We’re thrilled to share an article from one of our partners, Amy Zaroff, Experience Production and Strategy. With more than 20 years of experience producing unique experiences across the hospitality, media, and entertainment industries, Amy Zaroff does more than create events – she creates lasting relationships.
Amy’s reputation precedes her, and we were thrilled to be chosen to work with her on a wedding at Wave Hill earlier this month.
Read Amy’s article below.
Clients who Become Guests
Time and again, the most rewarding part of my work is producing life’s most memorable experiences for people who start as clients but quickly become lifelong friends. Working with my company is a highly personalized experience intended to tell the story of a couple, a team or an organization.
I have the honor of making my clients feel seen and heard throughout their event and the experience leading up to it.
I recently returned home from New York, where I produced a magical wedding for a family that was referred to me by clients who were also referred to me by other clients who worked with me over 15 years ago.
Yes, you read that right. Word of mouth from one to another to another–the very best compliment to receive in our industry.
As I touched down in Minneapolis and looked through the weekend’s photos, I reflected on how fortunate I am to work with people who trust me and share my values of authenticity and transparency.
Thank you to our community of clients, creative partners, and magic-makers who make our experiences truly shine. You allow me to bring a fresh perspective, thoughtful details, and actionable ways to add personality to every event. Gaining your trust (and friendship) is my proudest accomplishment.
Let’s get the party started together.
All photos courtesy of: Phillip Van Nostrand, Videographer: Curtis Kennedy Films, Venue: Wave Hill Botanical Garden, Invitations and Day Of Accessories: Cheree Berry Paper & Design, Floral: Bourgeon Flowers, Catering: Great Performances, Rentals and Linens: Party Rental LTD, Audio Visual: Pegasus Productions , Entertainment: Elan Artists/Rhythm Collective, Hair and Makeup: FaceTime Beauty
On the surface, a wedding planner may not seem like an essential expense, especially when pitted against the more obvious needs of food, your dream venue, and a good DJ. But what most newly-weds-to-be don’t know is that hiring a wedding planner can actually save you money.
And that’s not all. Great Performances Wedding Specialist Amanda DiUglio spoke on the ways in which hiring a wedding planner might just save your big day.
Save Time
“Let the planner do the hard work. Let them research and find out information about all the places you’re looking [and] at the vendors so you don’t have to do any of the stressful things. They can come in [and] they can say here are my top five recommendations and take you through it without you having to do the hours and hours of work it really takes to plan the perfect wedding.”
Save Money
“They can help negotiate. They can help recommend different vendors that might have different price points. They can get you exactly what you’re looking for and help you really craft your budget to make sure it works all within what you’re looking to spend.”
Save Energy
“Your planners have worked in weddings for normally a very long time and have a good list of vendors who they love partnering with. They’re suggesting them because they do a great job and they want your wedding to come out perfect. So trust their recommendations and really look into the vendors that they recommend.”
Sharing Our Love Through Food
by Michelle Altman and Josh Stern
From the moment we landed on doing our wedding at Wave Hill with Great Performances, we would convene for dinner and discuss work and this crazy thing coming up…our wedding! For years Josh has been a member of a CSA in Brooklyn. Coming together and figuring out the best use of whatever was in season was not only fun, but also helped us eat our way through the wedding planning. Whittling down our invite list while figuring out what to do with carrots, leeks and asparagus. Preparing for our combined bachelor/bachelorette weekend while chomping many lettuces, chard, herbs. And sitting there biting fingernails in the final countdown with an overflowing fridge of bursting tomatoes.
We still use cooking and food as a time to reconnect, laugh, and talk through whatever might be weighing on us. And as the wedding planning vacuum has taken hold, planning and cooking meals has become a daily way to share our love for each other. As the work day winds down, the ‘what are you thinking for dinner?’ text is a mainstay. Sometimes it’s, ‘What are you in the mood for?’ or, ‘I’m home first so I can start din!’ or ‘Are you eating rice this week?’ but no matter what starts the conversation, thinking about food always means thinking about each other.
