About this vendor
Fierce Productions is an Event Planning & Design company that specializes in exceptionally executed never-before-seen weddings, nonprofit galas, corporate events, and milestone celebrations in Chicago and beyond!
Rather than focusing on trends, we produce experiences that celebrate your individual style. Inspired by the couples and businesses we serve and their diverse relationships and cultural influences, we blend unique elements to craft distinctive experiences. We have a heart and soul commitment to our clients on the most important days of their lives.
We offer:
CORPORATE/NONPROFIT EVENT PLANNING
We design experiential, novel and unique events of all kinds. Whether you’re hosting a fundraiser, gala, networking event, panel discussion, trade show, conference, company holiday party, grand opening, or retirement celebration, our experienced team can assist with planning and designing a truly memorable experience for you and your guests.
We’ve got all your needs covered from conceptualization to flawless execution, including entertainment, ticket sales, signage, graphic design, fundraising strategy, and comprehensive marketing and design support.
WEDDING PLANNING/DESIGN
Fierce Productions has a reputation in the event planning world as a team that crafts deeply personal celebrations that don’t look like every other wedding. Our consistent feedback from vendors is “finally a wedding that is different!” We achieve this by encouraging our clients to Dare to be Different which means thinking out-of-the-box about your design, experiences and even your timeline.
We believe your story deserves more than a “one-size-fits-all” celebration. Our designs are bold, original, and never repeated because we aren’t inspired by trends, pinterest boards or templates - we are inspired by you. With over 20 years of experience and 300+ weddings planned, our team blends expertise with a level of creativity that truly sets us apart.
We’ve built our business almost entirely through word-of-mouth from past couples, guests, and vendors who’ve experienced our work.
Working with us isn’t just planning a wedding—it’s an experience that will blow your mind. From first brainstorm to final toast, we’ll bring your vision to life in ways you never imagined.
PARTY PLANNING/DESIGN
At Fierce, we believe parties should feel like stepping into another world. Our team dreams up immersive, one-of-a-kind experiences that surprise, delight, and spark wonder at every turn. From bold concepts to whimsical details, we transform ordinary spaces into extraordinary stories that your guests get to live inside. No cookie-cutter themes. No recycled ideas. Just imaginative, never-before-seen celebrations designed to leave everyone saying, “I’ve never experienced anything like that before.”
Details
Business Attributes
- Hispanic or Latinx-owned Business
- Woman-owned Business
Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Planning
Planning
- A la Carte Wedding Planning
- Budgeting
- Day-Of Coordination
- Destination Wedding Planning
- Full Service Wedding Planning
- RSVP Tracking
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Engagement Party
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Engagement Party
- Rehearsal Dinner
Awards and Affiliations
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
5
out of 5.053 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 7
I contacted Fierce to help me plan a happily ever after party to celebrate with friends and family after we eloped during COVID. Many of the the party planning companies I'd talke...
d to seemed confused or uncomfortable with this slightly unconventional request - but not Fierce! They had great ideas, great advice and went out of their way to find vendors, decor and ideas that exactly matched our vision. Olivia and Laura were on top of all the timing and details throughout the process and always available and helpful. The party went off without a flaw or worry. What a great experience!
Our wedding day was so much fun, and we are so grateful to Laura and Olivia for making it possible!
When we got engaged, we knew some of the things we wanted to be a part of our ...
wedding, and some of the things we didn’t — but we had no idea how to put it all together. We also knew that we wanted to have the kind of wedding that requires a lot of preparation, but that we didn’t want have wedding planning become second jobs for us. We tried out a couple wedding planners, and eventually we sat down with Laura. She methodically worked with us on how to turn all the things we like and care about and that unite as a couple into a wonderful and perfect wedding — and helped us organize it all into manageable chunks with a clear timeline.
We started our wedding planning with Laura and Olivia, and eventually when Laura went on maternity leave we stayed with Olivia for the rest of our journey. Each had their own personal touches and ways of working, but both were incredibly professional, helpful, and organized. We often showed up to meetings knowing the general vibes that we wanted, not necessarily specifics or even how to express those “vibes”, and Laura and Olivia turned those into concrete vendors, choices, and timelines. In the end, we made it through planning without it ever feeling like a second job, and we were in a great position to enjoy the most perfect wedding we could imagine: a big party with all our favorite people, and all our favorite things, celebrating what we love most about each other.
More on the big day: Olivia and team managed the day exceptionally well. Everything was in place without us ever having to worry about a single thing. The day was fun and light, from getting dressed and having photos taken all over the city, all the way through the end of the night. Throughout the day, we kept getting asked how we found our amazing venue, caterers, photographer, DJ, florist… the list goes on. Each and every one of them was recommended by Laura. She did a great job of recommending a few vendors that she knew and trusted that fit with our vision for our wedding day, and each one of them did a phenomenal job. Our food was delicious, our music was a hit, and the decorations were beautiful, and we weren’t worried at all on the day. Days and weeks after the wedding, we’re still a little shocked: we knew this would be a party with our favorite people and favorite things, but even we didn’t expect the end result to be so much fun.
It's hard to put to words how much we appreciate Laura and the Fierce team, so we'll just share the text we sent Laura the day after our wedding:
"Laura, it feels like the most c...
ommon piece of advice people give about weddings is that, 'something will go wrong, just expect that'. However, you delivered a perfect wedding. We wouldn’t have changed a single thing.
What you accomplished was absolutely extraordinary. Complete magic. We thought we knew exactly what to expect, but it was so much more than we dreamed of.
We are so proud of what we created with you. It left guests feeling so grateful to have experienced something so unique and loving. They’re saying it was the coolest experience and best party they’ve ever been to."
A few other highlights of working with Laura and the Fierce Team:
- She doesn't just see it as her job to plan the wedding; she sees it as her job to allow you to be present during the big day. Many say "it all went so fast," when remembering their wedding, but it didn't feel like that for us because Laura made sure we could be present.
- She respected our vision like it was her own and protected every piece of it.
- By the time the wedding arrived, she was our friend--not a vendor. And that made the experience that day even cooler. Imagine having your friend send you down the aisle...rather than someone your hired.
We would hire Fierce a million times over.
We are so grateful for Fierce Productions. Fierce Productions not only made our day feel like an absolute breeze, but they were always there supporting us from the very beginning. ...
