Michigan Avenue Events Reviews
Reviews
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Awards
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![Rina]()
Rina Sent on 12/31/2024Dream Wedding Planner: Brianne and Her Team Made Our Vision a Reality
My husband and I are based in New York, but I wanted to have a hometown wedding in Chicago. I was looking for the right planner and team to deliver on my vision of a sleek and modern Indian wedding in the heart of the city—and Brianne did just that.
From the very beginning, it was clear she was the perfect fit for us. She was diligent, detail-oriented, and incredibly communicative—all the qualities you hope for in a planner. With her wealth of experience, she brought invaluable insight and had connections to a variety of vendors, making the planning process seamless.
What truly stood out, though, was Brianne’s cultural sensitivity and her genuine effort to understand the specific traditions we wanted to incorporate. Our wedding was a fusion of Indian and Sri Lankan traditions, and she not only took the time to learn but was already well-versed in many aspects, which made the process so much easier.
Brianne’s creativity shone through in her innovative ideas, from the tablescape design to finding thoughtful ways to incorporate our stories and work into the wedding itself. It felt so personalized and unique to us.
Her day-of coordination was simply impeccable. She brought her incredible team, and they executed everything flawlessly. My husband and I felt completely supported the entire time. If anything went off schedule or didn’t go as planned, we had no idea—Brianne was always there with a solution and kept us on track.
I cannot say enough good things about Brianne and her team. She made the entire process stress-free and brought our dream wedding to life. If you're considering her for your wedding, don’t hesitate—I’m also happy to chat further if you want to hear more about our experience! -
![Jennifer]()
Jennifer Sent on 12/31/2024Best wedding planner ever!
Brianne Garritano and her MAE team are outstanding! As busy professionals we wanted someone we could rely on to help execute our wedding vision. We trust Bri wholeheartedly to help plan and coordinate any event we have. Getting married out of the country added another layer of uncertainty. We hired to help with the entire wedding planning process from venue selection to the day of the wedding. Her professionalism, knowledge, expertise, and connections made planning a destination wedding a seamless experience. We appreciated her availability throughout the process. Any questions and concerns we had she would respond to in a timely manner. She made working with the vendors in Mexico a much easier process than it would have been on our own. She truly went above and beyond to make sure we had what we wanted for our wedding and we will always be grateful for her. Bri and her MAE team are the best! Do yourself a favor and hire her!! -
![Miranda]()
Miranda Sent on 06/10/2024The Best Team in Chicago!
We had an absolutely amazing experience working with Michigan Avenue Events for our wedding planning. From the very beginning, they were incredibly communicative and always made us feel supported through every moment—both the highs and the lows. Their professionalism shone through in every interaction, and it was evident that they had well-established relationships with other top-notch vendors in the area. One of the standout aspects of Michigan Avenue Events was how fun and enthusiastic they were throughout the entire process. They really knew how to keep our spirits high and made the planning process enjoyable and stress-free. Their organizational skills were impeccable, ensuring that every detail was meticulously planned and executed. There were no negative aspects to our experience. Michigan Avenue Events exceeded our expectations in every way possible. Yes! We wholeheartedly recommend Michigan Avenue Events to any couple looking for a top-tier wedding planning service. They are not only professional and well-connected but also incredibly fun and supportive, making the entire wedding planning journey a memorable one. -
![Khudajah]()
Khudajah Sent on 05/30/2024The Best in the Business
It's officially been 2 weeks since our wedding and it was the highlight of my life thanks to Brianne and Team MAE. Brianne is smart, charming, and confident, and exactly what we needed to feel comfortable planning our 3-day Indian/Pakistani wedding in Chicago all the way from Texas. While I have ZERO complaints about their services, I could speak for days on end about why they are the best in the business. From the day we hired them, Team MAE went above and BEYOND in every single aspect of our planning. Her team was always 3 steps ahead of us, and helped alleviate our wedding stress by taking care of most vendor communication, details, and concerns without us ever having to ask. She and her team were also extremely well versed in our traditions, cuisine, and dress which made us feel understood.
