The Full Story
About
Jill La Fleur is a globally recognized wedding planner and designer, named one of the Top Wedding Planners in the World by Martha Stewart Weddings. For more than two decades, she has created luxury destination weddings, private celebrations and thoughtfully designed experiences in some of the places she knows and loves best.
With homes in Alaçatı, Türkiye, Santa Barbara, California, and Chios, Greece, Jill has built a life between cultures and across the Aegean and California. Living within these destinations has given her something that cannot be replicated from afar: deep personal connections, trusted local relationships and an intimate understanding of each place, from its landscape and architecture to its culture, traditions and way of life.
A Life Between Cultures
Jill is particularly sought out by couples and families who live between cultures and want to bring their worlds together through a wedding or celebration. Her work often brings together American and Turkish families in Türkiye, as well as Greek American families returning to Chios and the Greek islands to celebrate their heritage and create new memories in places that hold personal meaning.
Her experience living between the United States, Türkiye and Greece gives Jill a unique understanding of the nuances that come with multicultural celebrations. She thoughtfully navigates different traditions, languages, family expectations and cultural perspectives, creating celebrations that feel cohesive, personal and authentic to everyone involved.
Rooted in Place
Today, Jill’s wedding work is particularly focused on Alaçatı, the Çeşme Peninsula, Urla and the Aegean coast of Türkiye, as well as Chios, Greece, while continuing to create destination celebrations in Santa Barbara, California and select destinations beyond.
Her celebrations are thoughtfully designed in response to their surroundings, allowing the destination itself to become an integral part of the experience. Through longstanding relationships with exceptional venues, hospitality partners and creative professionals, Jill connects clients to the people, places and experiences that make each destination distinctive.
Beyond weddings, Jill creates curated travel itineraries and bespoke retreats throughout Türkiye and the Greek Islands, with a particular focus on the Aegean coast and the Turkish Riviera. These experiences draw upon the same local knowledge and personal connections that have shaped her wedding work for more than two decades.
Known for her calm presence, timeless aesthetic and meticulous attention to detail, Jill creates experiences that are as meaningful as they are beautiful. Her work brings together European elegance, thoughtful design and a life lived between cultures and places.
Experience
She brings over 30 years in luxury hospitality, design, and event management (from Four Seasons Chicago to coastal Santa Barbara) and 20+ years leading her own luxury wedding and event production firm.
She has also been recognized as one of the top in her field by Martha Stewart Weddings, ranked top 3 globally at Amour Forums Vienna, and awarded Style Me Pretty’s Top Wedding of the Year.
Family & Travel Roots
Jill shares both her personal and professional life with her husband, Gökhan Filiz, a former national record-holding sprinter turned hospitality executive and wellness coach, and founder of wellness platform, Nefesa. Together, they plan and produce many of their events as a team. Their son, Jake Van Asten, a former luxury resort manager now pursuing his passion as a filmmaker, often documents their weddings through his cinematic lens at Van Asten Cinematography. The family splits their time between Santa Barbara, Chicago, the Greek island of Chios, and
Alaçatı, Türkiye, where they also operate
Château de La Fleur—a private pied-à-terre/vacation rental property that reflects their love of hospitality, design, and global living.
Curated Travel
In addition to event design, Jill leads
curated retreats and immersive travel experiences across Türkiye and the Aegean, thoughtfully designed for couples, individuals, families, and intimate groups seeking beauty, culture, wellness, and meaningful connection.
With insider access, longstanding local relationships, and a dual-cultural perspective (she is a dual citizen of the US/Turkiye), she creates highly personalized journeys that go beyond traditional tourism — blending refined hotels and villas, extraordinary food and wine, wellness experiences, private boat days, hidden coastal towns, cultural discovery, and authentic local experiences throughout Istanbul, the Turkish Aegean & Riviera, and the Greek islands.
L a Fleur Philosophy
Every event, retreat, or creative strategy is approached with design sensibility, strategic insight, and a dedication to honoring the heart of the story so that each experience becomes a thoughtfully curated chapter in a life beautifully lived.
