June 23rd, 2013
Camp Hess Kramer, part of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple Camps was the beautiful setting for this terrific outdoor Bat Mitzvah which celebrated both the natural rustic beauty of Southern California and it’s beaches the Bat Mitzvah girl loves so much.
The event planner was Judi Walley better known in Southern California as founder of Mitzvah Mama Special Events.
Photography by Karen Ard.
The welcome sign to the campgrounds
The Bat Mitzvah girl making her way to the service with the cantor and her friends
The beautiful outdoor bimah among the rocks
The beautiful outdoor bimah among the rocks
The beautiful service surrounded by nature
After the service, the Bat Mitzvah girl arrived to her party in style
The Bat Mitzvah girl making her way in
The Bat Mitzvah girl also loves the beach, so starfish place cards were used
The tables set up for the reception
The beach theme centerpieces
Casual but delicious food
A dessert bar with some beach decor
Everyone received a personalized bag of sweets for the ride home
We thank Karen Ard Photography and Mitzvah Mama Special Events for sharing this wonderful Bat Mitzvah with our readers.
June 19th, 2013
We love getting emails from our readers who want to share their ideas with MitzvahMarket.com.
We recently received an email from Mitzvah Mom Andi Ackerman who lives in Princeton, New Jersey and celebrated her son Alex’s Bar Mitzvah in April 2013.
Here’s what she said: “I did all the decor myself and used EVERY idea from Mitzvah Market! I used a giant letter A and covered it in blue and white York Peppermint Bites (instead of M&M’s) for the candy buffet. I covered a glass cylinder with a B&W image of my son on transparent paper for table numbers. Even the out-of-town boxes were from your Website. I am a huge fan of Mitzvah Market. Thank you for all of your ideas!”
Look for the Ackerman Bar Mitzvah Family Spotlight story soon, but in the meantime, we wanted to share her DIY place card idea. Her son has a great bobblehead collection, so they incorporated these into the party using them for a uniquely personalized place card.
Each photo is of every guest! Andi used Facebook to find photos of the adults and the yearbook for pictures of the kids
The names and table numbers are on the bottom of each bobblehead. To make it more casual, she used only the first names of the adults.
We thank Andi for sharing this great idea with our readers and can’t wait to spotlight the rest of this great Bar Mitzvah soon.
If you have an idea you would like to share with our readers, email us at info@mitzvahmarket.com.
June 18th, 2013
Jessie Weinberg celebrated her Bat Mitzvah on March 9, 2013 at Temple Beth Shalom in Roslyn Heights, New York.
The Weinbergs had a traditional Havdalah service where Jessie read from the Torah, and was followed by a fabulous party with a “Jessiegram” theme to celebrate her hard work in preparing to become a Bat Mitzvah and to celebrate her 13th birthday.
Pictured L-R: Mom Susan, Bat Mitzvah girl Jessie, Dad Matt and younger Sister Ali.
Event planner Michelle Farber of M. Studio Events worked with the family on all the party details including this beautiful invitation suite in a purple and silver color palette
Jessie’s beautiful purple gown, embellished with crystals, was from It’s Simply For You
The theme was “Jessiegram,” a play on Instagram. Instagram is a fun way to share photos via social media and it was brought to life by event planner, Michelle Farber. The result was a sophisticated and fun party utilizing many of the popular symbols that all the kids and adults are familiar with. The gorgeous Jessiegram sign that hung from the ceiling featured her logo and was embellished with crystals
Since Instagram is all about pictures, Jessiegram was too! Using a purple palette, Michelle collaborated with Stefan’s Florist to create the decor using lots of pictures of the Bat Mitzvah girl. The place cards featured pictures of Jessie
Beautiful purple draping with pictures of Jessie framed the entrance to the kid’s area
There were oversized pictures of Jessie behind the light up bar
Centerpiece lamp shades included shots of Jessie from her photo shoot
The ballroom walls looked amazing with pictures of Jessie and purple up lighting
Michelle Farber is known for branding events and incorporated “Jessegram” creatively into the decor by using #hashtag symbols throughout. The cocktail sign for the adults was framed in purple bling and highlighted the specialty drinks available
The satin pillow says it all!
LED light up cocktail tables with Instagram symbols
A young guest wearing a t-shirt giveaway = #amazing!
Jessie’s friends wearing socks with her Jessiegram logo!
