Liven It Up Events is a comprehensive event planning and production company dedicated to assisting clients in defining and realizing their event aspirations. Our mission is to collaboratively shape a distinct vision by employing established planning techniques, creative concepts, state-of-the-art event resources, and valuable connections. Utilizing our professional expertise, we transform ideas into vibrant events. We foster strong client relationships through collaborative partnerships, sharing the journey of event creation. With a foundation of proven methods and enduring connections, our objective is to deliver unforgettable experiences for our clients and create extraordinary moments for attending guests.
The Liven It Up Events Team comprises a skilled ensemble of seasoned Event Planners and Producers. Hailing from diverse backgrounds, each planner contributes a distinctive perspective, united by a shared objective: to bring your envisioned event to life. When you choose Liven It Up Events, you'll collaborate with a dedicated primary Event Planner, reassured by the seamless teamwork among our Planners and Producers, ensuring a wealth of support and innovative ideas for your event. Ultimately, the team collaborates to craft, plan, and produce a remarkable event and an unforgettable experience.
ABOUT YOUR PLANNING TEAM
The Liven It Up Events Team is made up of a collection of experienced and seasoned Event Planners and Producers. Coming from different backgrounds, each planner brings a unique perspective to the table, but all of us have the same goal: to create the event that you envision. When you engage with Liven It Up Events, you will benefit from working with a primary Event Planner, as well as knowing that the Planners and Producers work together to support one another and bring fresh ideas to your event. In the end, the team will craft, plan, and produce a memorable event and experience.
Creativity
We value creativity in all aspects of event planning and production. We believe that every event is unique, and we strive to create innovative and personalized experiences for our clients.
Collaboration
We know that the key to successful event planning and production requires collaboration with our clients, vendors, and event team. We value open communication, listening to feedback, and working together to ensure that every detail is executed flawlessly.
Excellence
We are committed to producing events with integrity and delivering excellence in everything we do. From the quality of our services to our attention to detail, we believe that excellence is key to producing successful events. We hold ourselves to high standards and continuously strive to improve our processes and services.
Anthony Navarro has been planning, coordinating, and executing events for well over a decade. Growing up in a family of Restaurateurs, knowing how to make people feel comfortable at any event is second nature. A native to Chicago, Anthony had graduated from DePaul University and began working in a hotel and mastered the art of planning corporate meetings, social events, and weddings. Having learned how to be overly organized and ready for the best and the worst, working as a restaurant and catering event planner, Anthony’s main goal has always been to plan a memorable and meaningful event for his clients. Starting Liven It Up Events was a dream come true and truly enjoys having the ability to work in a variety of distinctive spaces, crafting unique events. From assisting on the day of an event to creating an event from start to finish, Anthony’s experience makes it an enjoyable and simple process.
Anthony is also the co-founder of organization called, STAND UP, Business Professionals for Marriage Equality and co-creator and co-Host of the Talk Show, "The Wedding Planners". He is author of "The Business of Being A Wedding Planner" and "Walk Me Down the Aisle".
Sally Collar
Sally Collar, Senior Planner, has turned out phenomenal weddings and corporate events for fifteen years, the last twelve in the great city of Chicago. She brings a true passion for combining venue, food, décor and entertainment to find the perfect creative expression of her clients' vision. Leveraging her personal network and experience in restaurants, hotels, venues and catering, she helps to realize those plans with flawless and budget-conscious execution. At the end of the day, she believes connecting personally with her clients is what makes it all possible.
Kim Weinberg
Kim has nearly 15 years of wedding and event planning experience in Chicago. She discovered that she loved events after completing one of her three internships as a catering manager at Ravinia Festival while obtaining her degree in hospitality business from Michigan State University. She has worked at some of the premier catering companies (Levy Restaurants, Phil Stefani Restaurants) and hotels (InterContinental, Drake, Sofitel) in the city. In learning about her clients, their love story and their vision for their wedding, Kim uses this information to incorporate personal details to create the wedding of their dreams. Clients love her impeccable attention to detail and her responsiveness.
Tiffany Wilson
Tiffany has been planning and organizing weddings and events for over 10 years. She has an extensive background which ranges from 7 years in the hospitality industry, producing corporate events, social events and weddings. Born in Houston, Texas, raised in Ridgeland, Mississippi, Tiffany studied marketing at Jackson State University earning a degree in Business Marketing and an MBA in Marketing. Tiffany accepted a marketing role with Pepsi Corporate which brought her to the Chicago.
