Meet the Team
Named best wedding planner in Des Moines, Iowa.
Honey & Joy Events is a wedding planning and event design company in Des Moines, Iowa founded by Karla Lewenczuk, which quickly grew to the amazing wedding planning and event design company it is today. As wedding planners, our goal is to create joy and cultivate love in all aspects of our lives and most importantly in our client's lives. We emphasize the importance of the tiny details in design that bring out our couple's personalities and tell their unique love stories.
Karla Lewenczuk
owner, creative director + floral designer
Karla Lewenczuk founded Honey & Joy while planning her own wedding in 2016. During this time, she discovered her love for detailed timelines and visual aesthetics. Shortly after tying the knot, Karla decided to leave the corporate world behind and pursue her entrepreneurial endeavors by creating Honey & Joy. Since then, Karla and her team have successfully planned and coordinated 250+ weddings and events all over the Midwest.
When it comes to planning, Karla’s knowledge of corporate events, budgeting, and visual aesthetics are what have made her such a success. Karla’s acute attention to detail and tight knit vendor relationships will ensure that you receive nothing but the absolute best for your event. Whatever your vision may be, Karla will turn it into reality and exceed your expectations!
In addition, Karla Lewenczuk has been named one of the top wedding planners in Iowa, she has designed weddings for couples all over the midwest, and has been featured in many publications such as Style Me Pretty, Carats & Cake, Magnolia Rouge, and many more.
Karla’s wedding experience ranges from intimate weddings of 50 to elaborate tented weddings. No matter how big or small your event is, Karla and her team will ensure that no detail is left behind, and the experience delivered is unmatched.
When she is not busy designing with all things Honey & Joy, you can see her spending time with her family, working out, traveling, cooking, or baking!
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She is constantly buying things at Target to redecorate her house and office space
Karla is always drinking coffee
She is obsessed with flowers and donuts
darah
events manager
Darah graduated Iowa State University with a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies and a minor in Public Relations in just 3 years! Her experience and passion for planning + designing events started back in high school when she organized successful community events for the small town she was from. Her knowledge of events drastically grew while attending Iowa State where she coordinated several events throughout the organizations like Greek life and on campus clubs she was involved in. She has over 4 years of expertise in events in addition to building long lasting relationships with her clients!
Darah is known as our logistics queen. She is so organized and loves a good challenge! She has always dreamed of working within a career field where she can build relationships with individuals and help them reach their goals! The biggest reward for her is to see the positive impact she has made in someone’s life.
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1.) She loves to workout or spend time outside with her family, friends and dog nugget!
2.) Will never say no to Mexican food + margaritas!
3.) Her ideal vacation is either skiing in the mountains or soaking up the sun on a beach!
eve
event + design coordinator
Eve graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications and Journalism, and a Certificate in Event Management. Eve has over 4 years of experience in the event world, from corporate events to weddings, she loves it all! Eve was also involved in Greek Life at the University of Iowa, and loved her time in the Alpha Phi Sorority where she would help plan events as well as create welcome programs for new members!
Eve is personable, and will strike up a conversation with just about anyone! She is enthusiastic, generous, and vibrant! Her favorite part of events is ensuring all guests are having a blast, and getting to experience their joy, second hand.
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1. Originally from Illinois, she loves a good city day in Chicago with her friends
2. When she isn’t working a spectacular event, you can find her at any concert of music festival (especially Harry Styles)
3. Her guilty pleasure is Vanderpump Rules! (Team Ariana)
mckenna
floral + event designer
McKenna graduated with her bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa, receiving honors in Communication Studies, along with her certificate in Event Management. During her time at Iowa, she absolutely fell in love with curating specialized, unique events for others. Her dearest passion is ignited through helping individuals feel the joy and excitement on their special day. McKenna’s creativity and eye for detail is extremely useful when it comes to executing a beautiful wedding! She believes that everyone deserves their moment to shine and is determined to do everything in her power to help make that possible. She is eager to bring your vision to life! When she’s not at work, McKenna enjoys shopping days with her mom, going out to dinner with friends, and planning her next Disney vacation.
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1.) McKenna grew up in Brookfield, Wisconsin
2.) She is proficient in American Sign Language
3.) Her favorite artist is Taylor Swift… She is a HUGE swiftie!
sydney
event planner + designer
Sydney has loved weddings for as long as she can remember. Everything from the food, decor, wearing a pretty dress, and the atmosphere! After graduating from Iowa State University with a degree in Event Management and interning with Honey & Joy, Sydney knew that this is what she wanted to do forever. Learning from the best team in Des Moines made her love for planning and design grow even stronger!
