What a CUTE favor! I love it! Spice things up with personalized hot sauce favors at your wedding. Let guests take home something they can really use in the kitchen!Click here to purchase... read more »

Shelby and Doug were married on October 20th, 2008, at Parkview Lutheran church, an adorable little church which is actually in my own neighborhood! Their reception at A New Leaf was a blast for their guests! Their guests enjoyed a... read more »

I am off to Grand Cayman for the wedding of Janie and Kevin! They are getting married at the Ritz Carlton on December 1st in Grand Cayman. Check out their website for details on their amazing wedding. They are a... read more »

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Please travel safe and sound as you head out to see your families. I recently saw this link to some historical information about Thanksgiving on the History Channel and found it fascinating! Click here to read... read more »

I was recently 1 of 450 wedding consultants from around the globe that got to see David Tutera from Get Married TV speak at the Assocation of Bridal Consultants Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida last week. David was honored in... read more »

Tags: press

I am excited, pleased and flattered to announce that Abby Larson of Style Me Pretty has chosen me to take part in her Little Black Book of vendors in Chicago for the event planner category! The Little Black Book is... read more »

I am excited, pleased and flattered to announce that Abby Larson of Style Me Pretty has chosen me to take part in her Little Black Book of vendors in Chicago for the event planner category! The Little Black Book is... read more »

A get a lot of requests from my brides asking for ideas for bridesmaids gifts! I LOVE Lands End's Lighthouse Bag which comes in 7 different colors and could be custom monogrammed with your bridemsaids initials! And make it even... read more »

Tags: trends

With the onset of winter arriving this week in Chicago, your lovely ladies may need a little pashmina wrap to keep them warm on your wedding day. I recently found this GREAT website for Pashminas that you can search for... read more »

Tags: testimonials

From the moment we sat down to meet Ali, we felt completely at ease with her and knew we would enjoy working with her in planning our wedding. She was involved with all aspects of our wedding from the beginning... read more »

Tags: weddings

Katie and Mike exchanged their vows at the historic St Joseph's Catholic church in Old Town. I LOVED working with Katie and Mike Cunningham on their November 3rd Wedding at St Joseph's Church and the Renaissance Ballroom at the Intercontiental... read more »

I just LOVE this new stamp that I saw at the Post Office. You can place this lovely stamp on your response envelopes or use for your thank you notes. This new stamp goes well with just about any colored... read more »

I LOVED Kristin and Jared’s wedding at The Marriott Lincolnshire. The day was a perfect fall day in Chicago, a bit overcast but that is great for pictures and no squinting!!!Kristin and Jared chose to see each other before the... read more »

Not every bride and groom wants to have an elaborate wedding cake. Andrea and Vallen chose to have wedding cupcakes for their guests. They still kept with tradition and shared a wedding cupcake on their wedding day!... read more »

Tags: weddings

I absolutely LOVED Kristin and Jared's wedding at The Marriott Lincolnshire, Illinois. The day was a perfect fall day in Chicago! Some would say, "but it was a bit overcast", but that is great for pictures and no squinting!!! Kristin... read more »

Tags: testimonials

I first met Ali several years ago when she planned my sister's wedding, literally saving it when the location fell-through at the last minute! So it was a no-brainer when I got engaged who I had to have to help... read more »

Tags: testimonials

When I got engaged my mom and I met with a few wedding planners. Ali was by far the most personable, knowledgeable and open about her experiences and planning process. We knew immediately that we wanted to hire Ali, and... read more »

Tags: testimonials

We couldn’t have asked for a better person to help us plan the best day of our lives. Our wedding day was more than we could have dreamed of, and we have Ali to thank. We will never forget walking... read more »

The Knot.com recently released their newest magazine, The Knot Best of Weddings 2007. The magazine features the best of the best wedding vendors in the United States. I was flattered to learn that Engaging Events by Ali, Inc. topped... read more »

Tags: testimonials

From the moment we met Ali, our minds were put at ease about our wedding. She was so organized and helpful with any little question that we had. There was no doubt that everything would go as planned. Instead of... read more »

I loved Lian and Paul's wedding on Friday, August 31st! They share a special date as their anniversary now! I was married on that day as well!Click this link to see a gorgeous photo montage of the day!http://www.gerberscarpelli.com/lian/Special thanks goes... read more »

Tags: testimonials

Being from out of state, I did not know where to begin to plan a wedding in Chicago. I knew I needed help and when I met Ali I knew she would make our wedding exceptional. I was impressed from... read more »

Tags: testimonials

You dream of the picture-perfect wedding day—and Ali made all of our dreams come true. From our very first meeting, we knew Ali “got” us. She understood our vision and how to use the budget to make it a reality.... read more »

Kathy and Tim Stafford's wedding at The Peninsula Hotel in Chicago, Illinois was a fun day filled with laughter and dancing! The rain did not scare them away from fun pictures in a trolley around Chicago!For the slideshow, please click... read more »

Tags: testimonials

The joy and laughter captured in the pictures is a true testament of our wonderful wedding day! We could not have accomplished this without your professionalism, wisdom, guidance and bottomless well of patience. You smoothed away our frowns and concerns... read more »

Mina and John's wedding was on a lucky day! 7.7.07! Their wedding day was a fun and fabulous day and Mina and John felt "lucky in love"! The ceremony and reception took place at Harold Washington Library in Chicago. Mina... read more »

Tags: events

Kathy Coates and Tim Stafford recently went to one of my favorite places for their engagement pictures; Wrigley Field! Then, they headed down to the beach at the Alder Planetarium which I just love!Click here to see the photo show:http://www.glenabog.com/kathyandtimI... read more »

Tags: press

The Knot Magazine recently released their newest magazine, "The Knot Best of Weddings 2007". The magazine features the best of the best wedding vendors in the United States. I was flattered to learn that Engaging Events by Ali, Inc. topped... read more »