When Mike and I first inquired, we had no idea what we wanted to do for our wedding. The only thing we knew was we wanted it to be a perfect blend of us—whatever that meant. And Fierce Productions brought it to life! Laura guided us through all the big and minor details. She toured venues with us, tasted meals with us, guided us through our budget, and used her brilliant, creative brain to design a gorgeous wedding filled with a blend of romance, color, and sparkle. We even had Fierce Member, Allison, design our day of stationary! Once design and vendor bookings were complete, we had Fierce Member, Olivia, take over as lead. She made sure we were completing tasks on our checklist, coordinating with vendors, finalizing payments, and making sure all the small details were taken care of. On the day we had Olivia, Martina, and Kerrie taking care of us, <3 and I truly mean care. Martina was a superstar and handled two separate hotel rooms, and she even stood by all the wedding party’s personal belongings while we took photos in the park. There was a moment when the wedding party needed a coffee run, and Kerrie and Martina went to 3(!!!) coffee shops to get us some coffee!! Olivia guided us through the nitty-gritty details, lead our rehearsal, made sure our rehearsal dinner and karaoke celebration was set up, and then on the day, made everything look absolutely stunning by coordinating the vendors, and coordinating the processional. Fierce Productions truly is a team. It is a group of lovely professionals. They took care of us, constantly checked in to make sure we were doing alright, went above and beyond, and allowed us, our families, and wedding party to just have fun!! We still to this day are told “it was my favorite ceremony,” “ the best wedding,” “what a party!”, and “It was so you!” So thank you Laura, Olivia, Allison, Martina, and Kerrie!
Since our wedding was taking place a year and a half after we already got married, we wanted the wedding to be different than the traditional format. Laura and team were great at m...
aking our vision of merging two different cultures come together seamlessly and provided great recommendations for vendors that we probably would not have found on our own!
In addition, Olivia was our day of coordinator and kept our day stress-free, organized, and so much fun!
Highly recommend for anyone that wants a non-traditional wedding with high energy and creative taste.
We hired Laura for our Miami reception at the Ancient Spanish Monastery. We wanted to bring colorful Caribbean fun to the oldest building on the East Coast, and Laura helped us bri...
ng that vision to life. I am an extremely picky, high maintenance control freak, but due to both of our demanding work schedules, we knew we couldn't coordinate the reception on our own. We are glad we chose Laura to help us.
She did a great job with executing our vision, dealing with our difficult schedules, and making last minute requests work (we originally weren't going to do flowers, but decided about a month out that we wanted tropical arrangements and she found an INCREDIBLE florist!).
You can tell she has a background in theater, which we loved, because she helped us find amazing entertainment that made our party so memorable. We've had so many people tell us it was the best wedding they've ever been to, and they are still talking about it 5 months later when I'm finally getting around to writing this review.
We planned our whole destination ceremony, so it felt really scary to give the reins to someone else for our Miami reception, but we are so glad we hired Laura. We love that our day was so stress free. She helped us hire staff, plus her and her husband did so much on the day of, so all we had to do was show up. If you want a colorful wedding with memorable entertainment and great design, Laura is your person!
My wife and I had a very specific vision for our wedding (fecund spring meets 'Studio 54' after the party where we met) and Laura and the Fierce Productions team did an INCREDIBLE ...
job bringing it to life. The standard elements from florals to food were perfectly executed, and the special elements like a family photo wall and disco ball flourishes were manifested beautifully by Laura and her team. Laura even went the extra step of going out to see a wedding band we researched after our initial selection fell through, just to make sure they were the right fit for us (and they absolutely were). We would highly recommend Laura and co to anyone planning a wedding ... they're the best!
Laura and her Fierce Productions team were extraordinarily knowledgeable, organized, professional, and helpful. Not only were they completely capable, but they were also a pleasure...
to work with. They were kind and always made themselves available. With their help, we were able to execute an event that surpassed our expectations. If you are deciding on event support, you are in great hands with Fierce Productions.
Fierce Productions, particularly our wedding coordinator Hannah, did an absolutely amazing job. They were with us every step of the way, always available whenever we had questions/...
concerns, they made sure every detail of our wedding was covered and did not fall through the cracks and did an excellent job keeping all of our vendors coordinated. Most importantly they were very comfortable and easy to work with. Could not recommend more highly.
When I look back on my wedding day I have almost zero regrets. Our wedding day was so full of joy and happiness. I believe the Fierce team had a lot to do with that. Our ceremony a...
nd reception was nearly flawless. The team made sure we were taken care of and had someone attending to us until the very end of the night. Thanks Laura and Team Fierce for all your hard work!
My partner and I were not originally planning on hiring a coordinator for our wedding, but it was clear from our initial meeting with Laura the value, insights, energy, and support...
the Fierce team would bring to our event. They did not disappoint! Coordinator Hannah was an absolute joy to work with. She kept us organized, on track, smiling, and dedicated to our personal vision in the months leading up to our event. On our wedding day, Hannah was there for us with a fabulous team (shout out to Kathleen and Kristina!) making sure everything went smoothly. It was truly special, and I am so thankful to have had the Fierce team supporting us along the way.
Our wedding was earlier this year and we have waited to write this review because we wanted photos to prove how amazing, talented and fun Laura and her team are. Hiring Fierce prod...
uctions was the best decision we could have made.
We interviewed a few wedding planners and we were impressed by Laura. During our consultation she actively listened to our vision and put it into words to help us understand what our day would entail. My husband and I had no idea what we were doing when we embarked on this process. We had a general vision, but did not know how to pull it together. We had several design meetings and after each meeting Laura left us feeling confident that everything was going to come together.
Laura has a great sense for design and event planning. I feel like she can see into the future and predict flaws, prevent them and execute our vision. The day of our wedding we were calm because Laura checked all the boxes, literally! She was able to command the room, and still put us at ease so we could enjoy our day.
Our day had a few tiny setbacks but Laura did what she could to make it right. The most impressive feat was the timeline. We had a very detailed timeline and Laura and her team made sure we covered everything. She handled unforeseen issues with ease.
My advice to you is to hire Fierce productions full wedding planner service, listen to everything Laura says, sit back and relax. Also hire Adam Biba to be your photographer. He captured the moment of Laura doing her thing!
Thank you again for making our day beautiful.
