Lisa Jaroscak

Lisa Jaroscak began her career in events in the music and outdoor festival industry working with clients such as the NFL, C3 Productions, Forbes 500 brand sponsors, and various celebrity talent. Her dedication to creating meaningful relationships in the event industry has led to the opening of her restaurant Shore Club, on the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago, which only continued her passion for the events and the hospitality industry.

Since 2013, Lisa has worked with amazing individuals and couples planning weddings and social events. She has had the opportunity to fulfil the vision of memorable moments in breathtaking locations across the globe. Lisa spent time living in Italy, which led to her passion for Old European design and destination experiences.

Elegante Weddings and Events was founded with the passion to create magical moments that will be cherished for a lifetime. Lisa possesses the attention to detail and creative eye to bring the aspiration to life. A number of her previous events have been featured in Modern Luxury, Style Me Pretty, Magnolia Rouge, Wedding Sparrow, and Destination I Do Magazine.

Lisa finds an escape from planning by listening to jazz music and attending the opera. She loves to relax with an Italian or French red wine, preferably big and bold. Lisa is inspired by her love to explore new cities and take in all of the beautiful places across the globe.

Owner and creative director

Joni Taylor

Joni thrives on bringing the dream event to life for her couples. Her niche is finding what makes each client special both as an individual and as a unit to create a perfectly tailored image of their collective styles and personalities. Her attention to each little detail comes from a genuine love and passion for her career as well as her ten plus years of experience as a professional in the hospitality industry. Having expertise in a viscously fast paced environment has allowed her to make any celebration appear effortless.

Joni has a strong sense of self and loves nothing more than to help others. The best part of being part of Elegante Weddings and Events is enjoying working alongside a union of strong females, who share a desired goal of making each celebration unique and memorable.

When Joni isn't working, you could find her enjoying live music with friends or traveling to visit her friends across the globe. To unwind after an exciting wedding weekend she likes to hit the boxing gym or snuggle up with her dog and her latest book. 

Lead Planner and Coordinator

Lucy Rigby

Lucy is passionate about creating personal and long lasting relationships with her couples. Her genuine interest in who they are as people and what brings them joy helps her create unforgettable moments with her clients. Her attention to detail and enthusiasm for weddings and events makes planning with her joyful. Moving abroad has given her a wide variety of exposure to beautiful locations, talented vendors, and many different cultural experiences.

Lucy is originally from the UK, outside of Manchester and moved to Italy right after University. She has worked there for over 15 years in hospitality in various regions of Italy and France. She works with clients to create trips of a lifetime for themselves and their guests through her close connections to local food vendors and winery owners. She is a certified translator and assists with civil and religious services for destination couples looking to get married in any area of Italy.

When Lucy isn't planning events, honeymoons, and vacations for clients and their guests, she likely will be enjoying a glass of wine while listening to Jazz music, cycling around the island of Lido where she lives, or skiing in the dolomites.

Lead Planner

Adrianna Valdez

Lead Planner

Adrianna has been planning and executing elaborate events for some of the largest corporations in the Chicagoland and Midwest area for over 15 years. She brings with her an in-depth understanding of working in vastly different venues and creating a space of joy and celebration.

She is most passionate about creating warm, unforgettable memories of the wedding day and the journey leading to the event. She accomplishes this by providing an experience that is easy for clients to participate in though enjoyable, exploratory conversation, creative suggestions, and impeccable attention to detail, making the entire planning process and event one that they will talk about for many years to come.

When the season of event planning and weddings slows, you can find Adrianna traveling the world. She uses her creativity beyond the planning process in her kitchen and can be found cooking up delicious dishes of everything under the sun, or out dining at one of Chicago’s newest restaurants. Her latest artistic endeavor is salsa dancing. 

Michelle is a published writer, psychologist, performance and marketing expert. She brings with her over 20 years’ experience working as an executive leader in marketing and advertising on some of the world’s largest brands. Elegante brings together her passion for understanding people, love of writing & brand building, joy of intimate connection, and celebration of all the creativity, personal growth, and discovery involved in the journey of planning a wedding.

Michelle’s written work has been featured on the stages of Chicago’s Second City, Here Chicago, LinkedIn, and 21 Powers creative workshops. She’s working on her first fiction short story.

Her coaching practice focuses her work in psychology & executive leadership in working with her clients in a logical, accessible, and playful path for people to explore living their absolute best and biggest lives.

When she’s not writing or traveling for Elegente, you can find her singing along to her Peloton workouts, enjoying the company and conversation of close friends, crocheting, or riding her BMW motorcycle on a cross country adventure. 

Michelle Auger

Director of marketing