Uncommon Ground: Jung Lee and Josh Brooks don’t have the typical résumés of New York event planning professionals (if there is such a thing). Lee worked in real estate development and design (with projects ranging from high-end grocery store/deli Azure, which she founded, to palatial Westchester homes), and Brooks spent 10 years as an investment banker and marketing exec at companies such as Kidder Peabody and M5, a telecom startup. Along the way, the two got married. In 2002, inspired by what they saw as a lack of original ideas in the event industry, they launched event production firm Fête.Multiple Divisions: The team’s holistic approach to event planning led to the September creation of Fête Decor and Fête Paper, divisions that specialize in design, printed materials, and production services. “We would engage with various graphic artists or paper companies or florists and communicate what we would want, and oftentimes, it was not a great process. I didn’t think they captured the essence of what we were going for,” Lee says. “And then it hit me: Why don’t we just do it here? And it’s been a lot more gratifying.” Available a la carte or as part of a full package of services, these new divisions allow planners to harness the duo’s big-picture planning abilities and apply them to individual aspects of an event, whether it’s luxe invitations or one-of-a-kind centerpieces.
Happy Holidays: Along with plenty of happy social-event clients (such as Sex and the City executive producer Cindy Chupack, who booked them for her wedding), corporate clients such as the Knot and the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts seem pleased as well. “I always feel like [Jung] is very cutting-edge,” says hedge fund Balyasny Asset Management director Elona Balyasny, who enlisted Fête to produce the company’s holiday party, with the goal of hosting a bash hip enough to attract the attention of the industry’s top young talent. “People talk about it. I meet people and they say, ‘Your employees love you. The party is just fantastic.’ And this is coming from someone who works for Bear Stearns.”
Happy Holidays: Along with plenty of happy social-event clients (such as Sex and the City executive producer Cindy Chupack, who booked them for her wedding), corporate clients such as the Knot and the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts seem pleased as well. “I always feel like [Jung] is very cutting-edge,” says hedge fund Balyasny Asset Management director Elona Balyasny, who enlisted Fête to produce the company’s holiday party, with the goal of hosting a bash hip enough to attract the attention of the industry’s top young talent. “People talk about it. I meet people and they say, ‘Your employees love you. The party is just fantastic.’ And this is coming from someone who works for Bear Stearns.”
Fête owners Jung Lee and Josh Brooks
Photo: Brad DeCecco for BizBash
In addition to planning events, Lee recently published Fête: The Wedding Experience, a guide to wedding planning.
Photo: Brad DeCecco for BizBash
With the addition of Fête Decor, clients can now hire Fête independently for floral design work, like the centerpieces shown here.
Photo: Courtesy of Fete
