Traci S.
Yelp
I don't know how I can write this and not sound like I am a fraud because I am so so SO happy with my experience at Elizabeth Grace, but I promise I'm just a regular bride who happened upon Elizabeth Grace when searching online for a Chicago store with a wide variety of invitation options by eco-friendly letterpress brands.
I was looking for wedding invitations that satisfied my 4 criteria: environmentally responsible, elegant (why were so many "green" invitations literally shades of green?), letterpress, and affordable-ish. Elizabeth Grace delivered with flying (ivory) colors!
Here are the highlights of why I wish the whole world operated like Elizabeth Grace. (This is also why I'm writing a review - I have lived in Chicago for 8 years and written probably 5 reviews in my life.)
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1. Patience:
My appointments were always as long and as frequent as I wanted! Even though I'm sure I overstayed my welcome and was certainly far from their most lucrative customer, they let me stay until closing time on more than one occasion, while I leafed through the same books over and over again, talking to myself about the pro's and con's of all the little details. I probably asked them to run the numbers on 57 permutations of the same invitation, and, as embarrassed as I was to be such a huge pain in the ass, they promised me it was no skin off their back. They never made me feel rushed or bothersome, which I've learned is a rare treat in the bridal vendor world (possibly because we brides are super annoying, but still).
2. Friendly Expertise:
I got tons of personal attention from multiple store associates and the store owner every time I had an appointment. It felt like I was hanging out with my girl friends, except that my real girl friends would've probably killed me for being so indecisive. They had real opinions and seemed to genuinely enjoy picking color combinations and font styles with me. Maybe they're all-star actresses, but I got the sense that the employees have a real appreciation for their goods and want to provide their expertise and input to each choice made by their customers. I loved getting their advice and would have never made up my mind without them.
3. Efficiency / Responsiveness:
About a month into working with them, I went on a week-long vacation and then permanently moved out of the state. During the same period, my main contact at EG went on vacation. If mis-communications or delays were ever going to occur, they would have. Instead, I was handed off seamlessly to another associate who was already abreast of my vacation and moving schedule, and we did not skip a beat. In fact, the one time I didn't respond to a matter as quickly as I could have, they contacted me a 2nd time in the same day just to make sure they were doing all they could to help me meet the tight deadline I had. (For the cynics among us, EG already had my money, so their attentiveness was not to make the sale, just to make sure I was a satisfied customer, which clearly worked out.) Maybe the negative review in June caused a change; my experience was the complete opposite.
One final thought on this topic because it's probably the one that separates EG the most from other wedding-related vendors.
If you can't tell, I'm on the type-A side...okay fully neurotic. When I email questions to a vendor, they are typically exhaustive and hyper-detailed. Usually I receive responses that are vague, non-comprehensive, and full of inconsistencies (not to mention terrible English), which drives me completely bananas. Not at Elizabeth Grace. Each time I wrote them a super annoying email full of bullet-pointed questions and scenarios, I received a timely, super gracious, and perfectly-organized response (in a good-natured tone, to boot). What would have typically taken 25 emails (and many rants to my fiance about how, pardon my French, the world is full of a bunch of f'ing idiots), took about 5 emails instead.
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If there is ever a premium worth paying, it's one that saves time and aggravation during the stressful wedding planning process. But, lucky for me (and you), there is no premium to work with the ladies at Elizabeth Grace. Just beautiful products, a well-run business, and really wonderful people. Make an appointment, and see how great they are.
Seriously, I'm just a regular old bride who is so shocked by her own satisfaction with a vendor that I had to write this absurdly long review. I miss you, Chicago!