We pretty naturally split cooking, both of us love the process and the result of making something for each other, to share. A lot of what makes meals memorable and full of love is putting in that extra step or homemade touch. As the winter rages on, we have been making a lot of homemade broth from veggie scraps we accumulate during the week — a tip Josh picked up from the cookbook Sylvia’s Table by Liz Neumark. It’s a really sustainable and thoughtful way to add depth to a meal. The process reminds us of our wedding, actually, not because we had soup (we didn’t) but because there was no team more thoughtful in their small, medium, and big touches than Great Performances. It’s very easy to get caught up thinking about how others will experience your wedding while planning, but Great Performances made sure WE had the best time at our wedding. Not once was a drink missing from our hands or a grumble in our stomachs. And it didn’t stop at the food! After a tropical storm swept in and left Michelle with a wet train (oh no!), one of Great Performances’ magical fairies (aka staff) swooped in and helped pin the dress into a perfect bustle, while her sweet GP sidekicks poured us champagne and brought us trays with two of every appetizer. Never did we imagine or expect that when we chose the delicious seared tuna appetizer, that GP would be serving it to us while simultaneously jerry-rigging Michelle’s wedding dress into a gorgeous, totally incognito bustle. Miraculous. Incredible. Unforgettable. Are we talking about the tuna? The staff? It’s hard to tell!!! We barely know…
We wanted the food at our wedding to celebrate our love as well as share it. From the minute people walked in the door, they were greeted with a bright, sweet beverage. How would the contrasting pink of the beverage look against the background of the venue? We were floored that GP seemed genuinely as interested as we were to talk about a detail as minute as this. But they did! To celebrate Michelle’s Persian ethnicity, the team set up a Persian tea table stocked with dried fruits, nuts, and Persian cookies. Great Performances made sure the table looked and felt exactly as we envisioned and it’s something we’ll never forget. Sending our family and friends off at the end of the night with VERY full bellies was also something we wanted, and Great Performances had the genius idea to pull out their classic soft pretzel machine and hand those out, as well as Greenberg’s Black and White cookies, to each guest on their way to their cars. They cared as much as we did about our wedding, which seems hard to believe because we cared a LOT.
Even though the wedding is over, we’re still showing our care, love, and compassion for each other through food. For Valentine’s Day, we plan to stay in and recreate one of our favorite restaurant dishes at the moment, the Green Curry Mussels from Greenpoint Fish and Lobster (huge shoutout to them). Instead of going to the restaurant, we’ll pick up mussels from their fish market instead! Even though we could easily spend this special night at one of their dimly-lit-to-perfection high top tables, it’s much more appealing to us to clean and steam the mussels together over a glass of wine and the new André 300 flute album because it’s something we can do for each other with each other. There’s little else outside of food that provides this opportunity as often or as richly as food does. Happy Valentine’s!
THE I DOS OF WEDDING PLANNING: INSIGHTS FROM EXPERIENCED PLANNERS
By Great Performances
Weddings are a joyous time of celebration. From selecting colors and menus to picking the perfect outfit and florals, we know that the months leading up to a wedding can be overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be! We have great tips from some of our expert wedding planners and some of their favorite trends for this year.
Do choose a wedding venue that speaks to you – and make it your own! Whether you’re looking for a historic mansion, an outdoor garden, a stunning rooftop, or a museum, we’ve got you covered. Then work with your planners and venue experts to explore the space and find ways to customize the space for your needs.
Do get creative with your menus. We can help you craft a delicious menu that’s unique to your interests and preferences as a couple – while ensuring that it’ll work in your space and preferred style of service.
“Many of our clients are personalizing the culinary experience to further complement the overall atmosphere of their event,” says Kristen Seaman from Laura Remmert Events. “One of our upcoming events will feature a funky, European bistro vibe, so we are curating a menu that has both French and Italian flavors. By adding in details like a pasta course and fun touches like passed charcuterie cones, we’re transitioning away from events having a ‘theme’ and instead focusing on giving them a ‘feel’.”
