I am struggling to put into words how to thank Lindsay Gaeta and her team and acknowledge every single detail she knocked out of the park and executed on our wedding day! Throughout the planning process there were so many little behind the scenes details she saved me time on which I am so appreciative! I will miss seeing her monthly on our planning calls! I don't plan to get married again anytime soon but I do hope our paths cross again! I am speechless about her help from the rehearsal to the very last minute of shutting down the after party!! The top 3 highlights that people mentioned to me on the wedding day were 1. Dad's speech, 2. Florals, 3. How hard she HUSTLED!!! My bridesmaids and close family constantly approached me on the wedding day with sentiments of "wow, she's good!!" She exceeded our expectations and anticipated our every move! I have close family in the hospitality business (who are the harshest critics about everything in the event planning world) and were over the top satisfied with her commitment and follow through to make the day as seamless as possible! I am sure there were many hiccups that day that were not brought to my attention and for that, I give Lindsay full credit! I was able to relax, be present and have a B+ personality that evening instead of my typical A- for all things attention to detail! I felt completely comfortable 'handing Lindsay the reigns' and entrusting she would handle everything as necessary, which she did!!! read more

Liven It Up Events - Party & Event Planning Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We are beyond grateful for Kim Weinberg of LivenUp Events! From the very beginning, Kim was the ultimate professional, so patient, kind, and supportive, even when I, as the bride, was feeling overwhelmed. She has this incredible ability to stay calm, cool, and collected no matter what comes her way, always finding solutions effortlessly and proactively preventing issues before they even arise. Her industry knowledge is unparalleled, and her planning experience truly shines through in every detail. From her amazing vendor connections to her creative, thoughtful ideas, Kim went above and beyond to make our wedding not just beautiful, but absolutely seamless. She kept us organized, on track, and stress-free throughout the entire process. But what really sets Kim apart is her heart. She genuinely cares about her couples, listens with empathy, and makes you feel supported every step of the way. We couldn't have asked for a better wedding planner. She is a true gem, and we feel so lucky to have had her by our side. Kim Weinberg didn't just plan our wedding; she made our dream day a reality, and we will be forever grateful. read more

We are wedding photographers, and we've had the honor of working with Liz many times in the past, and this time with her at Liven It Up Events was no exception, she is truly amazing! Liz is not only incredibly talented but also one of the most efficient and organized planners we've had the privilege of working with. She has a remarkable ability to handle every detail with precision while maintaining a sense of calm that makes the entire day run seamlessly. No matter what challenges arise, she navigates them effortlessly, ensuring that everything stays on track and that the couple and their families can simply enjoy the celebration. Her positivity and professionalism make her a joy to work with, and the entire team at Liven It Up Events is just as phenomenal. Their creativity and flawless execution transform every wedding and event into something truly stunning. We can't wait for the next opportunity to collaborate! read more

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If you want a flawless wedding, Liz Kreigshaber makes it happen! When we knew our daughter was going to get engaged, it was time to find a wedding consultant. We have been to many spectacular weddings and had several recommendations. I watched and observed planners who came off overly aggressive and bossy and some who were underwhelming. I interviewed several and in the first five minutes of speaking with Liz, I knew she was our person. Between my daughter and me, Liz balanced our gazillion e-mails, listened attentively and translated all of our big opinions into a production that was beyond our wildest dreams. Liz is meticulous and the vendors know she is all business. As result, we never felt we were getting taken advantage of. She read contracts as though she were a lawyer, and negotiated on our behalf brilliantly. Many of our guests have asked for her contact information and we look forward to attending many more of her events. read more

