bridal

»

Here
Come …

The
Wedding
Planners

They swoop in to make sure
every detail is perfect and t take
the pressure off the bride.

Jennifer Lovy | Special to the Jewish News

Siegal created a
welcome table with
flowers and votives
to set the mood for
guests as they enter a
reception.

The dress.

The venue.

The invitations.

The food.

The flowers.

The music.

The favors.

The photos.

W

elcome to the seemingly
never-ending and often
overwhelming task of
planning a wedding.
To alleviate the stress and keep the
process fun, many couples will hire
a wedding planner to help navigate
the details and deadlines involved
with preparing for their special day.
Fortunately, there are a number of
seasoned party planners in the area
to help the bride and groom create
the wedding of their dreams and
make sure they — along with their
families — can enjoy the event that
they’ve worked so hard to plan.
“When you hire a wedding plan-
ner, it’s a gift you give yourself,”
says veteran party planner Janice
Cherkasky of Gourmet Parties in
Franklin. “Having one allows you to
enjoy the process of planning your
wedding.”
Most party planners offer a range
of services from as-needed consulta-
tions to full-service, start-to-finish
planning. Their costs vary based
on the level of services, with hourly

rates of around $100 to a flat rate
that can range between approximate-
ly $1,200 and $6,500.
We caught up with four seasoned
local planners to ask them about
wedding trends, why a bride needs a
party planner — and what they con-
sidered to be their own strengths as
an event planner.

Janice
Cherkasky,
Gourmet Parties
(248-851-0121;
facebook page),
Franklin
JN: What should a
bride expect from a
wedding planner?
JC: “The wedding planner’s job is
to keep the bride and groom orga-
nized so they don’t have to worry
about forgetting anything. The wed-
ding planner should remember all
the different elements the couple
need to make sure everything is
complete and keep them on a steady
path so there is no rush or panic and

they can enjoy their last few weeks of
being single.”
JN: What are your strengths as a
party planner?
JC: “One of my strengths is keep-
ing within a budget,” Cherkasky
says. “I encourage people to put
their money where it’s needed such
as lighting, which really creates the
right mood, and help them save in
other areas, like linens, which are
mostly covered by place settings.
“I love to help design an event —
to work with different fabrics and
lighting — and create their vision
of the perfect wedding weekend.
I’m good at creating an agenda for
the evening so everything is timed
minute by minute to keep the
momentum of the party going. I also
get along well with the vendors and
catering directors.”
JN: What are some of the current
wedding trends?
JC: “So much has changed with
Pinterest. You don’t have to guess
what a client is thinking. You can see
what they like from colors and fab-

continued on page 48

46 January 28 • 2016