About Elizabeth Kate +

Here’s to them events

Who Is elizabeth?

Hi, I’m Elizabeth, though you might hear me called Liz or Lizzie. I founded Here’s to Them Events over six years.

I graduated with a degree in Creative Writing from The Master’s University. Although I once dreamed of being a flight attendant or physical therapist, the Lord led me to event planning, where I’ve found my true passion.

I am a Southern California native and Spanish speaker. I love traveling to new wedding venues and mentoring aspiring coordinators. Planning events is truly humbling because I’ve learned how much I need to rely on Christ for every event. My favorite quote is, “and if not, He is still good” because I have seen how the Lord is loving even when life takes twists and turns. I have come to know Him as a Good Father who gives good gifts, “and no good thing does He withhold” (Psalm 84:11).

When I’m not coordinating weddings, you’ll find me exploring coffee shops for the perfect iced chai latte, enjoying brunch (my favorite meal!), or relaxing with a good movie like Pride and Prejudice or Leap Year.

At Here’s to Them Events, my team and I are dedicated to celebrating life’s special moments and creating joyful memories. Let’s make your event unforgettable!

The Backstory of Here’s to Them Events:

I never was the type of little girl who dreamed about her wedding or had it planned in a scrapbook. Sure, I watched The Wedding Planner and 27 Dresses, but working in the Events industry was never on my radar. I dreamt of other careers, and by senior year of high school was set on studying Physical Therapy.

However, my dreams of becoming a PT were soon crushed sophomore year of college when I was met with the daunting list of courses I needed to take, two being Statistics and Chemistry. And the statistics of me passing either course was one in a million! So I switched to Creative Writing, not really knowing what I wanted to do with that degree, but I did know I needed to declare something to graduate.

I stumbled into the Events Industry was when my older sister got engaged back in March of 2018. She was working 14 hours a day in the medical field and didn’t have enough time to plan her wedding. So, I took the task upon myself to make her vision come to life and helped her plan her special day. To my surprise, I would soon realize being in the Events Industry was exactly where the Lord wanted me to go.

After her wedding, I started looking into interning for wedding planners in Southern California. I interned with Brenda Perez from Decor of Couture. I remember asking her what advice she would give to someone wanting to get into the Events Industry. She told me to create an account on Instagram showcasing some events I’d done. Thus, came about “Here’s to Them Events.”

After creating the account, I had a mutual friend reach out to me to coordinate her wedding in December of 2018. I learned a lot coordinating that wedding and decided to run the business part time in 2019, doing 13 weddings that year. In February 2020, I decided I wanted to go full time with Here’s to Them Events. But as you know, the pandemic happened. It was a lot of leaning into the Lord and trusting He would provide. And even though they took place in backyards, the Lord was so kind in allowing me to coordinate 15 weddings.

In 2021, I decided to expand my team and bring on some amazing Associate Coordinators! That year we had 86 events! In 2022 we coordinated 112 and in 2023 we did 113 weddings. Never in my entire life did I think I would be here 6 years later running a Wedding Planning business. But this is where the Lord has me and I’m excited to see what He will continue to do through Here’s to Them Events.

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This business has never been about me, but always about serving my clients on what is the most important day of their lives. So here’s to you!

“You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.”

— Walt Disney

Meet the Team

Michaela Duarte - Associate

Michaela joined the HTTE team about a year ago. She graduates with a BA in Theater from UCLA this summer, and believes her experience with live performance provides her with unique wedding coordination skills: clear communication, an eye for aesthetics, and a heart for telling memorable stories. In her free time, she loves going to Disneyland and playing with as many dogs as possible, even if her favorite dogs are back in her Northern CA hometown. Her favorite part of weddings are the dances (and the food) and she can't wait to hear what song you've picked for your first dance!
Mikaylee Garcia - Associate / Social Media

Mikaylee graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a degree in Business Marketing. She has been working with HTTE since February 2022 and loves getting to be part of a couple’s special day! When not at weddings, she loves going to the beach, listening to music (where the T-Swift fans at?), and watching the 49ers. She is a valued member of the team and has even helped with the social media.
Jamie Chau - Associate

Jamie graduated from UCR with a degree in Public Policy, but has run all sorts of events since 2017! Before she started in the wedding industry, she did everything from philanthropy to a networking event with Sony. She fell in love with the wedding industry and hasn’t looked back! She says it’s a truly rewarding job and seeing her couples happy means the world to her. When she’s not coordinating a wedding, she loves spending time exploring coastal cities and discovering new restaurants!
Cassandra Perez - Associate

Cassandra is Elizabeth’s twin sister and has helped from the start! Her favorite thing about weddings is the food and to this day she still thinks about that pasta bar from The Green Parrot! During the week she is a 3rd grade teacher at a private school in the San Gabriel Valley and has a passion for teaching kiddos! She also serves in children’s ministry at her church, loves Disneyland, hanging out with her older sister and nephew, going to Urth Cafe to get an organic blended black tea boba, and doing her nails from Red Aspen with a Hallmark movie playing in the background. She has a deep love for the Lord and her favorite Bible verse is Psalms 18:30!
Sarah Pott - Associate

Sarah has a Bachelor’s degree in Christian Ministries from APU. She loves the beach, matcha, the outdoors and being a part of people’s big days! She’s planned events for years but this last year stepped into the world of wedding coordination and is head over heels for the details of each person’s unique vision for their wedding day. Her favorite part of each wedding is the final moment with the bride, fluffing her dress one last time before she walks down the aisle to her husband.
Emily Craw - Assistant / Social Media

Emily met Elizabeth in college and has helped since 2021. She loves seeing HTTE grow and being a part of a couple’s big day! Her favorite wedding moment is when the dance floor opens and everyone rushes in to celebrate with the newlyweds! When not at weddings she loves going to the beach, hanging out with friends, doing her nails, and working in the film industry as a producer.