Although we knew Brianne was constantly managing other clients, traveling, and attending events, we never once felt like it was difficult to get a hold of her, and most meetings were scheduled when it was convenient for US. In fact, if I didn't know any better, it felt like we were her only clients, which just speaks to the unwavering care and attention she has given us (and is STILL helping us take care of post-event details) since we hired her over a year ago. If you are looking for a planner who knows this industry forwards and backwards, who can give you tasteful recommendations, advocate for you in every situation, and make wedding planning ENJOYABLE, then look no further than Team MAE. -
![Shilpen]()
Shilpen Sent on 05/23/2024Look no further :)
Brianne and team MAE went absolutely above and beyond in getting us to and through our wedding weekend!! Brianne was the first vendor we selected, and we would make the same decision 1000x over. She is so experienced in Indian weddings, even with their multiple complicated ceremonies, and everything went off without a hitch. We and our parents and guests were able to absolutely enjoy every moment of our wedding weekend! She was extremely respectful with all our guests, and managed sooo many different moving pieces. During the planning process, Brianne held our hands every step of the way, and was so responsive and helpful in bringing our vision to life. We love team MAE!!!! -
![Genevieve]()
Genevieve Sent on 02/23/2024Hire Brianne and the team at MAE!!!!!!
I would give Brianne 100 stars if I could. Do not hesitate to book her and her team for your wedding. We threw a lot at her team: a large irish catholic guest list, small children that needed to be corralled, old people with a strong likelihood to wander off, pretty much the works. Brianne and her team handled the entire day with grace and efficiency. Brianne truly went above and beyond and I'll give you a few examples:
- the Mother/MIL zoom conference two weeks before the wedding. I did not think we needed this, but Brianne insisted and we definitely needed it. She sat down with my mom and MIL for over an hour, answered every question, made them feel great about the day, went through the entire minute by minute schedule that she created until both my MIL/Mom were satisfied. You know who didn't have to answer random questions from her family the whole two weeks leading up to her wedding? Me, the bride. The moms, armed with the info they needed handled everything. It was amazing.
- The aforementioned minute-by-minute schedule. Brianne and her team work with you very closely to plan your whole day down to the minute. They worked with our vendors to make sure everyone was on the same page, and they baked in special time and moments for just me and my husband to spend together away from all the people to take it all in together. It seems unnecessary when you are in the midst of planning it, but it is both necessary and wonderful.
-Brianne even asked us what songs we didn't want to miss the band play and made sure we were in the room and dancing for all of our favorites. It's the small things that she definitely wasn't required to care about but because she did care about made our wedding all the more special.
I think the best part about hiring Brianne was that I never for a second worried or even thought about the operations or logistics of our wedding and neither did our immediate families. We all got to attend/experience it pretty much how our guests did- and that is a pretty magical gift to give a person.
I really could go on and on but the point is, Brianne is a superwoman and if you are concerned (like I was) about the prospect of planning a 260 person wedding (but really any size) in downtown Chicago, hire this gem of a human. -
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![Svetlana]()
Svetlana Sent on 12/30/2023Wedding Dreams Come True!
Hiring Brianne and her team was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding! We had the pleasure of working with Brianne and Mariella, and Arika joined on the day-of. Brianne and Mariella provided us with thorough and thoughtful guidance throughout the year-long planning process, and connected us with wonderful vendors. On the day-of, we were kept at ease as the MAE team worked as a professional, well-oiled machine behind the scenes, leaving us and our families with peace of mind and a truly magical wedding day. In the days after our wedding, my husband and I agreed that MAE was key to making our wedding dreams come true! -
![abby]()
Abby Sent on 12/20/2023Amazing Experience
Brianne and her team were amazing to work with. They were so nice and willing to answer any questions that came about. They helped coordinate all the meetings that lead up to the wedding day and made everything so easy and approachable. They took my vision and turned it into a reality. I would recommend this amazing team to anyone over and over again. I loved working with them to plan my wedding and truly believe that it was so special because of them! -
![Jordan]()
Jordan Sent on 11/30/2023Best wedding planner ever
Wow, we have nothing but amazing things to say about Michigan Avenue Events. Brianne and her team were nothing but AMAZING to work with. We 100% would recommend any future bride and groom to choose Brianne as their wedding planner. Her attention to detail, professionalism, vibrant personality, and expertise is UNMATCHED. We can go on and on about how incredible she is. We just got married in September 2023, Brianne and her team made the entire day go extremely smooth. Every detail was spot on, and I seriously never had to worry about anything on my actual wedding day, because I knew it would be handled. Not only that, for the year leading up to the big day, she ensured we were up to date on contracts, meeting deadlines, recommending preferred vendors, and staying on track. She is very organized, which is an imperative quality we were looking for in a planner. She also was very responsive in a timely matter, which is very hard to find in the wedding industry. She truly made us feel special and went above and beyond for us. We are forever grateful for Brianne! -
![Ellen]()
Ellen Sent on 05/17/2023Until death do me part from MAE
I cannot stress enough how amazing Brianne and her team were to work with. In the beginning of planning my wedding, I thought to myself "do I really *need* a planner?? Can't I just do it myself?"