Saleem and Matt
Laura and the Fierce team were absolutely amazing! When we first started planning, we only had a loose vision of what we wanted, but Laura took we had to say and it culminated in s...
omething more beautiful than we had ever imagined, and very us! We can’t stop gushing about it! Everything went off without a hitch on the day of too. Everyone and everything was where it needed to be, and we didn’t have to worry or even think about it at all — Laura and her team took care of it. Our job was to just enjoy the day, and we certainly did!
Throughout the entire planning process, Laura made sure to keep us on track and continually checked in with us at every major decision point to make sure we were comfortable with the choices we were making. She provided many recommendations about vendors, design, and all the other little details in between, and explained both the good and the bad for them, which we we really appreciated. All these things helped take away a lot of the stress and worry we had, and we knew we could completely trust and rely on Laura to help us make the decisions right for us and stay on-time.
We are so thankful we had the opportunity to work with Laura — we really couldn’t have picked a better planner and team to help us make it all possible. We honestly wish we could do it all again :)
The entire Fierce team is amazing and helped us plan and execute the wedding of our dreams! Laura has tons of insight into the industry and her recommendations are top tier. She ha...
s great taste when it comes to design as well. Our entire day went seamlessly; it was truly a FLAWLESS wedding. Our guests were so impressed and said it was their favorite wedding ever. We could\n't be happier and will cherish the memories from our wedding day forever. Big thanks to Laura and the whole team at Fierce!
Laura worked with us before the Pandemic and DURING. She went above and beyond to help us reschedule, clean up, pick up the pieces or our planned extravagant wedding of 2020… that ...
didn’t exactly happen. She created a new wedding for us that made sense at the time and it was BEAUTIFUL. She then helped us REPLAN an entire new reception a year later that was above and beyond. Laura and her staff are such incredible communicators and so supportive not to mention honest about their professional opinions. We were floored by Fierce and hope to use their services again!
Working with Fierce Productions is like planning a party with a particularly stylish, fun, and freakishly organized friend.
My wife and I knew from the moment that we moment that ...
we met Laura that this was the person we could trust with such an important day. We wanted to throw an epic party where all of our friends felt comfortable just being themselves, and she just... got it.
And then, just a few months ahead of our big day, COVID hit.
I remember calling Laura in May of last year, on the verge of tears, to talk about postponing our September 2020 reception. Calm, cool and collected, she coordinated with all of our vendors, found a date that worked for everyone, and moved the big party out a year. She took so much of the stress off of my shoulders in that moment... I will never be able to thank her enough for that.
A few weeks ago, 53 weeks after our minimony, we FINALLY got all our friends and family together for that epic party. Laura suggested little tweaks that helped bring new life to our original plans. She and her team coordinated everything from getting-ready meals for the wedding party to helping us book an amazing surprise performer just two weeks ahead of the event. The day of, they made sure everything ran smoothly from start to finish. My Type A tendencies didn't kick in once - we both actually got to enjoy our day and leave any troubleshooting to someone else.
This is a team of literal rock stars. Book them for all the things. You won't regret it.
It was clear from our first meeting that we wanted to work with Fierce. We had a unique vision for our wedding that Laura understood and took to immediately. In the end we had a da...
y more magnificent than we could have imagined, with so many of our detailed visions realized and more; it all came together because of Fierce Productions.
We had a beautiful picnic wedding filled with live music, laughter, and love. One key reason choose to work with Fierce Productions was because we wanted to work with professionals that are welcoming to the queer community, doing so ensured we were comfortable being our most authentic selves, and our guests felt that too. Everyone, from our partners, to our friends, to our family, commented on what a uniquely curated and joyous occasion it was.
It was marvelous to collaborate with Laura, who always asked the right questions to make sure she understood exactly what we wanted. During the planning process not only did she embrace our creativity, but also helped sculpt our ideas, knowing when to explain how to think realistically, and when to inspire us to dream bigger. For instance, it is because of her encouragement that we had one of our most magical moments, when we performed a song we wrote together at our reception. In other times she helped us understand what might not be an expeditious use of our budget and helped guide and protect us throughout various bookings.
As a couple we were able to focus on the fun parts of planning because the Fierce team handled many of the stressful administrative details and logistics. My fiancé and I had space to bond with each other over this process, rather than become overwhelmed with the anxiety and uncertainty of figuring out how to plan for an event during a pandemic. A lot changed with covid-19 and the world over the course of our two and a half year engagement, but we never had to worry about whether we were going to have a wonderful wedding.
For the big day itself, we were able to relax, be present, and fully enjoy ourselves. The Fierce team gave us the confidence to “let go”, knowing that all of the moving pieces would be deftly handled. Laura did a beautiful job of styling my DIY projects and the decor pieces we collected. Beyond ensuring our reception and ceremony looked the way we wanted it to, and far more importantly, the experience of our wedding was one that centered on the love and community around us. I was so full of joy that I laughed the whole day, including throughout the ceremony, and everyone commented that they had never seen a happier bride. I certainly felt like the happiest.
We would highly recommend Fierce Productions to anyone planning a wedding, party, or event, but especially to anyone looking for a unique and dynamic experience. Laura has a true gift for curating immersive environments that foster community, connection, and creativity. Our event was as successful as it was because we invested in her talent and in full service planning. We are so grateful for Laura’s enthusiasm, kindness, professionalism, and support. Thank you Laura and the entire Fierce team!
We cannot express enough just how much Fierce Productions knocked it out of the park!! Fierce is an incredible company. With values that align with ours and highly positive referra...
ls from friends, it was an easy choice to hire them to design and coordinate our wedding day. From the get-go Laura was honest and upfront about the planning process, how we could make our vision come true, the challenges and costs that come with a backyard wedding, and what we could expect of each other over the year we worked together.
Our introduction call with Laura was mid-pandemic so we met over Zoom. I loved that it was as much Laura interviewing us as we were interviewing her! Making sure we were a mutual fit is a great way to kick things off.
Once we signed on, Fierce set-up an Aisle Planner account with us which included the biggest checklist I think I have ever seen! And thank goodness for that checklist. It kept us on track every step of the way and made sure we knew exactly what we should be working on. There were so many items on there we hadn’t even considered, and it gave us the structure we needed. Each item was organized based on a section (i.e. Florals, Transportation, etc) and due date. It made it much easier and more approachable knowing each month what 5-10 tasks we needed to address during that time.
