Our Team

Brittanie Ahrens

Senior Event Designer

After earning her B.A. in Communications from the University of South Florida, Brittanie Ahrens moved to Chicago on a whim. Her passion for event design began while planning weddings and corporate celebrations, which is where she now specializes with HMR Designs. A lover of building and creating, she has a true passion for the relationships she forms with her clients, and truly thrives on all creative challenges. Brittanie believes that anything can be accomplished with high energy, quick thinking, a positive attitude and a smile.

Recent Work

  • What are some of the biggest rewards / perks of the work you do? The end result: watching everything come together, seeing the décor piece of the puzzle fit in with the catering, venue, music, etc. It never ceases to amaze me!
  • What makes you well suited for the work you do? I’m organized, personable, and I consider myself a first-rate multi-tasker.
  • Describe your personality / energy in five words. Cheerful, inventive, positive, personable, and enthusiastic.

Testimonials

  • Oh my goodness I don't even know where to begin, thank you so much for helping create the most magical and perfect wedding. People would NOT stop talking about the decor, and our planner told me she had trouble getting people to leave the venue after the ceremony because people just wanted to stay with the decor!

    It turned out so much better than the slideshow I originally created, and it's amazing how you understood what I wanted more than I did! It truly felt like I was in a fairytale, and it still feels like I'm dreaming. Thank you for being such wonderful people, it was such a joy to work with you. I almost wish I could get married again so we could work together once more! From the bottom of our hearts, we are so grateful!

    Shirley, Bride
  • I am anxious to send my heartiest thanks to you on every account. You went above and beyond and you were so kind and patient about all of my small details. It was just magical! I loved everything! The lights above the dance floor were just raved about by all! I loved the table arrangements – each was perfection! The cloths were just the look I’d hoped for and I can’t thank you enough for adding the Spanish moss to the marquis – it was a lovely effect! Brittanie, you and your crew are amazing!!! Your job, in my opinion, was the kingpin of the whole event; to create an effect that amazed and transported the crowd to an “other worldly” place…and boy, did you DO it! I so thank you!

    Sally, Harvest Ball
  • THANK YOU so much for all of your incredible work to make our 40th celebration the coolest event in town. From the fabulous stage setup/dance floor that created the coolest looking focal, to the fun and flashy lounges to the beautiful floral on all of the tables – it was perfection. I know it was a super late night/early morning for you the night before and then so much work day of, and all of your efforts are SO appreciated. You/HMR are such an incredible partner and we are forever grateful for all that you do!

    Anna Ditton, Foor For Thought
  • As we are now accustomed, you and your team did an outstanding job and were so easy to work with. Friday night looked magical, and we are so impressed that you were able to pull off that scaffolding at the 11th hour! It was a little kitschy — that is, our idea to begin with — but you pulled it off with aplomb. It certainly gave the room energy and something fun to talk about. Thank you for all you did to make it happen!

    And Saturday, you all worked like magic elves. The beautiful floral arrangements for the stage were there waiting for us early Saturday morning, and the baby ficus trees worked out beautifully Saturday night. You are such a pleasure to work with and we thank you for making things look stunning and being low-maintenance to work with during a very stressful event.

    Thank you again, and we look forward to working with your team again as well. Knowing I don’t have to think much about your end of things, and all will look spectacular, is comforting during a really stressful time for me. Many thanks, and we should get in touch in December next year.

    Kara, Notre Dame University
  • Thank you for making us look so good on Saturday night! The ballroom looked exquisite. We received many wonderful comments, including one from our CEO. He said the room looked simply elegant and he really enjoyed our theme. We owe you a bit of thanks for that. As you know, we were unsure about a 1920s theme, and you convinced us that we could do it with class and elegance. Boy were you right! Our guests really got into the theme and collaboration stole the show. We raised more money than ever the night of the event and we think that was due to the ballroom we were in. All of our guests really felt like they were part of the event and were more engaged than any year in the past.

    Thanks you so much for all that you and your team did to make our event look beautiful! You keep outdoing yourself every year!

    Julie, Alexian Brothers