Do embrace color. Your colors can help set the tone for your wedding! From dreamy pastels to vibrant jewel tones, formal monochromatic tones or dynamic rainbows of color, embrace your colors.
“All of our clients are really leaning into bright and fun colors this year. We spend a lot of time working on a mood board in the early stages of the planning process to have a guide for all the different elements of their wedding day,” shares Veronica Polce of Veronica Joy Events.
Do think about the ceremony. Your ceremony is at least as important as your reception. Bring in elements from your reception and add details, like custom vows, florals, and readings to help make it unique to you and your partner.
“Often, the ceremony is an afterthought or a pro forma procedural concept, not recognized for the art and the magnitude it could carry,” shares Jeannie Uyanik of C & G Weddings. “The more authentic and meaningful a ceremony, the more guests feel invested in the importance of the ritual and in turn, the party. I really changes the energy of a party when you have an AWESOME ceremony!”
LOVE NOTES FROM OUR CLIENTS
By Liz Neumark
We have a passion for serving others. There is nothing predictable (think weather), simple (think complex pre-event emotions) or easy (have you driven a truck in NYC?) for our sales and planning teams. But every day, they get it right!
With thanksgiving in mind, we want to share some of the wonderful notes we receive from our clients. It is a tribute to our GP family but also a reminder of how powerful the written note of thanks can be.
Wedding, Wave Hill, The Bronx, NY
About the Event
- Event: Wedding
- Location: Wave Hill
- GP Planners: Amanda DiUglio, Emily Schreiber
From the Client
Amanda!!! We can’t thank you enough for everything you and the GP team did to make our wedding so perfect on Saturday.
Like…REALLY can’t thank you enough.
At our brunch yesterday morning, the GP food and service was the talk of the town! Everyone was raving about everything they ate (cookie pizza obviously included!!!) and made special note of how amazing the service was and how wonderful the staff was. One of our friends said it was the safest and most “back to normal” she’s felt in 2 years. She said they’d turned down numerous events over the last few months but felt confident we’d have a plan in place for making everyone feel good. She said your team went above and beyond her expectations.
Did I mention people loved the food???? 😂😍 Literally everyone was raving about everything from the fritters and the taco station to the pretzel bread/baguette (um yes! I love pretzels and didn’t know this was gonna be a thing!) to the steak to the incredible perfectly melted-ness but not too melted of the ice cream. (This is an excellent thing, I say that as an ice cream connoisseur.) People were like, “Wait isn’t wedding food supposed to be like..not good??” At our wedding, it was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We really just are amazed at how incredible everything was. The room was electric and people were so happy and we know it’s because they felt SAFE and happy and fittingly full!
We really are just wowed. I want to also give a HUGE shoutout to Tasha who was cool as a cucumber and a wonderful human being. I didn’t realize the GP bridal attendant would be so key to our day (I mean, delivering Diet Cokes is obviously key to the day…but I didn’t realize she would be with me the whole night!!), and I believe it’s a HUGELY marketable part of the GP package. Grateful to Tasha for carrying my chapstick (critical!), helping me with my Saks-disaster of a bustle and sourcing granulated sugar when I got the hiccups! (It DID work, for what it’s worth!)
If I can be a reference for you guys or a website testimony or anything moving forward, I would be ecstatic to be. I’m on a list of 500 women in media/tech/entertainment and plan to send around your email and the GP info when I do a write up of how amazing my wedding vendors were.
Wedding, Glenmere Mansion, Hudson Valley, New York
About the Event
- Event: Wedding
- Location: Glenmere Mansion
- GP Planners: Amanda DiUglio, Emily Schreiber
From the Client
You beat me to it!
Our experience with Great Performances under your leadership was impeccably professional and delightful from start to finish.
GP was the shining light among vendors amidst the roller coaster trajectory of the pandemic.