On top of that, we received the Fierce vendor list which is where we found the best cake maker around, a killer DJ, an excellent beautician, and an incredible florist. We loved knowing that these vendors were Fierce approved, small businesses that we were supporting for our big day and who would, in turn, make our day as special as it was.
Cannot say enough great things about Fierce! They made our wedding a smooth, effortless event that we will never forget.
What do you get with Fierce: professionalism, timeliness and organization, great vision and design ideas, knowledge and experience, great connections with local vendors and other s...
mall businesses.
We cannot say ANYTHING bad about Fierce. Working with Laura during the planning process was amazing. She has all the tools and resources to help get sh*t done and ensure your wedding day is a smooth ride of excellence. We utilized her design vision and budgeting skills in addition to her wedding coordination services, all of which were a fantastic value. Laura helped refine our ideas into a GORGEOUS event. She was also able to help give us an idea of what our vision would cost us and worked to balance both the budget and our needs to help guide us in making decisions.
One of the most useful tools provided is the use of Aisle Planner platform for organization and collaboration. It was a great asset while working through planning our wedding, whether it was using the shared design board to bounce ideas off of Laura or keeping track of our guests, lists and notes, and budget.
The List!! Laura has cultivated a fantastic list of vendors that she has worked with and knows share Fierce values. She was not only helpful in helping us find quality and reliable vendors, but she also saved the day at the last minute when our transportation fell through. Fierce supports working with local professionals who are inclusive, supportive of all humans, and genuinely wonderful people. The list of fierce vendors is another amazing perk you receive when working with the Fierce team.
Laura and her team are exactly who you need, when you need it — late in the planning process we ran into MAJOR issues with a vendor. We called Laura freaking out a bit and she remained cool, calm, and collected. She helped talk through our issues and made sure that we were HEARD. She assisted in calming down both us and the situation, and gathered all parties back on the same page. During all the unknown of COVID and constantly changing regulations, rules, and guidelines, Laura gave us advice, direction, and support when we were trying to plan an event in the unknown.
Hannah and Laura were 100% dedicated to keeping everything fabulous on our wedding day. We started out the day with Laura and then had Hannah as our “personal attendant” for the entire day after Laura left to oversee the venue set up. Hannah did an amazing job keeping everything and everyone on schedule and making us feel completely supported no matter what. They were saviors when one of our bridesmaids had a zipper that fell apart, and they worked with the other bridesmaids and got it fixed before we even knew there was an issue. Hannah was also a godsend after the wedding - she gathered all of the miscellaneous wedding items and brought them back to our home so that everything was there when we came back the following evening. They focused on making sure all of our friends and family got the experience the day with us instead of worrying about anything.
We cannot tell you how much we appreciate the ENTIRE Fierce team. They are our heroes, they made the day perfect.
Before choosing Fierce, we read so many reviews that said “we could not have done this without them” — all of them are 100% correct. We could have had a wedding, but it would have been nowhere near the emotional, amazing, beautiful, and precious experience that we had with one another and were able to have and share with all our guests.
Laura Reitsma and her team at Fierce Productions are a wonderful group to be working with and we’d highly recommend using them for wedding planning services. We met with Laura for ...
an initial consultation and immediately felt that her creative, thoughtful approach to helping couples dream up not only an excellent wedding, but one that would cater to their unique interests and personalities. If you don’t know what you exactly want for your wedding (or even if you do), Laura was also available to be a sounding board, to present ideas, and (most importantly) ask the couple questions that spark up creativity! She’s very knowledgeable about what's been done before, what to consider, who to work with, but by no means will push a specific outside vendor to work with a couple if it's not the right fit.
The Fierce team did an amazing job of coordinating with all our outside vendors, our officiant, handling correspondence where appropriate, and when it came to day-of management, they were a dream. Even when the bride felt somewhat nauseous toward the end of dinner, the team was there with an ice pack and a ginger ale to help her get back to 100%. We had several venues to hop between on our big day, and they were able to help with transportation of important items to consider at each and set up where necessary.
We admittedly hired the team three months prior to our wedding date, but couldn’t imagine pulling off our event without them. They immediately jumped in and helped us get on a timeline that we needed to get final touches in order. On top of their great service, they are committed to upholding a very respectable Ally Pledge for them and their vendors that lines up with our values. While their service alone is reason to hire, the social impact is definitely icing on an already sweet cake.
Wedding planning sucks. There is a lot of issues with crazy vendors, timing, and even the guests. Who doesn't love that weird and estranged family member that is coming to your wed...
ding. Well here is a very simple solution to handle "Uncle Roger" and all the rigors and stress that come with planning.
Hire Laura.
That simple. Her team was kind, attentive, and dedicated to fielding our wedding during a global pandemic and helping us schedule around the chaos. Part of me thinks I should get married again just to have her plan it again. (JOKE) Overall, this was an A++ experience and I fully endorse her for anyone looking to have the help and dedication she can provide.
Hiring Fierce was the best decision we made for our wedding. As a pandemic couple, we had to make hundreds of difficult decisions and I feel confident saying we would not have had ...
the beautiful and safe wedding we had if not for Laura and her team. Not only were they gender inclusive and kind, they also handled everything on our day. Any problems that arose never made it to me even afterward, and I'm so grateful for their support.
Thanks for making our wedding fierce, safe, and perfect!
Fierce Productions was great for our wedding! Laura (owner) and her team did a COVID wedding giveaway and as the winner of the giveaway, Laura provided professional, timely, and we...
ll-organized services. She is an ally for the LGBTQ+ community, and was excited for all of our ideas as we are very non-traditional. She also brainstormed other ideas, and helped bring our wedding day vision together! I would recommend Laura not only for weddings, but also other events. Her team had our wedding timeline down to the minute and everything went very smoothly (I would not have known if something actually went wrong!). Trust Laura with any event, her team is awesome!
Laura and Fierce productions are the best in the business! We were referred by a friend who worked with Fierce in the past and it was the best investment we could have ever made to...
make sure our special day went off without a hitch! We began working with Laura pre Covid for our wedding scheduled June of 2020 which had to unfortunately be postponed until the following year. Prior to Covid she and her team were instrumental in reaching out to our vendors, providing clear information around contracts and timelines. She was absolutely amazing around communicating with us and scheduling bi weekly meetings which provided so much peace of mind even during a pandemic! Fierce’s industry expertise and vendor network really made these meetings fun, collaborative, and seamless as we progressed to our wedding date.
