Snow & Graham

The founder of Brix Catering was a sommelier before he broke off to start his own catering business, which means the bar and the wine pairings here can always hold their own against the well-crafted menus. Scale wise, they'll do everything from a few charcuterie plates to a multi-course, formal dining experience. If your event doesn't call for staffed catering, you can pick up one of their "Brix boxes" a day in advance and throw everything in the oven before your guests arrive (we’ve heard that their Thanksgiving boxes can rival even the best home-made spreads).

They’re obviously famous for their cupcakes, but Magnolia also puts that amazing buttercream to good use on wedding cakes. Their bakers are especially adept at creating beautiful textures on their layered cakes, creating soft, flower petal effects and even taking on the challenge of intricate frosting.

With a client list that includes Chanel, Prada, and Louis Vuitton, you can be sure that Truffleberry Market (now merged with Paramount Cantering) has been properly vetted. Their events are known for adventurous menus and presentation, with dishes like mini lobster corn dogs, cucumber sandwiches wrapped in a delicate bow, and goat cheese cones. The team here is always up for a challenge, making them a great option if you have an ambitious theme.

DJ Jem is extremely sought-after on the Chicago nightclub circuit (this is the guy that opened for Calvin Harris when he was in Chicago), but despite all of his success, you can trust him to adapt his set to your event.

It's no surprise that we're excited about DJ Megan Taylor, who's quickly making a name for herself as one of Chicago's best DJ's in what has traditionally been a very male-dominated space. Ask for her Backstreet Boys and N’SYNC remixes (seriously, trust us on this one).

For the kind of event where your guests leave with hoarse voices from belting it out all night, bring in the Gold Coast All Stars. An insanely energetic 12-piece band that covers all of the classics, they are the ultimate big party band. Expect their singers to be down on the floor dancing with the crowd.

Magbooth is kind of like the people's photo booth: Take your pick of props and custom logos, and never worry about going over some preset picture limit. The best part: every rental comes with an attendant, which significantly minimizes mid-party technical difficulties.

This adorably named DJ company specializes in weddings, and folks on their team of (mostly women) DJs are equipped with all of the highly specific skills that weddings entail. They have a “never” list of cheesy, eye-roll songs, and a reputation for being professional and efficient, and great at reading the crowd.

With four full-time planners on staff, LK offers some serious resources to put behind large-scale events like galas and corporate shindigs. They’ve been working in Chicago for ages, meaning that you can reap the benefits of their long-term relationships with all of the best vendors in town.

If you tend to get wires crossed and dates confused (or if you're just busy), Katie Jackson-Meara is probably your dream event planner. Veteran clients gush that her detailed itineraries plan everything out to the minute. She's also a stylist, which is clutch for brides who need a neutral opinion on dresses, hair, and makeup leading up to the big day.

Yes, the flowers are the main event, but honestly, half the pleasure of visiting Hyde Park's Cornell Florist is the store itself. In the same location since 1939, the latest owners, Lindsay Levita and Steven Lucy, have retained all of the original features of the space, including the antique cash register. Known for their earthy, natural-looking arrangements of foliage and seasonal blooms, Levita and Lucy benefit from a Rolodex of regulars stretching back three decades. Nothing fazes these two, and both are especially skilled at walking through a venue and easily dreaming up an original vision—a godsend to indecisive couples. And should this be on your wish list: Cornell Florist also makes especially beautiful flower crowns.

The bouquets at Fleur are consistently elegant and original without ever feeling over the top. Their environmental creations are particularly outstanding, like the verdant floral chandelier they created to hang above the tables at weddings.

Located in Chicago's River North district, Fleur de Lis is run by two women—one with a background in fashion and window displays and the other in graphic arts. They deliver Monday through Friday, offer floral design classes, and host events in the shop's great atrium space. Fleur de Lis has a few packages that make for a pretty great gift (that gives more than once): a year in flowers (an arrangement delivered each month) and a season in flowers (four times a year). This is also a nice option for corporate events.

Family owned and run by a mother-son duo, this place has been around forever with a reputation that speaks for itself. Repeat clients love that there's no need for detailed direction: Let them do their thing and you won't be disappointed.

You might know Jayson Home for the gorgeous store (great furniture and other home goods), but their floral department is one of Chicago's best-kept secrets. The proof is in the pudding: See the elegant white-and-green bouquets they arranged for the Chicago #gooppop dinner. So simple, and so good.

Larkspur owner Beth Barnett had a retail space in Bucktown for many years, but business has gotten so busy that she now fills her orders from a private studio (though you can still visit on open studio nights). Her arrangements are gorgeous year-round but particularly special come summer, when she uses flowers from Larkspur's organic flower farm in Michigan. The farm specializes in peonies—be still our swiftly beating hearts—in May and other local perennials for the rest of the summer. With one to two days' notice, they can deliver flowers anywhere in Chicago proper and to almost every suburb.

