LOLA Event Productions

How’s it goin? I’m Michelle – the only LOLA currently without a name twin because I’m 100% unique (so I tell myself). I’ve been a devoted member of the LOLA team since 2014 and have over 125 events under my belt – which seems to keep getting tighter, and there’s no one to blame for that but wedding cake (I prefer chocolate – thanks for asking). I know a lot of people fall into this job, but for me, it was always the end goal. I grew up in a household that was built around entertaining – candles were always lit for company to come over during the week, and St. Patrick’s Day was no joke. I knew the only true path to happiness for me would be to turn entertaining into a career, so I started my degree in Hospitality at Purdue University – Boiler Up! – and never looked back.

Honesty is the best policy and my number one motto. If we’re working together, you’ll never question my opinion on a matter, and I will always manage your expectations to make sure there are no surprises. I promise to make the planning process manageable and fun, no matter how much or how little we have to do in whatever amount of time you give me. I will never overwhelm you with choices, and promise to give you my truthful suggestions to help you make the right decisions for your day!

I love to be creative, and the more inspiration you give me, the more I can help you produce a day that is absolutely unique to you as a couple. I personally hate to mimic events that have already happened, and instead, I prefer to design an atmosphere that is based on something special to you – a favorite painting, grandma’s china pattern, the way your living room is designed, or even inspiration you may have found on travels you’ve taken together. I even promise to keep you and your style in mind while I’m on my travels, because I’m currently in the process of exploring the world. Don’t be surprised if at our design meetings I throw out an idea or two that may be head scratching – you’re totally welcome to say no, but that doesn’t mean I won’t keep putting them out there until something different sticks!

On the day of your wedding, I promise to be as involved or as uninvolved as I need to be at any which moment of the day. Don’t be shocked if you hear me say “Let me do the worrying – you just have a glass of champagne!” because by this point, you’ve trusted me to put together a solid team of vendors that I have total confidence in to execute the day to the absolute fullest. That leads to a successful wedding day, allowing me to stay mellow, let the team do their thing, and keep you cool and collected. You get to worry about spending time with your nearest and dearest, and leave the wrangling of the masses to me. I even promise to threaten your wedding party with a lack of alcohol until they do what I need them to – which is a tactic that has yet to fail me thus far! And, if and when all the formalities are done, the dancing has subsided, and “Closing Time” by Semisonic has sounded at the end of your after party, you want to send me your most true selfie of you both eating the Shake Shack I left for you next to your hotel bed, I wouldn’t be opposed…

So, if you’re still reading this and you want to know a little more about me that’s not necessarily wedding related, you’ve skimmed to the right paragraph. I’ll be honest – the majority of my weekends are spent turning clients and colleagues into friends, but on the rare occasion I don’t have to send someone down an aisle, you can usually find me perusing the restaurant scene, whether that be in Chicago, or another city that may or may not already be on my radar or stamped in my passport. I’m a sucker for a good tartare, an extra dirty martini, and mint chocolate chip ice cream – I actually am convinced my 5-year-old self hates me for not having a tub of ice cream in my freezer at all times. Some other things not food related – I pretend that I like to work out, but it’s really just to counteract all of the wedding cake, I can tell a mean dad joke, I 100% believe that aliens exist whether it be in human form or other, I’m desperately awaiting a cover of “Ignition (Remix)” so I can go back to not feeling guilty about the love I have for that song, and I’m the President of a foundation – Jeanne’s Journey for Hope – which my big, Irish family has created in honor of my mother. It’s a way for me to take my love for events and put it towards my other passion of helping families who have been so deeply affected by cancer, like my own. And, to be honest, it’s another excuse for our family to throw a big, annual party where we can all be together and remember the coolest woman I have ever known and the person who first planted the words “wedding planner” into my head.

Finally, for those who are as unenthused about reading as I am – The SparkNotes: If you think you’re looking for a planner who will always tell you the truth, who will dare you to be different when it comes design, who isn’t afraid to boss your rowdy wedding party around to get the job done, who promises to tell a few dad jokes per meeting, and who will gladly swap restaurant and travel recommendations with you, then let’s make it happen – talk soon!

You might find it surprising that I had never been a guest at a wedding until I was 24 years old; which is part of the reason I became so intrigued by weddings when I was younger- because I had longed to attend one! Always having been interested in party planning and events (thanks to my mom, the ultimate hostess), I knew I wanted to pursue a career in this field. However, my passion for weddings really developed during college when I worked as front of the house staff for a premier Chicago catering company. After working numerous weddings over three years, I was absolutely hooked and knew I wanted to be the one planning these events.

Wedding planning, of course, allows me to use my keen eye for detail (hello, timelines!) and my creative side, but it also allows me to get to know people from all walks of life. I truly enjoy the process of getting to know my couples and interacting with their families. In the end, it allows me to seamlessly blend into my couples’ wedding days which often has guests wondering if I’m a planner or just a good friend helping another friend get married. I really work to understand my clients’ personalities, style, goals, and manage expectations so that I can play matchmaker and pair them with the perfect vendors. By getting to know my clients and forming awesome vendor teams, I’m able to provide a sense of calm throughout the entire day. Not to worry though – there are a million checklists running through my head to ensure a wedding day runs smoothly.