As I mentioned, due to unforeseen circumstances Laura helped us put together a mini wedding from one of Fierce’s packages to honor our original date. Despite the short lead time we had before our mini wedding in our backyard, Laura and her creative team were immediately on top of meeting all of our wedding requests. Laura and the Fierce team put together a custom package with photographer, florist, catering, mini wedding cake, and music that exceeded our expectations and created a completely unique intimate beautiful experience that we will never forget. I cannot say enough around her willingness to go above and beyond to create a memorable experience for her clients. She truly builds a genuine relationship with her clients so much so that she feels like our extended family. We are extremely grateful for having her work on our mini wedding, and we look forward to continuing to work with her for our larger wedding celebration next year!
When people recommended we hire a day-of coordinator while we were planning our wedding, my husband and I were initially skeptical. We had handled everything else so far, so why sp...
lurge on the extra expense? But Laura was honestly great and provided indispensable help and advice. She helped us create a schedule, communicated with our vendors, and made sure our day was as fun, easy, and perfect as possible. She was knowledgeable, professional, communicative, and fun to work with!
I can't recommend Laura enough. We hired Laura because we wanted a fun and unique wedding in New Orleans (we and Fierce are Chicago based), but we both work full time and aren't gr...
eat at time management or making decisions. We threw a bunch of ideas at her and she came back with a story and a vision for our day. She would have been great for those reasons alone- because she is so organized, creative, dedicated, and plans amazing events- but throw a pandemic on top of that and oh my god this was the best money we have spent. I'm still a little numb and very sad to have to move our wedding as a result of COVID, but having Laura there to handle all our vendors to move the wedding has been such a weight off our shoulders. Especially since our wedding is a destination wedding. I have time to cry! Haha. (for real though) She truly shines under pressure. I wanted to wait to write a review until after we got married, but I couldn't wait to share how happy we are with all the work she has done so far and how relieving it is to have her during this time. Yeah, a pandemic might not happen during your wedding. Things will go wrong though and nothing is perfect. Having Laura in your corner will get. things. done. And she cares, she really cares.
Choosing Laura and the Fierce Team to coordinate our wedding was one of the best decisions we made! Laura ensured that our wedding proceeded flawlessly from start to finish and han...
dled every detail. We did not have to worry about a single thing on our wedding day and were able to focus on having a great time! Laura brought a fun, relaxed energy and we were impressed by her ability to direct our large bridal party and keep everyone informed and on-time. Not only did Laura ensure that the wedding day went smoothly, but she helped us to select great vendors and kept our stress level low throughout the planning process. If anyone is on the fence about hiring a wedding coordinator, I would 100% recommend choosing Fierce Productions!
My husband and I are from the event industry and have worked with Laura in a professional setting. When planning our wedding we always knew we wanted Laura and Fierce Productions t...
o manage the day-of our wedding. She is VERY detail orientated, professional, and knows how to whip people into shape. My biggest wish during my wedding was to feel like I wasn't working - and Laura and her team acted swiftly and with such an ease that made me feel comfortable enough to just enjoy our day. Thanks Laura!
If you're on the fence about hiring a wedding planner, think you can do it all on your own, or are considering tasking a family member with day-of wedding coordination duties—pleas...
e, please, please reconsider and HIRE LAURA!
Hiring Laura as our month-of wedding coordinator was the best decision we made throughout the wedding planning process. Unlike other month-of coordinators we spoke with, Laura starts working with you three months before the wedding and was always an email away whenever I had questions or needed a vendor referral. My husband is a project manager and I like to think I'm extremely organized, but I truly cannot imagine how we would've gotten through our wedding day without her and her team. She is understanding, organized, professional, flexible, and an all-around amazing human.
During our final walkthrough, she asked critical questions we never would've thought of and knew all of the details about every detail. She reviewed every word of every vendor contract and resolved a few issues that stemmed from the fine print. The day before the wedding, Laura and her husband, Joel, picked up our signage, helped coordinate the handoff of tiki mugs for our signature cocktail, organized the name cards, placed the table numbers inside our table number holders, etc.
The day of the wedding, her team truly went above and beyond. There were sooo many tiny, but important details about our day that would've slipped through the cracks without Laura, Joel, and Lizzie. Several things did not go according to plan and her team handled every hiccup so well. Laura offered her honest opinion when I agonized over the decision to put the plastic sides of an outdoor tent up so our reception wouldn't get rained out. She offered to buy me a bottle of sauvignon blanc when the catering company accidentally supplied chardonnay. Finally, they navigated the biggest issue of the night—when a tile on the dance floor broke and A GUEST FELL THROUGH—like true pros.
If you're looking for a fabulous, fearless, and fierce planner who will remember every last detail and keep you sane after the dance floor breaks and a guest gets injured at your wedding reception, HIRE LAURA!
Hire Laura & The Fierce Team!!!
Laura and her team jumped in to help coordinate our wedding day with under two weeks notice. I think that must be a record and they did a fantastic...
job. This was a TALL task and Laura and her team hit the ball out of the park - they were organized, thoughtful, and passionate about our vision for our wedding. Below are some of the particular reasons we found her to be truly Top Tier.
1. Relaxed But Organized & Detail Oriented
There are many people in the wedding business who are good executors but their energy level is extremely high and they take a "command and control" approach. Laura is an excellent executor but is also relaxed and fun. This is uncommon and it's deeply fulfilling to work with someone with this mixture.
2. Everyone Talked About How Good Laura & Her Team Were
More than any other vendor at our wedding, people came up to us during and after the wedding and mentioned how strong Laura and her team were. None of these comments were prompted by us. So not only was our experience very good but all of our friends and family felt how well coordinated the wedding was because of her work.
3. Support of LGBTQ Community
While we are a straight couple and in many ways had a traditional wedding, it was meaningful to us to work with someone who has built a business around serving the LGBTQ community. That has special meaning for us.
4. Passion For Our Special Quirks To The Wedding
Laura tries to find the "thing" or "special part" of a couple's wedding vision and she executes against it. For us, it was a dance to Call Me Maybe with light up gold shoes for the wedding party. It sounds quirky and weird but there was a surprising amount of coordination that went into making it all happen. Laura understood the importance of this and made it happen which put us over the moon - it's the thing we talk about most from our wedding.