Nancy Chase started out on a creative, nonfloral trajectory. A fine art graduate, Chase pursued a career in corporate art sales for years, then entered the interior design arena, before finally landing on flowers. The beauty and benefit of a career such as Chase's is that she has an unlimited pool of inspiration to draw on for her lush, colorful arrangements. Chase excels at weddings, and with the inclusion of one of her large-scale installations, little other decoration is necessary.

It’s true that here you’ll find all manner of fresh flowers and gardening tools—they’ll even help black thumbs figure out how to revive dying houseplants—but it’s the custom terrariums that make the original Sprout Home a must-see (there’s a second location in Brooklyn, NY). In addition to botany-related workshops and wedding florals, professional garden-design services (there’s a mini nursery in the back) are also available.

Becky Hill is really good at taking photos of camera-shy people. If you’re the kind of person who might cock your head in the most unflattering direction right when the shutter starts, she’ll kindly and gently steer you in the right direction.

With a large team of talented photographers in their quiver, Gerber + Scarpelli are seasoned pros. Their photographers all have a lot of experience, which means they know how to capture an event without getting in the way—you'll also be grateful for the reliably fast turnaround times.

Brett and Kiri are an adorable married couple with a great eye, and they can do pretty much anything; a quick review of their weddings shows urban shots for an art-obsessed couple and black-and-white portraits for an elegant city wedding. We should also note that these two are especially talented at photographing pets.

There’s no substitute for experience, and with more than 200 weddings under his belt, that's something Rob Krueger has in spades. When he's not shooting weddings, he's teaching photography classes or hosting his podcast, Take and Talk Pics. Fair warning to grooms: He’s a huge fan of the “dip and kiss” pose.

Housed in an adorable stationery boutique, the team at Elizabeth Grace will handle the entire invitation process for you, from design, to calligraphy, to actually popping everything in the mail.

In addition to invitations, Magnificent Milestones produces great event accessories like matchbooks, napkins, custom stamps, and toothpick flags, helpful if you're trying to stick to a consistent theme. Unrelated but good to know: They make beautiful custom holiday cards.

With a signature preppy style, the team at Nico and Lala does more than design invitations—they'll create an entire brand around an event. Our favorite is a construction-themed kids party (tagline: can you dig it?).

Sure, photo booths have become regular party staples, but these guys figured out a way to elevate the experience by way of bigger, glossier formats, GIF-making capabilities, blacklight booths, and custom backgrounds and props. Headquarters are in NYC but they can easily accommodate more far-flung locations.

This is a one stop shop for browsing and booking all sorts of live entertainers—from musicians to DJs to toastmasters. What's more, they provide client reviews and sample contracts to simply the process.

It's thanks to Elan Artists that we were lucky enough to have the accordion-wielding Carte Blanche Band perform at our recent Net-a-Porter dinner. Their roster of entertainers is as deep as it is broad, with acts that run the gamut from cabaret-style burlesque dancers to string quartets to a Jersey Boys tribute band.

The modern, minimalist answer to the oversized photo booth (so tricky to match with party decor), this free-standing, wood-finish camera is designed to make every aspect of taking and sharing group photos fun and simple. Here’s how it works: You rent the camera stand, all your friends take turns gathering around it throughout the night for pictures (it works via touch screen), and the images are instantly available via an app for social sharing. You can also opt for on-site printing, or print your favorites later. It’s one of those why-didn’t-we-think-of-this ideas.

Jim Eppolito has been running his full-service production company for over two decades: He knows what he’s doing. West Coast Music specializes in what the company describes as “record-industry quality” music for events—which could be as large as the Golden Globes or as small as an intimate wedding for less than a hundred guests. The company has relationships with big-name talent like Bruno Mars and Stevie Wonder, as well as full orchestras, dance troupes, bands, and DJs.

This is an invaluable, freakishly user-friendly food truck tracking and booking tool that services the bulk of major U.S. cities. If you're in SoCal, consider Dogtown Dogs, Kogi Truck, and Urban Oven—we've had great experiences with all three. (More food truck inspo, here)

This online service essentially functions as a virtual party planner (or a search engine for handymen, tutors, accountants, etc.). You submit a request for say, a Washington-based magician, and wait for available pros to respond with quotes and details. Once you're ready to pull the trigger, you can book directly through the site or app.

Whether it’s a wedding, luncheon, anniversary, or kid’s birthday, this is a truly priceless resource if you’re looking to host somewhere other than at home.

