guide to life celebrations

4 Life celebrations By Julie Chernoff, Laura Hine, Susan B. Noyes, Kristina Tober and Kim Treger

26 9 Tips from top party pros By Jennifer Dunham Luby

30 Get beautiful for your big day By Jenny Muslin

34 Get the most bang for your bridal buck By Meghan Streit

34 Caterers make the event By Julie Chernoff

we like to partylooking to throw a party or host an event? Deerfield Park District has you covered. Our multiple locations include a pool and gym at Sachs Recreation Center, a “Treehouse Playground” at Jewett Park Community Center, or room rentals at Patty Turner Center. To get more information visit our website at deerfieldparks.org/party.

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By Julie Chernoff, Laura Hine, Susan B. Noyes,

Kristina Tober and Kim Treger

makeitbetter.net a p r i l 2 0 1 2 5

Everyone loves a party! It’s a chance to bring family and friends together to celebrate a milestone, but it doesn’t have to be once a year or once a decade. The beginning of the weekend is worthy of celebration. A teen reaching a goal deserves a party. And your birthday (whether it ends in a “0” or not) needs a cake and more.

We found inspiration and laughter from these celebrations and we hope they will move you to call, email or send an engraved invitation to your friends and family. Plan that soirée. The reward: renewed friendships and a reminder that any excuse to celebrate is worth taking.

W e d d i n g s a n d b e y o n dWEddIngs

And bEyond

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ext January, our 27-year-old son, Nick, is marry-

ing a fantastic woman, Noelle. our family will have fun with the two Christmas names—st. nick and noelle—the rest of our lives. but before that, we want to give the affianced the best possible start, with a lov-ingly organized wedding.

When nick’s siblings asked to throw an engagement party for

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mAxImum lovEPlanning the perfect wedding

By Susan B. Noyes

Tom and erin Lawler, photographed at the baha'i temple by angel eyes Photog-raphy - Hilda burke

8 2 0 1 2 g u i d e t o l i f e c e l e b r at i o n s makeitbetter.net

the couple with three hours of open bar and only one hour of appetizers—maximum alco-hol, minimal food, egads!—we hit the first of many com-plex decision-making points. Aligning values with the end-less possibilities of wedding planning can be a challenge!

Fortunately though, we found excellent advice from second City’s Jacobina (Bina) Martin and her mother Judith, who is the syndicated colum-nist, miss manners. The mar-tins wrote an excellent book to guide couples and their families through the wedding planning process with wit, wisdom and common sense, “Miss Manners’ Guide To A Surprisingly Dignified Wed-ding.” (W.W. norton).

In short, bina and her moth-er strongly advocate that ev-ery wedding and prenuptial event be organized around a guest list of those who know and love the bride or groom well, traditions that reflect the couple’s lives and values, and

a budget that will not strain their future finances.

I think of this as maximum love and minimal ostentation (with minimal potential for al-cohol poisoning).

A fresh-faced, chestnut-haired beauty who lives on Chicago’s north side with her husband

“If you drain your bank account and alienate your

friends, it’s too much. Also, if there’s an elephant involved.”

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and two-year-old daughter, bina will speak at our make It better life Celebra-tions event on June 14, at 6:30 p.m., at The book stall in Winnetka. To regis-ter: makeitbetter.net/ lifecelebrations. In the meantime, she an-swers our most press-ing questions:

SBN: What is the best way to create an event and guest list that reflects the cou-ple’s life and values?

JM: most people plan their events back-wards. They fixate on their (material) dream and then fig-

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1 0 2 0 1 2 g u i d e t o l i f e c e l e b r at i o n s makeitbetter.net

ure out how many people will fit within its budget. The message becomes “my fan-tasy is more important to the event than having you in it.” If your values include spend-ing within your means and caring about others, then a celebratory event that reflects this should be easy. And usu-ally much more dignified.

SBN: How much is too much?

JM: If you drain your bank account and alienate your friends, it’s too much. Also, if there’s an elephant involved.

SBN: What did you love about your own wedding?

JM: The cake. no seriously, it was pumpkin.

SBN: Any other tips?

JM: let tradition prevail if your event has a ceremony.

