Rachael Steacy Events - Chicago, Illinois

Hitched B. M. -. W. O.

Rachael made an immediate fan out of me. She provided Event Management services for a recent wedding I worked and she was on top of everything! Rachael exemplifies strong communication and leadership skills all delivered with a smile. As a result, the Bride and Groom were able to fully enjoy their big day. 5 enthusiastic stars! (Images courtesy of Emma Mullins Photography)

Arielle G.

As an 11+ year wedding photographer, I cannot sing Rachael's praises enough for the work she did for my own wedding. We hired Rachael for partial service (3 months out + day of) and she alleviated the pressure of planning and coordinating every last detail of our day. Our day was smooth from start to finish, and Rachael was the reason why. I recommend her to all of my couples in need of a planner, and will continue to do so.

Mary P.

My sister hired Rachael as her wedding planner. I must admit that the wedding was GORGEOUS and PERFECT for the bride and groom. But for the family and guests, not so much. On the day of the wedding Rachael made several MAJOR mistakes. First of all she was condescending, rude and insulting to me and the guests. I was allowed to be with my sister for approx 15 minutes before the wedding for a photo op of me “helping” her get dressed. Rachael then insinuated that I was SELFISH for wanting to know my role on the day of the wedding. Would there be food? Where was I supposed to be during the first look? Although my sister said I could watch from the side lines, Rachael stated that I should “Go to my room where I belonged since the “first look” was only for the bride and groom. Since I was to be dressed two hours before the wedding to “help” get her dressed, I was alone most of the day. Her interactions towards me were disrespectful, condescending, and rude. Due to a lack of communication on Rachael’s part, family photos were taken during happy hour. They were rushed and stiff. It was like an assembly line instead of having fun with the bride and groom. Immediately after the chaotic family pictures, Rachael told me "She was kicking me outside...with love from the bride." It was HOT, HUMID and at times RAINING! Plus there were no chairs. We had been told that in case of rain there would be an air conditioned place for guests to enjoy appetizers and drinks. That was definitely NOT the case. After about 45 minutes of standing, I was dripping sweat and my back and legs were killing me. Other older guests were struggling as well. A family friend went inside to gather some chairs. She was reprimanded like a small child and told “To get out!” When she told Rachael that there were senior citizens who needed to sit, Rachael proceeded to LOCK the doors into the venue and put up room dividing screens. Ironically that meant she locked out the help who needed access to transition the room from ceremony to dining. After over an hour, we were finally allowed into the air conditioned space where guests were told to remain seated until their table was called to go to the buffet line. I again felt like we were in elementary school. After the wedding, we returned to the bridal suite close to midnight. At that time we discovered that the bridal suite, which was the first door off the elevator, had been propped open ALL day! Rachael in her haste to whisk the bride away to the “first look” never un-propped the door or locked it! Another major mistake! In summary: Rachael was an amazing help to my sister in the planning of the best wedding EVER. She was able to bring my sister's vision to life. However, on the day of the wedding there were serious issues in communication, comfort and safety of the guests and family. Furthermore, there were issues with coordination and communication between the venue and hotel. Finally, leaving the bridal suite PROPPED open almost 12 hours is inexcusable! Magically there was a double rainbow after the ceremony. We felt it was a sign from our deceased mother and father. Rachael however took credit for that as well. “What a great wedding planner I am. I even got a double rainbow” If you are a bride and do not care about anyone but yourself, Rachael is your girl. If you care about the comfort and feelings of family and friends and the security of your room, I would consider someone else.

Daniel S.

Goddess with a clipboard, keeping our day on track, on time and sparkling from start to finish!

We only booked Rachael as our day-of coordinator but god do I wish we would have committed sooner and had her tremendous experience and insight from the start! Rachael had the best *practical* advice on both how to do the musts and what not to do or make smaller parts of our day.

She listens and gets to know you and your partner! She crafts the nuance of the day (down to the MINUTE btw) in ways that compliment your vision but also ways in which she knows loved ones come to expect! (And if you don’t have a vision/thoughts on how to approach this or that, TRUST she’ll have an idea and be ready to share it)! Rachael helped make our day the very best it could be, taking the worry around logistics off our plate. We never once had to think about what time it was or what was next and instead were left to just bask in the beauty of our love, loved ones, and a flawlessly executed agenda. 😊

Justin C.

Oh my goodness! Talk about someone that KNOWS how to plan excellent experiences - Rachael is such an incredible and kindhearted person. She is extremely professional and detail-oriented, ensuring every element of the event is perfect, down to the smallest detail. Rachael's passion for planning is evident in her work, as she creates memorable experiences that are tailored to the individual needs and desires of each client. She is always available to answer questions and address any concerns, providing peace of mind during the often stressful planning process. Her genuine care for her clients shines through in every interaction, making the experience feel more like planning with a friend than a business transaction. Overall, being a participant that Rachael planned was a joy and I cannot recommend her highly enough!

Clair P.

I'm so thankful I had Racheal next to me on my wedding day. I would have been lost without her! Always smiling while keeping the day running smoothly. She has a tremendous amount of experience and thought of so many little things that I would have missed. I would highly recommend her! 10/10!

Kathryn S.

We hired Rachael for her full service option and it was worth every penny! She helped us select vendors, review contracts, and demonstrated her experience by providing options that we didn't necessarily think of. Our wedding day went off without a hitch! Even when out of control issues arose, Rachael handled everything without us ever knowing. She kept our large wedding party on time and made sure we got all of our family photos (we had quite a long list!). Her extremely detailed timeline itself was a huge asset for our wedding party to have. We loved that everyone knew exactly where they needed to be at all times! We had so much fun planning our wedding with Rachael and can't reccomed Rachael enough!

Maggie S.

We absolutely loved working with Rachael! She is the perfect combination of no-nonsense & kindness that one needs as a wedding planner. She helped us along the way with planning, ensuring we had all our boxes checked, and was invaluable the day of the wedding.