Chantelle Wolfe learned how to plan events the right way from working in top-tier tech, nonprofit and real estate firms in New York City. Now, she plans milestone events for the Jewish community. She brings to the table her rare blend of skills developed in the business world and her knowledge of multicultural Jewish traditions—Chantelle has a Persian background, and her husband is Ashekanzic.

Events To Life creatively executes a client’s vision with the highest standards. Chantelle organizes and tracks every detail of an event, negotiates with vendors for the best prices, and communicates with clients so they are always up to date on the progression of the event.

When Chantelle talks about high standards, she means that everything is on time, in place, and proceeding according to plan. “From the time I work with you to the time of your event, you’re not feeling rushed. You’re not feeling like you have so much to do. We start planning early so that we have many options and can be thorough. It’s also about contract review, being thorough about knowing what’s included, and negotiating for things I know can be negotiated.”

She makes sure there’s no communication gap. “I’m not someone you need to chase or follow up with for an answer,” she said. “I like to get back to my clients within 24 hours. Whether it’s email, text, phone or in person, I stay in touch with them.”

At the event, she’s on top of the visuals and insists on perfection. “Nothing can be out of place. That’s the way I was trained. If there’s a coffee cup there, it’s not going to be there by the next time I look. I don’t want vendors dressed in sneakers or sweatpants because that’s a reflection of the whole event.”

Chantelle doesn’t insist on her own ideas. To the contrary, her superpower is listening to her clients and matching them with vendors who have the expertise to give them the results they want. “I bring my clients the best vendors and support the vendors so they do their best work, and they can shine. That makes the event an overall success.”

Marina contacted Chantelle when she needed help to plan her son’s upsherin. “My husband and I met with her, and we liked that she knew in which direction to go,” Marina said. “It was so helpful to have someone who had experience to plan that kind of event, which we have never done.” Chantelle found all the vendors and gave Marina and her husband options. “She went with us to all the venues she recommended. She found the photographer, caterer and the entertainment for the kids and adults. She would negotiate with vendors and bring back the best possible price.”

The couple told Chantelle they wanted a music theme and she ran with it. She planned things like goodie bags with musical instruments made of Legos. She had a cake made with shapes of musical instruments on it. There were blue and white balloons with violin shapes, and musical notes that were lit up and standing around. At each step, Chantelle sent photos of what she was thinking about or discussed ideas. “All we had to do was make choices,” said Marina. “I don’t think this party would have happened without Chantelle.”

As a busy CEO with two children and a husband who also works full time, Tatyana juggles the demands of both career and family life. When the time came to plan her oldest son’s bar mitzvah and luncheon, she knew she needed help. She found local recommendations on ChatGPT and after several interviews, Chantelle was the clear choice. “She was so impressive,” said Tatyana. “She strikes a remarkable balance of being deeply professional with an in-depth knowledge of Jewish traditions. At the same time, she brings empathy and emotional connection with the child.” Tatyana shared that Chantelle arranged a Zoom interview with her son, giving him a sense of agency and involvement in the decisions that were being made. “It made the experience more seamless and a lot more fun for our entire family.”

When the family said they wanted a more casual brunch experience, Chantelle made a quick pivot from the caterer she initially proposed. “For me, the heart of it all is the significance of this milestone—my son becoming a bar mitzvah and stepping into a new chapter as he turns 13,” said Tatyana, “but I also understand that he wants to celebrate the day and have fun with his friends. Chantelle really helped us find that authentic balance for our family.” Chantelle was not only able to evolve the menu based on Tatyana’s feedback, she also planned games and entertainment that are both engaging and appropriate for Shabbat. The bar mitzvah is less than a month away and Tatyana is feeling calm and ready. Chantelle has it under control.

Events To Life plans every kind of Jewish milestone event—proposal, engagement, aufruf, wedding, bar/bat mitzvah, brit milah and sheva brachot. And fun birthday parties. Chantelle recently made a 70th birthday party, complete with a DJ, disco ball, catered dinner and open bar. She has planned surprise 40th birthday parties and children’s birthday parties. She has also planned destination events, which are becoming more popular in the Jewish community.

Chantelle attends conferences on best practices in event planning and keeps her eye on trends. She always brings a fresh approach and doesn’t assume that what was big last year is still in vogue this year. She has observed that bar and bat mitzvahs are moving away from themes and moving to more creative graphics around names and phrases. She’s seeing more weddings serve food buffet-style so people are constantly moving; they’re dancing and engaged, not just sitting and eating.

Have a simcha coming up? Call Chantelle at the very beginning of your planning or at any point in the process. “I can jump in where I’m needed,” she said. Sometimes people will call and tell her they have the venue, maybe the caterer, but don’t know where to go from there. People will call when they’re a little farther along and want her to review the contracts, coordinate the vendors, and come to the event to run the show. She also offers consulting to help people produce a plan that they implement themselves.

For more information, visit https://www.eventstolife.com and follow Events To Life at @events.tolife