5. Humility
The amount of things Laura and her team did behind the scenes without us knowing is astounding. From writing a wonderfully detailed personal note to us in our wedding book to dropping off the top of our cake at our hotel room so we could share at that night at 2am with friends - Laura and her team were very happy to be the behind the scenes coordinators.
I think it's fair to say that we will never forget the impact that Laura and her team had on our special day for the rest of our lives. We'd work with her again in a heartbeat.
Laura from Fierce Productions is the BEST in the biz! Our very first meeting with her was a “real talk” budget discussion where she helped my fiancé and me adjust our plans for our...
big day to fit a more realistic and practical vision. She was straightforward, professional, flexible, and extremely dedicated to and enthusiastic about helping plan our event. She recommended several of our vendors for the big day (ReVrb Sound, The Flower Girl Company, Allie Appel Photography) and each and every one of them knocked it out of the park. Laura also put together a killer team of day-of coordinators to make everything smooth on the big day, and they handled the small hiccups throughout the day so well that we never even knew that anything went wrong! I would absolutely recommend Laura and Fierce Productions to anyone looking to plan their big day!
Bringing in Laura and the Fierce Productions team to lead our final wedding planning and coordination efforts was the BEST decision. We opted for the month-of coordination package,...
which was perfect for our needs. Plus, the first really big planning call actually takes place 3 months out, which is super helpful for getting all those little things that fallen off the radar back on track. Between that call and the big day, Laura was never far away, checking in as needed with reminders, to-dos, and helpful templates and tips, until fully taking the reins in the final weeks. She is friendly, fun, bright, accountable, honest about what will and won’t matter, but also understanding and supportive when you just can’t let go of some of those things that won’t matter. ;) The day of, she was a calming presence throughout, handling things as they came up without either me or my husband even knowing anything happened at all. Lizzie also supported us on the day of, and she is as lovely as she is fierce. The duo divided and conquered to manage our day like a piece of cake, leaving us to enjoy every minute. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
I was the first person to tell you that anything more than a day of coordinator for your wedding was entirely useless. However, I ate my words countless times throughout the days l...
eading up to my wedding and even on the day itself. Laura’s “Month of” services are an absolute necessity if you want to maintain your sanity and enjoy your wedding, not run it. I cannot tell you how many times I looked at Laura and told her, “You were right.” My now husband even said the same thing. I knew Laura before Fierce, and have witnessed as she busted her ass to get her business off its feet. Let me tell you, she has found her calling. She works tirelessly to make sure clients are satisfied while supporting and uplifting the uniqueness in every couple and every person she meets. Homegirl stood in a bathtub steaming my cape veil while I got ready, gave me the leather jacket off of her back to wear when I got cold taking pictures at the Adler, (THE most badass shot of my day!) and wrapped up every little stinking detail in a neat little bow. Laura is communicative, sweet, and patient throughout the process. Her referrals were outstanding and completely up to par. Joel (her partner for running the actual day) is the perfect compliment to her skillset and they made sure my wedding day was seamless. Supposedly things went “wrong” on the day of my wedding, but I have absolutely no idea what those things were. Laura and Joel were like ducks on a pond - totally calm above the water and paddling like mad underneath. They made sure our day was everything we could have dreamed of and more. Don’t be like I was; admit to yourself now that you need someone to run your day, and take the stress away early. (Also want to mention - support your local, women run, LGBTQ+ friendly businesses ya’ll. Businesses like Fierce Productions are diamonds in the rough)
We can't say enough good things about Fierce Productions! When we first met Laura, we were impressed by her professionalism, friendliness, and her willingness to help us achieve ex...
actly what we wanted out of our wedding.
She certainly lived up to this first impression; she is thorough, detailed, and most importantly, dedicated to helping us achieve our vision. Our wedding was quite non traditional but Laura rolled with every request we threw at her and helped us make it even better. She was a meticulous note-taker and organizer and remembered even small details that were important to us.
On the day of the event, she was an invaluable person to have as a point of contact for all of the vendors. We were not asked a question even once from our vendors; Laura was able to take care of everything so we could simply focus on our guests and have a blast at our party.
We highly recommend Fierce Productions to anyone looking for a wedding or event planner.
We had an unforgettable, unique, “party-of-the-decade” wedding and we couldn’t have done it without Fierce.
Sure, everyone says they couldn’t do it without a planner, but we trul...
y understand that this team was special and any other team would have resulted in a less perfect wedding for us.
Here are the qualities that made Fierce outstanding:
1. Unicorn-whisperers - In our first meeting, Laura was keen at highlighting the quirky things that were special to us. That meeting was all about listening to who we were as people, our dreams and expectations for the big day, and how we wanted our guests to feel. The first thing that Laura wrote down in her notebook that day was “Chimpanzee ring bearer”. By the time the wedding came around, my husband had given up on that dream, but Laura made it happen!
2. Adaptable to different personalities - During the 10 months we had to plan, Laura filled in the gaps in our capabilities and availability. She also catered to my need to walk through every detail and my husband’s need to get the cliff notes. As a perfectionist who stresses out a lot, while simultaneously being really short on time, I can be pretty tough to work with. I appreciated that Laura never made me feel bad about this, and just adapted to what I needed. I was never made to feel that I was not heard or not in control.
3. Creative / artistic - The Fierce team is fiercely creative and was able to take our nebulous ideas and turn them into a cohesive design (with several directions to choose from). This was pretty involved since we were going for “untraditional and unforgettable”. We were so comfortable with Fierce’s understanding of who we were, and their eye for design and detail, that we happily granted them executive authority to make changes day-of.
4. Well-connected to miracle-workers - Fierce introduced us to vendors who all seemed to provide that extra level of personalization.
5. Organized - They set our expectations with budget (we came in under budget), and gave us software to keep track of everything. They also packed everything up at the end of the night - nothing was missing, and they packed us a ton of flowers!
6. Sharp and capable - On the wedding day, we had 3 master executors from Fierce taking care of all of the details and providing constant support and direction. They arrived in the morning at the groom’s dressing location and my bridal suite armed with their timelines. At least one of the Fierce crew was with me at all times. They anticipated every need, made sure we ate, managed the vendors, and dealt with the last-minute things like implementing our rain plan (crazy storms that day).
