But Herwig studied proper etiquette. Her invitations had to be monogrammed. They had to match the linens. The table settings had to be precise. She would remind her mother which side of the plate to place the cups.
Event planning is in her blood, she said.
But it wasn't until last year that she got to live her dream by opening her own business, Party Belles.
Looking back, Herwig said that all of her jobs over the years gave her great experience.
She was a receptionist and handled accounting tasks. She worked as a floral designer and gardener. Her most recent job title was stay-at-home mom, so she often filled her home with food and family.
On a recent Monday, Herwig unwound from hosting relatives Thanksgiving weekend by testing out a lemon bar recipe and planning how she would decorate her 13 Christmas trees. Her three "co-workers," aka dogs, scrambled under foot in her Spring Garden Township living room.
Since her daughter, Leah Karchnak, is now 18, Herwig decided it was time to plan parties for others. About a year-and-a-half ago, she started to compile a list of vendors to work with. She enlisted the help of three or four friends and her daughter. Soon, Party Belles was arranging everything from Bat Mitzvahs to puppy showers.
Last August, Herwig organized a 1920's-themed murder mystery soiree for the Executive Referral Network at the Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center in York.
"I had the idea and that was all I had," said Miles Worden, a member of the network. "(Herwig) did everything else."
Herwig's job is to deal with the details.
She found 15 actors to play the murder suspects. She provided guests with names and Web sites for costume shops prior to the event. She scattered cigars, boas and playing cards around the Strand lobby. She handed out fake money to the 120 guests so they could bribe the suspects for clues.
"It was so nice to not have to worry about everything," Worden said.
That's what Herwig said she loves about her job. She has the number for a 24-hour plumber and all the vendors. She doesn't usually attend the parties, but is available to deal with emergencies and to be a designated driver. If there's a problem, she tries to make it invisible. To Herwig, each event is a puzzle. She has to fit all the pieces together within a certain budget. She said she's done events ranging from $200 to $10,000. If someone just needs help with certain aspects of an event or wants to make sure they have all their bases covered, she offers consulting services for $25 an hour. When Herwig set up a murder mystery party at Ronemus Kenpo Karate, she transformed the gym into a nightclub. "She made it fun to be an adult again," owner Gary Ronemus said. "She let us just play." Herwig said that as she meets more people, her party list continues to grow. This fall, she arranged a women's networking and shopping event -- a Maiden Faire at York's Agape Healing Center. It featured a feast, more than 25 vendors and a day full of lectures. Herwig said she hopes to make the fair an annual pre-holiday event. But business tends to be slow during December, Herwig said, since people have their holiday party routines down pat. So she's focusing on her next venture -- wedding planning. Through Weddings Beautiful Worldwide, an online professional certification course, she's learning about different marriage ceremonies and how to be a bride's advocate. Herwig's friends used to tease her that pigs would fly before she became an event planner. To celebrate her achievement, Herwig said she decorated the Christmas tree in her bathroom with flying pigs. See the whole article at:
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