When I began planning my wedding, I knew one thing for certain: I was not willing to compromise. I interviewed over fourteen different wedding planners (yes, fourteen!) because I was searching for someone who could fully understand and execute my sophisticated, upscale vision with absolute precision. My wedding was not just another event- if was the most important day of my life, and entrusting that responsibility required complete confidence. And then, I met Liz. From our very first conversation, Liz's professionalism, warmth, energy, and meticulous attention to detail instantly set her apart. She didn't just listen to my ideas - she understood them. More importantly, she elevated them. Liz had an uncanny ability to translate my specific vision into reality while adding touches I hadn't even thought of. She was exactly what I had been searching for, and choosing her was without question the best decision I made in the entire planning process. From day one, Liz allowed me to breathe and truly enjoy the process. She curated and secured the very best vendors, flawlessly coordinated every moving piece, and handled details I would never have thought of - all while keeping me completely at ease. I am an admitted perfectionist and can be very hard to impress, but Liz went above and beyond my highest expectations. She offered thoughtful reassurance whenever I needed it, and treated my wedding as though it were her own. The level of care she poured into my day was extraordinary. Then came the wedding day itself, and I can say without exaggeration: it was flawless. I had a very large, complex wedding at the University Club of Chicago, yet Liz ran the entire operation seamlessly. Every single detail I requested was not only present but executed to perfection. Walking into the room for the first time, I was absolutely speechless- it was as if Liz had reached inside my imagination and made every dream tangible. The transformation of the space was breathtaking, and my guests were in awe. The compliments were endless. Friends and family told me personally, and even days later continued to message me, about how perfect the wedding was and how beautiful everything looked. Liz was not just a planner- she was the architect of my dream wedding. She anticipated every need, solved every challenge before it could surface, and created an event that was not only beautiful but unforgettable. For someone like me, who is particular and has a very upscale, specific taste, it is not easy to hand over control. But with Liz, I never once doubted. She earned my trust fully, and she delivered something beyond even my wildest expectations. Looking back, I can say with absolute certainty: Liz was the single best investment I made for my wedding. Over the flowers, over the dress, over the venue itself- nothing mattered more than having Liz at the helm. She was the reason my wedding was perfect, and I will forever be grateful. If you are looking for someone who can not only execute but elevate your vision, someone who will dedicate herself wholeheartedly to making your day extraordinary, Liz is the planner you've been searching for. She is a rare gem, and I cannot recommend her highly enough. read more

Liven It Up Events - Party & Event Planning Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Anthony hired the company I work for, The Go Game, for one of his client's events and he and his team were phenomenal to work with: kind, great communicators, and outright fun to be around. We look forward to the opportunity to work with Liven It Up Events again soon! read more

My husband and I got engaged April 2022 and married in August 2023 in Chicago. We did a decent amount of the initial wedding planning ourselves, so we didn't need a full-on wedding planner, but knew we wanted some sort of help from an expert to coordinate the crazy wedding day! Lindsay was by far, the best person in the world for the job. We started working with Lindsay about 7ish months before the big day. Even with most of our vendors already being picked by that point, Lindsay was SUCH a huge help for things we wouldn't have even known to look out for - like I said, she's the expert! Sure, I could have done it myself, but it was WELL worth the money to "pass the baton" onto someone else who we trusted and someone who took the time to understand our vision. Lindsay took the time to understand what's most important to us on our wedding day, and even helped us with tricky family situations. I would describe Lindasy as direct, extremely knowledgeable, open-minded, classy and fun! My husband and I always tell people that Lindsay was the #1 wedding vendor that we used that was beyond worth the cost. You're already paying a ton to have a wedding, you might as well pay someone to make sure it all goes perfect so you can enjoy the day/night! Thank you again, Linsday and Liven It Up Events! read more

We worked with Liz Kriegshaber from Liven It Up to help plan our 55 person wedding in Chicago (December 2022) and we could not be more pleased with the experience! Her knowledge, experience, and guidance throughout the planning and execution process was invaluable. She was able to find outstanding vendors that were in our budget, which we wouldn't have been able to find on our own. On the day of the wedding, we were completely stress free since she was so well organized and all the event details were buttoned up, well coordinated & clearly communicated. The event exceeded our wildest expectations and was, without a doubt, the best day of our lives. All of our friends and family gave us similar feedback, with the most common compliment being how well planned the event was! Working with Liz was a true pleasure and her focus, attention to detail, and expertise is impressive and admirable. If you're looking for a great wedding planner, look no further than Liz from Liven It Up! read more

We had Kim Weinberg as our partial wedding planner and my only regret is not doing full service. Kim was essential to us throughout the planning process providing support and advice throughout the 1.5 years we spent planning our wedding. With partial planning she is a consultant throughout, providing suggested vendors/tips whenever needed. The last 2-3 months she took on all communication with my vendors and created a timeline for the whole day. Kim is extremely professional and has a friendly and open demeanor but also gets down to business!! I really appreciated Kim's way of listening to what we wanted as a couple and also providing helpful guidance/ideas. I felt very comfortable with her around and knew I could trust her to take charge when needed. I don't know how I would have enjoyed the wedding day without Kim there. Kim and her event coordinator Stephanie (also great!!) took care of everything day of and the day went extremely smoothly and was amazing!! I heard from Kim one week later about getting a partial refund from our transportation provider due to some issues. Only when I reached out to some close friends did I learn the fires Kim put out with our transportation! I was completely shielded from this on our wedding day. Furthermore, Kim went out of her way to rectify the situation and obtain a partial refund for us, despite having nothing to gain. This example shows 1) Kim's integrity and how seriously she takes her work and 2) how awesome a job she did at taking care of any issues so that you can enjoy your day stress free. Highly highly recommend!!! read more