With warehouses all over the country, Classic is a no-frills—but consistently reliable—rental resource that specializes in the basics: tables, chairs, tents, lighting, and linens. They've been at it for 30 years, so their customer-service game is on point.

Founded by a bridal magazine editor who brought a big fat Rolodex, The Bridal Bar is like a virtual concierge for wedding planning specializing in the Los Angeles and San Diego Areas. They vet vendors in every category, going way beyond photographers and wedding planners—you can come to them for bachelorette party suggestions, honeymoon ideas, and cinematographers. The best part? It's completely free. Photo credit: Docuvitae

These are not your average party-store fare. Geronimo mastermind Jihan Zencirli’s creations come in a rainbow of balloon-and-frill combos and are so massive they require as much helium as 30 standard balloons. She'll gladly accommodate special requests if you don't see what you want in her online shop.

Disposable party supplies are meant to make life easier, but more often than not, finding ones that aren't hideous is hard. Elliewood's themed Party Packs (which can accommodate up to 40 guests) and Parties-in-a-Box aren't just beautiful, they're practical, too: every element from cups, to plates, to decorative accessories is accounted for. For procrastinators, there’s a two-day shipping option.

Pictures don’t really do Scott's marquees justice: Most are made from up-cycled materials and can be shipped everywhere. Not only does he have pre-made and rentable options, he’ll custom build logos, lettering, signage, and more.

After bonding over a shared love of throwing parties and scouring Pinterest boards and Etsy for inspiration, Jessi Means and Lindsey Kauffman decided there must be a faster way to put together cohesive, beautiful events. With Celebrated, they do the legwork for you. The party-in-a-box kits cover both adult and kids’ parties and accommodate twelve guests or more. For kids, expect clever themes, like Happy Camper (stocked with fairy lights, buffalo plaid plates and napkins, scavenger hunt activity cards, and toy flashlights), plus staples like princesses and superheroes. For adults, garden parties, baby showers, margarita fiestas are covered. (They'll also send you party menu suggestions and a shopping list.) What we love: Each party type includes a "special touches" section where you can add extras to customize your event—be it confetti balloons, pool floats, or cake toppers. Attention procrastinators: There's an option for two-day shipping.

Wedding invites are Julie Song's bread and butter, but her illustrations, calligraphy, and branding are all excellent, too. She's also really popular, so get in touch with plenty of lead-time. (Julie is responsible for the gorgeous watercolor menus at our goop x Net-a-Porter dinner.)

Nicole is a great classic calligrapher. You can select from a number of different styles, and while she's based in Dallas, she takes orders from across the country. And yes, she really is left-handed.

Minted came up with a fool-proof system for making sure clients get exactly what they want—and it all starts with a rich assortment of save-the-dates, menu cards, invites and so much more, all pre-designed by an artist. (They also do fully custom stationery and invites.) Once you've picked something you like, you can tweak it to perfection. And don't skip over the Art Marketplace, it's hands down one of the best places online for affordable art.

Anne Robin has been doing calligraphy for most of her life, and it shows. She'll gladly churn out traditional scripts, be it for invitations, place cards, or monograms, but her true talent lies in designing unique, modern styles you won't find anywhere else.

We love Paperless Post. So much so, that we collaborated on a bunch of limited edition cards a few years back. Since then, they've teamed up with the likes of Oscar de la Renta, Kelly Wearstler, and goop pal, Derek Blasberg on tons of digital and physical invitations (many free options, too!). They also do brisk business with birthday cards and personal stationery.

It’s hard to believe that just five short years ago, Beacon Lane was a one-woman show operating out of a Chicago apartment. While their creative studio is still in Chicago, Beacon Lane now services global clients with through their online invitation design services. The entire process is blessedly streamlined—you’ll live chat with a designer who works with you to select and customize from several template designs—the process includes three rounds of proofs, so you can tweak and adjust until everything is just right.

This online stationery hub specializes in all the paper products that you need for a wedding from save the dates to shower thank you notes, invitations, gift tags, guests books, and everything in between. They make it easy to shop by style (vintage, classic/formal, modern, whimsical, rustic) and relatively affordable.

The best businesses are born out of need. The Chain Press is one such example. Masterminded by Naoise McGee, an Irish émigré who missed handwritten letters, the company celebrates old-fashioned craft and encourages the simple gesture of sending a note or invitation on proper stationery. McGee works with clients to create designs and monograms that reflect their personalities and passions. Aside from bespoke personal stationery, the Chain Press also designs custom wedding invitations, announcement cards, even accent pieces for the home, all handmade by McGee—a one-woman show—on a midcentury Vandercook cylinder press in her new Los Angeles atelier.