Birdcage & Blushers Weddings
Wedding Planner and Creative Director
Planning a wedding in Chicago comes with a wide range of decisions—from selecting the right venue to building a vendor team and shaping an experience that feels cohesive from beginning to end.
For many couples, the challenge isn’t a lack of options—it’s knowing how to evaluate them, prioritize what matters, and move forward with clarity.
Birdcage & Blushers Weddings is a Chicago-based wedding planning and design studio specializing in thoughtfully directed, design-forward celebrations. We serve couples who want more than managed logistics—they want a wedding experience that feels cohesive, elevated, and distinctly their own.
Founded in Chicago, Birdcage & Blushers began as a wedding blog sharing real celebrations and intentional planning advice. As the brand evolved, so did its mission: to move beyond inspiration and into structured, full-service wedding direction rooted in clarity, experience, and refined design.
Today, Birdcage & Blushers is known as a Chicago wedding planner and creative partner for couples who value steady leadership, curated aesthetics, and seamless execution from beginning to end.
Where We’re Based
Birdcage & Blushers Weddings is based in Chicago, Illinois, and serves couples throughout Chicago and the greater Chicagoland area, as well as select destination locations including Atlanta, New York City, Washington, D.C., Miami, and wine country regions such as Napa Valley and Sonoma.
We regularly plan weddings at Chicago hotels, architectural venues, historic landmarks, private estates, and modern event spaces. Our familiarity with local logistics, vendor dynamics, and guest experience flow allows us to guide each celebration with confidence and precision.
For destination and multi-day weddings, we extend that same structure and oversight across locations—ensuring a cohesive and well-executed experience from start to finish.
Who We Serve
We work with couples who value their time, trust expert direction, and want a celebration that reflects their standards—not someone else’s template.
Our clients are often busy professionals balancing full lives, careers, and travel. They come to us not just for support, but for clarity, structure, and confident guidance throughout the planning process.
They tend to:
Value aesthetic cohesion and meaningful detail
Prioritize guest experience alongside design
Prefer thoughtful, personalized decisions over trend replication
Appreciate modern sensibility paired with intentional tradition
Want to feel confident—not second-guessing—throughout planning
Our weddings often feel modern and editorial while still honoring cultural, familial, or personal traditions in ways that feel authentic and intentional.
A More Strategic Approach to Wedding Planning
Most couples assume wedding planning is about making decisions.
In reality, it’s about making the right decisions in the right order—with a clear understanding of how each choice shapes the overall experience.
At Birdcage & Blushers, we approach planning as a form of wedding architecture—where each element is thoughtfully structured to support a cohesive, elevated, and well-paced celebration.
This approach allows our clients to move through the process with clarity and confidence, rather than overwhelm or guesswork.
Our Services
Our services are designed to provide not just support, but clear direction—guiding you through each decision with structure, intention, and a cohesive vision for your celebration.
Full-Service Wedding Planning + Design
Comprehensive, end-to-end planning and creative direction. We oversee vendor sourcing, design development, logistics management, timeline strategy, and on-site execution — ensuring every decision aligns and every detail is thoughtfully orchestrated.
Partial Wedding Planning
Structured planning support for couples who have secured a venue and key vendors but want experienced direction to refine the vision, complete the vendor team, and establish seamless execution.
Destination Wedding Planning
Strategic oversight and cohesive design for weddings taking place beyond Chicago. We manage location research, vendor sourcing, travel logistics, and multi-day coordination to ensure the experience remains grounded, intentional, and confidently executed from afar.
Birdcage & Blushers is often sought out by couples looking for a Chicago wedding planner who can seamlessly blend strategic oversight, refined design, and calm leadership into one cohesive experience.
Investment & Pricing Philosophy
Birdcage & Blushers Weddings offers inquiry-based pricing tailored to the scope, complexity, and vision of each celebration.
Our services are designed for couples seeking a high-touch, fully directed planning experience—rather than one-size-fits-all packages.
Wedding Architecture Sessions are $595 per session
Partial Planning begins at $9,500
Full-Service Wedding Planning begins at $18,000
Destination Wedding Planning begins at $19,500
We believe in transparent conversations around investment and scope, and we work best with couples who value expertise, trust professional direction, and prioritize a cohesive guest experience.
Our Approach
At the heart of our work is structure.
We believe weddings feel effortless when they are intentionally directed behind the scenes. Our approach blends strategic planning, refined design sensibility, and steady leadership to create celebrations that feel elevated without feeling overwhelming.
We focus not only on the wedding day itself, but on the full experience—from welcome events to farewell moments—ensuring continuity, cohesion, and thoughtful flow throughout.
Inclusivity & Values
Birdcage & Blushers Weddings proudly serves couples of all identities and backgrounds and is an inclusive, LGBTQ+ affirming wedding planning studio. Many of our couples are interracial, intercultural, interfaith, and/or LGBTQ+.
We believe celebrations should feel safe, respectful, and reflective of the people at their center. Our work is rooted in care, collaboration, and intentional partnership.
Chicago Wedding Expertise
With roots as a Chicago wedding blog and years of hands-on wedding and corporate event planning experience, Birdcage & Blushers brings both local knowledge and strategic insight to every event.
From navigating venue logistics and vendor dynamics to shaping immersive guest-centered experiences, we approach each wedding with operational clarity and creative precision.
While often described as a Chicago luxury wedding planner, we define luxury not by excess—but by intention, quality, and confident execution.
Birdcage & Blushers at a Glance
Business Name: Birdcage & Blushers Weddings
Founder: Alyson Thompson
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Services: Full-service wedding planning, partial planning, destination wedding planning, wedding design and creative direction
Specialization: Thoughtfully directed, design-forward celebrations
Clients: Modern experience-driven couples who value clarity, cohesion, and elevated experience
Values: Inclusivity, Care, Creativity, Calm
Background: Founded as a Chicago wedding blog; evolved into a full-service planning and design studio