It will be “personal” because of the people involved. And as far as planning everything else: It’s a party. you’re not try-ing to get your child into pre-school. Have fun and be in-clusive. yes, you are juggling a lot of personalities and opin-ions, but at the end of the day, you’re picking out flowers and taste-testing bruschetta. How stressful can that be?

Jacobina martin

makeitbetter.net a p r i l 2 0 1 2 1 1

Women of a cer-tain age used to not mention the

number attached to a birthday.

but now, women are wearing a new decade like a badge of honor, and not simply celebrating a birthday, but elevating the experience beyond a party and into a life-changing transformation.

ArouNd the World iN 18 dAyS

last year, Jennifer Konz-Alt and her hus-band, Aaron Alt, both turned 40 and marked the occasion with a last-minute family trip around

CElEbrATIng THE AgEsBy Kim Treger

the world. “It was the sort of airfare package that a recent college grad might use to take a year abroad, but we used it to see the world in 18 days!” Jenni-fer explains.

With only a month to plan their adventure, the Alts and their sons—Griffin, 8, and Zach, 6—packed everything they would need into two suit-cases and took off. vis-iting the Cook Islands, Hong Kong, new Zea-land, l.A., san Fran-cisco, london and Paris, the Alts found the travel bonded their family in a new way.

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“We discovered that the unplanned moments were the most enjoyable,” Jennifer says. like marking Jennifer’s actual birthday with a dom-ino’s pizza delivered atop a

volcano in Auckland. This trip of a lifetime

marked their important birthdays by honoring two of the things the Alts hold dear—family and travel.

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Sharon Simon and friends in Puerto Vallerta


Four tripS For Four decAdeS

Sharon Simon of Chicago wasn’t shy about turning 40, but wanted the focus to be less on her and more on her loved ones.

she organized a trip for each decade: san Francisco with family; south Africa with a friend on a lifelong dream trip; south beach to reconnect with childhood friends; and finally, living it up with 13 friends in Puerto vallarta.

back in Chicago for her actual birthday, sharon host-ed a dozen friends for a din-ner at which she refused gifts, but invited everyone to con-tribute to a scholarship fund created to honor her brother, who was killed in a 1993 car accident. “I was surrounded by friends from all parts of

my life who knew what that meant to me, and the feeling of support was amazing,” she recalls.

the Bucket’S hAlF Full!“I’m 50, so why not?”

became a mantra for ad-venturesome Bev Pinaire of Wilmette. “I feel young-er now than I did ten years ago,” she claims, describing her hiking and rappelling trips. Ticking off the list of things on her sort-of bucket list included a jump from an airplane, which she says she would do again in a heart-beat. “If there’s a bucket list, I swear my bucket is still half full,” she exclaims.

Celebrations like these can make a woman feel ageless and make age seem mean-ingless.


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Every Friday night at sundown (or there-abouts), Jewish

families all over the world celebrate the arrival of shabbat, the sabbath day of rest. lights are kindled, prayers are said, wine is drunk, challah (the tra-ditional egg bread) is bro-ken, and dinner begins. It’s a custom shared by millions, connecting past and present.

FrIdAy nIgHT lIgHTs shabbat celebrations on the north shore

By Julie Chernoff

yet amongst all this tradition, there’s room for creativity and interpreta-tion. Enter Highland Park artist/cartoonist Sharon Rosenzweig and her hus-band, Aaron Freeman, the well-known comedian, au-thor and radio personality.

Freeman converted to Judaism more than 20 years ago, and latched onto the tradition of Fri-day night dinners. rosen-

zweig joined in the fun when they married in 2004. The story of the Torah comes alive at their table, with the week’s “parsha” (portion) becoming the theme for the dinner it-self. They have had as many as 25 guests, but generally keep the weekly dinner to a more manageable 12. It’s a coveted invitation on the north shore.

“We tell our guests to try to imagine themselves into the story,” Freeman says with a chuckle.

“Aaron always finds a way to incorporate all the dishes

into that week’s parsha, even if it’s a bit of a stretch. He makes it all fit, somehow,” rosenzweig adds.

As you can imagine, hilar-ity ensues. but so does discus-sion and spirited debate. “We talk about the Torah portion through the lens of the food,” Freeman says. And rosen-zweig sets the tone with her

for more info visit thecomic torah.com, a website that details their “reimagining of the Very good book” as a graphic novel, written by freeman and illustrated by rosenzweig.

continued on page 23 u


I do” and “surprise!” aren’t generally heard on the same night, but these couples astonished their guests to make their weddings unforgettable.