Thank GOD I ignored myself. My wedding day was 1000x more peaceful than I ever thought. Everything was absolutely seamless and Brianne was there with me at every step of the way. She caught the smallest details that I truly would never have thought of. I was able to enjoy myself AND have a stunning wedding at the same time. I honestly probably enjoyed myself too much since I know I didn't have to worry about anything.
10/10 recommend!! Save yourself and let this team help you. My husband was hardly involved in anything, and even he talks about how helpful this planning team was.
Thank you so much Brianne!!! -
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![Celeste]()
Celeste Sent on 12/04/2022Team MAE is the BEST!
Brianne and Team MAE are truly the best! I hired Brianne for month-of wedding planning and I was so relieved when she took the wheel about 6 weeks out from my wedding day. She gave great recommendations for vendors while keeping our budget in mind. Her expertise helped us consider details that I would not have thought of myself. I had complete faith in all of her recommendations from vendors, itinerary, and wedding day details. My family was very impressed with the attention to details and we were so happy to have a detailed timeline. Brianne and Team MAE are professional, organized, and fun to be around! We had 300 guests at the Four Seasons Chicago and everything truly turned out perfectly. MAE is a MUST for wedding planning, I cannot recommend them enough. Thank you, Brianne!! -
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![Spencer]()
Spencer Sent on 01/03/2022Dream Team for a Dream Day
Brianne and MAE were absolutely PERFECT to work with. Brianne was always extremely responsive and always made us feel that our wedding was very important to her. We really felt like we were the only wedding that she was focusing on. The day-of execution was flawless as well. We had multiple guests tell us how perfect the day was and how everything seemed to flow together without any effort. I quote the mother of the groom directly: "I always found myself exactly where I needed to be without ever feeling like I was being led anywhere, it was like magic." If that doesn't sum up how perfect MAE executes an event, I don't know what does. Thank you so much for everything you did for us, it was the perfect day and more! -
![Allie]()
Allie Sent on 12/31/2021MAE Makes Miracles Happen
When we started the wedding planning process and decided to throw a giant party at Lottie’s, that seemed like a fun, easy idea. As it turned out, holding a wedding reception at a dive bar unaccustomed to hosting such an event presented a laundry list of challenges. But Brianne at MAE faced each and every one head on, from helping us figure out how to make as much usable outdoor space as possible, to working with their kitchen staff to ensure 300 people could eat at the same time, to creating the tequila bar of our dreams with a ton of special little touches that could not have better represented who we are as a couple. She also talked me off the ledge about a hundred times, as pandemic wedding planning is not for the faint of heart. I would recommend the MAE team to anyone looking to do something a little different but with no clue where to start, as they truly gave us the perfect wedding rager/reception of our dreams. -
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![Haley]()
Haley Sent on 10/15/2021A million gold stars
If I could give Brianne and her MAE team a 100 stars I would. They are absolutely incredible in all aspects, I would never have had the most perfect day if it wasn’t for them. Brianne planned my mother’s wedding in 2018 and became a close family friend and I was honored to include her in my planning. She is meticulous, kind, and an overall genuine person that gets work DONE. She took care of any hiccups that occurred on my day and her assistants Mariella and Kristi were a dream. Having them there made me the most calm and collected I could have been on my day knowing they would take care of everything. We love MAE!! -
![Cassandra]()
Cassandra Sent on 10/28/2020Brianne is the best there is!