After enjoying her work with Pepsi in the marketing and events department, she realized her love for working with couples on one of the most important days of their lives. She began to work with various organizations where she produced exquisite weddings, corporate events and various social events. Tiffany has a very culturally diverse portfolio working with South Asian, African, Greek, Asian, Jewish and Traditional American weddings, just to name a few. She prides herself on learning the traditions of each of her client's various cultures and making sure they are implemented seamlessly on their big day.
Tiffany has been praised for her attention to detail and creativity and excels at helping her clients to uncover their vision and bringing it to reality. Her creativeness and friendly personality drives her passion for planning events and helping the dreams of her clients come true.
Trisha Buries
CREATE, ACCOMPLISH and EVOLVE embodies Trisha’s professional and personal values. Born and raised in Chicago, Trisha studied Marketing Communications at the city’s beloved Columbia College. Over the span of her career, her passion for creativity has allowed tremendous growth and success within organizing communications and project management. Trisha’s ability to manage and organize allow her to effectively perform event coordination in both the corporate and wedding arenas. Trisha is solutions focused and performs with integrity, professionalism and dedication. She is praised for her relationship building and her “whatever it takes” approach. As a genuine mentor and creative specialist, she is applauded for her ability to produce sophisticated and elegant events that build and cultivate upon the visions of her clients. Those who have worked with her have enjoyed their experience with Trisha citing her as personable, high energy, sincere and committed to client satisfaction. Words she lives by: "you must PAY ATTENTION in order to show attention to detail".
Lindsay Gaeta
Lindsay Gaeta has over 10 years of experience producing events nationwide, ranging from social celebrations to corporate meetings and multi-day programs. Her career began in hospitality, where she developed a deep appreciation for service, event flow, and the guest experience.
Known for her collaborative style and calm leadership, Lindsay guides clients through complex logistics with confidence and ease while pushing creative boundaries to ensure each event feels unique, intentional, and thoughtfully designed.
Raised in the Midwest ("O-H!") and shaped by many years working in fast-paced event environments such as New York City and Chicago, she brings a flexible, quick-thinking approach to planning that balances approachability with decisive leadership.
Liz Kriegshaber
With a passion for parties and perfection, Liz has more than 11 years of experience planning upscale weddings, bar mitzvahs and social events. She has built strong bonds and respectful relationships with the most notable vendors and venues in the city. Liz is most known for her attention to detail and dedicated work ethic. She has been described by her clients as calm, professional, patient and attentive to their every need. Liz mostly enjoys getting to know the families during the planning process and being a part of the most important celebrations in their lives. The event itself goes by so quickly, so she makes sure that you have a memorable, stress-free planning experience to enjoy.
Fun fact: Liz was a dancer for the Chicago Luvabulls.
Melissa Calabrese
Melissa has over 15 years of corporate and social event experience in Chicago. She discovered her love of event planning at a young age, helping her mother with various charity events and golf outings in the Chicagoland area. She obtained her Bachelors Degree from DePaul University in Chicago, further familiarizing herself with the city and all it has to offer. She brings her knowledge of the hospitality industry, including hotels, venues, caterers, and restaurants to the table, ensuring thoughtful and smooth events for all of her clients. Having worked in decor and floral, her knowledge helps create the right atmosphere for each individual event she plans. Her events have more than once ended in lifelong friends in clientele and industry contacts.
Laura Kimmer
I GREW UP IN THE KITCHEN...
It was there that cooking, drinking and laughing as a family inspired my passion for cooking and entertaining. My parents loved to entertain, and I remember sitting on the stairs peeking down and watching their parties. They were always beautiful, delicious, and fun, and I was forever imprinted. My creative spirit and passion for food and fun led me to open a catering business called Sault & Pepper that I operated for over 20 years. That’s where I learned the art of listening to my clients. I realized that I had not just a passion, but an intuition about what worked for them when it came to planning their events.
After a few years in Washington DC, working for a boutique catering and events firm called Federal City Catering, I returned to Chicago and joined the team at Tablescapes Event Rentals. It was there that I further honed my design skills helping many of the industry's top folks plan their events. I began receiving calls from people who knew I was back in town to plan their special events and maintained relationships with several corporate clients in DC, continuing to plan their large-scale functions.
My approach is simple—form meaningful relationships. Truly listen. And, balance creativity with budget. I love people and there is no better feeling than hearing the words, “You've made my vision come true. You really listened and read between the lines.” My collaborative approach, love for organization, and the details that go into having a flawless event help me create once in a lifetime celebration. This, coupled with long standing relationships with top vendors makes this possible.
