Naturally Yours Events is an eco-friendly wedding planner in the Chicago, Illinois area. This team of planners, led by owner Carlene Smith, works to plan events that fit couples' personalities and styles with an additional focus on not being wasteful. These creative planners will help couples create an event as unique as they are, while looking out for the environment at the same time.
Experience
Carlene Smith got her start in the wedding industry working for a photographer as a day-of coordinator and de-stressor of couples. After earning a degree in advertising, she took several coordination roles in the hospitality industry that led to her following her passions and becoming a wedding planner. She runs a team of four other women, including three associate event planners and one event assistant.
Services Offered
The planning team at Naturally Yours Events offer a variety of service options for couples working toward their big day. The staff helps plan and design all types of weddings, including civil, cultural, destination, double weddings, eco-friendly, military, non-religious and religious affairs. They help with the ceremony, reception and rehearsal dinner, and offer the following services:
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Recommended by 100% of couples
Ashley · Married on 12/29/2012
I worked with Carlene & Team for my December 2012 wedding and I honestly could not be more pleased with how amazing Carlene was. Despite only using Carlene for day-of-coordination, she never turned me away or discouraged me from asking her questions leading up to the wedding day. I am pretty organized in general, but when Carlene shared her set of Wedding Day Prep Google Docs, i KNEW i picked the right wedding planner. She provided me with a plethora of resources: budget breakout recommendations, vendor contact worksheets, table assignment example plans, timeline examples, etc.
One of the biggest reasons I chose carlene was because she has great style and her weddings looked like those you see on Pinterest that you oooo and ahhhh over. She knew what looked good together and how to arrange things to make it look awesome. Not only that, but she's part of the Green Wedding Alliance (A group of wedding vendors working to leave less of a carbon footprint), which i thought was really cool. My favorite thing was her reviewing contracts and proposals and letting me know what I did and didn't need and how to save some money.
At the beginning of my wedding planning process, i thought I could do everything on my own. I mean why not? I'm pretty type A, planner like. But, the money that i spent to have Carlene there the day of the wedding was one of the best things I spent my budget on. She was calm, had her stuff together, and ran the day smoothly. I didn't have to worry about anything not arriving or going wrong, because Carlene handled it. That girl even got down on her hands and knees and sewed my dress after it ripped on the dance floor towards the end of the night. If that doesn't seal the deal for you, I don't know what will :) If you need one more reason...ask her about her "oh Sh*t Bag" she has on the day of the wedding.
Thanks a million Carlene. You were an absolute pleasure!
Kari · Married on 09/01/2018
As a former event planner (non-wedding), I couldn't imagine hiring a wedding coordinator, but Kristen at NYE was the best decision of our wedding.
I interviewed a few coordinators in the process of hiring, and Kristen was a clear choice for me. She was someone who I instantly knew had her "sh*t" together, but also someone that I wanted to be friends with after the wedding.
From the first to the last meeting, email, phone call, etc. Kristen NEVER failed to impress me... I couldn't have done it better myself. She incredibly communicative, HONEST in the BEST way, and super helpful and friendly when helping to drive any decisions. She made the big day something I'll never forget as I didn't have to worry about a thing.
You know they say that something always goes wrong - but NOTHING WENT WRONG. Not a thing - and I give all of the kudos to Kristen. She's magic!
Stacey · Married on 07/20/2018
After talking with several different coordinators, we chose to hire Kristen at Naturally Yours Events as a day-of-coordinator for our wedding. She was an absolute dream to work with! From day one, Kristen was always there to answer any questions we had and offer suggestions when needed. Her responses were always prompt, extremely clear and organized, and tailored specifically to our needs. She kept us on track throughout the process.
Meeting with Kristen as our wedding date neared was always fun, relaxed, and relieving. Early on, she provided an amazing, comprehensive planning tool that we would review, fill in together, and update as changes were made. She worked with all of our vendors, so we didn’t have to worry about a thing during the chaotic weeks leading up to the big day. With Kristen, we were always on the same page and truly felt like she was our partner, and friend, in planning the wedding of our dreams. She completely understood our vision and helped put the pieces together to bring it to fruition.
On our rehearsal and actual wedding day, we were blown away with how smoothly EVERYTHING went! Kristen made sure no detail was missed and was proactive in keeping to our timeline. To be honest, we didn’t even notice she was there the majority of the time because she did everything so seamlessly behind the scenes. My husband and I were able to truly enjoy every aspect of our wedding thanks to Kristen’s coordination. We cannot recommend her enough, and if you are lucky enough to work with her, you will completely understand why!
5 Endorsements
Carlene is such a joy to work with and has a high standard for her clients and dedication to them through all stages of the wedding planning process. Her attention to detail, work ethic, and patience are invaluable to any couple in hopes of finding the right person to help plan and coordinate one of the most important days of their lives.
Carlene works to make your day memorable. She really understands what it is like to plan an eco-chic wedding.
Carlene is wonderful to work with! She has amazing attention to detail and works hard to ensure that she exceeds her brides expectations!
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