Design by Larissa
834 E. Rand Rd.
Suite #4
Mount Prospect, IL 60056
Contact
847-255-5999
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Email Design by Larissa
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Hours
Usually 10am-9pm
About
Larissa Goldenberg, Accredited Bridal Consultant , tm
Member Association of Bridal Consultants
“Design by Larissa”
Founder and owner
Larissa Goldenberg founded Design by Larissa...
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Reviews for Design by Larissa
Where do I begin....? I was planning my own wedding; I knew exactly what I wanted and how much I wanted to pay for it. Convinced of my own abilities I refused to hire a wedding planner, even for the day of. My husband (then fiancée) insisted that we go see Larissa, who was recommended to us by two different sources. Our first meeting with Larissa started a great relationship.
First of all, let me tell you about her office. It's a museum of weddings and parties, a party room out of a great movie. Pictures, flowers, invitations, gadgets, linens, and ideas float openly throughout. It's a maze of party possibilities, and when you sit there you can't help but to let your eyes wander.
In our first meeting, Larissa sat down with us, and before we ever retained her, went through our whole wedding, and gave very concrete suggestions that she was able to back up with reason and logic. I have to underscore that at this first meeting she had absolutely no financial interest and her only motivation to help us was her love of party planning. My first impression - "What a knowledgeable professional." What was so amazing about her initial contribution is that she was able to understand completely the kind of people we were and the wedding we wanted to have. A must-have ability for a professional that you're intrusting with a major life event.
After our first meeting I was convinced that besides myself, there could only be one person entrusted with my wedding – Larissa. Once retained, Larissa was full speed ahead with more great ideas and thoughtful recommendations. Numerous meetings with vendors, phone and in-person discussions about everything from flower vendors to ceremony and restaurant seating charts and schedules. She even drew out a three-room reception layout for the banquet coordinator and had similar drawing for our restaurant (different location from the banquets). Larissa also did our rehearsal; and with over 25 family members and bridal party participants, was able to thoroughly explain to everyone their specific tasks.
Then came the wedding day. I can honestly say that for 180-person wedding, I - The Bride, did not have a single care in the world. I knew that Larissa would take care of everything for me – and she did! She paid off and kept signatures of all the vendors that required final payment the day of. She oversaw every finger of every vendor to ensure exact delivery of service as stated in the contract, she problem-solved issues that came up without us, oversaw the whole wedding, even made sure that I seized the chance to dance with my in-laws.
She offered me a spectacular experience of a lifetime – she gave me a gift of truly enjoying my wedding. The best gift anyone could give me.
Larissa’s Top Ten Greatest Attributes
1. Extremely professional
2. Always available by phone and email
3. Dependable
4. Innovative
5. Knowledgeable
6. Inexpensive
7. Has the love and passion for party planning
8. Can motivate vendors to get their jobs done on time
9. Self-directing and capable decision maker
10. Experienced
A very happy customer
-Anna
I would like to start with a big Thank You to Larissa! Larissa planned my cousin’s wedding and she did an amazing job. When I got engaged I knew right away that Larissa would be my wedding planner. We met with Larissa and described what we wanted to have for our wedding. She explained to us all key expense categories and suggested several venue options that we could check out. Larissa guided us through the entire planning period of 10 months. She set up numerous appointments with vendors, helped negotiating contracts. Larissa was always on time for all appointments and was always available when we needed her advice. Larissa also helped us rehearse our ceremony the day before our wedding. Most importantly, I did not have to worry about a thing on the day of the wedding. Larissa took care of everything – paid the vendors, made sure everything was delivered and set up as agreed, kept track of the schedule and much much more!!! I loved working with Larissa and if we need to plan any other important events in our lives we definitely know who can help us make it unique and memorable!
Love,
Yulia & Lev (July 2008 Wedding)
We also received the letter we
sent you back. I hope you don't think we were not appreciative, because we
definitely are. First, we want to thank you for the beautiful Champagne
glasses! We definitely have a lot to toast to! We are very lucky!!