A few different logos were printed on different color socks to show a “branded” feel for the party
Even #soap and Jessiegram hand towels were placed in the bathrooms
In keeping with the purple color scheme, #earplugs were provided at the grandparents table
The hooded grey sweatshirts and sweatpants with Jessie’s logo were created by M. Studio Events. The back of the sweatshirts were personalized with each kid’s last name
Jessie and her friends showing off their sweatpants
The silver favor bags had Jessie’s logo on a purple label
From the #togo bags to a reminder about changing the clocks, not a detail was missed!
Guests found 2 bottles of water with custom logos and change the clock cards in their cars to remind them that it was daylight savings time
The valet placed a key chain on the guests’ keys
Mitzvah Project:
Jessie donated a portion of her Bat Mitzvah gifts to the Child-Life Services Department of Cohen’s Children’s Medical Center, a division of North Shore LIJ Hospital. This department ensures that the children who are admitted to the hospital are made comfortable by helping them understand the sometimes scary things they see in a hospital. Child Life Specialists provide kid-friendly activities and games to help them cope with their medical situation.
Advice from Mom Susan:
“The best advice I can give to another mom is to trust the professionals you hire to work on your party. This is what they do, and they know what to do and how to execute it flawlessly. Set a realistic budget based on the venue and catering, photo, music, entertainment and decor (and don’t forget to add gratuities into your budget) and try to stick to it because there are always things you will want to add as the date approaches, which can add another 10-20% to the bottom line. There are a lot of things that happen in the last month, like table placement, montage, favors, etc. If you are a working mom it can become overwhelming. There are certain things that you can’t get done until you have your final count, but if you can plan early and finalize the menu, decor, montage, and the favors, you will be able to relax the last couple weeks and really enjoy the event.”
The following vendors helped to make Jessie’s celebration special. If you give any of them a call, please let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.
Venue: Temple Beth Shalom, 516-621-2288
Caterer: Craig Weinberg, Joseph Craig Caterers, 516-621-8200
Photographer/Videographer/Sign-in book/Photo Blowups: Steven Strutt, Stephen Andrews Photography, 516-780-9100
Party Planner/Invitations: Michelle Farber, M.Studio Events, 516-418-3131
Decor/Florist: Danae, Stefan’s Florist, 516-239-2402
Party Details: Cocktail napkins, socks, earplugs, dancer t-shirts, soap, flashlights: M. Studio Events
Mitzvah Exit: “Togo” cups, bags, custom waters, flashlights, change your clocks cards, M. Studio Events
Music Entertainment: Tom Kaufman, Tom Kaufman Productions, 212-223-0962
Extra Entertainment: Magician: The Amazing Ken Salaz, 917-952-8967
Jessie’s Gown: It’s Simply for You (closed), 516-921-2863
Sister Ali’s temple and party dresses: Fetch Dress Boutique (closed), 516-864-0660
Hair: Kelly Haas, 516-410-8402
Makeup: Amanda Evans, 516-456-1400
June 15th, 2013
Rachel Greenblatt celebrated her Bat Mitzvah on December 1, 2012 at The Hamlet at Olde Oyster Bay after a havdalah service at the Jewish Congregation of Brookville at Jericho Jewish Center.
The theme for this celebration was “Rachel’s Runway,” and it was an event packed with great ideas.
Simon Elliot Events was the photographer and the rest of the vendors are listed at the bottom of this spotlight.
Pictured above L-R: Brother Andrew, Bat Mitzvah girl Rachel, Mom Karyn and Dad Sheldon
Mom Karyn created all of Rachel’s purple acrylic invitations herself!
Gold lettering was used on the purple square acrylic invitations on display with purple yarmulkes at their service
Rachel and her Mom Karyn looked great. Rachel wore a short dress from Bloomingdale’s for her service and later switched into a long gown for her celebration. Karyn’s long gold layered gown was from Nordstrom.
Rachel and Mom Karyn at her havdalah service
For her celebration, Rachel wore a purple gown from Outrageous Boutique
When guests arrived at The Hamlet for Rachel’s celebration, they were greeted by a large “Rachel” gobo on the outside of the venue.
Simon Elliot Events created the seating card board. It featured a picture of Rachel cut into different squares with the guest’s name and table number on each square.
When each piece was taken by the guest, the same picture of Rachel was revealed underneath
Mom Karyn saw a posting on MitzvahMarket.com about “dress” centerpieces for sale from Melisa Imberman of The Event Of A Lifetime. She bought 11 beautiful dress forms for the lobby and table centerpieces. Verbena Floral Designs enhanced the centerpieces with flowers for a stunning look!