7. More than planners - The Fierce team didn’t treat us like clients, but friends. They got to know our family members and bridal party. Laura was part of my girl crew for dress fittings, etc (but also did a great job of herding the cats and quizzing vendors). Because of Fierce, our vendors were engaged in our vision and really put their hearts into our day.
The feedback from our wedding guests were along the lines of “epic”, “so perfectly you”, “intimate and emotional”, “stunningly beautiful”, and “how can you top a surprise chimpanzee??”.
So now that the wedding is over, we miss our regular calls with the Fierce team. Since then, I planned a small baby shower for someone. It was a thousand times more stressful without their help. For the next event, I won’t think twice about calling them!
Laura was the driving force behind why my wedding day experience was perfect. She has every quality you would ever hope to find in a wedding planner: dependable, communicative, tho...
rough, accessible and most importantly kind. If you go with Laura for your day, you will be going with someone who truly cares that your day is your best day and will do everything in her power to make sure that happens. Our wedding was our best day and it wouldn’t have been as relaxing and seamless and what I can only describe as walking through a beautiful dream without Laura behind the scenes.
Fierce Productions is an amazing event company! They made sure that my wedding day was perfect by going above and beyond what I expected. I would recommend them to anyone needing p...
rofessional help for their event, large or small!
Fierce Productions made our wedding a lovely symphony!
My partner and I work in advertising/marking space, and I often plan and manage events for my job. We were immediately impre...
ssed by Laura. We liked her style, and as her company name accurately states, she is FIERCE! Fierce Productions manages events at the Colvin House, a lovely mansion on Chicago’s north side. My partner and I did quite a bit of the planning before we hired Fierce Productions, but as we drew closer to the event date we knew we needed a trusted planning professional to make sure everything went perfect the day of the wedding, and it did.
She asked for all the contracts, contacts and people that were involved in the wedding and Laura crafted the mother ship of event plans, all details, even down to literally the last second of our special day. Laura managed the logistical communications between our vendors, as well as friends and family that were involved that day.
Laura is timely, considerate, professional and a ton of fun. We knew she was the right fit for not only us but for our event in general. To say Fierce Productions is LGBTQ friendly is an understatement, Laura felt like family. My only regret is that we didn’t hire her earlier in the process. She worked magic resolving a few logistical issues that bubbled up with our expanding guest list, and with a few vendors that were not as timely as we needed them to be since we were on a really short timeline.
Hiring Laura was the best investment for our wedding. It allowed my partner and me to focus on the day, our guests and let us enjoy every moment of not only the wedding but the days leading up to as well as the wrap up at the event location.
Laura and Fierce Productions, 100% recomended!
YOU GUYS - listen to me, hire Fierce Productions for your wedding. A. Laura is THE coolest person who you would want at your wedding anyway and B. she gave us such peace of mind an...
d a sense of organization leading up to the wedding that we didn't even know we were missing. I was on the fence about hiring a planner because I was doing (and enjoying) the planning myself but I'm so glad we did. She knew exactly what she was doing, streamlined all the ideas I already had, and took care of the minute details that I probably would have missed and panicked about when the wedding rolled around. I didn't worry about one thing as far as the execution of things on the day of the wedding. She was also like a weird mind-reader/magician. As soon as I would look around for a drink of water (or wine) she would appear out of nowhere with whatever I needed. She was always right where you wanted her to be without you even noticing. Five (hundred) stars, best wedding decision we made.
When we first started thinking about the wedding, we knew we wanted to have it in New England, but we really didn’t know of any venues on the East Coast. It was a daunting prospect...
to try to sort through all the options. We discussed our plans with Laura and she came back to us with a really extensive list of venues that fit our budget and style. We went through them together and she promptly reached out to the coordinators at the places we liked. Pretty soon after our meeting we were able to select the venue based on her research and it ended up being exactly what we wanted.
Laura was also able to get a sense of our style very quickly and helped us plan a wedding that suited our personalities rather than planning a cookie-cutter wedding. She was very enthusiastic and supportive of our vision and tried to select vendors who would fit with the aesthetic we were trying to create.
Honestly, we would have been so far behind schedule if Laura hadn’t continually (but gently) kept us on top of our duties. There are so many elements that go into planning a wedding that we would have let slide, but she was conscientious about reminding us of deadlines so as not to fall behind.
It was also really impressive how she was able to coordinate everything remotely from Chicago. We were nervous about how it would all turn out because we didn’t have a chance to spend much time in New England before the wedding. Somehow Laura was able to work her magic though and everything seemed to fall into place!
On the day of the wedding she was diligent in making sure everything ran smoothly. Because of her, we didn’t have to worry about small details and we were free to enjoy our Big Day with only the customary pre-wedding jitters.The whole event really did go off without a hitch and we attribute most of that to Laura’s seamless behind-the-scenes execution.
If you are looking for a organized, kind, and efficient planner, we couldn’t recommend Laura more!
Laura (and Kelley) did an awesome job! We went with the "Final Countdown" (month of) package, as most of our planning was already set when we started talking with Laura. She coordi...
nated with all of our vendors for their meal selection and any last minute contract questions that arose. She also directed our rehearsal and gave my bridal party lots of best practice and advice for the day of. It felt like a day didn't go by that we did not speak with Laura in some capacity the week or so leading up to the wedding. The morning of she reconfirmed all logistics with me over a cup of coffee and touched base with the venue multiple times about our potential rain plan (it didn't rain!). Laura went above and beyond and we couldn't be happier with the work that the Fierce Productions crew did!
Laura (and her event assistant Kelley) was an amazing wedding planner. We signed up for her month-of service, and for that month she ensured that every detail was taken care of. Sh...
e really helped put us at ease by ensuring that we didn't forget or miss any details. She coordinated all of our vendors, day-of payments, ran the rehearsal, and helped set up decor. She was very professional, organized, and friendly. Would recommend her as a planner to anyone.
What can we say?! Laura was professional, kind and oh so helpful from the very beginning! She brought a sense of calm and ease through out the entire day! Her help keeping me on ta...
sk leading up to the wedding was so helpful, she was great at keeping me focused and when I felt like I had no idea what I was doing or what I needed to do she guided me. Day of it was amazing to have someone telling me where to go, what to do and was always there to help bustle or grab me a drink. Her help during photos was a blast too, her constant support and cheering on of how awesome we looked made me feel like a queen! I didn't think I needed a coordinator when I started planning our wedding but I am so so glad I had Laura there for me. If you are looking for a fierce lady you will make you feel like a true queen on your big day Laura is the gal for you!