Second, we want to thank you for helping us throw such a beautiful
wedding!! You really did a gorgeous job and we cannot tell you how many
compliments we received!! Everyone had such an amazing time, including my
late grandfather, may he rest in peace! I thank your for helping us give
him such a great moment before he passed away and we all have wonderful
memories of him at our wedding! Of all people, though, I think none had
more fun that Dustin & I at our own wedding, and that, after all, is what it was all about!! It was truly a celebration for us, and you really helped make that happen! We look forward to many future wonderful events in our lives - parties, bar/bat mitzvahs, kids weddings, etc, and we hope you will be a part of those in the future as well! Thank you so much for all of the hard work you have done and for putting up with us over the past year! We really are grateful! L'shana tova, Larissa! May this coming year find you with good health, peace, joy, and love! Sofia & Dustin Dobrin
Dear Larissa
On behalf of my self, Steven , Hava and Taylor , we wanted to let you know what a wonderful job you did on our wedding and how much we apprecite it.
When Hava got engagedm we did not know where to start with planning the wedding and finding you was a godsend. Through every phase of the event you have been there for us. I know that you plan affairs that are several times the size of ours, but you always treated us as though we were your largest clients.
Everything was perfect - Hava said that the day was a dream come true and that it exceeded her expectations!
I know that what you do is not easy and the stress that you expirience must be crazy. There is no way I could ever have planned this without you , and we have the outmost respect for you.
Once again, thank you thank you , thank you ,
Dear Larissa,
On behalf of Lana Fuchs Couture, The Emerald Dream Foundation and Billionaire Mafia I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you personally for your exceptional work at the New Years Eve Emerald Dream Ball event. Your event planning skills and expertise were vital in the success of our event. Due to your integrity, hard work and dedication the New Years event was the greatest production of the year. Our relationship has stood the test of time through many years and many events. I would never dream of working with anyone else besides you. You are simply the standart by which excellence is measured.
Thank you again.
Lana Fuchs
• I had my wedding November 27, 2002. The very next day, I woke up from a whole year of preparations. It was only then I realized how much work, effort and love Larissa had put into an entire year of standing by me to make sure that the most important day of my life would truly be PERFECT. Instead of "Good morning, honey", the first words that came out of my mouth the morning after were "We could not have done it without her." I am not Larissa’s daughter, but she made me feel like one through the course of the year, because only a mother could truly care the way Larissa did. The amazing part is that I was not the only bride-to-be in her extremely busy schedule. Yet, I had to remind myself of that because she never did. Phone calls at 6:00AM or at 11:00PM, Saturdays, Sundays, all the driving around and running around never wore Larissa out. This woman’s energy is amazing and she found a way to pass it on to me. On the day of my wedding, I was one prepared bride. I was not nervous, I was not lost and I had a blast. In case I forgot to mention, everything went PERFECT. Why? Larissa.
• The single smartest thing we did in planning our October 5, 2002 wedding was hiring Larissa as our coordinator. Not only did she perform fantastic balancing acts, but she also single-handedly pulled off quite a successful wedding of 250 guests! Extraordinarily capable of wearing many hats, Larissa was our expert at suggesting a myriad of vendors: bakeries, florists, bands, etc. She seems to know everyone in town, and we certainly felt more comfortable going into a meeting with a vendor she suggested. After choosing several of the vendors she recommended, Larissa professionally handled the contract negotiations on our behalf. Despite the fact that these were companies she recommended, we always felt that she had our best interests in mind first. She really knows how to make a dollar stretch. Also, Larissa’s attention to detail was unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Being a detail-oriented person myself, I couldn’t believe all the little things we missed that would have gone unnoticed had we not had her set of eyes combing through everything several times. What sets Larissa apart from everyone else in the event coordinating business is her innate ability to turn something from a standard party to an all-out upscale gala. With a few budget constraints, Larissa made artistic suggestions that not only saved money, but were unique and creative as well. There is no way our wedding would have been the affair it was without her input and expertise.