The quality of your food, service and presentation, second to none.
[We] are grateful to you for helping to make our daughter and son-in-law’s celebration at Glenmere so delicious, beautiful and memorable.
You haven’t seen the last of us!
Conference, The Glasshouse, Manhattan, New York
About the Event
- Event: Technology Conference
- Location: The Glasshouse
- GP Planners: Jill Cole, Sara VanWeichen
From the Client
Thank you to you, Forrest, Ken and the rest of the GP staff for all of your help and support leading up to and during the event.
I’m not sure how the event would have turned out if you weren’t one of our partners as we took on the Glasshouse as a venue. You helped us navigate so much from what you shared and who knows how much more was done behind the scenes. It’s so comforting to know that catering is something you never have to worry about when we do our events with you.
The food and service was top notch as always. Gotta love it when your CEO tells you he gets so many compliments on the food and how we always have the best food at our events.
Again, thank you. I absolutely love working with you all and I hope you pass this along to your bosses! Or if I should share it directly, let me know. I know the past 1.75 years haven’t been the easiest in your industry, but I’m so glad you are all still here.
Good luck with your upcoming weddings!
From the Planner
It has been an absolute pleasure to work together on the [event] this week and throughout the planning process. Your immaculate attention to detail, your poise under pressure, and your creative collaboration are qualities we respect and appreciate so much. Thank you for your time, your heart, and for the laughs along the way (we had to laugh sometimes, didn’t we??).
[…]
Again, from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU! Best of luck with your busy wedding weekend (and to your GP team catering another [one of our events] this evening!). We can’t wait to see more of you and your work very soon.
Nonprofit Gala, Brooklyn, New York
About the Event
- Event: Nonprofit Gala
- Location: Brooklyn, NY
- GP Planners: Jill Cole, Sara VanWeichen
From the Client
Thank you so much for following up – I am still pretty comatose right now, but there is pretty much one thing that I’m happy to reflect on, and that is the greatness of Great Performances.
Everything last week was perfect. We got SO many comments from guests about how good the food was, and how much of it there was… we were never ever concerned about the transition from seated dinner to cocktail and whether people would be full… it was obvious that they were! I also must commend you on the incredible work ethic of your team. Your staff is really astonishing, from the top on down. I remarked to Forrest at some point (and then later Susan) that what your staff really embodies is “hustle” – that’s what you want to see of every single person at an event, and there is not one person on your team who is without purpose, focus, and speed. It’s something that other vendors and event managers should envy. And you know, truly, that I adore Mack and was ecstatic to have him there. He is such a special, hard working person, and I feel lucky to get to work with him, Forrest, and you two.
So long short, everyone was very happy. Thank you so much again for everything!!!
Sublime Summer Weddings
By Great Performances
Our wedding event planners had an exceptionally busy summer of weddings this year! From backyard brunches to rooftop romances, and everything in between, we haven’t seen a wedding season like this before! Our wedding event planners worked tirelessly to ensure every detail was perfect for our couples. Check out a small handful of the weddings we planned this summer and you’ll see why made it into The Knot Best of Weddings Hall of Fame!
620 Loft & Garden Rooftop Weddings
Seven floors above the hustle and bustle of Rockefeller Center is a tranquil oasis with incredible rooftop views of New York City. Strategically placed lighting and candles make the event sparkle with magic.
Guests were greeted with a welcoming flute of champagne and Mint Basil Lemonade. We highlighted the best of the growing season with a our ever-popular rainbow of vegetables in our Growing Season Vegetable Crudite served in a cup for easy nibbling and mingling. A special highlight was the couple’s favorite dish, Scarpetta’s Spaghetti Pomodoro.
Think 620 Loft & Garden might be the perfect venue for your wedding? See what all it has to offer at the link here.
Event planners: Amanda DiUglio & Emily Schreiber
Caramoor Weddings
Caramoor’s sprawling gardens with its romantic Sunken Garden make it an idyllic place to tie the knot. The Cedar Walk Path leads guests to the clear sided Reception Tent overlooking the Butterfly Garden.
