“I’ve always loved planning events, vacations, gatherings — it’s just how I’ve always been,” says Jaime Weiss, owner of Jaime Weiss Events (jaimeweissevents.com). “I love making people feel welcome and appreciated in the form of hosting.”
Growing up in Ridgefield, Conn., just outside New York City, Weiss got her event-planning feet wet after college with an internship at Alice + Olivia in New York, where she helped plan everything from Fashion Week after-parties to a presidential daughter’s birthday parties. She later worked in PR, then for SoulCycle in Los Angeles, Chicago and Ann Arbor — work that taught her, she says, how much people simply want to feel seen and understood, whether at a fitness studio or a formal event.
She moved to Ann Arbor in 2019 for a SoulCycle launch, met her husband, Mitch, and stayed. The couple married in 2022 and now live in Berkley with their two children, Millie, 3, and Solomon, 1.5.
Motherhood delayed her original business plans, but a chance moment at her daughter’s third birthday party this past May — when a venue owner asked for her card — pushed her to finally launch. She started her business two days later.
Weiss offers full-service planning for showers, birthdays, brand activations, naming ceremonies, bar and bat mitzvahs, grand openings and more, handling everything from vendor communication to budgets to guest experience — and menus. Her specialty lies in the small, custom touches — embroidered favors, custom wine stem tags, thoughtfully designed tablescapes — “anything that makes a guest feel like the host is grateful to have them in attendance,” she says. “I really love finding creative ways to make something ordinary feel super special and bespoke. And I really love a tablescape — a fun patterned napkin, a beautifully textured charger plate, topped off with a unique, on-theme napkin ring. I could create and design tablescapes all day; it doesn’t feel like work for even a second.”
Weiss also keeps a close eye on food trends, pointing to grazing tables as a favorite for their flexibility and visual appeal, and recommending local talents like Chandler Charcuterie and Cat Shapiro of Thyme & Honey. Her personal weakness as a guest is a raw bar — “so good, so classic,” she says, crediting her East Coast roots for the taste.
What sets her apart, she says, isn’t just the design work but the direct relationship clients get with her, start to finish. “You’re getting me,” she says. “I will give you my honest opinions when needed but I also like to have a fun, easygoing relationship with my clients during the planning process while still producing beautiful, immaculate results.”
At the end of the day, what she loves the most is “seeing the joy on a client’s face when seeing everything for the first time,” Weiss says. “Even when a new item for an event comes in the mail, I am giddy with excitement to see how it turned out. And when the party is for a child who sees their party as pure magic — there’s nothing like it.”
PARTY PICKS
From kids’ birthdays to grad parties to formal weddings — standout food can make the party. Even if your event is a sit-down, plated affair, bringing in the people-pleasing favorites can put guests in the party spirit. From tried-and-true DIY Coneys, donut walls and food trucks of every variety to cotton candy works of art, it’s easier than ever to eat cute.
Here are some local favorites:
• When Jaime Weiss gets an invite or throws a soiree, her own favorite, can’t-pass-it-up treat is a raw bar. “It’s just so good, so classic and the East Coaster in me can never pass up shrimp or oysters,” she says. “There are also so many ways to style it that leave a lot of room for creativity. To enhance a raw bar, I also love an immersive food experience, like a sushi chef preparing the food in front of you.”
• Weiss also loves a grazing table. “It’s like a charcuterie board on steroids,” she says. “Not only do you have endless opportunities to serve your guests a delicious variety of fresh food, but you can turn it into art — it can actually be part of the overall design. Plus, it’s a modern way of serving food without having your guests sit down for dinner, offering flexibility. I really admire Chandler Charcuterie’s work, and I think Cat Shapiro of Thyme & Honey creates some of the most beautiful displays of food I have ever seen.”
• More of Weiss’ faves when planning with clients include “dirty” sodas for kids’ parties — soda or lemonade that guests can customize with flavor syrups and creams. For adults: Matcha carts are popular, she says, especially for morning and brunch events.
•Among the many local artisans transforming the traditional sweet trays into sugary confections of artistic splendor are Amanda Victor and Stacey Cantor — sisters, moms and the owners of Bloomfield Hills-based One More Bite (@onemorebite.mi). Chocolate-covered fruit, candy sushi, chocolate bark, colorful Dot Cakes and almost any custom chocolate treat are their specialties.
• Cotton-candy art in the form of the most adorable unicorns, teddy bears, piggies and more is trending in the dessert world. Westland-based Balloon Joy travels all over Metro Detroit to transform the classic fairground puff into sculptural, colorful, Instagram-worthy deliciousness.
• Bombshell Treat Bar in Berkley is “my idea of a neighborhood ice cream stand, if we all lived in Candy Land,” says Jill Kasle, whose creation with husband, Matt, has exploded into the local go-to for over-the-top frozen and chocolate-dipped treats — including cakes, floats and more. Flavors range from pure milk to blue raspberry, dulce de leche; toppings include gooey caramel drizzles, butter rum, potato chips, fruity pebbles, cherry pop rocks, maraschino cherry skewers and more.In addition to the in-store offerings, they will travel to and customize any event with live-dipping or pre-made bars.
Waffle Cabin
National Coney Island
Donut walls
Spun Sugar Detroit
Yonutz Smashed Donut
Sidecart Bartending
Food trucks of all varieties