LOLA Event Productions

What LOLA Event Productions does

LOLA Event Productions is a Chicago-based, female-owned wedding and event planning firm founded in 2006 by Lori Stephenson, now co-led by Managing Partners Kristy Diana and Michelle Vining alongside the founder. The company employs four full-time planners supported by an in-house mentorship pipeline, and operates from a by-appointment design studio in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood. Since founding it has served more than 800 couples and has been named to best-planners lists by Brides Magazine, Vogue Magazine, Chicago Magazine, The Knot, Modern Luxury, and Party Slate.

The firm sells fee-based, scope-defined planning packages rather than percentage-of-budget pricing. The four-tier ladder spans Lavish LOLA (full-service planning with a dedicated owner, starting at $20,000), Little Bit of LOLA (partial planning starting at $6,500), Last Minute LOLA (implementation and day-of coordination starting at $4,800), and Power Planning (a single 2-hour coaching session at $1,000). A separate Corporate and Social Events offering addresses holiday parties, fundraisers, marketing events, and off-site meetings. Distribution runs through the company's website, an active Instagram presence, 168+ real-wedding blog features, listings on The Knot, Wedding Wire, and Carats & Cake, plus a referral flywheel from a network of 100+ Chicago venues and hundreds of event professionals.

The business model is project-based professional services with intentionally limited seasonal bookings — capacity is constrained by planner count rather than demand, which functions as a quality control lever and a deliberate growth cap. Revenue is one-time per engagement with no recurring contracts, and the company is privately held with no disclosed external funding or parent company. Geographic focus is regional (Chicago and surrounding areas), with no current signals of geographic expansion beyond the metro.

Name

LOLA Event Productions

Legal name

LOLA Event Productions, LLC

Website

https://lolaeventproductions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

LOLA Event Productions is a Chicago-based, female-owned wedding and event planning firm offering tiered fee-based packages from $1,000 to $20,000+. Four full-time planners serve couples and corporate clients with intentionally limited seasonal bookings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wedding and Event Planning Services

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Vendor Sourcing & Management (Venues, Catering, Photo/Video, Music) (HSACABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ceremony Planning & Officiant Coordination (HSACABAL), Reception Planning & Guest Experience (Seating, Favors, Hospitality) (HSACABAM), Party Invitations, Stationery & Guest Management (HSACACAK)

Keywords

• Wedding planning services
• Event coordination
• Event design services
• Corporate event planning
• Wedding venue coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Wedding Planning Services: LOLA generates revenue through fee-based professional event planning services. They offer four distinct service packages ranging from comprehensive full-service planning (Lavish LOLA) to implementation-only services (Last Minute LOLA) and one-time consulting sessions (Power Planning). Pricing is proposal-based and tied to the scope of work provided rather than a percentage of the wedding budget, allowing for honest conversations about individual costs. Revenue is one-time/project-based rather than recurring.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

LOLA Event Productions provides fee-based wedding and event planning, coordination, and design services from a Chicago studio. The company offers four wedding packages — Lavish LOLA (full-service planning and design), Little Bit of LOLA (partial planning), Last Minute LOLA (final-month implementation), and Power Planning (single 2-hour coaching session) — alongside dedicated Corporate and Social Events planning for non-wedding occasions. Pricing is proposal-based and tied to scope of work rather than a percentage of event budget.

Product overview

LOLA Event Productions is a Chicago-based wedding and event planning company offering a tiered service model with four distinct planning packages: Lavish LOLA (full-service planning with dedicated owners), Little Bit of LOLA (partial planning with strategic guidance), Last Minute LOLA (implementation-focused final-month coordination), and Power Planning (single intensive 2-hour coaching session). The company also provides specialized Corporate and Social Events services. All packages are customizable and fee-based rather than percentage-based, with starting prices ranging from $1,000 to $20,000.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lavish LOLA

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 800 couples served since 2006
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• 100+ Chicago Venues and Event SpacescoreOthersLOLA has professional relationships with hundreds of Chicago's most popular wedding and event venues including hotels, private clubs, museums, historical buildings, restaurants, ballrooms, lofts, galleries, gardens, and private estates. These include The Drake Hotel, Field Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Botanic Gardens, University Club of Chicago, and many others. The company appears on many preferred venue lists but does not pay to be included and is recommended on merit alone.
• Chicago Event Professionals NetworkcoreOthersLOLA works with hundreds of event professionals across all price ranges including caterers, photographers, videographers, florists, decorators, rental companies, entertainers, stationers, hair and makeup artists, transportation providers, and more. The company maintains open vendor policies and welcomes new talent clients discover independently.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Keely Thorne Events: Chicago-based wedding and event planning firm with a comparable boutique model, serving premium couples in the city and surrounding suburbs. Operates with a similar consultative sales process and tiered service packages.
• Soiree Event Productions: Chicago luxury wedding and event planner focused on high-end couples and corporate clients. Closely comparable positioning, geography, and full-service planning offering.
• LK Events: Chicago-based wedding and event planning firm offering full-service, partial, and month-of coordination. Directly comparable service tiers, geography, and SMB wedding clientele.
• Big City Bride: Long-established Chicago wedding planner providing coordination, design, and vendor sourcing for urban weddings. Comparable target market and service mix to LOLA.
• J. Levine Events: Chicago event planning firm with wedding and corporate offerings, similar tiered service model, and overlapping vendor network. Competes for the same mid-to-premium couples in the Chicago market.
• Engaging Events by Carrie: Boutique wedding and event planner offering full-service planning and design in the Chicago metro. Comparable scale, pricing approach, and client profile.
• Taylor Made Events: Wedding and event planning firm serving Chicago and destination weddings with a focus on full-service design and coordination. Comparable boutique positioning and service tiers.

Broad incumbents

• Mindy Weiss Party Consultants: Nationally recognized celebrity wedding and event planner operating at the very top of the luxury market. Comparable craft (wedding planning and design) but a much larger celebrity client base and broader geographic reach than LOLA.

Others

• The Knot (Xposure, Inc.): Leading wedding marketplace and vendor directory that LOLA actively uses as a marketing channel. Adjacent rather than competitive — The Knot aggregates demand and lists planners like LOLA, but does not itself provide hands-on planning services.
• Zola: End-to-end wedding platform offering registries, planning tools, and vendor connections. Not a direct competitor but an adjacent ecosystem player whose tools could substitute or complement a boutique planner's offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/lolaeventpros
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVV-nVh6XwJ4BBDxrKlKtcQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/LOLA-Event-Productions/256116854262
• Instagraminstagram.com/lolaeventpros
• Pinterestpinterest.com/lolaeventpros

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LOLA Event Productions