Elegante Weddings and Events

My husband & I got married in downtown Chicago six months ago, and we cannot speak highly enough about Joni, our "day of" wedding planner. Joni's dedication and perfect temperament made our special day truly unforgettable. From the initial planning stages to the final moments of the reception, Joni exhibited a level of professionalism that exceeded our expectations. Her attention to detail ensured that every aspect of our wedding day ran smoothly. What sets Joni apart is her incredible personality, we've never met anyone so suited to deal with so many moving pieces and personalities. Joni's calm and warm demeanor immediately put us at ease, making the entire process enjoyable and stress-free. This is undeniably the most deserving 5-star review I've ever written. If you're in search of a wedding planner who not only excels at her craft but also brings a wonderful energy to your special day, Joni is the one for you. Thank you, Joni, for making our wedding day so magical!

I'm the person that reads a million reviews, but never writes a single one. (oops!) But our experience with Elegante Weddings and Events was so perfect, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to sing their praises! We had the immense pleasure of working with Joni Taylor - wedding planner extraordinaire! We can't even begin to say enough great things about our experience with Joni! She's so organized and on-top-of-it; everything she said she'd do or take care of, she did. She communicated with our other vendors to organize the days. She was constantly checking in with me to see how I was doing and if there was anything she could help with. She had so many new, great ideas for our big day! And she helped us realize and relay our vision to the other vendors as well. Quite frankly put, she was our advocate. As a fairly passive individual, I was so worried about having to be assertive with vendors throughout the process. Joni was so invaluable in having our interests (and budget!) at heart, and she clearly has a great reputation amongst other vendors in the industry, which translated to a seamless planning process across the board. She literally knows everything about weddings! Every time I talked to her (aka she talked me off a ledge!), I felt so much more comfortable and relaxed about the planning. We quite literally couldn't have done it without her!! I would hire her a million times over! She's also the friendliest, funniest and most pleasant person ever. Icing on an already wonderful cake!

I thought we could plan a wedding ourselves. Our venue provided us with a list of preferred vendors; it seemed straightforward, but we decided to find a planner to help us. After interviewing several planners, Lisa clearly understood the Chicago wedding industry and its unique vendors. When asked how she would approach having a drag queen at our wedding, Lisa lit up with ideas and strategies. We were so lucky that we decided to work with Lisa. Planning a wedding is complex; no one but your planner has your interests at heart. Lisa was a shrewd negotiator who was able to remove extraneous charges from our quotes with vendors that we did not need. She kept my fiancé and me on plan for the tasks only we could do. My wedding party referred to her as a general on our wedding day. We had protesters blocking Michigan Ave, lost parents, and ripped suits. We did not even learn of these issues until after the wedding. Lisa handled each issue without flinching. Our day was perfect, so much of it is because of Lisa. Also, nearly everyone who attended said it was the best wedding they had ever been to, and many were including their weddings in the list!

Lisa was quite literally our SAVIOR through the entire wedding planning process and we could not recommend her highly enough. She was with us from before we were even engaged and kept us and our families calm and organized through a very chaotic planning process! She listened to our vision and budget and presented us with venues and vendors that fit within those. She didn’t blink when, after looking at multiple venues in Chicago, we decided to move the entire 3 day wedding down to Birmingham, AL, a city she had not planned a wedding in before. She immediately found multiple venues and local vendors for us (a feat for an Indian wedding in AL!) and flew down to Birmingham twice to visit venues and do a walkthrough. She has a network everywhere, it seems! Lisa is unbelievably organized, thinks outside the box, and is responsive at all hours of the day. She was with us for our 3 day wedding and kept everything running smoothly, making sure anything that went wrong was unnoticed by us and by our guests. She even planned a party in Chicago for us the weekend afterwards, at no extra cost. From making our wedding website, to mailing and tracking our RSVPs, to steaming every outfit possible, she does it all. The best part of Lisa, though, is that she is calm in a storm, and incredibly empathetic. She effortlessly navigated family dynamics that come from planning 2 multi-cultural weddings, was a listening ear when things got stressful, and always always had a plan. She was in constant contact with our parents to help take stress off of us, even when we didn’t know it. She didn’t hesitate to have real talk conversations with us to make sure we were prioritizing the right things and not expending energy that wasn’t worthwhile, truly saving me from myself. She made me feel at ease leading up to and on the day of the wedding that us and our families would be taken care of and she allowed us to actually enjoy our weekend - no small feat. If you want a planner that will be with you day in and day out, will handle tough conversations with you, your family, and vendors, will remain calm and organized throughout, will come up with a gorgeous design vision, and will become your trusted friend, go with Lisa and Elegante! I can and have recommended her to everyone we know getting married - she’s truly the best in the biz.