A surPrIsIng WAy To sAy “I do”

By Laura Hine


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Jeffrey and Naderé Stern-berg had only been engaged for two months when they sent out invitations for their engagement party. They told their friends that their wed-ding was going to be a family-only destination wedding, so they hoped everyone would make it to the engagement party in Chicago. of course, that was a clever cover story, which they went to elaborate lengths to make believable.

The night of their party, they greeted guests in cock-tail attire, socialized for the first hour, then quietly slipped away. When Jeffrey’s grandfa-ther took the stage to welcome everyone with a toast, he said, “We have a little surprise for you before dinner.” At that, a curtain parted, revealing a room set with chairs, an aisle,

f lowers—c l e a r l y ready for a wedding.

“We could hear the guests screaming, cheering and laughing,” naderé says. “There was just so much ener-gy in the room,” Jeffrey adds. “People were so happy and surprised.” Including one aunt and uncle who were doubly surprised because Jeffrey and naderé had secretly flown in their daughter from Paris to be there for the wedding.

A great cover story is clear-ly a must for a surprise wed-ding. For Evanston poet Barry Siegel, his 60th birthday party was already planned. As he was writing a poem about his longtime girlfriend, Sheila Flaherty, he decided that he


would sur-prise her, and not only ask her to m a r r y him at

the party, but actu-

ally get married that night.

“I got up to read ‘novem-ber sun,’ ” barry recalls. “And everyone assumed it would be about turning 60, but when I got to the lines, ‘marry me now, marry me please,’ there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.”

sheila admits she would have worn a different sweat-er if she’d known, but loved every minute of the surprise and their wedding.

For Lara and Ed Meiss-ner, their cover story was their eminent move from Chicago to london. To say goodbye

to friends and family, they planned a bash at Salvage One.

lara told 20 of her closest friends that a magician was going to start the evening off, so she needed each of them to hold a flower and envelope as part of the act. Instead, when the surprise was revealed, lara walked down the aisle, kissing and hugging her girl-friends; their flowers became her bouquet. Each envelope held a letter, telling why lara valued their friendship.

Again, not a dry eye in the house.

The usual surprise par-ty has one honoree who’s shocked, but the dynamic changes when every guest gets to have that moment of thrill; when they all realize that the evening is not what they expected and a magical


surPrIsE! Tips for Secretly Planning Your Nuptials

If you’re considering a surprise wedding, the three couples we talked to recommend these steps:

1 Have a plausible cover story and stick to it.

2 Keep your mouth shut.

3 Plan for the moment of surprise. both the

meisners and sternbergs had a curtain open after a toast for the reveal.

4 Accept that not every-one will come. Every

couple mentioned that one or two people didn’t make it, but the people who care the most will make it.

event is about to happen. For these couples, their weddings

were the beginning of a life-time of surprises.


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P arenting a child with special needs on the journey to

the bima reminds us that sometimes taking a leap of faith—in your child, in yourself as a parent and in your god—can deliver unexpected miracles.

mAZEl Tov!children with special needs—and their families—gain

confidence as they become bar or bat mitzvahs

By Kristina Tober

despite unique chal-lenges, Michelle Rappaport, Jack Rosen and Scott Tep-perman each made their bar or bat mitzvah. michelle has been diagnosed with fa-milial dysautonomia, a rare genetic disorder; Jack and scott have autism.


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For michelle, her journey began at Keshet. dedicated to helping individuals with de-velopmental disabilities reach their personal potential in all areas, including Jewish re-ligious growth, Keshet has helped hundreds of young-sters through their bar and bat mitzvah tutoring program.

For Jack, it was his rabbi at B'nai Jehoshua Beth Elo-him who preached acceptance and welcomed children with special needs to worship. For scott, it was his love of shabbat services at Beth Emet Synogo-gue, music and the peace of a beautiful sanctuary. With the support of their home syna-gogues and the help of Keshet tutors, each was able to dem-onstrate the enormous growth and maturity that any bar or bat mitzvah must, through study and practice.

