ABBY COHN
Bulletin Correspondent
Kim Oliff of San Francisco has taken the concept of customer loyalty to new heights.
Her ties to event planner Suzy Somers began in 1986 when her parents hired Somers to stage her bat mitzvah. After graduating from college in 1995, Oliff then went to work as an office assistant for Somers, eventually becoming her informal partner.
More recently, Somers helped plan Oliff's wedding this March at San Francisco's historic Regency Center.
"We have a lot of return clients," said Oliff, now 28 and the event coordinator at Somers' Always rsvp firm in Menlo Park. "I am a prime example."
Their long connection actually began with Oliff's parents, Rise and Martin Cherin, of Hillsborough. The couple asked Somers, a longtime friend, if she'd plan their eldest daughter's bat mitzvah.
"At the time, dancing was my life," recalled the former Kim Cherin. Somers came up with a party theme -- "Gotta Dance with Kim" -- and devised an attention-grabbing surprise for the bat mitzvah girl's 250 guests at the Palace of Fine Arts.
To kick off the party, a troupe of professional dancers came out on the floor, moving to the beat of Gloria Estefan's "Conga." All the dancers had partners except one. "He came up and grabbed me and I came out on the dance floor and we went through this whole choreography number together," Oliff recalled.
Unbeknownst to her guests, she'd rehearsed the number with the dancers for several weeks and the result was show-stopping. "It was a really great moment," she said. "I was excited and proud I could pull that off."
After graduating from San Mateo High School in 1991 she went off to college, graduating from Boston University in 1995. Returning to the Bay Area with a degree in biology and human nutrition, "I wasn't sure in what direction I wanted to take my education and my career," she said. She landed a part-time job with Somers, who needed some office help.
"I fell in love with the business," said Oliff. "Suzy and I developed an incredible working relationship."
About two and a half years later, Oliff began running parties for Somers, who "basically took me under her wing and is my mentor and has taught me everything I know."
The company coordinates many high-end events and parties for a largely Jewish clientele. No matter how lavish the affair, Oliff said, she and Somers like to introduce "an element of fun." Even in the most elegant of weddings, "there's always something that's a little playful and reflects the couple."
Take, for example, the surprise shower that Somers threw for Oliff and her fiancé, 32-year-old Andrew Oliff. Knowing of the export executive's love of sports, Somers rented the 49ers headquarters in Santa Clara last February and hosted a dinner party in the locker room for 40 guests. "It was ours for the night. It was a dream come true for my husband."
For her March 16 wedding, Kim Oliff had understandably high expectations -- and she said Somers pulled the evening off flawlessly. "I wanted it to stand out as special, magical, fun and just reflect the two of us."
The event also reflected the wishes of Rise Cherin. "My mom wanted a white wedding and I wanted color," said Kim Oliff. To compromise, she and Somers decided that the ceremony would have a white theme while the reception would be colorful.
For the ceremony, live trees were brought in to fill the stage, creating the feeling of "an enchanted forest," Oliff said. An aisle strewn with white rose petals led to the chuppah, which was festooned with white flowers. As a playful touch, a sheet of Kleenex was tucked inside each wedding program "for the sentimental moments." Assistant Rabbi Charles Briskin of Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills conducted the ceremony.
At the reception that followed, the room was divided into three separate areas of color -- raspberry, mango and lemon -- from the tablecloths right down to the shade of drinks the guests sipped.
"I knew I wanted it to be bright and bold," Oliff explained.
The entertainment came in a variety of styles as well, with performances by a Frank Sinatra look-alike, a Motown band and a Beatles tribute band.
The evening "was everything I wanted," said Oliff. "I felt like a bride all night. I never came out of that feeling like I was in my own fairy-tale. It was amazing. It was such a gift Suzy gave me, to let me feel like a bride."
Back from a honeymoon in Hawaii, Oliff has rejoined her boss in the routine of working six days a week. But she revels in the job and the chance to interact with 61-year-old Somers.
"It's just an interesting match. There's definitely a difference in age, but we think alike," said Oliff. "We finish each other's sentences. We're constantly learning from each other."
For her part, Somers, who started the business out of her home 20 years ago, described her young partner as "just right from the beginning. She was the right ability, the style, the class, creativity. In my mind, she was a partner almost from the very beginning."