Working with the Elegante team was smooth, easy communication, and a clear outlined process. We felt very comfortable because of the organization provided and didn't stress at all throughout wedding planning. Our wedding probably had 50 vendors and it was executed flawlessly. The staff is readily available. We received email responses nearly immediately. If you want an enjoying wedding planning experience this is your company! :D

This company was so professional! Joni our coordinator was great!

We had Joni Taylor as our coordinator. She helped us get all the final details together. She was an excellent bridge between all of the vendors and made sure we had everything covered for the day of. On the day we didn’t need to worry about anything and we’re able to relax and let her handle all the small stuff. Our wedding was a Hindu ceremony with a western reception. It was a long day, but she was with us the entire way, working with our families when things came up and making sure everything went smoothly.

Hiring Lisa was the best decision we could have ever made for our wedding! We started working with Lisa about 14 months out from our event date. After only one 30mins Zoom meeting with her, my partner and I looked at each other and said, she is the one! Over the next 14 months, Lisa became one of the most important people in our lives, and what a fun time that was. Lisa is truly a professional with a strong network behind her. It’s hard to imagine how we would have navigated all the decision-making, sourcing, and unforeseen challenges without Lisa and her team’s guidance. Throughout our touch-points, with Lisa, we were impressed with how she seamlessly absorbed our tastes and preferences into a comprehensive vision, which gave us the bandwidth to get excited for our wedding vs overwhelmed. One thing we liked about Lisa's process was that for every vendor she recommended (from decor, photographer, bakeries, bands, stationers, etc), she gave 2-5 options per discipline and allowed us to find the best match that fit our vibe and budget. Lisa also facilitated additional support, as needed, for things we felt her team would be able to navigate better than us, which was super helpful! On the day of the wedding... It went better than we could have ever expected. Not only was everything beautiful but everything was taken care of down to the smallest of small detail. We are beyond thankful for everything Lisa did for us, making our wedding day PERFECT!

Lisa and her team were referred to me by a photographer friend, and I am so glad they were because they specialize in Italian weddings and speak Italian. I would never have been able to plan an Italian wedding, during covid, with a restricted budget, and a language barrier without Elegante. Lisa was able to make all of our dreams come true with our wedding. She found the perfect venue, a castle in the Tuscan countryside. We had the most perfect rehearsal at a local pizzeria, and a farewell dinner at a beautiful seaside resort, all in our rather small budget. Our wedding felt like a fairytale. I was obsessed with all of our vendors. The photographer, florist, caterer, hair/make up, and the staff at the venue were all the sweetest Italian people I have ever met. We did all of the planning virtually with Lisa (we live in another state) and did all of the the planning with the vendors virtually, across the world. The day of the wedding, I was so relaxed because I knew everything was taken care of. The venue was transformed into a dream. They took care of all of the legality with getting married in another country, and translated the official documents. We had a string duet, a floral arch, and an amazing apertivo. That smoothly transitioned into the cocktail hour, a rooftop dinner with a spectacular view, and dancing in the wine cellar with cocktails and late night drinks. We even had cold fireworks! With our budget! The details were perfect. Lisa also helped us plan out a perfect European vacation and honeymoon. Lisa worked with my family to ensure they were comfortable and involved, and our friends. She was organized and professional the throughout the entire process. The. work she did was priceless and our memories will last a lifetime. Lisa and Lucy are like family to us and always will be.

Where to start - Lisa is the most efficient, effective, calm, intelligent, and creative planner we have ever heard of. We interviewed 8 planners including the top planning brands in Chicago before making our decision, and Lisa was by far the most impressive from that very first conversation. We worked with Lisa for two years and she made wedding planning so much more organized, informed, and enjoyable than we could have ever imagined. She was so responsive over text / email for any and all questions and had the best advice and an informed point of view when we needed one. She also helped us think through effective ways to get more bang for our buck, e.g. by reusing floral installations between ceremony and reception. She recommended all of our vendors, who not only provided excellent service but were kind and thoughtful professionals who had all worked together before. On the day of our wedding, Lisa went above and beyond to navigate some unforeseen challenges and had the most amazing assistant Lucy and attendant Antoinette helping out day of. Could go on and on - but we love Lisa so much and have already raved about her to all of our friends. Could never thank her enough.

Beyond grateful to have worked with Lisa Jaroscak and Elegante Weddings & Events, and would recommend her to anyone looking for wedding planning services. Having reviewed several different options, Lisa's attention to detail and caring nature stood out from Day 1 and continued through our wedding day and beyond. With a destination wedding in Malibu, CA, Lisa worked alongside us for over a year and methodically created a timeline for us to adhere to, making the process seamless and fun for us the whole time. 7 months out from the wedding we traveled to Malibu to finalize details - linens, venue walk-through, tastings and Lisa was alongside us for every step helping us envision our day. Lisa's persistent nature and calming demeanor proved immensely important when our initial wedding venue cancelled on us 1 month out from our wedding date due to a construction delay, finding us a new venue that was even better in just 2 days and subsequently spending hours transitioning all of our vendors over to the new location. We are so grateful that she kept us both sane during this time period! We knew we were in good hands. Our wedding day ended up perfect and better than we imagined. We are so appreciative of Lisa in making our vision come true.