If you are unsure about your wedding details and think you are a “do-it-yourself” bride—please stop the nonsense and call Brianne and the MAE team! You will not be disappointed! :)
My husband and I had been attempting to plan our wedding for a year without a planner. Our venue indicated that they take on most of the heavy lifting on our wedding day, so we thought we could find the vendors and be done! Then COVID happened, everything was closed and our September date was in jeopardy. When things finally started opening in July, we went out on a limb to try to have our wedding anyway and a month in, we realized that only a crazy person would be able to pull off having a wedding, especially with no planner, during a pandemic. Frantically looking though local ads for wedding planners, and with most we reached out to declining our request stating the event was too soon, we came across Marquette Avenue Events.
From the first call I had with Brianne, I knew she would be awesome. Brianne wanted to know everything about the day, and was genuinely ready and willing to help, even with short notice! I was still on the fence about hiring a planner (crazy me!), but she started assisting immediately even before I’d made a payment! She genuinely wanted me to have the wedding day of my dreams. Brianne is on top of everything. She would call/text daily not only to handle business (business we didn’t even know we had) but to make sure we were happy, healthy and ready for the big day. Brianne is literally like the maid of honor you wish you had, project manager, and cheerleader all in one! It’s hard not to love her with her positivity and ability to get things done both creatively and professionally. You can literally just tell her what you want, and she delivers (sometimes even more than you asked for)! For example, we needed a DJ and she got us a live musician and a DJ for less than the price of one! Needless to say, I was able to wake up the morning of the wedding knowing I could relax and Brianne would handle the rest. Our day was beyond beautiful! My husband keeps saying that our wedding was the best day of his life and I couldn’t agree more! We owe it all to Brianne! If we could do it all over again, the only thing we would change is to hire her sooner! -
![Rachael]()
Rachael Sent on 10/23/2020The BEST Wedding Planner - Fairy GodPlanner!
We had a PERFECT wedding because of Brianne! There are no words available to express the gratitude and appreciation we have for the energy and effort Brianne put into our wedding in September 2020 in Chicago!
Due to the pandemic, we decided (in June 2020) to cancel our 150-Guest-September-2020 wedding that we had been planning for 3 years on our own, and to instead have an intimate micro wedding of 30 persons. We were cancelling 3 years of planning, and creating a brand new wedding from scratch in only 3 months. We are both healthcare workers, and we did not have the time to make this happen. We found Brianne from searching through all the wedding websites, and reached out to her. We told her our goals and budget over a phone call and honestly, she did the rest.
In only 3 months, she canceled (and got us refunds) from EVERY vendor from the canceled wedding, and then scheduled us to meet with new venues, DJs, tailors, florists, make up teams, livestream, etc… She only chose vendors that she thought would fit our tastes and budget based on what we told her we liked and disliked. We had never heard of the majority of these vendors (who were all very professional) so having Brianne was ESSENTIAL! We could not have found these businesses on our own in that timeframe (or ever!). Along with finding venues, Brianne was amazing at negotiating prices down. We didn’t pay the listed price for any of the vendors.
Brianne responded to ALL of our messages at any time of day. Our contract with her mentioned that she would be available something like M-F 8:00 AM -6:00 PM to plan the wedding but we found that she responded on weekends and at night whenever we emailed or sent her a text message. She told us that since we were healthcare workers and had busy schedules she would accommodate us any time.
Brianne was very familiar with the local laws and guidance for the pandemic. There was no point where we felt unsafe due to Covid19 – and again – we’re healthcare workers so we have high standards (masks, social distancing, limited travel, etc…)! She even made sure all of the vendors abided by the pandemic rules.
On the wedding day, she had every logistic planned. She had first aid kits, a little fabric sewing kit in case clothes got damaged, she was tracking the weather, all the vendors, the rides, all the little trinkets and decorations, our rings, you name it! We didn’t keep track of ANYTHING because Brianne did it for us.
Brianne was professional, timely, and well-networked. She was both assertive, kind, and made sure we got what we wanted. She made us the center of our own wedding. After a few weeks with Brianne, we barely stressed at all! On our wedding day, we weren’t wondering about the music, the photographer, the food, etc.. It literally felt like we were guests going to a cool party where the theme was “us”, and then we got to take credit at the end for being great hosts! It’s 8 weeks later and a coworker just told us that they re-watched our wedding video because it was so gorgeous! It was an absolute privilege working with this amazing wedding planner.
Thank you Brianne. We will cherish our wedding day forever because of the work you did for us.
We would recommend her to anyone! She is an amazing person and is so great at her job!
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![Lauren]()
Lauren Sent on 05/06/2020Amazing!
