A feeling before a formula
The most meaningful celebrations begin with a feeling, not a set of rules.
A celebration should reflect your personality, your story and what matters most to you. It should never be what traditions, trends, or other people think it is supposed to look like.
Whether it's a wedding, a milestone birthday, an anniversary dinner or an evening for your company, it should feel like somewhere people feel at home, where simply being there tells your guests who you are.
Begin planningWhat we design
Any occasion worth gathering for.
Weddings
Full-service, partial and month-of. Your love story, told through a room your guests never want to leave.
Milestones
Significant birthdays, anniversaries, showers, engagements and the dinners that mark them.
Dinners & gatherings
Rehearsal dinners, supper clubs, holiday tables and small gatherings at home or somewhere borrowed.
Company evenings
Launches, client dinners, holiday parties and retreats that feel like hospitality, not a conference.
Inlay Event Design · A small studio in Chicago & New York
Who we are
We come from interior design, so we're drawn to the way spaces, colors, textures and thoughtful details can evoke emotion and create a lasting memory.
To bring that into your celebration, we draw from your own feelings and experiences. Maybe it's the feeling you have when you stay at a favorite hotel, the comfort of a restaurant you love, the texture or look of a fabric, the colors of a place you've traveled, or the warmth of a space that feels like home. These all become part of the inspiration. The goal isn't to recreate them, but to capture the feeling they gave you.
From there, we translate those personal influences into intentional, layered experiences that reflect who you are, and who you're celebrating.
Why Inlay
An inlay is a piece set by hand into a larger surface until the two read as one. That is how we think about a celebration. Nothing is applied on top of the room; your story is fitted into it, piece by piece, until the setting, the evening and the people in it feel inseparable.
Stephanie
Founder & designer · Chicago
Stephanie is the creative behind Inlay. She is drawn to unique, layered spaces and details that feel personal. Her training in design gives her the insight to take your ideas and coordinate them in a way that brings them to life. Stephanie leads every concept and plan and is your point of contact from the first call to the last candle.
Morgan
Consultant · New York
Morgan has a discerning eye that blends old and new into something unexpected and personal. She isn't afraid to think outside the box, pairing distinctive finds with fresh ideas to create a cohesive look. Her approach is rooted in individuality, shaping celebrations that feel thoughtfully collected and uniquely yours.
Collected, not copied
Portfolio
Design studies shown as stand-ins · real celebrations to follow
"It isn't for us to impose a style on you, but to uncover yours."
The Inlay
Experience
Thoughtful, not forced
Intentional without feeling stiff. Elevated without feeling intimidating. Beautiful without feeling untouchable.
The best spaces make you feel something the moment you walk in. They invite you to settle in, stay a while, notice the details and enjoy your time there. We bring that philosophy to every celebration, whether it's for two hundred guests or twelve.
We want guests to feel as though they have stepped into a special place that belongs to you. One where every detail has a purpose, but nothing feels forced. A place where they can relax, connect, linger over dinner and feel part of something meaningful.
See how we work together
No formula
No expectations to follow tradition for tradition's sake. No one-size-fits-all version of what a celebration should be. Just thoughtful design, meaningful details and an atmosphere that feels authentic to you.
Keep what matters
Keep the traditions that mean something to you and leave the rest behind. Your celebration should be shaped by your values, your relationships and the way you want to experience the evening.
Design, uncovered
This isn't about abandoning design or thoughtful planning. It's about letting go of the idea that there is only one right way for a celebration to look, and starting instead with the things you already love.
For weddings
Your love story, not a template.
A wedding should reflect your personality, your love story and what matters most to you. It should never be what traditions, trends, or other people think a wedding is supposed to look like.
Your wedding should feel like a place you always wanted to be, because it is a culmination of the things that make you feel at home. We plan and design it so that, simply by being there, your guests get a glimpse into your love story and your personalities, individually and together.
- Full-Service Design & Planningfrom $15,000
- Partial Planningfrom $8,500
- Month-of Coordinationfrom $3,500
Inspired by life, not industry
Ways to work with Inlay
From a single working session to a fully designed and produced celebration. Every package includes an hour allowance, so you only pay for what you need, and nothing is billed beyond it without your approval.