Masked cater waiters greeted guests with refreshing Berry Basil Lemonades and a variety of hors d’oeuvres including Tuna Poke on a sesame tuile and Potato Cornets filled with Potato Cornet with portobello mousse. A guest favorite was the Raw Bar featuring jumbo shrimp, lobster, crab claws, oysters, and clams.
Think Caramoor might be the perfect venue for your wedding? See what all it has to offer at the link here.
Event planners: Amanda DiUglio & Emily Schreiber
Central Park Zoo Weddings
For the animal lovers out there, Central Park Zoo makes for a unique and playful wedding venue. One couple even brought their dog dressed for the occasion in a tutu! An open-sided tent with a clear roof makes for a light and airy covered space, perfect for a seated dinner. As the sun sets chandeliers and mood lighting create the perfect mood for an evening of celebration.
Our team greeted guests with a variety of speciality cocktails, including a Strawberry Frose. The decadent menu included a Caviar Specialty Station, an Asian Station, and a Mediterranean Station. After an evening of celebrating, guests were refueled with some late night classics including sliders, tater tots, grilled cheese with tomato soup shooters, and soft pretzels.
Think Central Park Zoo might be the perfect venue for your wedding? See what all it has to offer at the link here.
Event planners: Amanda DiUglio & Emily Schreiber
Hamptons Weddings
Private homes in the Hamptons provided an idyllic setting for several of our couples getting married. Our expert event planners will visit your home (or location of choice) and make recommendations about what you’ll need to create the wedding of your dreams!
Planning a wedding at your home? Let us help you turn your dreams into reality! Click the link here to contact us.
One of our favorite weddings included long tables bedecked with a red-checked tablecloth, reminiscent of a picnic. Colorful flowers and sparkling twinkle lights added to the whimsical air. A rainbow emerged, making this an especially memorable wedding.
Fun finger food including our Truffled Mushroom Pizzetta, mini Lobster Rolls, and Popcorn Chicken Cones kicked off the evening. Dinner included decadently delicious comfort favorites like Surf and Turf and Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Waffles, and guests barely had room for our Warm Chocolate Chip Cookies & Milkshake Shot, Lemon Meringue Pie Pops, and Flourless Chocolate Cake.
Event planners: Amanda DiUglio & Emily Schreiber
An especially vibrant wedding – from the decor to the dresses to the dishes – was an Indian wedding in Amagansett. Gorgeous cups of flower petals waited for guests to toss them over the couple. Hand-written menus graced each place setting, and there was an opportunity for guests to write a postcard about their favorite travel place. The food reflected the culture, with the bold colors playing beautifully off the white plates.
Event planners: Amanda DiUglio & Emily Schreiber
Wave Hill Weddings
We held a record number of events at Wave Hill – and looking through our albums, it’s easy to see why! This hidden gem in the Riverdale section of The Bronx has it’s own microclimate, and is lush and green throughout summer. Gorgeous landscaping and stunning views are enhanced by water features, a great lawn, and the greenhouse – all popular spots to take photos.
No two weddings are ever the same, as you’ll see from some of our photo highlights below.
For more information about Wave Hill, see what all it has to offer at the link here.
We love a good escort table – it immediately sets the mood for your wedding! Flowers, cacti, and moss all made their way to the escort cards, some even to be brought home by the guests.
Signature cocktails were a great way for the couples to share some of their favorite memories with the guests. Our teams can help you create a cocktail or we’re happy to use a recipe that has significance for you!
Inside or outside, although there are a some favorite spots in which our couples have chosen to exchange their vows. But there are so many other spaces to explore as well!
Dine al fresco either in a tent or with nothing but the sky above your heads or take your celebration indoors, we’ve got solutions for everything. From formal place settings to more casual ones, we can help make the rental decisions that express your theme. Flowers are always a beautiful pop of color and help bring the outside in.