The Liven It Up team is THE team to hire for any event. I have had the pleasure of working with Anthony, Jeff, Melissa, Lindsay, Tiffany, Trisha, Kim, Liz, and many of their amazing teammates/colleagues. Every single person is not only fabulous, but humble and caring for their vendors as much as they are for the event/clients. What I love most about Liven It Up is their versatility, expertise, collaboration, thoroughness, and professionalism. And I'm proud to call several of the planners on this team my friends. I love Liven It Up and highly recommend them. read more

We chose to work with LivenItUp team because they seemed like a team that was open to doing more than just a basic wedding and was open to incorporating different ideas for an event. We met Lindsay and knew immediately that it was a perfect fit! Lindsay is efficient, organized, timely, and beyond professional. She was flexible to work with and made the process FUN Everyone kept asking if I was stressed as a bride and I got to say no every time and a lot of that has to do with the fact that we had Lindsay on our side. She worked with myself, my now husband (!), and both of my parents as a group and individually to help make the planning process easy for our schedules. She had fun ideas, great connections, and listened to us as a couple and a family for how we wanted our day to play out. She was there for the ENTIRE day with us. She was my biggest advocate on the day. If there were any hiccups on the day, I still don't know what they may have been because she took care of it! She made me as a bride feel calm and well cared for. She also made sure my groom was taken care of too! Now that our day is over, we genuinely miss our time spent with Lindsay! I cannot recommend having her on your team more. Words do not do enough justice for how wonderful she was and the whole experience was for us! read more

I have worked with Liven It Up, specifically Lindsay, over the past few years, and as a fellow vendor, every event is so smooth and well managed! They always go so far and above for their clients and are a totally joy to work with as well! I would highly recommend their team for any event - both large and small! read more

Liz Kriegshaber from Liven it Up was absolutely outstanding to work with in planning our wedding. She made the entire process seamless. She truly understood our vision from start to finish and executed beautifully. She was organized, professional, diligent, creative, and detail-oriented. Several of our vendors commented how professional she was and easy to work with. Our event was a success in no small part because of Liz! read more

Liven it Up Events came highly recommended from two of my friends who used their planning and day of coordinator services and we could not be happier with our decision. I actually didn't even research any other event planner options, after I spoke with Kim, it was a no-brainer. Kim was phenomenal as our planner and day of coordinator. We truly could not have done it without her. Her expertise and knowledge was unparalleled, not only of the venue, vendors, and wedding day timeline, but also her attention to details about us specifically and ensuring these were captured in our wedding vision. She handled so much of the coordinating and logistics behind the scenes and I never felt like I had to worry about whether things were going to get done. From our initial phone call through to the final timeline meeting before the big day, Kim was on top of everything. On top of handling all of the floral, decor, and catering for us (we already had our venue booked so did partial planning), she provided us with recommendations for vendors when we asked, and let me tell you, all of her recommendations were amazing, and saved us money along the way. She took complete charge of the floral and catering proposals and made those choices SO easy for us. We worked with Kim for a little over a year and she made us feel completely at ease each time we met, even when I felt overwhelmed or behind, she assured us she was on top of everything and it all got done. I felt completely at ease the day of the wedding, not worrying about any details other than getting my shoes on my feet and walking down the aisle. I would highly recommend Kim and everyone on the Liven it Up team for planning and day of coordinating (in fact, I already did and my friend also had a wonderful experience with her day of coordinator!). It was such a pleasure to work with Kim, I only wish I had another wedding or event to use her for! If you are on the fence about getting a planner, this is your sign to do it. read more

Where even to begin? Tiffany at Liven It Up Events was so wonderful at every step of the wedding process. We would highly recommend her to anyone who asks. From the initial planning meeting, she was kind, thoughtful, responsive, and resourceful. She is well-connected within the industry and knew the ins and outs of how to throw a wedding in Chicago. And as a gay couple from different cultural backgrounds, she was inclusive and celebratory of the different ways our heritage was incorporated into our special day. Her day-of coordination was impeccable and made our wedding go off without a hitch. We couldn't have had the wedding that we did without her. read more

