Chicago Wedding Planner & Creative Director
Alyson Thompson
meet
I don't think of weddings as events to be planned.
I think of them as experiences to be architected
It unfolds through a series of connected decisions, each one shaping the atmosphere, the pacing, and the overall experience of the day.
Think of it like a well-designed space. A beautiful room isn't just beautiful furniture arranged together. It has structure, flow, intention, every element serving the whole. A wedding works the same way. When the foundation is right, every decision that follows feels natural, connected, and completely yours
is rarely the result of a single beautiful idea.
A meaningful wedding
That's where we start. And it's what makes everything else feel like it belongs.
Different couples.
The same foundation
Every wedding planned here starts in the same place: with who you are.
What changes is how that shows up in the final experience.
Signature Celebrations
For couples whose vision is led by a strong aesthetic: refined, considered, visually cohesive from ceremony to last song. Every element connects back to a clear creative direction. Nothing arbitrary that doesn't belong.
A Distinct Point of View
For couples whose vision is led by who they are: bold ideas, meaningful traditions, unexpected elements that couldn't belong to anyone else. What unites these weddings isn't a look, it's a foundation: a clear sense of identity that shapes every decision.
Designed from the inside out
Clarity
Before a venue is booked or a vendor contacted, Alyson takes the time to understand who you are as a couple, what you want the day to feel like, and what matters most. This is the blueprint. Everything that follows builds on it.
Alignment
Venue secured, creative team curated, design concept developed. Every vendor and every decision is aligned to your vision and your budget, not a standard playbook or a commission-driven recommendation.
Direction
Timelines, logistics, and every detail refined with precision. Nothing will be left to chance, and nothing will be reactive. The experience begins to take its full complete shape. This is when we ensure every decision fits in the bigger picture.
Experience
Your only job on the day is to be there. Every detail has been handled. Every vendor is briefed. Alyson is the calm, steady presence behind the scenes, so you can be exactly where you're supposed to be.
and built entirely around you.
Couples consistently describe working with Alyson as feeling heard, supported, and advocated for, not managed. They value her knowledge, her ability to make the complex feel clear, and the balance of warmth and authority she brings to the planning process.
That balance is intentional. Alyson believes you don't need someone to take over your wedding or impose her preferences. You need an experienced partner who understands what you're trying to create, gives you the context and perspective to make informed decisions, and knows when to advise, when to advocate and when to simply handle it.
Alyson founded Birdcage & Blushers in 2019 after years spent learning events from nearly every angle. Thirteen years across weddings, hospitality, venues and client experience have taught her how beautiful ideas actually become successful experiences, and where they can unravel along the way.
Her background in drawing, painting and spatial design informs the way she sees a room. Her experience in hospitality and events informs the way she understands production, investment, and vendor dynamics. And her instinct for people allows her to navigate the personalities, conversations and unexpected moments that inevitably become part of planning something this meaningful.
The result is more than experience. It's judgment: knowing what matters, what doesn't, what a decision will affect downstream and when something needs her attention before it ever needs yours.
What you get when you work with Alyson.
Meet your planner
13 years in the events and hospitality industry. Running Birdcage & Blushers since 2019
Rock N Roll Bride, Chi Thee Wed, peerspace, and "Let Me Ask You This" wedding podcast
Based in Chicago. Planning weddings throughout the city, suburbs, and for destination clients across the U.S. and abroad.
Every bit of it in your corner.
You are welcome here.
Proudly black-owned & woman-owned
They’re foundational.
Celebrating couples from
all identities, color and love stories
Kindness, respect, and inclusivity
aren't marketing language here