For weddings
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01 Full-Service Design & Planning Venue to send-off, with design, vintage sourcing and on-site styling. from $15,000
One point of contact for everything, from booking (12 to 18 months out is ideal) through the last piece packed. Full design concept, floor plan, rentals, florals and lighting coordination; every vendor sourced and booked; budget build, tracking and payment schedule; up to 14 hours on site with a lead and two assistants.
15% of wedding budget, $15,000 minimum · Up to 130 planning hours
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02 Partial Planning A designer and planner in your corner for the decisions that matter. from $8,500
Beginning up to nine months out. Design direction and mood board, up to five vendor categories sourced, quoted and booked, six planning meetings, budget build and tracking, master timeline, rehearsal direction and up to 12 hours on site with a lead and one assistant.
Up to 70 planning hours · Most couples with a $60,000 to $90,000 budget choose Partial
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03 Month-of Coordination You've planned it. We run it to the minute. from $3,500
Beginning eight weeks out we take over the details so you can be a guest at your own wedding. Review of every contract and plan, master timeline, vendor confirmations and final walkthrough, rehearsal direction, up to 12 hours of wedding-day management and end-of-night pack-up.
Up to 30 planning hours · Assistant included at 150+ guests
For every other celebration
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01 Event Design Plan Your references, turned into a design any venue or vendor can execute. Virtual, anywhere. $2,500
One design meeting plus our questionnaire, then a concept board with palette, tablescape concepts and styling notes, a rental shortlist or décor shopping list with budget guidance, one revision round, and a written handoff for your venue and vendors.
Delivered within three weeks · On-site styling in Chicago or New York, $1,200 per event day
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02 Celebration Coordination Milestone birthdays, anniversaries, showers, rehearsal dinners, proposals and private dinners. from $2,500
Design direction and a concept board, venue or restaurant sourcing, vendor booking and management, a run-of-evening timeline, and on-site styling and management so you can stay at the table. Scaled to the size of the gathering, from a dinner for twelve to a party for a hundred.
Chicago or New York · Hour allowance set with your proposal
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03 Company Evenings & Launches Client dinners, launches, holiday parties and retreats that feel like hospitality, not a conference. from $3,500
Venue and vendor sourcing, design and branding touchpoints, guest-experience planning, budget management and on-site direction. We work with your team the way we work with every host: starting with how you want people to feel, then building the evening around it.
15% of event budget, $3,500 minimum · W-9, certificate of insurance and net-15 invoicing
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04 Holiday Party Package Up to 100 guests at one venue, handled end to end. $4,500
Venue, catering, bar, entertainment and décor coordination plus on-site management for the evening. A fixed fee so budgeting is simple, with design that makes the office party feel like a dinner among friends.
Flat fee · Book by early fall for December dates
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05 Planning Session Ninety minutes, a written action list, credited toward any package. $300
A working session for any occasion, for anyone not ready for a package. We review your timeline, budget and vendor list, answer every question, and leave you with a written action list. The full $300 is credited toward any package booked within 30 days.
Video or in person · A complimentary 30-minute consultation always comes first
New York metro events carry a 15% premium on flat-fee packages. We never accept vendor commissions, and any discounts we negotiate are passed to you.
Comfort is a form of luxury
Spaces that feel like you. Experiences that stay with them.
Let's work togetherInspired by life, not trends
You don't need a perfectly curated vision to begin.
Planning a celebration can feel overwhelming before it even begins, and everyone else's vision online seems to be shouting at once. You don't need a complete vision yet. The photos you've saved and the board you've been quietly building are enough to start.
Our job is to ask the right questions, identify the connections, and bring those pieces together so the celebration feels unmistakably yours. We want to help you recognize the things you already love, understand why you love them, and discover how they can shape an extraordinary, shared experience.
That is what makes the Inlay process personal and design-led. We start with you, never with a theme.
@inlayevents
Inquire
Tell us what you're imagining.
Weddings, milestones, dinners or a company evening. A few questions to start, none of them about chair counts. We'll reply within two business days with a time for a complimentary 30-minute call.
hello@inlayevents.comChicago · New York