This purple dress was on a table in the lobby as guests walked in
More of the “dress” centerpieces on each of the tables in the ballroom
Rachel did a photo session with Simon Elliot Events who then created various magazine covers with Rachel as the cover girl!
Each table was named after a different fashion magazine and as an added surprise, each guest received a current copy of the magazine
Party Harty Entertainment provided the music with Willie as the MC. Guests were on the dance floor the whole night!
Rachel makes her entrance down a “runway” created by Party Harty
Rachel poses with the Party Harty crew
The packed dance floor!
In keeping with the Rachel’s Runway theme, Mom bought a dress form from Pier One for Rachel’s sign-in board.
Guests used purple Sharpies to leave a special message for Rachel
Rachel’s guests all took photos in front of her custom step and repeat created by Simon Elliot Events.
Jennifer of Just Sweets Candy created Rachel’s candy cake!
Rachel’s Bat Mitzvah cake was created from various packaged candy
Just Sweets Candy also created a candy table for guests to enjoy as they were leaving the celebration.
Best Express created Rachel’s sweatshirt favor for her friends.
The purple zip-up sweatshirt featured Rachel’s name written like the “Chaser” logo
Advice from Mom Karyn:
“Make lists and cross something off each day. Things go wrong, don’t sweat the small stuff and make sure to share that advice with your “Bat Mitzvah princess!” I told Rachel if she has fun, everyone else will follow and it worked!”
The following vendors helped to make Rachel’s Bat Mitzvah special. If you give any of them a call, let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.
Venue: Jordana, Hamlet at Olde Oyster Bay
Photographer/Videographer/Photo Favors/Montage/Entrance Video: Michelle Collins, Simon Elliot Events, 516-586-6822
Music Entertainment/”Runway” Lounge: MC, Willie, Party Harty Entertainment, 516-845-8585
Invitations: Mom Karyn
Favors: Bestexpress@aol.com
Cake/Candy Buffet: Jennifer, Just Sweets Candy, 631-327-8886
Florist: Jennifer, Verbena Floral Designs, 516-935-3757
Sign-In Dress Form: Pier One Imports
Dress for Mom: Nordstrom
Dress for Rachel’s celebraton: Outrageous Boutique, 516-931-3331
Dress for Rachel’s service: Bloomingdale’s
Hair/makeup: Yvonne and Jennifer Ann, Entourage Salon, 516-496-1700
June 15th, 2013
By Lindsey Sklar
This year I will begin attending Bar and Bat Mitzvahs for my friends and family. I’m so excited to write about each unique celebration. Bar and Bat Mitzvahs are so much fun and I love looking at all of the different trendy dresses, themes, party favors, and more! I’m very excited to share with everyone all of the unique ideas I see at each and every party!
A few weekends ago I attended my friend Jarrett’s Bar Mitzvah. I really enjoyed myself and I’m hoping I can give you some good ideas when planning your own Bar Bat Mitzvah celebration.
When I first walked into Jarrett’s party, his signing item was out on display. I was one of the first people there, so nobody had signed it yet. It was a locker with his logo, an Under Armor symbol with his initials on the front. Around the locker was different sports equipment representing the sports he plays, such as a baseball glove and a tennis racket. I thought it was very creative that they were able to create something that represents him.
Jarrett’s sign-in locker
Jarrett’s centerpieces were also very nice. The adults had a vase with flowers and then a flag coming out of the top, while the kids had something more fun. The kid’s centerpieces featured a stand that had different sports on them. I took a picture of a baseball one – see below. It had a cartoon baseball on top and a bat going across it. That table was named the ‘World Series’ table. Each table had a sports related name instead of a regular number. I sat at the ‘Stanley Cup’ table.
One of Jarrett’s centerpieces
The DJ was Pulse Entertainment, which I am also using for my Bat Mitzvah. They put on a great show and the MC always knows how to get the crowd dancing. I was a little shy at first, along with my friend, but he got us both dancing on the floor. The MC was named Ian and he’s very funny. He jokes around with the kids and has a lot of fun. I really enjoyed dancing with him.
In addition to dancing, there was one other entertainment option. Out by his signing locker, a green screen was hung up and there was a trifold board with background options. I took three pictures with my friend, but my favorite one was the one with the Elmo background. It was really funny and cute. People were taking pictures all night, but they were also dancing too.