Brianne is amazing! She was referred to me by my cousin, who is in the wedding industry - so I knew I would be in good hands. Marquette Avenue Events went above and beyond and exceeded all of my expectations! I was so relieved to have Brianne and her team help my husband and I create and plan the wedding of our dreams!!! Looking back, there is truly not one thing that went wrong (or that I know about) because every step of the wedding process was handled so professionally. At the beginning of the process, I explained to Brianne that I did not have a clear vision and I was not the common bride who had Pinterest boards/clear ideas of what they wanted in their wedding. When I look back at videos and pictures, I am in awe with how well Brianne helped me follow a vision I never knew a had, from the smallest to the largest details. Brianne has impeccable taste and I fully trusted her with her amazing ideas. When I was stuck between two choices of something, she always knew what would work best for our special day and she was right. My husband and I are so pleased with Marquette Avenue Events and I am so glad that I was referred to her! If you are in the process of looking for a wedding planner, look no further- you are absolutely in the right place. I will share some pictures below of our perfect day, because Marquette Avenue Events made it all happen :) -
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![Amie]()
Amie Sent on 04/20/2020Amazing!!!
Hiring Brianne and her team was the absolute best and easiest decision my husband and I made while planning our wedding. The whole process was incredibly stress-free and at the end of the day, our wedding was everything we could have dreamed of and more. So many of our wedding guests told us it was the best wedding they had ever attended- and that was all because of MAE! From the moment we met Brianne her professionalism, optimism and love for wedding planning was contagious. MAE was so involved in the entire process (coordinating calls or site visits with vendors, menu tastings, etc.) ,was on top of every detail from the florals, linens, lighting, etc. and created the most extensive timeline to ensure the whole day ran smoothly. We were so lucky to have Brianne and team help us plan our special day, and we wish we could do it all over again. MAE is the best in the business! -
![Katie]()
Katie Sent on 04/13/2020Wedding Stress? Not with MAE!
Hiring Brianne and team as our wedding coordinators was one of the best decisions we made while planning our wedding! We had issues with a previous planner who didn't follow through for us, so I contacted Brianne about 1.5 months out from our wedding scrambling and knew from the second that we spoke that she could dive in and help. and she did!! She made the entire month leading up to our wedding (and day!) stress free. She was organized, responsive, kind, and on top of EVERYTHING. Our whole family loved her, the vendors loved her and she kept everything organized and running smoothly. The day of her and Michelle made everything flawless, if anything went wrong, we had NO idea. From giving me advil when I had a headache, to making sure timelines ran smoothly, lighting candles at the reception if they went out, and directing over 400 people, the MAE team did it with a smile. We are SO grateful to the team, and would recommend them to ANYONE planning a wedding who wants to enjoy the day and not worry about the timeline and anything going wrong. We were so lucky to have Brianne, Michelle and team part of our day. THANK YOU for everything that you did to make our wedding perfect, we are forever grateful!! -
![Robert]()
Robert Sent on 10/11/2019MAE Knows The Best of Everything for Your Event
My wife and I were both so happy we went with Brianne, Diana and the rest of the team at Marquette Avenue Events to plan our March 2019 Chicago wedding. We went with the full wedding planning package and were introduced to the best of the best of Chicago's wedding vendors. The suggestions on every aspect from venue to design to music to photography/videography and everything else we needed helped us put on an event that we loved and our guests of all ages raved about. Thoughtful suggestions, attention to detail and extreme professionalism were all part of the package. Day of coordination for both our rehearsal dinner and reception was seamless. We were able to focus on having fun in the moment with our guests. I would definitely hire them again if I ever needed to coordinate another big party and hope to have the opportunity to do so sometime soon. Thanks for everything again Brianne and team. - Robert -
Melanie Sent on 12/30/2022
I literally couldn’t have without MAE!
Brianne and her team were one of the best investments we made for our wedding! From meeting weekly to help bring my vision to life, hearing her knowledge about best practices, to helping negotiate pricing with vendors, her support was invaluable. Over the course of a year we worked intimately through every detail of my wedding (as I had full planning support). During this time Brianne made herself available, day and night, and was even a shoulder to cry on from time to time. Her expertise and emotional support helped set up our day to be the most meaningful moment of my life. My husband and I are grateful for her support and HIGHLY recommend her! -
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