“so often we focus on a child’s deficits,” says Audrey Tepperman, scott’s mother. “on his bar mitzvah, scott reminded us all of his many strengths. He wore his tallit, opened the Ark and walked with the Torah. All of these were big things that required lots of practice. It was his turn to stand on the bima in his own way.” standing beside him, as with each milestone, were his parents: Audrey read scott’s Torah portion and his father, Dan, delivered the sermon.

For more than two years, Jack practiced his prayers. on the day of his service, he gave


voice to his potential. “Here was our child, who has mini-mal speech, reciting prayers in Hebrew,” Wendy Rosen remembers. “He looked out at the congregation, seeing all the people who have been so present in his life, and gave them the composure and per-formance of a lifetime.”

While also largely non-ver-bal, michelle recited her Ali-yah, prayers and chants, prov-ing to herself and everyone how capable she is. “michelle has her good and bad days, but that was one of her best,” explains her mother, Barrie Rappaport. “she reminded us

of how present she is and how, with acceptance and a will-ingness to find a way to make it work, we can help her ac-complish so much more than we ever anticipated.”

These services were also a time to thank the people who worked with their children for so many years. Therapists, nurses, teachers and aides joined friends and family. michelle’s father Rick gave a special toast to “Team mi-chelle.”

“our rabbi reminds us that special needs kids are closer to god because their emotions are so authentic,” Wendy rosen says. “Jack held it together until the end of the service and finally broke into giggles, and we all joined in. It was a complete and utter expression of joy, of the hap-piness that is Jack.”

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challahs, sculpted to fit the theme.

It can be a challenge to make something routine—even a ritual as important as shabbat—into a family-friendly event that will keep the children engaged. That’s why Evanston maven Em-ily Nidenberg has organized a “gaming shabbat,” where a bunch of families gather at her home for a potluck dinner and board games afterward.

“It’s a communal experi-

continued from page 47 ence; we do it a few times a year,” nidenberg explains.

For her family, it’s often an international affair: They’ve hosted exchange students from around the world, most re-cently from China. “We make an effort to integrate the home customs and ethos of our ex-change students into our own celebrations,” she says.

“but I’d really love to get in-vited to Aaron Freeman’s,” she exclaims. “now there’s a shab-bat!” Aaron and sharon, con-sider yourselves notified.

mEET THE AuTHors

Julie chernoff, evanstonWhen Julie and Josh married in 1988, Julie's parents insisted that she sing to her new groom. she chose "i've got a crush on you"— then and now.

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laura Hine, Wilmette

When Laura and clarkson mar-ried 23 years ago

(yikes!) their song was style council’s “you’re the best Thing.” still true today.

susan noyes, Wilmette

susan's sister-in-law, kathy can-ada, composed

and performed a song for their wedding, "now all of my Life is for you." Hear the song (it's really beautiful!) and see their outdoor canadian wedding at

makeitbetter.net/ido

Kim treger, lake forest

The band at kim's wedding brought the microphone

onto the dance floor, inviting guests to sing, so her dad ser-enaded her with "The Way you Look Tonight," her husband with "you're nobody 'til somebody Loves you," but the best was the group number she and her friends did to "i Will survive."

Kristina tober, lake forest

a sunday morn-ing wedding, so no dance—but 17

years later kristina's husband steve swears by Lyle Lovett's "she's no Lady...she's my Wife."

he Armour House at Lake Forest Academy provides a unique and timeless setting for your special event. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this prestigiously located Italian villa combines old world charm with modern needs, the elegance of art with the grandeur of nature.

1500 W Kennedy Rd, Lake Forest | 847.612.3219 | ArmourHouse.com

The Armour House at Lake Forest Academy

http://www.ArmourHouse.com


9 t ip s from

top party pros

By Jennifer Dunham Luby

Whether your soirée is once in a lifetime or an annual neighborhood

bash, top party pros have insider ideas and tips just for you.

1 Unsure of an event’s dress code? Consider

the person or organization throwing the party. Cocktail attire for a corporate party should be conservative, whereas the same dress code for your niece’s 21st birthday bash is the time for youthful silhouettes and bold colors. No matter what the dress code, always choose a gar-ment that makes you feel confident, and that you won’t mind being photographed in.

