About Liven It Up Events

Liven It Up Events crafts boutique weddings, corporate affairs, and social soirees. Focusing on each facet of event creation-traditional and contemporary settings, flowers, food, wine, music and a myriad of other details- we assemble these parts to build a memorable event. We take the time to tailor the look and the feel of the event to match your vision. Guided by your wishes and our expertise, we are dedicated to make your event come to life.

About Your Planning Team

The Liven It Up Events Team is made up of a collection of experienced and seasoned Event Planners. 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, you’ll benefit from working with a primary planner, as well as knowing that the planners work together to support one another and bring fresh ideas to your event. Whether working in a contemporary venue or traditional hotel, in the end, the team will craft and plan a memorable and meaningful event for you.

Anthony Navarro Anthony Navarro has been planning, coordinating, and executing events for nearly 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.

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.

Misha Newgren Setting the table for a career in event planning from an early age, Misha has always enjoyed entertaining. The self appointed mess-maven and fille de fête in her own social circle from her college days in Chicago, along with deep roots in the hospitality and catering industry, have given Misha a fundamental understanding and passion for the craft of event planning. "I feel that I have been an event planner my whole life, it is what I love and it is what I do. I believe that your event is not just an event. I genuinely enjoy each aspect of the event coordinating process. Getting to know you is important to me, as it helps me to understand your personal style and vision. From weddings, to Corporate Galas to intimate dinner parties, each event is given the same amount of time and care and is driven by my passion to create a successful and memorable occasion!"

Jean True Jean True began her culinary and hospitality career 35 years ago as a cooking instructor. With a MSED, sharing her personal passion for fine foods, especially French and Italian, was natural. Catering became an offshoot from her “students” inquiring “why mess up my kitchen cooking for a party when I could just call Jean”? Being the sole proprietor, Jean booked the events, shopped, cooked, planned with the clients for the wedding and the events, and served at the client's events. A few years later, Jean did hire experts, professional chefs, servers, and consultants so as to further develop her business, True Cuisine Catering. Jean has catered and crafted events in the Chicagoland area for nearly 30 years and has done everything from upscale weddings, social soirees and corporate events. Jean’s successes were due to her extreme attention to every detail and direction, listening to her clients’, and making sure the clients' visions came true. Jean did sell her company and is now enjoying teaching cooking classes and being a “day of wedding consultant” for Liven It Up Events, which fuels her true passion, helping people make their dream day come true!

Linda Decker Linda Decker has been planning, producing and entertaining for 10 years in St. Paul, Minneapolis and Chicago. She graduated from the University of MN with a degree in English and Communications; there she produced concerts, events and theater. To complement her creative background, Linda honed her business acumen as Project Manager with American Express NY and Paris. Recently she’s been a project consultant with the Chicago World Cup, US Tennis Open, Lowe’s and Martha Stewart. In Chicago Linda has been the Event Specialist for corporate, wedding and destination occasions with Great Lakes Events and the yachting community. Her understanding and personable style creates an enjoyable atmosphere that lets each event shine. Linda recently spent 5 months on Hawaii discovering hidden gems and appreciating Hawaii's versatile elegance and authentic style. With Linda’s vast travels and expertise at planning, she now brings that knowledge to the Liven It Up Events team and in combination with the support of her fellow planners, she is designing memorable and meaningful destination events.