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I'm Lizzie - your people pleasing, Type A, wedding lover! Ever since I was little I had a love of weddings and a knack for creativity and design. But I never knew that Wedding Planning was a career until I saw the movie "Wedding Planner" (yes the one with Jennifer Lopez from 2001- just aged myself there lol). From that moment on, I was fully focused on becoming a wedding planner. 

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I believe that when hiring your wedding vendors, experience is key. You want someone who knows the industry, knows the best vendors, and has planned enough events they know what to look for to prevent problems and how to alleviate them if they occur. Let me tell you a little about my experience. 

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EXPERIENCE/EDUCATION

  • Bachelors Degree in Event Management from the University of Florida  (Go Gators!) 

  • Certification in Wedding Planning

    • 2 day intensive course with examination

    • 200 internship hours with wedding planners & event designers​

    • Planning 4 weddings from beginning to end to finish certification

  • From 2011 - 2018, employed with event and wedding vendors including a planner/designer, a florist, a wedding dress boutique, and a corporate/social event and entertainment company

  • Executed over 1,000 events (corporate, social and weddings)

  • Winner of Best of the Palm Beaches Award 2020 & 2021

  • Winner of Wedding Wire/Knot Couple Choice Award 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, & 2024

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With all that under my belt, I was ready to start my own business and in January 2018, Hakuna Matata Weddings & Events was born!  Why Hakuna Matata for the business name? Well Hakuna Matata is a Swahili language phrase, meaning "no trouble" or "no worries" and "take it easy". That is exactly what I want for your day and planning experience - no worries! Plus I love Disney, so it was a perfect fit.

About Your Planner

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Fun Facts

  • I'm an identical twin! 

  • Every summer I go to Wisconsin to run my family's resort business

  • My favorite moment of a wedding is just before sending the bride down the aisle - giving her an extra vote of confidence and then seeing her partner's face at the end of the aisle. 

  • I LOVE the Backstreet Boys! 

  • But not as much as I LOVE Disney 

  • And definitely not as much as I LOVE the tv show Survivor. I've applied a few times.

  • And nothing tops, how much I LOVE dogs - especially mine, Scout and my dog niece Kayce

  • Dolphins are my favorite animal. 

  • I met my husband at Wet n Wild Water Park - he was a lifeguard!

  • I love to travel - each year we adventure to two places: one is a trip, which is our adventure with a very strict itinerary, and then we have a vacation, where we go somewhere tropical.

Wedding Dress

Venues We've Worked at:

  • Hilton Singer Island

  • Marriott Singer Island

  • Marriott WPB

  • Norton Museum of Arts

  • Sailfish Club of Florida

  • JW Marriott Marco Island 

  • Hilton Marco Island

  • Marco Ocean Beach Resort 

  • Vineyards Country Club

  • Newport Beachside Resort

  • The Islander Islamorada

  • The Colony Palm Beach

  • PGA Resort and Golf Club

  • Edison and Ford Estates

  • The Oxbow at the Luminary

  • Don Cesar 

  • Tavares Pavilion on the Lake

  • Miromar Beach and Golf Club

  • Tuscawilla Country Club

  • Delray Beach Golf Club

  • Lakeside Terrace in Boca

  • Jupiter Island Club

  • The Addison 

  • Hilton Ft. Lauderdale Marina

  • Naples Grande Beach Resort

  • Jupiter Lighthouse

  • Out of the Blue Celebrations

  • Marriott Town Center Boca

  • Embassy Suites Deerfield Beach

  • Mounts Botanical Gardens

  • Wyndham Grand Jupiter

  • Pelican Club

  • Chapel 4

  • Meso Beach House

  • Sundy House

  • Bonita Bay Club

These are just some of the venues where I have coordinated weddings with my business. Through my experience in the corporate event and working with other wedding vendors, I have worked at dozens of other venues in the Central and South Florida Areas. 

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