Sydney has a passion for all things weddings and loves nothing more than seeing the smile on a client’s face when everything comes together. She is extremely organized, adaptable, and reliable. Sydney is determined to make your big day as flawless and stress-free as possible! When she isn’t in the office, you can find her reading, shopping, or at happy hour with her friends.
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Sydney studied abroad in Florence, Italy during college and has been to over 10 countries!
She has a cat named Tallulah!
She loves a good iced caramel latte!
kennedy
floral + event designer
Kennedy graduated from Iowa State University, earning a bachelor's degree in Event Management. In college, Kennedy spent her free time leading as captain of the Iowa State cheerleading squad. She loved working with her teammates and cheering on the cyclones. Kennedy has always loved creating and being a part of happy spaces. Whether that's a cozy family holiday, an intimate get together with friends, or working with her peers to create the most magical weddings, Kennedy is committed to the process from beginning to end. She has a deep passion for florals and a love for creative design work. She believes in the power of personalization and strives to create unforgettable experiences that reflect the individuality of each client. Kennedy believes that the little touches bring an event together, and she can't wait to bring your special event to life.
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Kennedy will have an iced chai tea latte any day of the week
Kennedy was a cheerleader at Iowa State, go cyclones!
Kennedy worked as a florist shortly after college and brought her knowledge of flowers and design to Honey & Joy!
Katelyn
event planner + designer
Katelyn studied Event Management at Iowa State University. She’s always wanted to work in weddings for as long as she can remember, and her internship with Honey + Joy solidified her love for the industry. Katelyn is very bubbly, organized, and ambitious. Her attention to detail and passion for helping others will ensure no detail is left behind. She is determined to make your wedding dream a reality.
Katelyn is a sucker for a good aesthetic and appreciates all things beautiful. She enjoys seeing the small details come together for an event and working with clients to achieve their overall vision. Seeing couples stress-free and in love on their special day is her favorite part of her job! In Katelyn’s free time, she might be shopping, getting drinks with friends, or playing with her puppy Hank!
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She can’t go a day without an iced latte
Her guilty pleasures are reality TV and online shopping
A neutral girl but loves colorful florals at weddings
dorothy
events + design coordinator
Dorothy graduated from Iowa State University with a bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management and Marketing, and is actually a former bride of Honey and Joy Events! As a bride during the Covid-19 pandemic, she used her graphic design skills to design all of her own stationery, and really enjoyed the process of planning a wedding from start to end, especially while working with her lead wedding planner, Karla. After all of the hard work and preparation that went into the wedding day, the coordination and setup/teardown by the HJE team made her wedding day a breeze to be able to enjoy and live in the moment!
Dorothy has 5 years of project management experience in the manufacturing industry - which aligns perfectly with creating all of your stationery needs for wedding days, rehearsal dinners, and special events. Sourcing materials, scheduling simultaneous projects, extreme attention to detail, and meeting deadlines are second nature! She is happy to help make your ideas and inspirations come to life exactly how you've imagined it, and can execute your dreams into realities.
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Dorothy has 3 dogs!
Former HJE bride!
She loves trying new restaurants and bars in the area!
Lexi
event designer + stylist
Lexi has been helping from the very beginning, since Honey & Joy Events was Karla Lewenczuk Events. She has loved watching her older sister, Karla, become the successful business woman she is today! Working for HJE, she does a little bit of everything–from set up and tear down to folding napkins, social media, and anything in between. Lexi’s favorite part of working with Honey and Joy Events is how she gets to apply her creativity! Whether it be working on design plans or creating stationery Lexi loves to be creative and help make your wedding unique! When she’s not at weddings, you can find her dancing or spending time with her family. As for education, she is currently pursuing a degree in Aerospace Engineering at Iowa State University.
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Lexi loves to draw and paint or do anything that is creative and utilizes fun colors.
She listens to and enjoys just about any style of music, pop, rock, rap, country, oldies, 2000s, etc, it’s all my jam!
She loves to organize! If you can’t tell by the subsections of her Pinterest boards then her color coordinated closet ought to be a dead giveaway.
we can’t wait to meet you!
REACH OUT TO US TO START PLANNING YOUR BEST DAY EVER!