It's hard to put into words how amazing Liz is as a wedding planner and human. After seeing the incredible job she did on my brother's wedding, we asked her to take over for our destination wedding in Sonoma, California. With mere weeks of lead up time, Liz jumped in with support, suggestions and solutions, handling all communication and outstanding to-dos and taking A TON of pressure off of me. On the ground throughout the wedding weekend, Liz was prepared and organized, acting as our advocate, remaining calm AND keeping us calm as it rained all day :) Hiring Liz was hands down the best decision we made for our wedding. 100/10!! read more

Liz was an amazing wedding planner and helped us go from signing a contract with her to saying "I do" in six months. After we told her we wanted to work with her, she had appointments to look at venues the following day. From there, she provided us with options for music, flowers, transportation and hotels. It was wonderful to receive an email that stated "here are two vendors available on your date, within your budget, that I have worked with in the past." She saved us countless hours calling different vendors and potentially hitting dead ends. Throughout the process, she provided guidance on several decisions and always provided a "why." For example, we were unsure about a first look and she provided several reasons why we should do one, and we are both so glad we did. It kept us calmer for the ceremony and we have some beautiful photos together in the city. As we got closer to the wedding day, she provided different ideas for details that really added a wonderful touch to the whole reception. She also suggested I ask if my alterations place would press my wedding dress and when they said they didn't she had a place that picked up the dress, made it look beautiful and then delivered it to the hotel. Everything was so stress free with Liz! On the wedding day, she kept us calm, had refreshments set up for the wedding party and helped us have a beautiful ceremony. She made sure we got a moment to ourselves after the ceremony, she walked us in to see the reception room and decorations to let it all sink in before our guests saw, and just made the whole day wonderful. I have been in many weddings and have had a lot of tasks to complete throughout the evening and things to get back to a hotel, etc. I felt after our first dance, we could relax and enjoy the evening with friends and family. Thank you Liz! - Margaret & Christopher read more

I have the honor of writing another glowing review for the wonderful Lindsay Gaeta after her help with my wedding in October 2021. As you can imagine, planning a wedding is stressful - even more so when doing it during a pandemic - but Lindsay helped me remain calm and together we prepped the best wedding ever. I hired on Lindsay as a DOC, and we hit it off immediately, in our love of all things organized and NYC days. I wanted to have a day of coordinator to help me so that I could actually be present on my day, and Lindsay helped me do just that. A few amazing things about Lindsay - She's very punctual and agile in the planning process, she thinks about the details you wouldn't even consider thinking of, she has a backup plan option for you (and another backup to her backup x3), she has experience working with all kinds of vendors and will advocate for you the bride, and most importantly she is a pleasure to work with and made some of the not so fun stuff much more tolerable (dare I even say fun!). I was feeling really good about the details pre-wedding day, but she went above & beyond on the day itself as well. She made sure to check in on me (and my groom + family) throughout the actual day itself as well, and helped keep the crazy at bay so I could focus on the important stuff, like getting married. It's really important to have someone who gets you and your style throughout the process, so having Lindsay complement my style really just made the hope experience enjoyable. I'm grateful for her passion for this, and I'm very happy that she was part of this milestone! read more

Liz from Liven It Up made all of our wedding dreams come true! We truly could not have done it without her. Liz shares in your wedding vision and works with you to bring it to life perfectly from start to finish, making sure you are focusing where you need to be along the way. Her eye for detail and design is a difference maker and her relationships with wedding vendors made selecting venue, band, hair, make-up, florals/decor, etc., so simple. Everything came together beautifully for our wedding, thanks to Liz! read more

THE BEST IN THE BIZ! Anthony, Melissa, Tiffany and the whole Liven It Up team are the best in the business. Professional? 100%. Detail oriented? 1000%. Cool, Calm, Collected and Solution focused? 10,000%. Most important, they listen and work with you as a team member all focused on the same goal, a successful event. As someone who has collaborated with many event vendors and planners, I can tell you with 100% certainty that LIU is the perfect partner and who you want to execute your next flawless event. read more

I can not recommend Anthony and the Liven It Up Events more! We have partnered with them on multiple events and the attention to details in the planning process is extensive which makes for such an incredible event. The concepts and ideas are great along with being so professional and fun to work with. When we get to event day, they are there to ensure that every aspect of the event is flawlessly executed. I highly recommend Liven It Up Events for anyone planning an event! read more

Liven It Up is not only excellent at what they do - they are also fun to work with! I have worked with Melissa several times and she is so experienced and knowledgable in this industry. Liven It Up goes above and beyond and I highly recommend booking them for your upcoming event! read more