—Julie Blake, Women’s Di-vision Manager and Store Co-Manager, Mark Shale at Northbrook Court

2 Every summer in June or July, Vintage Pine has a

huge tag sale, and that’s when Heffernan Morgan Designs cleans out their warehouse. It’s

a great source for props for an event—everything from su-perhero cutouts to holiday gar-lands. (Check vintagepine.com for the exact date.)

—Bill Heffernan, Founder, Heffernan Morgan Designs, Chicago

3 When you get engaged, don’t panic and imme-

diately start booking venues. Take a deep breath and start with your budget, and what you really want guests to take away from your event. The priority should be getting down the aisle and saying “I do.” Everything after that is frosting!

—Mindy Weiss, Author of “The Wedding Planner & Organizer,” and event planner for celebrities including Heidi Klum and Katy Perry

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4 Planning a surprise par-ty? When considering

music, pick a playlist from when the honoree was between the ages of 13 and 22. Upbeat music from the formative years creates a mood of fun and fa-miliarity that will coax even the most surprised guest of honor out of their shell.

—Jeff Bizar, CEO, Bizar Entertainment, Deerfield

5 Confidence is the key to looking great in candid

photos. Relax, be in the mo-ment and avoid over-posing (that means ditching the hand-on-the-hip stance). Keep your arms natural, stand with one foot slightly ahead of the oth-er, and shift your weight back-wards. Now think happy thoughts, and smile!

—Chuan Vo, Owner and Photographer, Vofotos, Chicago

6 If your celebration is a multicultural one, share

the “best of” from each cul-ture with passed hors d’oeuvres. They can be sam-pled or turned away, so there’s no pressure! Try to incorpo-rate as many elements from each tradition as possible. Do research into each culture’s food and symbolism to avoid offensive foods or colors.

—Wendy Pashman, Owner, Entertaining Company, Chicago

7 What to give the hostess with the mostest? Unless

you know her tastes very well, wine, chocolates and scented candles can be risky. The best gift is something small and useful, yet a piece she’d never buy for herself. Opt for a beau-tifully wrapped serving item for her next soiree, or a leath-er-bound notepad.

—Gayle Cohen, Manager, Material Possessions, Winnetka

8 Before that emotional big day, ask your makeup

artist to use silicone-based wa-terproof airbrush makeup. It will stay put through sweat and tears, until you take it off. This type of makeup also has the added benefit of creating a smooth surface over pesky fine lines. Also, avoid using mois-turizers or foundations con-taining titanium dioxide, a common SPF ingredient. It re-flects light and will give you a ghostly appearance in photos.

—Holly Kasprisin, Owner and Lead Artist, Chicago Bridal Hair and Makeup

(For more tips, check out “Get Beautiful for Your Big Day” on page 95)

9 Decorate on a dime with this party stylist secret:

Group candles in different heights and sizes on coffee tables, mantles, bars and buf-fets. The tiered, colorful col-lections of pillar and votive candles will make your party shine with hardly any effort.

—Debi Lilly, Chief Eventeur, A Perfect Event, Chicago

meet the authorJennifer dun-ham luby, chicagoJen talked her husband Dan

into the jazz standard “my one and only Love” after her best friend introduced her to sting’s version of it, from the “Leaving Las Ve-gas” soundtrack.

makeitbetter.net/meet-our-writers



get beautiful for your big day By Jenny Muslin

Whether it’s your class reunion, a milestone birthday, a wedding, a child’s bar or bat mitzvah, or another important event, you want to

look your most radiant. Follow our countdown guide to help get you ready for whatever momentous occasion you have coming up.

2 Months Prior Whiten your teeth. Get whitening

trays from your dentist or start applying whitening strips to make your smile sparkle. (Check out makeitbetter.net/whiteteeth for our review of whitening methods.)

Test your tan. Are you applying a natural self-tanner or being spray-tanned by a professional? Make sure you like the shade and effects of your faux bronze.

Shop your closet or hit the stores for a fabulous ensemble. Once you’ve selected what you’re wear-ing, choose matching jewelry, shoes, a purse and wrap.


1 Month Prior Critique your skin care regi-men. If your current products are working well, don’t change them now. Keep skin hydrated by applying moisturizer, eye-cream and sunscreen daily.