Lisa was incredible! She thought of every detail, and I could count on her for making our vision a reality. She only recommended top vendors that we could trust, making our wedding day a breeze. She went above and beyond to create special moments for my husband and I. Importantly, she kept us on track in planning to make sure we never felt crunched. Highly recommend!

Lisa was great. She kept me organized and make the day of a breeze. Her sense of style is impeccable and she has great relationships in the industry that made figuring out vendors easy and un-stressful. Highly recommend!

Elegante Weddings and Events owner and lead planner Lisa Jaroscak was exactly what we were looking for when we were starting to plan our third postponed wedding that moved from Chicago to Atlanta. From every vendor she recommended to every small detail, everything was top notch quality. She was super patient with all of our questions during the planning process and the days just prior leading up to our wedding. We honestly couldn't have asked for a better team of planners to make our dream come true. Lisa and her assistant Joni were and are so sweet, down to earth and personable. Not to mention gaining a friend through it all was the icing on the cake. We would highly recommend Elegante Weddings and Events for your special day.

I work for J&L Catering and have worked with Lisa on events for over 4 years now. I could go into great detail on her level of organization and attentiveness, but what really makes Lisa stand out from other planners is the fact that she loves her job and just loves love. No idea is too out there or too simple - she curates a special planning experience that starts from the moment you contact her through the moment you get your pictures back from the photographer after your big day! As a vendor - she has always made me feel supported and is just such a joy to work with. You really can't go wrong with Elegante Weddings and Events!

I have worked with Lisa and her company Elegante Weddings & Events. Lisa is the best. She is very well detailed and has a connection and professionalism with all her couples that is beyond belief. It is always a pleasure working with Elegante, Lisa and her team as I know I will always expect a smooth ride. Tom

Lisa was an absolute God-send for me and for our wedding. She made sure that I knew all of the details that needed to be taken care of so that I could plan everything the way I wanted to. She kept us on a schedule and made sure the planning did not get overwhelming. I am so happy that Lisa was our planner. She is super sweet and always ready to help. She made sure that on the day of I didn't have to worry about anything! I cannot recommend Lisa enough!

If you are getting married in the Chicagoland area do yourself a favor and work with this team! From our first meeting, we knew we were in amazing hands for our big day. Joni was our day of coordinator and she made everything so seamless! She made sure to ask us all of our must haves (and must nots!), attend our walkthroughs, and ask questions to our vendors that we would have never thought to ask. The whole team was attentive and always responded to our questions quickly, no matter how big or small. Our wedding ran so smoothly and we didn’t have to worry about anything on our big day. Joni was so great that we have kept in touch after our wedding and will be lifelong friends! I can’t say enough positive things about her and would highly recommend this team to anyone planning their big day!

Joni made my Nebraska wedding perfect. From the start of planning til the wedding day everything was handled and provided me with zero stress. She helped me find the perfect venue for my outdoor wedding in the summer that gave me options in case we ran into inclement weather. She saw my vision of a sunset wedding and matched my husband and I’s style. We were incredibly impressed with her knowledge of vendors and helped us stay with our vision and our budget. The day of the wedding she made everything run smoothly and was my advocate when my DJ started going rogue at the beginning of the ceremony. She was proactive to every situation and let us completely enjoy our day. Highly recommend!

If you are engaged and planning a wedding, Do yourself the biggest favor and book Lisa before you do anything else!!! It was the best decision my husband and and I made when we began to plan our wedding! We are still talking about how finding Lisa was the biggest blessing! My husband and I got married on November 2, 2019 in Chicago and Lisa made our fairytale wedding dreams come to life. Every moment was so beautifully orchestrated so that my husband and I were able to be guests at our wedding and be completely immersed and present our whole day. I knew as soon as I met with Lisa that I wanted to book her and work with her! I felt at ease and comfortable right away. She was able to capture my vision flawlessly. I would look to her for all her suggestions and input! Lisa was with us every single step of the way. I was able to enjoy the planning process without the stress. She organized every single detail that goes into the wedding. She organized meeting with vendors that met our needs and aesthetic. she attended all of our meetings and helped ensure we asked the right questions, she helped negotiate contracts and, kept us in track with our weekly to-dos. Lisa was also in touch regularly along our planning journey and no question was too big or too small for her. She made us feel as though we were her only couple. I am so overjoyed that our whole planning process was such a pleasure and enjoyable experience thanks to her. I was constantly being told what a relaxed bride I was, and it was true! Our wedding day came to life seamlessly, and we didn’t miss a single moment. We are still reliving our day and can’t say enough wonderful things to do Lisa and her talents Justice! She is the BEST OF THE BEST!!! My husband and I also feel like we gained a true friend in Lisa. We are so thankful from the bottom of our hearts for her.

