News - Guys on the Radio: DJ Service

Stress Free Event Group Named Winner Of The Knot Best Of Weddings 2025

19th Annual Best of Weddings Awards Recognizes Top Wedding Professionals Across U.S.

Spring Valley, IL/January 15, 2025 — Stress Free Event Group is pleased to announce that it has been selected as a 2025 winner of The Knot Best of Weddings. This marks the eighth year that Stress Free Event Group has received this prestigious award, a testament to its commitment to providing exceptional service to couples on their special day.

This accolade represents the top local wedding professionals as reviewed by real couples on The Knot, a leading all-in-one wedding planning resource offering a comprehensive suite of digital tools to help couples throughout their planning journey.

In its nineteenth annual year, The Knot Best of Weddings continues to honor wedding professionals who consistently deliver outstanding service, earning the trust and admiration of couples across the country. To determine the winners, The Knot assessed thousands of user reviews for over 200,000 wedding professionals within its Vendor Marketplace across various categories—including planners, venues, officiants, musicians, DJs, florists, photographers, caterers, hair and makeup artists, and more—to find the top vendors of the year. Vendors who received at least seven reviews with an average score of 4.5+ in 2024 earned The Knot Best of Weddings Award.

“At Stress Free Event Group, we know that a wedding is more than just a celebration—it’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment that should be stress-free, seamless, and unforgettable. We are truly honored to be recognized among the best in the industry,” said JC Heerdt, Owner of Stress Free Event Group. “This award reflects our passion for creating memorable experiences and the trust our couples place in us.”

One happy client shared their experience: “From start to finish, the team at Stress Free Event Group made our wedding absolutely perfect. The music, the energy, and the attention to detail were outstanding. Our guests are still raving about how much fun they had!”

The Knot supports local wedding professionals through The Knot Vendor Marketplace, where couples can search, compare, and connect with top-tier vendors all in one place. Each vendor storefront features insightful reviews, real wedding photos, and details about the vendor’s services. The Best of Weddings award provides couples with the confidence to book vendors who have demonstrated excellence and reliability in making wedding visions come to life.

Wedding professionals who win The Knot Best of Weddings are members of WeddingPro, The Knot Worldwide’s business-to-business wedding brand. As the largest wedding Vendor Marketplace and community for wedding professionals, WeddingPro connects small businesses with millions of engaged couples each year on The Knot and WeddingWire, while providing valuable insights, educational programs, and networking opportunities to help businesses grow.

For more information about Stress Free Event Group, please visit us on The Knot: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/guys-on-the-radio-dj-service-spring-valley-il-515762

For more details about The Knot Best of Weddings and this year’s winners, visit https://www.theknot.com/vendors/best-of-weddings

About Stress Free Event Group Founded in 2011 as Guys on the Radio: DJ Service, Stress Free Event Group has grown into a full-service wedding and event company, providing top-quality DJs, musicians, event planners, officiants, photo booths, videography, and photography. Our award-winning team is dedicated to making every wedding a unique and memorable experience.

About The Knot The Knot is a leading all-in-one wedding planning resource offering a comprehensive suite of digital tools to help couples throughout their planning journey. Powering wedding celebrations through technology, the brand offers The Knot Vendor Marketplace, which connects couples with more than 200,000 local wedding professionals, and personalized wedding websites, invitations, and registry services. The most trusted authority on wedding planning, The Knot reaches a majority of engaged couples in the U.S. through TheKnot.com, The Knot Wedding Planner app, The Knot national wedding magazine, and The Knot book series. Since its inception, The Knot has inspired approximately 25 million couples to plan weddings that reflect their unique love stories. Visit The Knot online at TheKnot.com and follow on social media: @TheKnot on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, Threads, and Facebook.com/TheKnot.

Lou Anne Lenzie

LouAnne Lenzie, a familiar voice to the AM Airwaves of the Illinois Valley (Starved Rock Country TM), joins Shap and JC to talk about her time on the airwaves in Joliet, LaSalle-Peru, Princeton and now in Ottawa on WCMY weekends. Shap and I had the honor of working with Lou in our Miller Group days, and we’re excited to catch up with her.

Steve ‘Stove’ Pulaski

Let’s get “Sleepless with Steve!” Steve Pulaski, also known as Stove, is an alumnus of NCC WONC and has worked several shifts at Studstill Media (WALS, Q, Classic Hits). He’s now the morning show host in Dubuque, IA. Although Shap and I have lived in the same area for years and are both North Central College alumni, we have never met Steve in person. However, we’re big fans of his movie reviews and pop culture commentary, and we’re excited to share our broadcast stories and love for cinema with him.

https://www.stevepulaski.com

https://www.youtube.com/@Moviewhiz1

JC’s Radio Recap

Shap and JC revisit the podcast after JC’s wild last 5 years working part-time in radio. Shap lets viewers/listeners know about his run for Oglesby School Board.

You are worth it.

[powerpress]

This is a special audio only episode on mental health. The last year and a half has been absolute sh%t. JC shares a story of loss from 2020. Struggling with your mental health any time is difficult, doing it during a pandemic, with terrible resources in rural Illinois makes it fatal.

This episode is dedicated to all the families torn apart by mental illness and suicide. You are in our thoughts, and we support you. If you are struggling, please reach out. You aren’t alone. You are worth it. You are worthy of this life. You matter to someone, even if you feel alone.

JC’s brother-in-law Russ, with his godson (and nephew) Jake (JC’s son.)

Because we’re in this together, you are not alone.

During this difficult time, the NAMI HelpLine is here for you. HelpLine volunteers are working to answer questions, offer support and provide practical next steps. The resources on this page provide information to address many needs and concerns.

Let’s stay connected, chat, call or email the NAMI HelpLine today.

The NAMI HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–8 p.m., ET.
1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or info@nami.org

[powerpress_subscribe]

Stubhy from Lucky Boys Confusion

Shap & JC met Stubhy and the rest of the band from LBC in summer of 1997 right after they first formed, before they even had a name. They went on the air with us, and our friends Dan Voight and Brad Peterson. We created a local band showcase for our college radio station, WONC, called Local Chaos, which is still on the air today. It was great to reminisce with Stubhy about those early days as well as get info on new Lucky Boys Confusion projects and a book he is writing.

Vaccine Episode

Shap and JC are joined by Andrea Sugg of bold and Curvy Boutique in Lasalle to talk about getting a loved one scheduled for the COVID 19 Vaccine. Andrea and JC have been getting appointments for community members over the past week and will share their tricks with you.

Stress Free Event Group Named Winner Of The Knot Best Of Weddings 2025

Lou Anne Lenzie

Steve ‘Stove’ Pulaski

JC’s Radio Recap

You are worth it.

Stubhy from Lucky Boys Confusion

Vaccine Episode

Episode 14

Episode 13: Gimme Sheltered in Place

Wedding Expert Roundtable – Episode 4: Pinterest Weddings 2

Privacy Policy

© 2021 Guys on the Radio: DJ Service LLC. All rights reserved.