When my now husband, Taras, proposed to me some time in March of 2000 , it was the happiest day of my life and then came the agonizing fear of planning a wedding for 200+ guests. I tried everything from books to magazines to bridal shows and still saw no light at the end of the tunnel, everything just seems to snowball. I could not find a hall, I could not find the caterer, I could not find the florist I liked and then I was introduced to Larissa. She took over everything. In the matter of days we had the hall, the caterer and florist, the table linens, chair covers etc. Finally for the first time I actually felt as a bride, like all this was off my shoulders! I don’t know what I would have done if I never met her. She was my rescuer in the time that I needed her most and not just for planning advice. She was a shoulder to cry on when I needed one, she was an ear to listen to me when no one else would and she was the one that put things in prospective for me when I did not see it. She did it all. We were married in November of that year and I am forever grateful to her for making my wedding day the most beautiful and memorable event in my life.
Dear Larissa!
• When my daughter announced her engagement I didn't realize how much work and sleepless nights are ahead of me. We started to plan the wedding. Since this is the first wedding of the new generation in our family, I didn't have help or advise from anybody. And so the struggle began. We made reservations, then cancelled them, then made reservations again. It was an unknown road for us. But when the time came to order the sweet table things have changed. The first time my daughter and I came to see you about 1 year ago, we knew that we are dealing with a highly professional businesswoman. When we got in the car, we both said, that this is one of the few things that we are sure about and will never have to worry. It proved 150% !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We enjoyed working with you tremendously. The sweet table that you've designed for our wedding was OUT OF THIS WORLD. People call me all the time and talk about the SWEET TABLE. Thank you so much for making this special day even more special. I will recommend your work to everybody that is interested in SWEET TABLE DESIGN and more.
Once again, thanks a lot and God bless you.
Sasha and Sima Frenkel 1997.
Description of Design by Larissa
Larissa Goldenberg, Accredited Bridal Consultant , tm
Member Association of Bridal Consultants
“Design by Larissa”
Founder and owner
Larissa Goldenberg founded Design by Larissa over twenty years ago. Her professionalism and creativity, dedication to her clients and business 24 hours a day, and willingness to search for that one illusive thing that all brides want , have made her and her staff very popular. Her clientele are always impressed with her services and continue to recommend her to each and every friend, either for a Wedding, Birthday party, Anniversary or a Bar/Bat Mitzvah.
Larissa immigrated to the United States in 1979. With a degree in Arts and Photography and a gift for public relations, she was looking for a job that would allow her creativity and talent to bloom. While dreaming of one day running her own business, she worked as a waitress, a chef, bartender and a manager (in that order) in a large banquet facility, making Larissa specially equipped to assist her clients in planning the menus and other things for their special event. During this time she also discovered her love for seeing beautiful brides and grooms on the happiest day of their lives and thus an idea was born.
Working in the banquet facility gave Larissa all the tools she would need to make any event a success. In 1981, she became the spokeswoman for Troyka Restaurant where she had already begun designing sweet tables and seafood displays for various events. To this day her displays are frequently requested and highly recommended. Five years later, in 1986, she offered her services as a part-time, freelance consultant to DBL’s first client.
In the next several years her sweet tables became well known in Chicago and beyond. She continued her professional education by attending the annual National Restaurant and Fancy Food Shows and Bridal and Wedding Expos. She reviewed every issue of Gourmet Food, Chef’s magazine, Balloons and Flowers and other similar publications. Her list of vendors grew to a considerable size and qualifications for choosing them became more and more demanding as her expectations reached immeasurable heights.
Larissa’s approach for any party, whether for sixty or six hundred people, is always thoughtful and artistic. The combination of her love and understanding of different flowers and decorative linens, colors and textures, her impressive list of professional and reliable vendors, her ability to find a middle ground between the varying tastes of all family members involved, insured the success of every party she planned for her clients.
By 1997, Larissa’s clientele had grown so large it was no longer feasible to continue her business, as most consultants do, out of her home and she took the next big step in expanding DBL. She proudly opened the doors to the official home of Design by Larissa at 834 East Rand Road Suite #4 in Mount Prospect, Illinois where she and her staff continue to serve her clients to the best of their ability.