Always a joy partnering with Lisa on any wedding and event. No matter the style or budget, she consistently creates these gorgeous and fully-fleshed out visions for her clients, whether it be dark and moody to light and ethereal, and nails it with her ideas, details and vendor recommendations. So much fun executing events with Lisa's touch on them. We have some truly incredible weddings in our portfolio due to her direction. She's also experienced in a myriad of types of events (weddings, corporate, destination) and at certain times of the year, somehow juggles all of them with great success. And her experience shines - she's decisive, troubleshoot wells, and not afraid giving her opinion in groups of many opinions or in light of tight timelines. But above all that, she's simply one of those lovely people that is naturally calm, kind, and approachable in all situations. She navigates any rough patches at any event with leadership, supportiveness and evenness and we always feel assured that there will be smooth sailing with her behind the wheel.

We worked with Joni for almost two years as we postponed, rescheduled, replanned, postponed again, etc... throughout the pandemic. She could not have been more flexible, hardworking, or determined to do everything she could to give us the best possible wedding. We loved her so much that we hired her to do my sister's wedding as well, and she of course did an incredible job. Working with Joni is like having a best friend who happens to be willing to do every single thing you need. She makes everything fun and is also so organized and on top of it all!!

I love working with Lisa and would highly recommend her to a couple looking for an exceptional wedding planner. I admire Lisa’s concern, care and connection with her clients. She radiates integrity. Her big picture thinking, thoroughness and eye for detail are fantastic. Lisa is extremely knowledgeable and experienced ensuring that her couples make the best choices to maximize their experience and their budget. Lisa is very creative and a perfect production partner. She is a true collaborator and is dedicated to making her event team shine. Together we have and are continuing to design and produce amazing events.

From start to finish, Lisa was the greatest investment we could have ever made in our wedding. She brought every idea and vision I communicated to her to life. She sourced the best vendors in the game to execute a flawless day. And when, 100 days out, COVID hit and seemed to unravel every plan, Lisa went above and beyond. With grace and creativity, she came up with backup plans, advocated for us, cried with us, and she carried the burdens of planning amidst so much uncertainty so we wouldn't have to. I am so grateful to Lisa and for the time and energy, she spent to make our dream wedding a reality. we truly could never have done it without her!

If you are looking for a wedding planner, look no further! I cannot thank Lisa enough for our wedding of our dreams! Every single detail of our special day was just how we envisioned it, and even better! Lisa really made sure we were happy with every aspect of our wedding. Lisa knew my vision so well, that even when I was unsure, she would suggest something which was exactly what I was looking for. Every single step from start to finish, she was completely engaged with all the planning. She always kept us on track in a timely manner and made sure we did not feel overwhelmed. She took care of getting all our vendors, which is huge in wedding planning, and made sure they were a perfect fit for us, which they were and I couldn’t have asked for a better team! Every detail was planned so precisely that our actual wedding day turned out so perfect. My husband and I actually enjoyed our wedding and we did not have to worry about a single thing! Lisa really made our dream wedding come to life! Even during these difficult times, Lisa made sure we still felt relaxed and able to enjoy our planning process. Planning a wedding during covid, brought its challenges of its own and Lisa absolutely killed it! We are so happy we chose Lisa for our wedding planner! We will forever be grateful to her for making our wedding dreams come true!!

Italian destination wedding! When my husband and I started to think about a destination wedding, Italy was the first place that came to mind. But we knew we couldn't do it on our own. The language barrier alone was going to make it difficult and when you google Italian destination weddings, you get back thousands of pages and every venue sounds better than the next. So we knew we would need help. A friend recommended Lisa because she was beginning to plan Italian weddings. We met with Lisa and discussed our vision and most importantly, our budget and she assured us that we could have the wedding of our dreams- and we did. It was even better than we could have ever expected. The planning process was seamless- we got weekly updates including what had been checked off and what was on Lisa's to do list and ours. Lisa was professional, thorough and detail oriented. Without her, we couldn't have pulled this off. From the vendors to the venue itself, she was the contact and it took all the pressure off of us. It helps that she speaks fluent Italian! While abroad, having Lisa there with us took all the pressure off and we were able to enjoy our time in southern Italy with 30 of our closest family and friends. The wedding was everything we had envisioned and more. I can't recommend Lisa enough!