Event planners: Amanda DiUglio & Emily Schreiber
E&E COVID WEDDING WAVE HILL
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge for couples looking to share the start of their new lives together with friends and family. Over the past year, the team at Great Performances has made it a goal to make it possible – and safe – for couples to host their dream wedding and to share it both in person and virtually with friends and family. We were thrilled to plan and cater E&E’s wedding at Wave Hill. It was truly an incredible event with gorgeous views of the Palisades and the Hudson River, socially distanced celebrating, and virtual attendees for those who were not able to attend in person.
CONTACT US
If you are starting to plan your wedding, contact us. We look forward to learning all about you and your dream wedding.
Great Performances is thrilled to be selected as a 2021 winner of The Knot Best of Weddings, an accolade representing the highest- and most-rated wedding professionals as reviewed by real couples, their families and wedding guests on The Knot, a leading wedding planning and registry brand and app.
This is our fourth year of being recognized on The Knot and places Great Performances in The Knot Hall of Fame, a distinction reserved for exceptional wedding professionals who have earned four or more of The Knot Best of Weddings awards.
This year, The Knot Best of Weddings winners represent the top five percent of local wedding vendors listed on The Knot. There were 1,422 new inductees into The Knot Best of Weddings Hall of Fame for 2021, out of hundreds of thousands of local vendors featured on The Knot.
Covid-19 has been particularly unkind to the hospitality industry. In-person gatherings for all types of events have become a thing of the distant past, replaced by virtual forms of congregation like Zoom.
But that didn’t faze our Amanda, a 9-year GP event planning expert on our team. We talked about those first days in March, when everything disappeared off the event calendar. We were all certain it would all return by summer. When that didn’t happen, she went looking for ways to bring her clients back – to outdoor venues, in small groups, and with comfort and security.
Since the summer, she has planned more than 30 micro-weddings (compared to the 5 weddings she planned in all of 2019), establishing the pattern for this completely new style of celebration.
I asked Amanda to share what is different about the brides and grooms she is working with now and how weddings have adapted to Covid-time restrictions. In her responses, I could see the tremendous capacity Amanda has for connecting with people. She is filled with a desire to help them find solutions, create special moments and fulfill the dreams they have. In so doing, Amanda establishes relationships that endure.
IN AMANDA’S WORDS
At the beginning when weddings were being cancelled, tentatively rescheduled, then pushed out indefinitely, it was difficult. And I missed the parties – the energy cannot be matched – and I missed the collaboration and camaraderie with my office colleagues. But people make what they want. You can wait for the phone to ring or you can go out there and build it. Discovering how to create wonderful micro-weddings with our team and partners was something I loved doing.
It’s been incredibly rewarding to work with couples during this challenging time. At times, I feel like an event matchmaker: the clients not only select the venue, but we make a real connection which builds trust and makes the planning process even more personal. And I’ve also gotten close to the mothers of the brides. They want their daughters to have it all, and to make the day as special as possible despite the intimate size of the group.
3 Key Things Amanda Looks For Initially:
Rebound Bookings – if a couple has been “bounced” from a previously planned location
Party Size – confirming that the couple are really ok with a party for just 50 people and helping manage expectations for what is possible
Wishlist – understanding what is most important for the couple so we can find the best possible solution for their wedding
The New Wedding Size:
Initially, events were limited to 20 guests, now they can include 50 celebrants.
Some clients are booking into 2022 anticipating a return to large events.
When booking 2021, Amanda tries to make sure couples will be happy with just 50.
Components Of Style:
Resuming Weddings – The bridal industry bounced back in August with vendors and suppliers ready for the new landscape.
Traditional Ceremonies – Smaller wedding parties are resulting in more traditional ceremony formats.
Nature Inspired – Because so many weddings are outside, there is a move towards more nature inspired décor.
Inside Out – Conversely, there is a fun accent of bringing the indoors out – with fun furniture and settings.