My friend and I with the Elmo background
Dinner was at a set time and it was a buffet style. The food was excellent. When dinner was over, people danced more, and then they announced an ice cream bar. All of the kids rushed to the cocktail room to be first in line. It took forever to get my toppings, and my ice cream started to melt. It still tasted great. I was disappointed when I heard there was no candy bar, but I was glad that the ice cream bar replaced it.
The party was excellent and my family and I had so much fun. Mazel Tov to Jarrett and his family.
Read Lindsey’s last blog post here.
ABOUT LINDSEY
I’m 12 years old, from Bucks County, Pennsylvania and more than halfway through 6th grade. Dancing is my favorite after school activity, whether it’s tap, jazz, ballet, or hip hop. Somehow I’m able to fit in my other hobby, softball, during my busy week. On top of all of that, I do whatever it takes to have time for my friends. My own Bat Mitzvah is coming up soon. It will be taking place in November, 2013. I can’t wait!
June 12th, 2013
Ann Marie Casey Photography sent in this cool “Seussified” styled Bat Mitzvah!
A love for Dr. Seuss’s colorful drawings, whimsical characters and rhythmical stories were brought to life in honor of Sophie’s Bat Mitzvah.
This celebration took place at the Merion Tribute House in Merion, Pennsylvania. As you will see below, along with Sophie’s guests, there were many characters from the “Fox and the Socks,” “The Lorax” and “The Cat and the Hat” on hand to celebrate.
Anne Marie Casey was the photographer, All Around Entertainment provided the music, decor by Campbell Studios and the cake was created by Truly Custom Cakes.
The family at the entrance welcoming their guests
The Fox, in his socks, showing guests the way
Guests had a choice “To There” or “To Here”
Sophie becomes part of the whimsical decor
The room was set up with round adult tables in one area and dais seating for the kids
Sophie loves her colorful table decor
One fish..two fish table decor for the kids
The adult tables were fun and elegant with Dr. Seuss books intertwined with beautiful flower arrangements
A special chair for the Bat Mitzvah girl Sophie…and Seuss
The Bat Mitzvah girl’s parents and brother pose in the hat giveaways
The cake was truly special and really captured the theme
The Cat hanging out
Thing 1 and Thing 2 holding the “Mazel Tov Sophie” sign
To tie-in with her theme, Sophie’s pedicure was red and white stripes
We thank Ann Marie Casey Photography for sharing these great pictures with our readers.
June 12th, 2013
When planning your child’s Bar Bat Mitzvah celebration, it’s fun to bring their personality into their special day.
Many families are doing this with their child’s Bar Bat Mitzvah party entrance. We have previously written about Creative “Make An Entrance” Ideas and decided to round up some more.
Some are funny, some coordinate with a theme, but all are memorable! Here are some of our favorites to inspire you when planning for your child.
Party Harty Entertainment shows us how the entire family got into the entrance fun with the Bar Mitzvah boy entering on a dirt bike (top right) at his celebration at Driftwood Day Camp
The DanceJock Productions dancers help this Bar Mitzvah boy “Ride the Wave” into his party
From A&G Picture This!, Max enters his sports themed party with guests waving rally towels
Sarah Merians Photography & Video Company captured this Bar Mitzvah boy’s friends carrying him in for his entrance
Lighter Than Air can create a “break through” wall to match any theme like they did above for Jordan’s World Cup Bar Mitzvah
Jimmy Dee Entertainment shares Max’s entrance on roller blades
Casual Candids captured this Bar Mitzvah boy’s entrance on a motorcycle
Event planner Melissa Imberman of The Event of A Lifetime had daughter Morgan carried into the room by her DJ dancers to “Queen of the Jungle,” on a raft that was adorned with zebra print fabric, neon pink ruffles, leaves, and flowers
This Bar Mitzvah boy made his entrance into his party on a custom built “Zamboni” by X-Quisite Flowers and Events Inc
R.E.A.D. Amusements offers Segways to rent for your child’s Bar Bat Mitzvah entrance!
Christine Foster Photography sent in this guest appearance by The Phillie Phanatic to get Jake’s party started!
From Beautiful Blooms, Bat Mitzvah girl Shayna makes her entrance on the boardwalk in Atlantic City
Did your child have a creative Bar Bat Mitzvah entrance? Let us know at info@mitzvahmarket.com.
