JUNE 24 • 2021 | 51

school, which felt it exposed students to 
too much risk.
Wedding receptions are being resched-
uled as many as five times, and usually to 
smaller events. But parties for bar/bat mitz-
vahs and special birthdays or anniversaries 
are more often just canceled.
Hoffman was able to pull off three events 
in 2020, including an outdoor family event 
and an outdoor bar mitzvah party. She has 
coordinated one outdoor wedding so far 
this year.
“We social distanced, and everyone wore 
masks,
” she said. “Most staff were tested 
for COVID a few days prior to working 
the event.
” The tented party space featured 
shields around seating areas, separate pods 
for each family, and specific entrances and 
exits.
“One larger event did two different time-
frames so they could accommodate more 
people.
”
Star Trax’s Geoff Kretchmer says he was 
most devastated at having to furlough many 
of his staff, some of whom have 
found other opportunities and 
won’t be coming back. 
Many vendors who serve 
the party business have closed 
shop, including photographers, 
videographers and caterers, 
making the planners’ job more 
difficult.
“The vendors set the rules,
” 
said Andrea Solomon of West 
Bloomfield. Last fall, she was 
able to reschedule some events 
to a large tent on the grounds 
of Congregation Shaarey Zedek 
in Southfield. “I did a wedding 
every weekend there,
” she said.
But where the hosts may have wanted to 
have several hundred guests, they could not 
have more than 50 due to state regulations. 
Guests were widely spaced in the tent, and 
sanitation stations were plentiful. Food was 
served in boxes — no more buffets — and 
there wasn’t much dancing.
The most popular party favors of 2020? 
Masks and hand sanitizer, she said.

OUTLOOK IMPROVING
Things are looking up a bit. In May, 
Solomon coordinated three events. “I hav-
en’t done that many in a year!” she said.
Kretchmer followed his clients’ lead during 
the pandemic. “If a customer was more 
comfortable canceling an event, then we 

would cancel and return their deposit in 
full,
” he said. “If the customer wanted to 
downsize and get creative with a venue, 
then we would help in that process.
”
Cherkasky said she appreciates her ven-
dors’ efforts to be as flexible as possible.
Even though things are now opening up, 
the party planning business has a long way 
to go before it will again be what used to be 
considered normal, said Solomon, who has 
been coordinating events for 32 years. One 
of her brides canceled her wedding last June 
and rescheduled it for this June, but in line 
with current state regulations, she can have 
only 100 guests, not the 300 she had origi-
nally wanted.
The planners share one piece of advice 
for anyone looking to schedule a big event 
this year or next: Start planning early. Many 
vendors are already completely booked 
through 2022, said Solomon.

“Be flexible and roll with the punch-
es,” said Siegal. “The largest, most 
expensive, lavish events are not always 
the most meaningful.”
Hoffman suggests that clients request 
a “COVID clause” in contracts so they 
can get a refund if the event is canceled 
for a reason completely beyond their 
control. “Carefully read a contract and 
see how flexible any vendor will be 
throughout the planning process. You 
just never know when something will 
come up that can change your whole 
event.”
Star Trax has updated their party-plan-
ning resource, Plan it! Magazine, which is 
now online at startrax.com/plan-it-maga-
zine. They will also hold their annual Event 
Show at Orchard Mall in West Bloomfield 
on Sunday, Oct. 21, with more than 50 spe-
cial event vendors. 

Geoff 
Kretchmer

Andrea 
Solomon

An outdoor event 
planned by Susan Siegal

A “neon luncheon” put 
on by Star Trax

SUSAN SIEGAL FACEBOOK
STAR TRAX FACEBOOK