Laura is a true professional who also feels like a friend. She was genuinely excited about my event and made sure every aspect of the night was perfect. You can 100% trust her to t...
urn your vision into reality!!!!
We cannot say enough amazing things about Laura and Fierce Productions. We are both very Type-A and thought we could take care of everything ourselves, but holy cow we are so glad ...
that we didn’t. From our first meeting with Laura, we could tell that she was fun, organized, and ready to tackle any challenge thrown her way. Rather than “Day of” Coordination, Fierce offers “Month of” Coordination and it is the perfect way of doing things. There was constant contact with our vendors to make sure that everyone was on the same page and Laura provided us with an updated and detailed timeline to make sure everything was kept on track for our wedding day. We had just made a cross-country move and because we didn’t have a lot of local contacts or referrals, we had some trouble finding some reasonably priced and reliable vendors, but every single one of Laura’s suggestions from dress alterations to florist were spot on and we couldn’t have been happier with the results of their work. As far as our day, Laura and her husband Joel were able to organize an eclectic group of personalities on a tight timeline. At one point, a finicky bridesmaid refused to walk on the grass in her new shoes for pictures and Laura literally GAVE HER THE SHOES OFF HER FEET! If that isn’t enough reason for you to hire this company, I don’t know what is. Our hotel shuttle accidently took our guests to the wrong wedding and we had no idea until we found out that Laura worked with hotel management to get us some extra benefits for the snafu. Laura and Joel were checking in with us the whole time of our reception, making sure we got a drink if wanted, and kept us hydrated with a cup of water delivery every 20 minutes. They gave us peace of mind and let us enjoy our day without any worries. All of our guests complimented what a great job they did taking care of us. HIRE THEM! HIRE THEM! HIRE THEM!
When we began planning our wedding ceremony Glacier National Park, we knew immediately that we would be plan a local reception for our friends and family. What began as an idea for...
a small casual and nerdy gathering of about 50-60 people, quickly grew to over 100. Having just started a new job in a new career I also quickly found myself totally overwhelmed with all the details that go into a big reception. Trying to find vendors that were available for our reception date started to feel impossible, playing endless phone tag after work, only to find that they weren’t available and I’d have to start my search over again. Along with planning an out-of-state elopement ceremony I was completely stressed, and in over my head.
The last straw was when the bakery I thought I had booked for our desserts, went out of business 2 months before our reception. With more vendors yet to find I knew if I didn’t find help I would never be able to do all the work needed in time. I decided to contact Laura at Fierce Productions, and I’m so glad I did.
Right away from our first meeting with Laura we were impressed with her bold personality, and “Can-Do” attitude. I immediately felt like we had made the right decision and with her help we would be actually able to pull off the reception we were hoping for. She was able to connect us with excellent vendors, that were available for our reception date, and continue communication with them during the whole planning process so we could relax and actually look forward to it. Along with her creative ideas, and prompt way of attacking any problems that arose, we were able to have the reception that we had hoped for. Our guests were absolutely thrilled with everything, down to all the details that we would not have thought of on our own.
If you find yourself in over your head with planning a unique wedding, you can find no better ally and advocate than Laura at Fierce Productions. We cannot begin to thank her enough for all of her hard work that led to the reception of our dreams. It is all reflected in all the many compliments we have gotten, and I’m sure we will continue to get. Thank you!
Laura and her team at Fierce Productions truly made our wedding day special and memorable! For all of our timelines, DIY projects, and vendor coordination, Laura was there to tackl...
e it all and did it with ease. I never once felt that we were missing something or behind on deadlines. She was absolutely on top of every contract, schedule, alternate plans, and guest itineraries. Even when our limo broke down day of, Laura and her assistant Kelly made sure to take care of it and keep me and my husband calm in the process. I highly recommend Fierce Productions for your wedding day or special event and cannot thank them enough for all that they've done.
Laura Reitsma is the ultimate wedding planner. I repeat; if you are within any reasonable distance of this magical, hardworking, FIERCE human—hire her. From day 1, Laura was attent...
ive, flexible to our needs, thoroughly organized, and willing to support our out-of-the-box vision. She kept us calm throughout the planning process, while sharing her tips and tricks of the trade. Laura is brilliant at budgeting, and she KNOWS how to achieve any detail you desire in a sustainable & practical manner. I cannot stress enough how efficient, professional, and CLASSY Laura is. Any time we needed a recommendation, Laura had the top contacts to offer. Everyone we met through Fierce Productions was SPECTACULAR. They went above and beyond our wildest dreams. From the man who helped print our invitations, to our caterer, DJ, and photographer...Laura led us to the kindest, most lovely, creative, quality artists. We were at ease day of because Laura runs a show like no other. She is a goddess, and her assistant/wonderful husband Joel were absolute rockstars. Every detail was executed perfectly. Our wedding was elegant & FUN. We were able to be present for all of our special day due to the Fierce Productions team. We heard from many of our guests that the attention to detail was especially impressive, and that we had “the best wedding” they’d ever been to. Fierce Productions is the wisest, coolest event company you will find. Hire now.
From our first discussion on the phone to the end of the wedding night, Laura was amazing!
We hired Laura to coordinate our day-of activities and she started working with me the ...
month before the wedding to get the feel of what we had already worked out and what needed to be completed. She jumped right in and was able to smoothly and effectively pick up where I had left off in the planning...and made it better. She had great ideas and worked with me every step of the way. And the day-of was tremendous, from the time she met me at my hair appointment until the end, she coordinated everything perfectly. My wedding party gave me numerous compliments about Laura, saying she was professional and on top of everything, but in a fun and respectful manner. I recommended her services highly!
Laura and her team were so helpful, all the stress I was worried about melted away after our very first meeting. She was able to customize her services to what we needed and was th...
ere every step to make sure we had all our bases covered. She was so thoughtful, so prepared and so impressive that even my little brother says he wants to use her for his (someday in the far future) wedding! I knew we’d pickes the right folks when I saw pictures of my mum actually relaxing and having fun instead of trying to take care of everyone like usual— that speaks volumes. Because of Laura we will truly get to cherish every memory of our wedding because we were able to be fully present for it.
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Chicago, Miami + Worldwide
Fierce Productions