My favorite part of the planning process, aside from helping navigate the catering world, is sitting down to talk about the overall design and all the contributing details. I’m always up for a challenge. If you’re traditional, modern, romantic, industrial, boho, or some combination of all of those – let’s plan something beautiful, fun, and unique. We’ll talk about everything from favorite or least favorite flowers all the way down to the cocktail napkins at the bar. It’s always a “wow” moment for me when I see a venue transform and see our design ideas come to life. Revealing the reception space to my clients is the best feeling after many months of planning. I know we achieved our goal together when there are happy tears coming from everyone!

As the most recent LOLA to be married in July 2018, I also have a new view on weddings from the bride’s perspective. I can better understand a client’s stress revolving around guest lists, seating charts, scheduling tastings and floral samples, and honeymoon planning all while still having a full-time career. There are so many decisions a couple will make for their wedding day and it’s easy to question every decision or backtrack. My advice? Go with your gut! No one will ever know we looked at twenty different table linens or that you could have had two signature drinks instead of one. During my own planning, I realized that 98% of the time, I ended up going back to my original ideas after I started toying around with some changes. I’m happy to give advice based on my personal experiences if you ask for it, but I promise I won’t be the planner who only talks about her own wedding.

In my free time and weekends off, I enjoy spending time with my new husband, Scott, and our families and friends. I enjoy exploring Chicago’s always evolving restaurant and bar scene and, on the flip side, trying to stay fit with barre classes or spinning on our Peloton. As a lifelong Chicagoan, I live for summers in the city, but after our honeymoon, I’ve caught a travel bug. I love hearing all about my clients’ past and future travel plans – I get so many good ideas to add to my bucket list!

I have been with LOLA since 2014 after being introduced through a mutual friend in the sorority community at DePaul University. I will never forget my interview as the wedding took place on stage at Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. As I was walking out of the park at 2 am, I had one of those ‘aha’ moments and since then I have been part of close to 90 weddings at venues all over the city, suburbs and even some in Wisconsin.

I have experienced events through a restaurant group, for a company that focuses on trade shows and conventions, and in a non-profit setting. Learning to plan and execute events in different areas and assisting the other LOLA team members helped me become the coordinator I am today. While assisting, I learned how to handle the lead coordinator getting trapped in an elevator and how to sew a guest into her dress after it ripped from dancing (you know it’s a good party when…) among many other things!

I truly enjoy the planning process – lists, spreadsheets, and all – and working towards an end goal where I get to see everything come together. I’ve worked on a wide range of weddings with a large variety of logistics from no wedding party and 75 guests to very large wedding parties and 350 guests. I feel honored to be involved in a day that brings family and friends together to celebrate a couple’s love. While it will never be a ‘perfect’ day, I always tell clients my job is to make sure you never know what went wrong!

In my spare time, I have the honor of serving on the Executive Board for the Shirley Ryan Abilitylab’s Associate Board, a place that holds a special place in my and my family’s life. As Prospective Membership Co-Chair I help oversee young professionals who are interested or have recently joined the board. I’m also co-chairing our biggest event of the year, Art in Motion, which raises money for the art therapy program and showcases patient artwork.

Some of my other favorite things include reality tv, retail therapy, weekend trips (on wedding free weekends of course), book club, my cat Della, La Croix (lime, obviously), movie theater popcorn and trying new out new restaurants with friends (where I’m always in charge of ordering the wine).

My mother will tell you I have always been in love with ‘The Big Beautiful White Dress’ from a young age, and she was not surprised when I became a Bridal Specialist at a gown salon in the city and an intern with LOLA Event Productions. I am grateful but secretly disappointed, she couldn’t find the pictures of me in that ‘big white dress’ that was the start of it all…

When I started my internship with LOLA, I knew right away that I wanted to be a part of as many weddings and events as possible. After my interview with LOLA, at about 1 am and a solid 10 hours of work later, I wrote down every detail I could remember about the day. I was just that excited! To this day, journaling after your wedding is my favorite part of winding down from the planning experience (that and a hot bath!) Working as an assistant, I gained even more valuable experience alongside the LOLA team on events all over the city and found my voice as a coordinator AND I really fell in love with this team of strong, creative women. Heading into 2019, I’ve honed my expertise managing logistics as over one hundred LOLA couples walk down the aisle and I cannot wait to help one hundred more!

I thrive on paying attention to the details so my couples can enjoy their entire experience. Is it bad to admit I love place card math (it’s a wedding planner thing)? It is that same attention to detail that helps me get you what you need before you even know you needed it! I want to go above and beyond to make sure each couple has one of the best days of their lives from the moment you first make eye contact all dressed to the nines to the moment you leave everything on the dance floor.

I find beauty in everything, and I cannot wait to help my clients incorporate their personal style into their wedding memories. I am consistently looking for more design projects to dig in to. I love being able to get to know you through our energetic and fun yet productive meetings and it is these moments that help me build an event that reflects you best. Everyone deserves the chance to marry the love of their life. Everyone deserves to feel like they have a partner in me and a support system in LOLA while they get ready to celebrate that connection.

Before joining the LOLA team, I graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Leadership Communication. After graduation, I saved enough to live in Paris. I remember sitting in my studio and drooling over the LOLA portfolio. As soon as I got back to Chicago, I contacted LOLA. I look forward to getting back to the ‘City of Love’ very soon because the travel bug is real. When I’m not building spreadsheets or floral samples, I love reading a good book (Jane Eyre is by far my favorite novel, because “Reader, I married him.”) and spending time with friends and family.