Tiffany from LIU was our day-of wedding planner. She was incredible and I cannot speak highly enough of her! She was professional, knowledgeable, kind, and easy to work with. Even though she was the day-of planner, she went above and beyond and gave us wonderful recommendations on vendors. Once she took over the coordination, we did not worry about a thing. Every time I spoke to her I felt so much better and less stressed, and our wedding day would not have been such a success without her. Thank you Tiffany! read more

My mom and I have said over and over again that dollar for dollar, Anthony was our best hire for my wedding on August 31 at the Field Museum. We only needed a day-of coordinator, since we had pretty much hired all our vendors by the time we came to Anthony, but from the beginning, Anthony went above and beyond to answer all questions that came up along the way-- everything from where to get an MOB dress to whether it was necessary to put the year on the invitations. Anthony is the perfect balance of warm and professional; it's easy to see why he has literally written the book on being a wedding planner. On the day of the wedding, I don't know what we would have done without Anthony. His timeline was perfect, and he was so on top of everything the whole day. I wasn't nervous or anxious (probably in part because he had everything so under control) but he repeatedly asked if I was okay, if I needed anything. I can't say enough good things about Anthony and Liven It Up Events. Anyone getting married in Chicago should be fighting to hire him! read more

My husband and I hired Tiffany as our Wedding Coordinator with a "Partial Planning" package and we cannot recommend her highly enough! We knew that we needed significant amounts of help with the design/flowers aspect of the wedding and also all the day of details. Tiffany perfectly fulfilled exactly what we needed and more. She found an amazing florist for us, and was constantly communicating us throughout the several months before our wedding. She came up with an incredibly detailed timeline to coordinate with all of our different vendors and asked us all the right questions to make sure we weren't forgetting anything. On the wedding day, she took care of all the details that we just didn't want to have to think about and made everything completely stress-free for us. We can definitely say that she was one of the major reasons why our big day was so amazing. After choosing the venue, hiring Tiffany was the best decision we made throughout our entire planning process. read more

Anthony is truly the best wedding planner and such a joy to work with. I hired him for the partial wedding planner package and he was completely worth it! Planning a wedding can be stressful, especially when you have under 11 months and your fiancé lives across the country. It can be even more stressful when said fiancé has even less interest in wedding planning than I do. Anthony made the entire process seamless. He gave me a curated list of recommended venues and vendors in Chicago that would work with my budget. This was gold. He set up all the venue meetings and email communications for the venue site coordinators and visited several venues with me. With the partial wedding planner package, I still had to find my own vendors(cake, photographer, videographer, etc) but the list made it so easy and Anthony coordinated all of my vendors together. He was super professional and prompt with his emails(usually same day, within minutes to hours) and always had the answer to every inane question I could think of. He has endless patience and is so detail oriented. I thought I was type A but Anthony really does think of everything. He has so much knowledge of all the venues and impeccable taste. I had the worst decision fatigue but I really relied and trusted his opinions. He also sends you the best timeline for the wedding and keeps everyone on track. I've been in several weddings and have experienced the stress of last minute catastrophes or running late. Anthony keeps you on a tight schedule and makes everything run smoothly. I hate running behind schedule but felt as if i could relax with Anthony in charge. You can tell he really pours his heart and soul into wedding planning and goes above and beyond in everything he does. He even bustled my dress and handpicked out the twigs in my dress before the ceremony. My MOH was slacking...kidding. You won't have any regrets, just hire Anthony. read more

We cannot thank Anthony Navarro and his team enough for going over and above our expectations to ensure that every event at Stan Mansion was elegant, stylish and in impeccable taste. Working with Liven it Up Events is always fun. They provided those special touches and creativity that takes celebration from ordinary to extraordinary. We received glowing reviews from all of our clients . Without exception or solicitation, guests commented that it ranked as possibly the best celebration each had ever attended. We are happy to work with them and highly recommend them. For weddings, corporate or social events THEY ARE THE BEST! read more

Kim very quickly understood what we wanted for our wedding and was able to get us there with minimal stress throughout the entire process. She introduced us to the best venues and third party vendors and limited the amount of time we had to spend working on any of the details, big or small. Through years of experience, she was able to differentiate between what was actually important and what wouldn't ever matter when the wedding weekend came. That was all during the planning stages, but she was at her best during the wedding festivities. As we were surrounded by our favorite people in the world, we knew we didn't have to worry about anything as she had everything under control. She tried to make herself invisible to not take away from any special moments, but we knew she was there taking care of everything all weekend long! Thanks so much to Kim and Liven It Up Events, you helped make our wedding weekend incredible and as stress-free as possible! We can't wait to hire you for our ten-year anniversary party or as soon as we have our next big event! read more