Double the Pleasure – Although this is the year for smaller, scaled- back weddings for couples wishing to get married immediately, some couples are planning a “sequel” for once Covid restrictions are lifted. They’re planning also planning a big blowout when they can celebrate with their larger group of family, friends and loved ones.
Virtual Component:
The Big Screen – Expect to see a large video screen at the ceremony with cameras and drones on hand to capture all aspects of the ceremony.
Virtual Interaction – Guests who are not able to attend in person can also participate! We’ve seen couples dedicate time to their virtual guests and even incorporate them into the event.
Venues:
2 popular locations this summer and for 2021 are Wave Hill and Caramoor.
Because of the smaller sized groups in these gardens, our brides are discovering and utilizing spaces more creatively than in previous years.
From out east at the beach to up north in the Hudson Valley, Amanda and team are finding more choice locations.
City roof tops, terraces and other urban open spaces are in demand!
Instead of destinations guests fly to, accessibility by car is desirable.
Covid-Testing:
Some clients request evidence of recent testing; a few provide on-site rapid tests, for service staff as well.
Guests are expected to test and quarantine in advance of the wedding
LESSONS LEARNED
I’ve learned so much during this time, more than just the intricacies of planning a wedding with Covid restrictions. I’ve learned to be in the moment. Before, it was multi-tasking on all cylinders all the time. Now, I pay more attention to the moment – be it time on the phone with a friend or focusing even more time on proposals. But when things return….it will be back to multi-tasking!
For the past several months, as we’ve stayed at home and missed so many of the events that mark our spring and summer, we’ve been busy behind the scenes at Great Performances planning how we’ll be able to run events safely.
SOCIAL EVENTS
The scale of our events may have changed, but the care and attention we put into them remain remains the same—if not somewhat heightened.
We’ve stepped back and taken a fresh perspective of how we run events and rethought every single step.
We have two main priorities:
- running a great event with outstanding food and service for our clients and their guests
- ensuring that we’re doing all we can to maintain everyone’s health and safety.
From the first moments of collaborating with our clients, we apply our Covid lens.
Top of mind is how to reduce the number of staff members.
We have to rethink menus and how we can continue to deliver flavor and variety but with fewer people in the kitchen.
We carefully plan the entire event, step by step, including preparing and serving food, pickups, beverage service, and bars.
Hors d’oeuvres are passed in covered trays with individual toothpicks to prevent direct contact with the food once it is placed on the tray.
And although bartenders are still preparing drinks at the bar, they’re behind a protective shield with a waiter acting as the liaison between guests ordering beverages and the bartender preparing the orders.
We have a responsibility to keep up to date on the latest guidelines for health and safety at events and gatherings, convey them to our clients, and get ahead of any permits that are required.
"We have to be much more thoughtful, strategic and cognizant and aware of everything that affects the event. In the past, I could have planned an event for 1000 people in less time than it took me to plan a recent event for 40 people.”
MICROWEDDINGS
Of all the events that have been canceled this year, perhaps the most heartbreaking are the weddings.
For the most part, our couples have been incredibly flexible and resilient, despite their disappointment.
With the reopening of outdoor venues, we worked closely with our partners like Wave Hill and Caramoor to create a variety of packages to help couples celebrate their special day with their family and friends with an extra eye on health and safety.
These smaller, more intimate weddings – or microweddings – meet all requirements for social gatherings and we’re happy to celebrate with couples each weekend for the coming month, with back-to-back weddings on each weekend day.
“We are excited to help bring the dreams of our couples to life, even if it’s a little different than what they had originally planned! Many couples have decided to do a smaller ceremony and dinner now with plans to book a ‘Wedding Sequel’ next year: a larger celebration with their originally intended guest list.” Amanda DiUglio, Senior Event Director.
From the moment planning starts, we work together with the couple to help guide COVID-friendly set-ups, floor plans, and menu selections while keeping their personal style and vision.
CONTACT US
To discuss your event contact us
Call: 212.727.2424
Email: celebratefood@greatperformances.com
Or complete the form.