Tags: testimonials

I had my dream wedding because of Ali Phillips; she was organized, professional and confident. She brought with her an amazing mix of vendors that made our wedding an amazing success. They all worked tremendously well together and there's no... read more »

Tags: events

Baby Showers! Little cute outfits and always a fun cake to eat. Here are some pictures of the one I hosted on June 16th for my friends!!... read more »

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I was recently interviewed by Kyra Kyles from the Chicago Tribune's Red Eye about Wedding Etiquette for the Weekend Wedding Addition published on June 16th, 2007. Click here to see the article... read more »

Kirstin and Erik's wedding at the Chicago Botanic on June 9th, 2007 was a fabulous event. The weather could not have been more perfect for their ceremony in the rose garden and their reception in the McGinley Pavillion.... read more »

Tags: testimonials

We can't say enough about how glad we are that we chose Ali to help us with our special day! With both of us being attorneys in Washington, D.C., Ali made the planning process so easy by setting up full... read more »

I absolutely LOVED working with Lora and Tim on their May 5th wedding in 2007.Thanks Michael from www.gerberscarpelliweddings.com for the GORGEOUS pictures!... read more »

Nicole and Pat's wedding was just beautiful on Friday, June 1st at Newberry Library in Chicago, Illinois. I particularly loved her wedding cake which looked so elegant and sweet! Her centerpieces were fabulous too, thanks Suzanne at Anthony Gowder!... read more »

Dawn and Eric's wedding took place on Sunday, May 27th, at the Chicago Cultural Center. They are such a nice and cute couple!Thank you to Tina and Dollie Ltd. for the amazing flowers, Levy Events for the delicious food,... read more »

Tags: events

I love my job! Daniel Jack and Phil Pessin from the Swissotel invited me and eleven other wedding consultants in to the hotel on May 23rd for a fabulous lunch of sea bass ceviche, buffalo mozarella and tomato salad... read more »

I loved Jenny and Marten Spencer's wedding at the Zimbali Lodge in Durban, South Africa on April 28th, 2007. I was so happy be there and to help them celebrate! They day was full of laughter and smiles. Thanks Jenny... read more »

Tags: weddings

I LOVED Jenny and Marten Spencers wedding at the Zimbali Lodge in South Africa. And especially so as I was a bridesmaid and was so happy to be there with them celebrating.April 28th, 2007 was a fabulous day of fun,... read more »

Premiering on July 4th at a theater near you, Licensed to Wed!License to Wed follows newly engaged Ben Murphy (John Krasinski) and his fiancée, Sadie Jones (Mandy Moore), in their quest to live happily ever after. The problem is that... read more »

Tags: trends

I love the use of seating scrolls in lieu of placecards for wedding guests to let them know where they are seated. Here is one we did for Lena and Chris's reception at the Newberry Library in Chicago, Illinois on... read more »

I love the use of seating scrolls in lieu of placecards for your guests. Here is one we did for Lena and Chris's reception at the Newberry Library in Chicago, Illinois on Friday, May 11th. Baltic Studios took a picture... read more »

Hello everyone! I am back from an amazing trip to South Africa and back into the swing of work and will begin blogging about my exciting life as a wedding consultant in Chicago, Illinois. Check back soon for my FIRST... read more »

Tags: weddings

Lora and Tim Powers were married on a gorgeous spring day, May 5th, 2007 at St James Lutheran Church in Chicago, Illinois. They later partied and danced the night away at the Winter Garden room at Harold Washington Library. Thanks... read more »

Tags: news

I am pleased to announce that I won a 2007 NICE award of excellence for Best Wedding under $25,000. The awards ceremony and dinner took place on Tuesday, February 27th with a celebration at Grand Piazza in Chicago, Illinois. To... read more »

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Kerry Monaco and Chris Bonneau's wedding was recently featured in the Spring/Summer 2007 wedding magazine. I am flattered to have this wedding featured in such a prestigious magazine. Click here to see wedding... read more »

Tags: weddings

Sarah and Tom were married at the classic Old Saint Patrick's Church in Chicago, Illinois by Tom's family Priest, Father Charles Rubey, and Rabbi Michael Tillman. The bride looked stunning in a ivory duchess satin wedding gown and carried an... read more »

Tags: testimonials

Ali, We can't say thank you enough for all of your help! You truly made our big day perfect and stress free. Unlike so many of my friends, I was truly able to enjoy every minute of my wedding day,... read more »

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I was recently interviewed to talk about the romance of my job by CareerBuilder.com. It was a fun article to be interviewed for as we talked a lot about the love, romance and beauty that surrounds the weddings I help... read more »

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I am pleased to annouce that I have had three weddings nominated for a 2007 NICE ISES Chicago Excellence Award. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony and dinner on Tuesday, February 27th at a celebration at Grand Piazza... read more »

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I recently was asked to present at the Bridal Showcase on Sunday, January 28th, 2007 at the Highland Park Country Club in Highland Park, Illinois. I was one of four wedding consultants from The Association of Bridal Consultants that was... read more »

Tags: news

Ali Phillips is pleased to announce she is now offering My Jean M invitations and accessories. Brides are able to chose invitations from the Jean M Exclusive Line or Dreaming Up Designs line. They offer 20 different colored papers to... read more »

Tags: testimonials

As soon as my fiancé and I met with Ali, we knew she was the one to coordinate our wedding day! She was so incredibly sweet and listened intently as I told her about the problems that I was facing... read more »

Tags: news

I recently traveled to Colorado Springs, Colorado, for the Association of Bridal Consultants Annual Conference. It was the 25th year anniversary of the conference and it was a wonderful couple days of education and entertainment. It was held at the... read more »