LOLA Event Productions

28/07/2024

Morgan and Jack are featured in Modern Luxury Weddings Chicago North Shore edition looking absolutely stunning with photos by STUDIOTHISIS and decor by HMR Designs Come see the full vendor roster and more in the newest issue!

24/07/2024

So thrilled to see one of Sanja’s wonderful couples featured in BRIDES magazine today!

One couple planned a hometown wedding in Chicago, where they tied the knot in a pink-hued celebration inside a verdant greenhouse. Go inside their romantic summer wedding celebration, which paid homage to the bride's childhood in Jamaica and the groom's Ethiopian heritage, as photographed by Clary P...

05/03/2024

Wonderful spring kick off for our 2024 team tonight at Lola HQ… we love connecting as a group before we’re all going 100 MPH at events all over Chicagoland during our busy wedding and event season, and it’s so important to review all our to-do’s, tasks and company policies so our clients enjoy a consistently wonderful experience from our entire team at their event. Thanks to and for helping us fill our bellies and enjoy some gorgeous spring blooms. 💯

19/01/2024

Thankful to all our wonderful clients and for once again naming the LOLA Pros to their Hall of Fame and Best Planners of 2024!



📸

05/01/2024

Wonderful press feature on CHI thee WED today

https://chitheewed.com/blog-1/moody-modern-meets-vintage-fall-wedding-at-radisson-blue-aqua-hotel?fbclid=PAAaaK78qLCuddzR25kMKIXYUIvDBs2PzBlS3P3dnT63Dm_04Zp9hsEWsd4VQ_aem_AYiq1i8kLiBkwKVj13kg1fMOzjr1BjnzET-S3m3FuZUtOlAAfzcHcxU1J0ciPZL4eGE

This wedding gives us all the feels. A stunning Chicago wedding starting at the St. James Chapel for a Catholic ceremony and ending with a moody, modern reception at Radison Blu Aqua Hotel. This is definitely a perfect real Chicago wedding and one to pin with some amazing wedding inspiration!

30/12/2023

I can’t believe 2023 is almost at a close. As I get older I realize how truly precious time is and I’m so thankful I get to spend so much of mine in a profession I truly love. Moving into 2024 and beyond I am thrilled that and are joining me as company principals and managing partners in LOLA while I shift my focus and spend less time on the minutia of business management and more time on a few select client projects, family, travel, writing and other pursuits in the wedding and event industry and beyond. These women have been the backbone of LOLA for more than 10 years and will take LOLA to places I could never have imagined on my own! Change is the only constant in life and we are EMBRACING that in 2024! I can’t wait to showcase some new faces and all the good things to come. Here’s to an exciting new year and a huge thank you to our clients, vendors and the entire Lola family past and present for all you’ve done for me since 2006 when I started the company. XO - Lori

29/12/2023

Peyton and Todd’s whimsical backyard wedding is on the Junebug Weddings blog and we can’t get enough! https://junebugweddings.com/wedding-blog/whimsical-chicago-garden-backyard-wedding/?fbclid=PAAaYU0oq1Pp13jNUeLY2VwCb_r0mWDWHqUDflMbKFgVS6Xd5WdnlBDFIdbIk_aem_AdkeIi9bptwdtVPafMOwtadUUxMX2U4I4NKmVEZyeE3QPDTFFwdqX0o_Dr3oWVNt7lw

This Chicago garden backyard wedding was overflowing with flowers, romantic lighting, and delicious food and drink.

18/11/2023

Last week we helped TTIC celebrate 20 years at We wanted some lively interactive entertainment and loved working with who took requests and provided wonderful dinner music between toasts and speeches from honorees. This piano cascade by was a beautiful compliment to the show.

14/11/2023

Design adjectives and objectives:
Sophisticated. Dark. Romantic.
Phantom meets Beauty & the Beast.
Candlelight. Greenery with wildness. Oxblood and black. Dutch Masters lighting and palette. Amazingly executed by at for

27/10/2023

Kate originally came to me liking a very clean color palette of white and green for her fall celebration. With lots of conversation about the warm and welcoming vibe she wanted her guests to experience and the desire to bring a fall feeling into the decor we ultimately decided to add some soft tones of cafe au lait and terracotta into the palette as well as some textural pops with the linen. The final effect was a slightly softer reflection of the original inspo. What do you think of our tweaks?!



