Meet our Team

Olivia Nicoletti, Owner + Lead Planner

I am passionate about creating the perfect event to highlight the extraordinary love between two people. I graduated from Cornell University and began my career in business consulting, where I learned how to think critically, be direct, and adapt to clients. These skills have transformed my working style. I moved on to nonprofits and events next, and although I have worked in a variety of roles, weddings are what make my heart glow.

Weddings are meaningful, festive, fun, silly, nerve-wracking, raw, emotional, but most of all, joyful. I especially enjoy weddings that are chock full of details – small details can elevate an event and make the couple’s personalities shine.

I would love to work with you to create your perfect day.

Kirsten Westerlund, Planner

Kirsten started working with OFW&E doing some research and behind-the-scenes work, but it quickly became obvious to me that she was destined for client work. She started working her friends’ weddings as a hobby and is incredibly invested in the wedding industry. She has been with OFW since 2020.

Kirsten received her undergraduate degree from Indiana University and her master’s degree from Marquette University. She has spent the last ten years of her career planning events in multiple areas, including the higher education, nonprofit, and wedding industries. Kirsten has a knack for taking what most couples call highly stressful situations and turning them into magical moments that leave guests smiling and enjoying the love. Kirsten knows that the experience at a wedding is unparalleled to any other experience a couple can share with their families, and for this reason, she is committed to creating unique, enjoyable, and one-of-a-kind events. In her spare time, Kirsten loves to eat! Ask for her opinion, and she might supply you with a spreadsheet of her go-to Chicago restaurants. Her philosophy is that a meal is not complete unless it ends with chocolate!

Noelle bushman, Planner

Noelle is an excellent addition to the OFW&E team. As a fellow theater gal, I know what it takes to produce theater productions, and they’re truly not unlike a wedding day! As with all OFW&E planners, she started by assisting us and has quickly become our pinch hitter on wedding days and has a personality you’re going to love. Noelle has been with OFW since 2020.

Noelle graduated from North Central College with degrees in Organizational Communications and Theatre, where she went on to become a Casting Director, a Talent Agent, and most recently a college educator and marketing/events manager. A Chicagoland native, she is thrilled to be join the OFW team and bring the tiniest details, a little laughter, a lot of organization, a ton of unique and special experiences, and the most incredible wedding days to our clients. She believes love is love is love, and that everybody, no matter what your body, deserves to be celebrated. When not planning the best days ever, Noelle loves to garden, drink wine on patios, and travel (mostly to her (second) favorite city, New Orleans!)

Katie Fortney, Assistant

Katie is the perfect addition to the OFW&E team! She is our jack-of-all-trades; she works as an assistant, blog writer, lead planner, and everything else. Katie has been with the OFW team since 2022.

Katie grew up in Missouri, so she is a true Midwestern gal at heart, but she has called Chicago home for the last 8 years. Her journey into the wedding industry began over a decade ago when she was thrown into the floral department of her first job at a grocery store. Her love for floral continued to bloom (pun intended) as she went on to design at a local flower shop and continues to this day as she is a freelance designer for several Chicago florists. Her knack for perfecting even the smallest of details shines through when assisting with weddings. Those small, personal details are what Katie admires so much about weddings. She believes that the details of a wedding are what bridge the two individuals, committing to one another, together to become one. She also believes that weddings are a great way to bring people together to celebrate and allow us to be grounded in what truly matters in our lives; the love we have for one another.

When she’s not gushing over the sentiments of a wedding or creating beautiful floral designs, you can find her spending time with her family, thrifting, traveling, or exploring one of the gorgeous forest preserves around the Chicago area.

The Beginning of Olive Fine Weddings & Events

In late 2014, a college friend reached out to me and said, “You always talk about being a wedding planner. Well, my sister is engaged and overwhelmed and just wants to show up at her wedding . Can you help her?”
Shortly thereafter, I met Julie and Erik, who would become my first-ever wedding clients. They were laid back and somehow totally cool with the fact that I had never done this before. Little did I know, this experience would teach me so much and inspire the dream that is Olive Fine Weddings & Events.
In the past 5+ years, I’ve worked as a wedding planner for Chic Weddings & Events in Washington, DC (hey, Sandy and Leigh!), and organize fundraising events for the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois. I live in Chicago, IL, with my sweet husband, Adam, who is the most supportive and continues to encourage me to pursue my dreams.
Thank you for your interest in Olive Fine Weddings & Events!
- OLIVIA

Images thanks to Ian Rempel Photography. Taken November 2023.