When you get to the point where your pride steps aside and you realize that no, it will not be possible to set up, check with vendors, do detail work, make sure everything is running properly, checking up on guests, and overseeing the break down of everything at the end of the night on your own wedding day, then you will want to call Anthony. Anthony is not only the most organized person I have ever met in my entire life (let my 5 page itinerary speak for that) but is energetic, hilarious and even won my maid of honor over by simply having mascara for her to use in his kit. His attention to detail and tweaking the set-up of the space was amazing. He ran everything behind the scenes perfectly and quietly, half the time things were getting done and I never even saw him. He made sure that everything I had ordered and was delivered was correct, he worked with the caterer to make sure everything was spot on, and even bustled my dress like seven times because I kept stepping on it and pulling the pins out. At the end of the night he worked with us to make sure everything that came with us left with us, and supervised the vendors packing up. And even though I hired him as a day-of coordinator, he was available by phone and email from the day I hired him and answered all my questions quickly, usually the same day. I cannot recommend him enough and am so glad I had an opportunity to work with him. read more

I am an independent Real Estate broker. I've been in the biz for 9 years and I've always offered staging consultation to my clients as part of my service. But when the time came for me to stage my own home to sell I knew I was just too "close" to it to be objective...I needed professional help beyond my own. I happened to be on Yelp when Anthony posted the review for his company so I clicked on it, read it, and called him immediately. We shared a little background about each other and set up an appointment for a professional staging consultation. Anthony was prompt, professional and very friendly. He spent over 2 hours going through our house, taking notes, discussing our living needs WHILE we're trying to sell our house, offering opinions and making suggestions. I must admit, he told me MANY things I didn't want, but clearly needed, to hear. Within a week's time Anthony emailed me a professional report via .PDF that detailed, room-by-room, all the activities that needed to be completed and items that needed to be removed, changed or acquired for a successful staging. His rates are reasonable and he does a great job. I will be referring him to other Realtors and clients in the future! read more

We were thinking about doing all of the wedding coordinating on our own. We were already stretched as far we could go with our budget. But I have to say that hiring Anthony was the best decision that we made in the whole process of planning this shindig. The reason that I changed my mind is simple. I didn't want my lovely bride worrying about the small details of her wedding on her special day. Anthony was part friend, part technician and part Drill Sargent. He really knows how to get things done. He made sure that every detail of the day was perfect. Whatever event you are planning, I can't recommend Anthony and Liven it up enough. You won't have to sweat the small stuff because he will do it for you. His services were top notch all the way. read more

If I could I would give Anthony more than 5 stars in this review. I met him through Bonsoiree catering. Our wedding was last Saturday, and Anthony was more than a coordinator, he was a planner, he made sure I wanted for nothing, emceed the entire evening, and made sure my mom had fun instead of worrying about the details. He took care of everything, which couldn't have been easy since he got almost no direction from me. He made our wedding the most beautiful day of my life, and completely stress free. I just showed up, had a glass of champagne and got married. I will be telling everyone I know and anyone I may meet who needs an event coordinator to call Anthony. Thanks Anthony, for the best day of my life. read more

Anyone reading this post who is interested in hiring a wedding planner, let me save you time, hire Anthony right now. He is worth every penny and then some. When we first began planning our wedding, we did not think we needed a planner. After checking out a couple of venues, we realized just how much was involved and how much time it was taking to research our options for venues and vendors. I was referred to Anthony from a colleague at work who had recently been married and had interviewed everyone under the sun. She assured me Anthony was the best, and she was right. Anthony is extremely organized. He helped us come up with a budget, referred us to reliable vendors, and made sure we were always on track. He called this program the "partial" wedding planner, but I do not know what the other part would be unless he was the one actually getting married. There are so many random questions that would come up during the process, and Anthony was always available to talk us through them and had a great ideas and suggestions for everything. On the day of the wedding, Anthony and his team were on top of everything. They had our entire day sketched out to the minute and kept track of all of the vendors and made sure everything flowed smoothly. He had checklists for every detail. We were able to enjoy every minute of our wedding and we could never have done that if we did not know Anthony was there and had it under control. I think that is the bottom line... Anthony enabled us to plan our perfect wedding and allowed us to enjoy our wedding day without having to wonder about what else needed to be attended to. If I could give him 10 stars in this review, I would. read more