Book appointment for a hair and makeup trial. Bring pic-tures to show your stylist. If you’re considering fake eye-lashes, this is the time to try them out. We love MAC’s falsies.

Test your undergarments to ensure smooth lines.

3 Weeks Prior Get a gentle facial.

1-2 Weeks Prior Get a haircut or trim to avoid

the “just shorn” look. (Remind your spouse or date to book an appointment, too.)

Color hair or touch up your roots.

Tweeze or wax eyebrows. Buy hosiery, if needed, includ-

ing a back-up pair.

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Day Of EvEnt Follow your plan—a fashion or beauty “don’t” is usually

a last-minute “improvement.”

Throw key items in your clutch: safety pin, Band-Aid, aspirin, lipstick, lip-gloss, mints, keys, and cell phone.

Have fun and smile!

For a list of area salons to assist with your event preparation, visit makeitbetter.net/the-better-list

2 Days PriOr Spray tan or self-tan. Reconfirm hair and makeup ap-

pointment time.

Make a checklist or timeline of everything you need to do to

get ready and work back-wards to make sure you’re not rushed or

stressed.

3-4 Days PriOr Enjoy a mani-pedi—splurge on the paraffin treatment. Get your beauty rest and drink lots of water.

Celebrate with Friends

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bridalBy Meghan Streit

Bejeweled invitations in elab-orate boxes, lavish garde-nia centerpieces, mile-high

fondant-frosted cakes and design-er gowns—there’s no shortage

of ways to spend money on a wedding.

Of course you want to give your daughter (or your-self!) a dream wedding. But, you don’t have to drain your savings to throw a party to re-member. We asked local wed-ding planners for insider tips on how to spend wisely.

Spend on the muSicChuck Share is the owner

of Northfield-based Wed-dings, Inc. His family’s busi-ness has been helping North Shore couples plan elegant weddings since 1950. Share says splurge on the reception music with a live band.

“Music is what keeps the party going,” Share says. “Live music really creates a wonderful feeling, whether you are 80 or 18 years old.”

If your daughter has vi-sions of out-of-touch wedding singers crooning oldies, she’ll be pleasantly surprised. Share says today’s wedding bands cover pop songs, and some even incorporate DJs, giving you the best of both worlds.

Better Location & FoodMegan Estrada helped ar-

range hundreds of weddings

in her hotel catering career. Last year, she launched her own event planning com-pany. Estrada says food and beverages are usually 50% of wedding budgets, so choose your venue wisely. “It’s worth it to spend $5,000 to $10,000 more for a better location that is more beautiful and has higher food quality.”

LinenS & LightingEstrada says the biggest

mistake brides make is us-ing standard linens. For a bit more money, upgraded linens can completely change the look of the room. You can also up the ambiance with carefully placed lighting and flowers like lilies that draw the eye upward.

“Linens and lighting are surprisingly the things people don’t think about,” Estrada

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do you Need a Wedding Planner?a wedding is the biggest and arguably the most important party most of us will ever host. tremendous effort goes into choosing the ideal ven-ue, creating cohesive menus, hiring florists, musicians and stylists—and making sure

says. “But, when you put flo-ral, linens and lighting all to-gether, that gives people that ‘wow’ effect.”

Buy the photo rightSAnother tip: Invest in a

good photographer. When the big day is over, the thing you’ll take with you is the photos, Estrada says. That’s why she tells clients to choose an experienced photographer and to buy the rights to pic-tures so you can share with family and friends.

what’S important to you?

Catherine Gatto of Chi-cago’s Birch Design Studio tells couples to let their own interests guide the wedding budget. “If the bride and groom are foodies, we might focus on creating a really

unique menu—maybe hav-ing a multi-course dinner, paired with craft beers.”

On the other hand, if the couple is into music, Gatto suggests sinking more money into that aspect of the wed-ding by hiring multiple per-formers like a calypso gui-tarist for cocktails and a big band for dancing. “We want guests to leave the event say-ing, ‘Wow, that was so that couple,’ ” she says.

everything goes off without a hitch on that big day. that’s why many people consider hiring wedding planners.

TasTe & Pulling iT To-geTher: North shore event planner megan estrada likens hiring wedding coordinators to using interior decorators. “do you feel competent in your own tastes?” she asks brides-to-be. “a lot of people know what they like, but don’t know how to put it together.”