DBL’s list of clients includes a famous fashion designer, the agent for the Ultimate Fighters’ World Champion, doctors, attorneys and many others. Warmth and personal attention to each and every one has earned the company respect from every client who’s ever walked through the door. By 2000 she had created countless successful events in many different locations nationwide. In 2003, one of Larissa’s clients, a Journalist for 7 days newspaper, wrote an article about Larissa and her business in order to thank her for a beautifully arranged Wedding she’d planned for him and his fiancé. Most of her clients keep in touch to this day and continue to use Design by Larissa for anniversaries, birthday parties, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, or Weddings for the now adult children of couples whose wedding she’d planned many years ago. She had also been a member of a Bridal Panel for WEVA meeting (Wedding and Event Photography Association ) in Chicago together with other Bridal consultants and editor of Modern Bride magazine, which was attended by more then 300+ members.
Larissa always continues to educate herself in the customs of many different ethnic groups since each has it’s own taste in food and musical requirements. Her clientele include Ukrainian, Jewish, Italian, Russian, Polish, Greek, Armenian, Slovenian, Irish and many others. To further her education, Larissa attended the School of Bridal Consultants and Professional Career Development Institute and after graduation became “officially” a Bridal Consultant and a member of the Association of Bridal Consultants. At the end of 2003, Larissa then enrolled in a one-year course from which she graduated with honors in 2 months becoming a Professional Bridal Consultant tm. In 2002, she was asked to plan her first destination wedding, which is an idea that is gaining more and more popularity in the recent years. Being a member of such a large association (4300 members around the world) would be very helpful in planning a wedding in say, Japan, Italy, or other countries, since Larissa could work in conjunction with another member in the country where the event was to take place.
At the end of 2005, Larissa received an email from a producer for Women’s Entertainment Cable network, inquiring about a special, “once in a lifetime/dream come true” event that Larissa was planning in the beginning of 2006. The producer was interested in filming a fabulous wedding, if Larissa had any, for their new show “Platinum Weddings”. The network was planning to air the show July of 2006. One of our clients in Las Vegas, a fashion designer and owner of Lana Fuchs Coutur,LLC was planning a Renewal of the Vows ceremony and her son’s Bar Mitzvah on March 11, 2006 which coincided perfectly with the dates requested by the network. She graciously agreed to let them film the three-day event. Robin Leach, who was in attendance at the event, also provided commentary for the event. On July 30, 2006 the episode “Lana and Victor” , Platinum Weddings (network had renamed the show)had aired and 26 six more time after that nationally as well as internationally. . Included in the show was interview with Larissa; designers of the floral company she hired for the event; a few of the 41 vendors she had flown in for the event, including nationwide renowned “Frost Lighting”; twenty-eight musicians and singers, including Russian, Spanish and Italian singers from New York, Miami, Boston and LA; seven dancers and MC’s from one of the best DJ Companies in Chicago; and of course the event itself. In the beginning of 2007 Larissa has earned a new designation an Accredited Bridal Consultant tm, one of the 26 ABC,tm in 27 countries, where Association of Bridal Consultants has a chapter. In 2008 another show aired on Lifetime TV , which was created by Design by Larissa “ for her client in Las Vegas as well –New Year Eve 1st Annual Emerald Dream Charity Ball. 13 Breast cancer survivors and their families being the recipients of the Ball and segments from the Ball was featured in “Top this Party” show.
Design by Larissa has created many special events and gala’s within a budget ranging anywhere from five thousand to over one million dollars. We have designed and ordered varying specialty linens from India and China, accessories for décor and giveaways and unique extras for many events. We are specialists in themed weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Birthdays parties, and much more. Sometimes Larissa will do hours of research for an event just to satisfy the special wish of a little girl or boy’s dream and this is what makes us different.
Larissa is also an editorial contributor to “Chicago Wedding Resource” in “Your Personal Bridal Consultant” /Ask Larissa “ column from 2006.
Each event is extraordinary for Larissa and her staff, because it is unique and so are our clients. We pride ourselves on individual and personalized attention to each and every client, thus our motto is “each client is Royalty and is treated as such….”