Anthony Navarro was our planner for my wedding this year on 6/21 at the Palmer House Hilton. Anthony came highly recommended by a friend, and hiring him was honestly THE best decision I made during the whole wedding planning process. Anthony's rates were much more reasonable compared to other planners in the city, and he provided value all along the 1.5 year (oh yeah) wedding planning process. In the end, he began to feel like a member of my family! Anthony got to know my family extremely well and made recommendations based on our personalities and what we wanted. He ended up saving us a lot of money as well by being able to suggest the best places and vendors to utilize our resources while still having the wedding of our dreams. I honestly can't say enough nice and positive things about Anthony except for the fact that I will be sending any girl who is engaged to him. Anthony accompanied us to our floral appointments, cake appointments, and met with us repeatedly to make sure we were on track for planning. He was always prompt in communicating via email/phone/text and made himself available anytime. For the day of, a couple of other members of the team were there and they did an AMAZING job anticipating our needs and making sure everything went off without a hitch. For example, Anthony and his team already had my backup shoes ready for me after a few hours of dancing at the reception and brought my wedding shoes back up to my hotel room without me having to tell them. Having Anthony along the way made everything so much less stressful for me as the bride because I knew there was a confident, knowledgable professional that I could turn to with questions anytime who would have my back. The day of all I did was enjoy everything we had planned while Anthony coordinated with all the vendors and made sure I was in a good state of mind regardless of what happened. I can't imagine doing this wedding without Anthony. He was amazing and I adore him if you can't tell from the rest of this review. Hire Anthony and the whole Liven It Up team if you want to enjoy wedding planning and not be stressed over the details! It's so so so very much worth the money....my family was skeptical about a planner in the beginning but at the end, they also couldn't imagine pulling off the beautiful wedding we had without Anthony's help, professionalism, and dedication. read more

When it was time to plan my wedding , I was caught in a pickle because I had just moved to Chicago, and none of my bridesmaids or my mother lived in the city, so I was basically on my own when it came to planning. I went with Anthony and Julie based on the high Yelp reviews, and man am I glad I did. I'm completely convinced that if it weren't for them, my wedding wouldn't have happened at all. They helped me through every step of the process, giving me advice and tips only advanced wedding planners would know. I was able to have the wedding of my dreams, AND was able to keep it in budget thanks to them. On the day of the wedding. I felt like I could relax, and it was all thanks fo the fact that I knew Julie and Anthony had everything under control. If you're shopping for a wedding planner and are still undecided, take my word for it and go with Liven It Up. Best decision EVER. read more

As part of our wedding planning process, we met with 3 planners, including Anthony Navarro from Liven It Up Events. Within the first 5 minutes of meeting Anthony, we knew he was the right planner for us and never had any regrets with this important decision. We developed an instant rapport with Anthony because of his great personality and energy. He arrived early, prepared, asking questions and taking notes throughout our initial meeting. Every time we had a question or sought guidance, Anthony always responded within 1 day. Not only did we hire Anthony for our day-of planning, we also hired him for decor planning. He was excellent at assisting us in negotiating with vendors regarding rentals and obtaining best prices possible for these items, resulting in us saving thousands of dollars. Anthony was great at listening to what we wanted, but was also honest with what risks and limitations some of our wishes presented, and offered alternate solutions where applicable. It's one of his strengths given Anthony's extensive experience planning a wide variety of weddings. Anthony's organizational skills are second to none, as his highly detailed day-of timeline accounted for every minute and activity taking place. He was very prompt in responding to our feedback on the timeline, finalizing our timeline several weeks prior to our wedding day. Anthony collaborated tremendously with our other vendors to ensure everyone fully understood the timeline and their responsibilities. He was very diligent in keeping everyone on schedule, coordinating with his assistant on timely delivery and setup at at our venue. Everything on the day of went seamlessly perfect and much of the credit goes to Anthony and his assistant Vanessa! read more

