Big City Bride

What Big City Bride does

Big City Bride is a Chicago-based, family-owned wedding planning company founded in 2003 by Susan, who serves as Owner and Principal. The firm operates from a Lincoln Park office at 954 West Webster Avenue and delivers a suite of four service tiers: Grand Plan (full-service luxury planning), Partial Planning (continuation of partially started plans), Petite Package (month-of coordination), and Special Events (non-wedding celebrations such as corporate events, showers, and parties). It does not sell a technology product; the offering is professional services delivered by a team of nine named full-time planners and support staff, with Senior Planner Chrissy Magliano bringing nearly 20 years of experience and Susan personally having overseen more than 1,000 weddings across her career.

Name

Big City Bride

Legal name

Big City Bride

Website

https://bigcitybride.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Big City Bride is a privately held, Chicago-based wedding and event planning firm founded in 2003, serving couples in the Chicago metropolitan area with full-service, partial, and month-of coordination across roughly 75 weddings per year.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wedding Planning Services

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Wedding Planning (HSACABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Partial Wedding Planning (HSACABAB), Reception Planning & Guest Experience (Seating, Favors, Hospitality) (HSACABAM), Ceremony Planning & Officiant Coordination (HSACABAL), Bridal & Wedding Party Styling (Attire, Hair/Makeup Coordination) (HSACABAF)

Keywords

• Wedding planning services
• Event coordination
• Month-of coordination
• Wedding design consulting
• Vendor management

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Wedding Planning Services: Full-service wedding planning fees charged to couples. Services include Grand Plan (luxury full planning), Partial Planning (continuation of client's existing plans), Petite Package (month-of coordination), and Special Events coordination. Revenue generated through service fees for planning and coordination.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Big City Bride provides personalized wedding planning and coordination services in the Chicago metropolitan area. Offerings include four service tiers: Grand Plan (luxury full-service planning from site search through wedding day), Partial Planning (customized continuation of client-led planning), Petite Package (month-of coordination), and Special Events (non-wedding celebrations such as showers and corporate events). The company handles approximately 75 weddings per year with a full-time team of planners based at its Lincoln Park office.

Product overview

Big City Bride is a Chicago-based wedding planning company offering a suite of planning services. The company provides four distinct service tiers: Grand Plan (full-service luxury planning), Partial Planning (customized support for engaged couples), Petite Package (month-of coordination), and Special Events (non-wedding celebrations). The company was established in 2003 and operates as a family business with a team of full-time wedding planners based out of their Lincoln Park office.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grand Plan Luxury full-service wedding planning package guiding clients from initial site search through final wedding day execution, curating every element of an unforgettable event. Designed for couples who want end-to-end professional planning.
• Partial Planning Tailored planning package that picks up where the client has left off, providing assistance with vendor selection, design decisions, invitations, transportation, hotels, and ongoing planning support. Targeted at couples who have started planning but need professional support to complete it.
• Petite Package Month-of coordination service in which planners join during the wedding month to learn the couple's final vision, serve as main vendor contact, confirm commitments, orchestrate logistics, and run the wedding day. Designed for couples who have completed their own planning and need professional day-of execution.
• Special Events Event planning services for corporate events, baby and bridal showers, holiday affairs, birthday parties, and intimate soireés. Targeted at clients needing professional coordination of non-wedding celebrations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75 weddings planned yearly with 100% client satisfaction

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• The Knot Worldwide: Industry-defining wedding marketplace and planning platform where Big City Bride already maintains a vendor listing and Hall of Fame status; The Knot's tools (Registry, Wedding Planner app, vendor marketplace) represent both a GTM channel and a competitive threat to independent planners.
• Here Comes The Guide: Long-running wedding vendor directory and event-services marketplace; overlaps with Big City Bride's referral sources by sitting upstream of couple-to-vendor discovery for Chicago venues and planners.

Emerging players

• Zola: Online-first wedding planning, registry, and vendor marketplace platform targeting the same millennial couple demographic; represents the technology-led entrant that competes for the budget allocated to Big City Bride's planning fees by offering DIY planning tools for free.
• Aisle Planner: Wedding planning software platform used by professional planners; represents both an enabling tool that independent planners can adopt and a competitive threat as Aisle Planner expands into venue-direct coordination services.

Others

• Eventbrite: Larger events platform that increasingly encroaches on wedding planning and supplier coordination workflows; relevant thematically rather than as a direct wedding-planning competitor but representative of broader tech-driven shifts in event-services sourcing.

Direct peers

• Heart to Heart Events: Boutique Chicago wedding planner offering full-service and partial planning packages; competes for the same client profile and channels as Big City Bride within the Chicago metropolitan market.
• Gilded Events: Chicago wedding planner offering full-service coordination and design for couples in the same Lincoln Park-area demographic, with comparable service tiers and pricing positioning to Big City Bride.
• A Flawless Event: Chicago-based boutique wedding and event planning firm competing for the same mid-market couples and Chicago venues, with a similar full-service planning model and The Knot / WeddingWire presence.
• LOLA Event Productions: Established Chicago-based wedding and event planning firm serving the same metropolitan market and mid-market to luxury couple segment as Big City Bride, with overlapping venue relationships and a similar full-service/partial planning offering.

Regional players

• North Shore Weddings and Events: Chicago/North Shore wedding planner addressing a slightly broader regional geography but the same Chicago couple demographic and venue ecosystem; competes for many of the same referrals from Chicago-area venues.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BigCityBride
• Facebookfacebook.com/bigcitybride
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/big-citybride

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Big City Bride