fun to be around. Just, wow. One last note — It was so much fun to work with someone who straight up loves her job and loves planning weddings. We felt so cared for by her and felt so much joy every minute we spent with her. Our wedding was the best day of our lives, but it very well could’ve been the most stressful day of our lives if it wasn’t for Cecelia and this incredible company. Don't hesitate to hire them for your wedding or event. These women are the real deal!

If you are getting married, you must use Kelly from Shannon Gail as your wedding planner. You must. Out of all of the things we spent money on for the wedding, Kelly was the most valuable. Out of all of the people there, she might have also been the second most valuable (only after the groom 😊). Kelly was the most amazing wedding planner we could have imagined. She effortlessly combined grace, fun, and organization to make the wedding planning process as stress-free as possible. ​At the beginning of our engagement, we spoke with a dozen wedding planning companies in the Chicago area. I believe Shannon Gail was originally recommended by The Drake (our venue), since they work together often. Shannon Gail rose to the top - she shared her approach of pairing a planner with a bride based on the planner’s experience with the venue, the bride’s vision, and both of their personalities. Then Shannon Gail assigned Kelly to be our planner, who was the perfect fit in each of these areas. The venue: Kelly knew so much about The Drake and their staff. She was a great resource on all of the big things (menu, floor plan, room flip), but also the small and specific things (where to do private vows where the groom couldn’t see the bride, where to do the first look with the bride’s dog for good photos, where to take a private moment between the ceremony and photos, when to do The Drake signature rooftop photo, etc.). She also knew the venue’s coordinator so well, so they could work together and advise us accordingly. The bride’s vision: Kelly really listened to my wedding dreams, and did her best to make them happen. She gave us tailored recommendations to make the wedding as personal as possible. When the photographer asked, “Are there any special details you definitely want photographed?” Kelly and I laughed and said, “We have made every single detail sentimental and personalized!” She made sure she understood what was important to us, and where to push when necessary. For example, I am more price-conscious, and Kelly would help guide where we could save versus items that were really worth spending on. I truly trusted her guidance throughout the process, and am ultimately glad for every area we decided to splurge in. It was always worth it! Personality: Kelly is amazing at her job, but she is also really fun to be around. We had weekly calls, and they always felt like hanging with an (organized) friend not meeting with a wedding planner. She took the time to listen to how we were feeling about each wedding planning decision, got to know us, and always brought humor to the calls. I honestly miss our Friday Wedding Planning Meetings! Honestly, I would trust Kelly with my life. She did such an incredible job planning our wedding, and my husband and I are pretty tough clients. We had a lot of really specific things we wanted, and she made them all happen. Even though I know we put her through the wringer, she never seemed frustrated or overwhelmed. She always joined with a smile, with amazing advice, and an attitude that made us even more excited. Shannon Gail was more expensive than the other planners we talked to, but it really was worth every penny. I cannot imagine how stressed I would have been if I had tried to pull our big wedding off without Kelly. Kelly was truly the best wedding planner imaginable. I cannot recommend her enough. She is so worth it. Spend the money. Book Shannon Gail. Ask for Kelly.