FYI - this is a LONG review because I loved my day of wedding coordinator! - If you don't want to read - here is the short version - HIRE ANTHONY - you will have the most perfect wedding day ever! Ladies - if anyone tells you that you can't organize a wedding in less than 6 months you can - I did. But as the wedding date approached my anxiety set in. I realized I needed/wanted help so that I could enjoy my wedding day. I also did not want to unload all the work on one my sisters or best friends because I wanted them to enjoy the day as well. After not "gelling" with other Day of Wedding coordinators by their email or phone conversations, I started doing research via Yelp. It was truly due to the amazing reviews with Liven It Up and the rave reviews of Anthony that I sent an email to Anthony. Anthony responded within twelve hours with an attachment describing his services and what he provides, line by line. Just by looking at the attachment I knew I had found my coordinator because his organization skills spoke to me. My fiancee and I met with Anthony and we clicked immediately. We met for an hour and a half and he questioned me on every aspect of the wedding. (I believe that is when my fiancee realized just how much work I had done!) At the end of the session Anthony hugged both of us and I felt like he was a friend I had known forever. Three days later I received the infamous time-line! (It was so comprehensive that my fiance's daughters referred to it as "The Manifesto"!) Anthony and I communicated by email up until the walk through. At the walk through Anthony took charge, (I didn't have to do anything). Anthony went through the time-line with all of my vendors present (most of whom knew Anthony well) and made sure everyone was on the same page. It was because of Anthony and his vast experience with weddings that he booked time for each and every thing you could think of - including - most importantly - the ten minutes to spend with my new husband after pictures and before we were announced at the reception so that we could eat and toast each other. Anthony directed our rehearsal and came equipped with additional assistants starting early the next morning. As my bridal party said, "He was there, but he wasn't there - he wasn't in your face but you knew everything was taken care of" - and it was. Everything went so smoothly! I cannot think of one thing that went wrong - and what bride can say that? If something did go wrong, it must have been taken care of because nobody told me! My photographer was a friend from out of state and said she had never seen a time-line like this - for which she appreciated because she had been involved in too many weddings whereby the bride said they were just going to "wing it" and it ended up being a hot mess. Anthony and his team were consummate professionals and beyond prepared. Even when one of my bridesmaids ripped part of her dress by getting it caught on her heel getting out of the car - one of the assistants literally got on her knees and sewed it up. I can't say enough about Anthony except I wish I could get married again so I could hang out with him again!!! Love you Anthony!!! read more

Anthony is the glue that made my wedding what it was this past week. Anthony was provided to me by Bonsoiree and he is one of the main reasons why me and my husband are so happy with our wedding. His vision and execution was flawless - he attended walkthroughs with me, gave advice, listened to my bitching (and there was a lot of bitching as we approached the big day). He has the patience of a saint - and will hold a bride's hand through the planning process which can be overwhelming...and I consider myself organized! He does go above and beyond in everything that he does - and keeps your budget in check! Anyone planning a wedding will get sticker shock really fast if they are planning a wedding in the city and Anthony gets that - he will give you the no "BS" answers and reality check of what you can and cannot get...and I think that's refreshing. People that aren't made out of money can have elegant and chic weddings! Please consider Anthony for either Day of Coordination or full on wedding planning....he's experienced, organized, and gets it all done! I'm sure there were hiccups during our wedding but not once was I summoned to resolve anything - in my mind that is the best wedding present anyone can give a bride! read more

We were pretty far into our wedding planning when we started working with Anthony and I can honestly say it was one of the best decisions we made in all of our planning-- well worth it! Some friends of ours that got married a few months before we did were working with Liven It Up and raved about his services so we went ahead and set up a meeting with him. I am SO glad we did! There were a ton of day of details that I didn't even think about and probably wouldn't have, but Anthony had them all covered. His detailed timelines are a godsend and our day went so smoothly-- As a Type A person, I never thought I would be that relaxed on my wedding day but Anthony and Sally had everything under control and it all went off without a hitch. My parents were skeptical about hiring a coordinator, but after spending the whole day with him my mom decided she wanted to hire Anthony for all of my sisters' weddings as well-- even though they live on the east coast. I think that really says something about Anthony's work! Brides, do yourselves a favor and call Liven It Up! read more

Liven It Up Events - Wedding reception at the Rookery - Party & Event Planning Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

As a former event planner, I had a thought that I know a lot of other brides and grooms have: "psh, I don't need a coordinator." I'm so sorry to tell you this, but I was wrong and so are you. Hiring Lisa as our day of coordinator was hands down the best decision I made in my short, 4-month engagement. She stepped in about 3 weeks before our wedding when I was just starting to realize I had no idea what the heck I was doing and immediately put my mind at ease. I met with her and she went step-by-step through all of the details that were beginning to overwhelm me and immediately took all of those little details off my plate. She was even reaching out to our vendors without me knowing and taking care of things I hadn't even though of. On wedding day, I felt calmer the second she arrived (she has a very soothing presence) and was always making sure we were staying on schedule, that I was fed and had a glass of champagne (so important), making sure the donut truck started serving donuts even though they were saying we hadn't paid them. I think she may have stopped the rain long enough for us to get pictures taken outside, but I can't be sure. I talked to our caterer later and she said she has never seen such a calm wedding planner. She literally just sucks up all your stress and turns it into happy thoughts. Trust me on this one: you do not want to be the one vendors are calling to say they are late or lost on your wedding day. It goes by fast enough as it is. And when that sinks in, call Lisa!! read more