DiY Pressure: there are plenty of blogs and websites for brides who want a diy wedding. Chuck share of Weddings inc. says access to all of that information is actu-ally one of the most compel-ling reasons some people hire planners. “the way the world is now, there are so many resources available, it’s over-whelming,” he observes.

Value of Your Time: es-trada says she spends up to 200 hours planning a wed-ding— and she’s a profession-al. many busy couples simply don’t have that time to devote to wedding planning.

birch design studio’s Cath-erine gatto says a planner can streamline communications with vendors: “if we get 20 emails from vendors, the bride and groom will only see two.”

guesT aT Your own weDDing: share encourages families, even those who have experience planning char-ity and social events, to hire a professional for one simple reason: you want to be a guest at your own wedding. “doing it yourself sometimes turns into a negative,” he says, “be-cause everyone is so stressed out that it takes away from the excitement.”

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caterers make the eventBy Julie Chernoff

I’m going to be honest with you. My enjoyment level at any celebration is

directly proportional to the quality of the food. Yes, sure, the company I’m with is also important, but come on now. Feed me something tasty!

I’m not going to leave you hanging. I’m happy to share my sources! Here are the ca-terers I turn to for help with special events, whether it’s a backyard BBQ in Glencoe, a 50th birthday luncheon in Evanston, or a glittering char-

Limelight: Food illuminated


ity ball downtown. These professionals make it work no matter the venue… and I lick my plate every time.

Big TickeT chariTy galas

Chairing an intimate gath-ering of 600 at the Field Mu-seum? You might want to give one of these companies a call.

calihan catering they’ll provide service for up to 5,000. known for their high-powered clients and their willingness to do anything to make an event work. 833 W. Haines, Chicago, 312-587-3553, calihancatering.com

Jewell events cateringFor forty years, the choice of high society at all the top galas, known for excellent service.424 N. Wood St., Chicago, 312-829-3663, georgejewell.com

limelight: Food illuminatedowned by wilmette native rita gutekanst; known for innova-tive presentation and delicious food at some of the toniest venues in town. 2000 N. Racine Ave., Chicago, 773-883-3080, limelightcatering.com

special celeBraTions and corporaTe evenTs

Whether it’s a wedding for 200 at the Botanic Garden or a business dinner for 50 at the Kenilworth Club, any of these caterers will give you the service and quality you’re looking for.

an apple a day catering twenty years of catering on the north shore means that they know their client. 317 Park Ave., Glencoe, 847-835-2620, anap-pleadaycatering.com

catering by Michael’s specializing in outdoor events, they’ll make any event fun. 6203


Park Ave., Morton Grove, 847-966-6555, cateringbymichaels.com

J & l catering service and food are terrific; their event planners are totally hands-on and make everything run smoothly. 1229 N. North Branch St. #120, Chicago, 312-280-7900, jandlcatering.com

pear Tree catering extensive chocolate and des-sert buffets are a particular specialty, as well as big outdoor events. 950 Woodlands Pkwy., Vernon Hills, 847-459-1100, peartreecatering.com

new ideas For enTerTaining aT hoMe

Want to entertain at home, but tired of the usual trays or potlucks? Any of these choices will provide both conversation starters and fantastic eats.

hummingbird kitchen they’ll park in front of your house in their mobile kitchen and take care of business, whether it’s a plated dinner or food-truck eats. Evanston, 847-475-6680, hummingbirdkitchen.com

homemade pizza company hpC will bring their custom-made mobile ovens to your home and provide fresh-baked thin crust pizzas, salads and des-serts for your party. Multiple loca-tions throughout North Shore, 312-564-5610, homemadepizza.com

sunday dinner with a commitment to sus-tainable, organic ingredients, they’ll provide restaurant qual-ity food in a home setting. inti-mate multi-course dinners for up to 15. Chicago, 773-878-2717, sundaydinnerchicago.com

For a list of caterers, visit makeitbetter.net/the-better-list

June 14, 2012 6:30 PM

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Featuring author Jacobina Martin

Y o u A r e I n v I T e d T o J o I n M A k e I T B e T T e r F o r o u r F I r S T

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guide to life celebrations

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