.booth

18/09/2023

Loved this one at Chicago Botanic Garden

18/09/2023

The newest newlyweds! I love a sneak peek from and Kelly in this gown is 🤍🪽✨👑 glam squad tux by

14/09/2023

Carly C received an absolutely spectacular review that we just had to share! Thank you Micaela for being an absolutely wonderful partner and client. Wishing you all the very best for a long happy marriage!

I cannot recommend working with LOLA enough. I had the pleasure of speaking with the owner Lori a little over a year before my wedding. I had already booked the venue and was unsure if hiring a wedding planner was worth it or not, and after my phone call with Lori, I absolutely saw the value and knowledge that hiring a planner would bring. She recommended I work with Carly and it was easily the best decision I made in my entire wedding process (besides my husband of course).

From our very first phone call, Carly has been beyond incredible. I truly cannot accurately describe the peace of mind she gave me throughout this entire process. I personally get overwhelmed super quickly, never know where to start, and am the biggest procrastinator. From our very first in person meeting, Carly laid everything out in a way that I was able to process and actually be excited for. She asked questions I never would have even known to ask, was able to take my messy brain and aesthetic and put together the most AMAZING vision board of everything I was trying to describe.

She created an amazing Google Drive to house all our contracts, our ideas, our timeline, basically our wedding bible. This made it so much easier to see what needed to be done and when, where we were with certain vendors, when payments were due, etc. Despite all of the information being easily accessible and readily available, Carly was CONSTANTLY there to answer my endless questions. I was always able to reach her with whatever question I had, both big and small. I was always met with her patience and knowledge no matter what I needed.

She had endless and priceless knowledge on all of the vendors we had to choose from, set up meetings with them and handled all communication, and overall just kept my sanity together. She would do the hard work so I could show up to an amazing and perfect meeting and actually enjoy my wedding process.

The entire process was a DREAM and I can solely attribute that to Carly. Every time I saw someone and they would ask how stressed I was, or what else needed to be done, each time people would be shocked at how calm and happy I was with my entire wedding planning experience. Everything was laid out for me in such an easy way, Carly would even send me periodic emails with timely to do's and create to do lists for me. Like I said, I am a self aware procrastinator, and Carly stayed on top of me in a way that did not overwhelm me and always made sure I knew what needed to be done. She designed the most AMAZING timeline down to the literal minute for me, my family, all of the vendors, the guests, everyone.

The entire process was a dream which I cannot thank her enough for to begin with, but I have no words for how amazing she was in the final month, week, and even days before. Your wedding week as a bride is quite possibly the biggest week of your life. There are so many moving pieces, so many personal appointments you have, and potentially even people coming in from out of town to entertain, I didn't think I would even have time to sleep. I had so many things for the ceremony and reception to bring to Carly, and she could not have been more accommodating. She worked within my crazy schedule to make sure everything got to her and to the venue. Waking up the day of my wedding, all I felt was excitement. There was not a single nerve because I knew that Carly would make sure everything was perfect. From the second she showed up, I was put at ease. When people were asking me questions, I think my most used phrase of the day was, "ask Carly". And she knew absolutely everything. Her and her assistant made sure that I had the most amazing day of my life. The day flowed beyond smoothly, not a thing went wrong, and even if I did, Carly had a plan B-Z to make sure everything would work. My mom and dad were able to enjoy the wedding and visit with everyone, because they knew that Carly had the day taken care of. My wedding day was easily the best day of my life, my exact vision for what I wanted, and even better than I expected. And I can say without a single doubt, that ALL of it was due to Carly.

I could go on endlessly and my attention span is terrible so I truly hope if you took the time to read this entire review, you take away that you should 100000000% hire LOLA as a whole, and you should absolutely request to work with Carly. She was an amazing planner, a perfect resource, and just the best person I have met. I have so many friends and family members that have gotten married and said while it was great, the process was just terrible and they couldn't wait to just have the day be over with. Carly made me enjoy the process, and to be able to look back on this with nothing but a smile and such happiness because Carly made sure that it was perfect. You truly just cannot put a price on what she did for us.