MY MANTRA...
live passionately; make a difference; have relationships that grow; do the right thing with integrity; use the power of great ideas to be creative; hold myself to the standard of excellence; have balance; have fun; be successful. If everybody wins, so do I.
Tiffany Wilson
Tiffany has been planning and organizing weddings and events for over 10 years. She has an extensive background which ranges from 7 years in the hospitality industry, producing corporate events, social events and weddings. Born in Houston, Texas, raised in Ridgeland, Mississippi, Tiffany studied marketing at Jackson State University earning a degree in Business Marketing and an MBA in Marketing. Tiffany accepted a marketing role with Pepsi Corporate which brought her to the Chicago.
After enjoying her work with Pepsi in the marketing and events department, she realized her love for working with couples on one of the most important days of their lives. She began to work with various organizations where she produced exquisite weddings, corporate events and various social events. Tiffany has a very culturally diverse portfolio working with South Asian, African, Greek, Asian, Jewish and Traditional American weddings, just to name a few. She prides herself on learning the traditions of each of her client's various cultures and making sure they are implemented seamlessly on their big day.
Tiffany has been praised for her attention to detail and creativity and excels at helping her clients to uncover their vision and bringing it to reality. Her creativeness and friendly personality drives her passion for planning events and helping the dreams of her clients come true.
Lora Sherman
Lora has been working in the events industry for 10+ years. Besides working with the Liven It Up Events team, she works with J&L Catering (Chicago). Lora’s work experience in two different aspects in the event planning industry gives her a broad expertise. Her attention to detail contributes to a successful event making the client’s dreams for a perfect event come true. She has a great personality and comes from a family that enjoys entertaining. She is a graduate of UIC Chicago with a B.A. degree in Fine Arts.
Tiffany Wilson
Tiffany has been planning and organizing weddings and events for over 10 years. She has an extensive background which ranges from 7 years in the hospitality industry, producing corporate events, social events and weddings. Born in Houston, Texas, raised in Ridgeland, Mississippi, Tiffany studied marketing at Jackson State University earning a degree in Business Marketing and an MBA in Marketing. Tiffany accepted a marketing role with Pepsi Corporate which brought her to the Chicago.
After enjoying her work with Pepsi in the marketing and events department, she realized her love for working with couples on one of the most important days of their lives. She began to work with various organizations where she produced exquisite weddings, corporate events and various social events. Tiffany has a very culturally diverse portfolio working with South Asian, African, Greek, Asian, Jewish and Traditional American weddings, just to name a few. She prides herself on learning the traditions of each of her client's various cultures and making sure they are implemented seamlessly on their big day.
Tiffany has been praised for her attention to detail and creativity and excels at helping her clients to uncover their vision and bringing it to reality. Her creativeness and friendly personality drives her passion for planning events and helping the dreams of her clients come true.
Tiffany Wilson
Tiffany has been planning and organizing weddings and events for over 10 years. She has an extensive background which ranges from 7 years in the hospitality industry, producing corporate events, social events and weddings. Born in Houston, Texas, raised in Ridgeland, Mississippi, Tiffany studied marketing at Jackson State University earning a degree in Business Marketing and an MBA in Marketing. Tiffany accepted a marketing role with Pepsi Corporate which brought her to the Chicago.
After enjoying her work with Pepsi in the marketing and events department, she realized her love for working with couples on one of the most important days of their lives. She began to work with various organizations where she produced exquisite weddings, corporate events and various social events. Tiffany has a very culturally diverse portfolio working with South Asian, African, Greek, Asian, Jewish and Traditional American weddings, just to name a few. She prides herself on learning the traditions of each of her client's various cultures and making sure they are implemented seamlessly on their big day.
Tiffany has been praised for her attention to detail and creativity and excels at helping her clients to uncover their vision and bringing it to reality. Her creativeness and friendly personality drives her passion for planning events and helping the dreams of her clients come true.
Tayler Ré
The things you are passionate about are not random. They are your calling.
Tayler's calling to create memorable events began through her personal childhood experience
as a ‘Make a Wish’ recipient and later volunteering with the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation
while earning her degree in Event Management from OSU. These experiences helped her to
understand the value of meaningful relationships and grow to truly appreciate the life changing
impact of a well planned event.
After nearly a decade of planning and designing events of all sizes and styles, Tayler has a
special way of connecting with her clients to build trust and confidence so that every detail is
accounted for.
Tayler's creative thinking and strategic flair will be an important foundation, ensuring your
celebration has a special impact on you and your guests.
