Chicago, USA

LORI STEPHENSON AND LAUREN CARTER

Lori Stephenson (a.k.a. “LO”) and Lauren Carter (a.k.a. “LA”) co-founded LOLA Event Productions in 2006 after collaborating on other ventures in the wedding business. They are included regularly in national and local print and online publications featuring their client’s events, tips on wedding planning, and trends within the industry. Their education includes advanced degrees in design, business and marketing, and Lori’s college honors thesis focused on the history and origins of bridal traditions in multiple cultures. Their diverse 30+ years of business experience include everything from fashion and marketing events to managing large festivals. Over 25 years of their careers have been spent specifically focused on making their clients’ dream weddings come true.

Lori and Lauren have planned weddings everywhere from backyards, ballrooms and beaches, to airplane hangars, museums and galleries. Their true passion is helping clients plan chic, fun and creative weddings that say something about them as a couple. They thrive on finding creative solutions to individual client challenges. Finding and incorporating special and meaningful touches is their signature

Top Reasons to Plan Your Wedding in Chicago

Known as the “Second City” – Chicago is a first-rate international destination with the very best in hotels, restaurants, culture, comedy, shopping and architecture.

Chicago is the perfect urban destination for bi-costal couples wanting to make travel costs more affordable for their guests because it is ½ way between the East and West Coasts with 2 international airports for ease of travel.

Chicago is home to some of the most culturally enriching sites in the country including The Museum of Modern Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, and The Museum of Science and Industry just to name a few.

An architectural dream, Chicago is home to hundreds of architecturally notable buildings built by architects like Daniel Burnham, Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan who flocked to the city in an effort to rebuild after the Chicago fire of 1871. Chicago is also home to the tallest building in the country – The Willis Tower…

Chicago’s lakefront is 24 miles of public parks and space that can be enjoyed year round. They include the nation’s oldest zoo (still offering free admission!), a museum campus that hosts the Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum and Adler Planetarium, Soldier Field – home of the Chicago Bears, Navy Pier, public beaches, boating marinas and a bike path that spans the length of the city…And don’t forget Buckingham Fountain!

Chicago’s sports teams offer fun for a true fan or a casual observer. Everyone has fun at the historic Wrigley Field to take in a Cubs Game in the summer! Also readily accessible: Sox Baseball, Bears Football, Blackhawks hockey, Bulls Basketball, and Fire Soccer.

No trip to Chicago would be complete without spending time in Millennium Park – home to the world famous “Bean” and Pritzger Concert Pavilion.

Some of my favorite “Chicago” movies – to put you in the mood to start planning your wedding in “Sweet Home Chicago”:

The Blues Brothers
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
High Fidelity
The Fugitive
The Dark Knight
Public Enemies
My Best Friend’s Wedding – of course!

Testimonials

What can we say? Thank you wouldn’t be enough. Our wedding was the best moment of both our lives, but it would have been nothing without you! You understood our vision, and delivered it t us in a way that was even more beautiful than we could have imagined ourselves. No matter how crazy our requests, you managed to find a way to make it happen. You are fabulous, your team is amazing, and our wedding was… well… RIDICULOUS!

– Candance & Justice

Thanks for all your creativity and hard work. Everything was awesome! The day exceeded our expectations. The décor you designed was beautiful, your recommended vendors were amazing, you were totally professional, and we really enjoyed working with you. We will absolutely be recommending LOLA to friends.

We seriously can’t express how much we appreciate you!

- Lindsey and Mike

Thank you so much for all the work you did for our wedding. I have to say it was absolutely gorgeous. There has been nothing but talk of this being the most beautiful wedding that people had ever seen – “Straight out of the movies…” – none of it possible without you. I can never thank you enough! The set up for the ceremony and reception – everything was just stunning and I couldn’t have dreamed of a more beautiful way to get married. Thank you, Thank you, a million times… Thank you!

- Gretchen & Alex