Carly, I will never be able to thank you enough for everything. But from the absolute bottom of my heart, THANK YOU.

13/09/2023

A special gift for Jen ❤️ the brides shared a toast with their family during the reception! Also, take a peek at these reception outfits because 🔥
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
📋:
📸:
🎥:
💐:
🎶:
🎂:
💇🏻‍♀️:
💄:
💌:
💡:
📍🥘 :
👗: , ,
👠:
🚃:

13/06/2023

Today on The Knot

JoHannah (Hannah) Hail (34 and a grad student) and Daniel Carlyon (29 and a theatrical sound designer and LEGO sales associate) met while working at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, so the pair knows how to put on a show. Their wedding at the Chicago Illuminating Company was a colorful production fi...

12/06/2023

The LOLA Pros are expert at and with all the logistics involved (rain plans, power pulls, property protection, restroom placement, catering logistics, permits, parking, security and so much more) you do not want to leave anything to chance or worry about being both the host as well as the venue manager once the day of the event rolls around! Let us help you take your backyard celebration to the next level!

25/05/2023

Let’s talk tall centerpieces. When a client tells me they don’t want anything high on any tables because they are hard to talk around or ruin sight lines those are valid concerns… Anything you place on a table needs to be conducive for conversation. Keep your centerpieces below 14” or above 24” and you will be FINE. Venues with soaring ceilings need some interest to draw the eye up and create interest!

08/03/2023

Here’s to the best women I know! The smartest. The most creative. And the most caring team in Chicago ❤️ Happy International Women’s Day. May we continue to learn from each other and laugh with each other through it all

20/01/2023

What’s your favorite season?
“Awards.”
- Moira Rose, Sh*tt’s Creek
We’re so thankful to our wonderful clients. You are the reason we love what we do. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your positive experiences with our team!

20/11/2022

“My goal from the beginning – to own my own company within the world of weddings and build a team of unstoppable wedding ninjas that manage logistics and design challenges with professionalism, creativity, cat-like reflexes, and that special “LOLA sauce” that clients seeking a FUN and stress-free collaboration seek out and appreciate.” -

02/11/2022

Our own is on today with her Uber-glam wedding and we’re feeling all the feels all over again ❤️ https://caratsandcake.com/wedding/carly-and-mike

26/10/2022

“Even after hundreds of events, there is something unexplainable about transforming a dream into reality. Seeing a client’s face light up with pure joy and gratitude makes all of the long hours that much more worth it.” - Sanja D, Associate Planner

12/10/2022

“I truly enjoy the planning process – lists, spreadsheets, and all – and working towards an end goal where I get to see everything come together. As a recent bride (November 2021) I have new insights on the best ways to stay organized and finding the best vendors to fit your personality, style and budget.” -

28/09/2022

“Whether it’s black tie in a grand ballroom or cocktails and dancing to a jazz trio on a veranda, a wedding should be a celebration of the couple, their story and their dreams for the future. I love to help a couple decide what their wedding should look and feel like, then manage the millions of little details that will transform those dreams into a memorable experience for the couple and their guests.” -

20/09/2022

Celebrating our LAST PANDEMIC POSTPONED WEDDING this week by creating a bonfire out of all the addendums and postponement paperwork. We may sage the studio too. I knew when I started the company 16 years ago that I didn’t want to do it alone, and the last couple years have solidified what I already knew: Find talented, loyal, fun, collaborative team members and LEAN ON EACH OTHER in good times and most definitely in bad. We stopped counting our postponed events after 86 so I don’t know what the final total might have been (many postponed 2 and 3 times), but we’re here (almost 2.5 years to the day from our first postponement), we’re together and we are smarter, stronger and wiser than ever! ❤️ 🐐

09/09/2022

“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 will never overwhelm you with choices, and promise to give you my truthful suggestions to help you make the right decisions for your day!” -