June 9th, 2013
Anyone with a 13-year-old knows how advanced they are using their cellphones and navigating apps!
Now tech-savvy Mitzvah Moms can join in on the fun and plan their child’s special day.
We have come across a variety of apps, many that are free, and relevant in the Bar Bat Mitzvah world.
Take a look below:
Groovebook.com
With all the picture taking that goes on at Bar Bat Mitzvahs, we loved this FREE app that prints your monthly camera roll into a 4.5” x 6.5” photo book for FREE and mails it to you monthly. Your photos are printed on glossy photo paper and are perforated for easy removal so you can share, frame, or put into albums. They also include the location and date outside of perforation for reference.
We love how easy it is for your iPhone photos to get from your phone to a photobook to your mailbox!
MyMitzvahApp.com
This is the newest tech-savvy product for the Bar Bat Mitzvah world. For a one time design set-up fee, you will get up to five personalized pages for your app and can share information about your service, party, directions, Mitzvah project and collect RSVPs.
This app will work on virtually every phone and tablet on the market today. You can also match your new app with a custom invitation suite from invitationsbyAna.com
The Seating Planner +
This app, which can be found on iTunes will help with your Bar Bat Mitzvah seating once your RSVPs are all returned.
It is easy to move around your guests until your tables are perfect!
Photo Mosaic
This can be downloaded for free from the App Store. It’s then easy to create a mosaic of you and your friend. The image can be downloaded and printed for a small fee.
A great gift for the Bar Bat Mitzvah child from their friend!
Have you found any apps related to the Bar Bat Mitzvah world? Let us know at info@MitzvahMarket.com.
June 5th, 2013
There are many details and creative ways to make your child’s Bar Bat Mitzvah celebration unique and memorable.
Table numbers can be one of those! They are essential if you are not doing open seating or a club lounge set up.
Whether they’re hanging, floating, edible or funky, table numbers have become a great way to incorporate your theme and make your guests proud to sit at their table!
There are many creative ideas out there. Look at our previous story here and take a look at some new ideas we have found below:
From the Lindsay Silverman Mitzvah Family Spotlight, this family used photos of the Bat Mitzvah girl at various ages as table numbers!
Sarah Merians Photography & Video sent us these pretty table numbers that match the flowers used in the centerpieces
Event planner Melisa Imberman of The Event of a Lifetime used tree bark as table numbers for her daughter Morgan’s jungle inspired theme. See the rest of this spotlight here
Total-Party created this book centerpiece for a Bar Mitzvah boy’s book of life theme starting with Chapter 1 for Table 1!
A football themed table number from One of A Kind Party Design
Simcha Events created ice sculptures in the form of hockey helmets with the Bar Mitzvah boy’s favorite numbers on them
For a butterfly theme, Two Thirds Design Shop creates these table numbers on Etsy
Oh So Fabulous event planners used this fun table number for a recent event
Verbena Designs Inc. used pieces of colored pencils to create the table numbers in the Brenner Bat Mitzvah Family Spotlight
The Portrait Shoppe helped create these table numbers for a guest of honor that loved all types of movies
Linzi Events had airplanes flying over each table to signify where guests should sit
Balloon Artistry shows us table numbers not only incorporating the Bar Bat Mitzvah child’s picture, but also their favorite TV shows!
Occasionsonline featured a baseball themed Bar Mitzvah with baseball phrases etched on pendants
Creative Events Charlotte used dancing styles for each table number for a dance themed Bat Mitzvah
The table numbers were matched to individual starfish place cards. All of these were for a Bat Mitzvah at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk
The 8 yard line is this table’s number for a football themed Bar Mitzvah from North Shore Photography
For this Rock n Roll themed Bar Mitzvah at the Crystal Ballroom at the Radisson Freehold, each table is represented by a different classic rock band. Photos courtesy of David Todd Photographers
The Cookie Girl Bake Shop created these cookie table numbers for a Bat Mitzvah girl with the initials “BFF.” Her theme was texting, and pictured above is the OMG table
This Bat Mitzvah was a real treat, with a décor plan that centered on all that was “pretty tasty in pink.” Philadelphia-area event design boutique La Petite Fleur created candy shoppe centerpieces that incorporated the table numbers as a design element. Die-cut gold-glitter numbers were suspended from the sticks of pink swirl suckers and secured on top of candy canisters with pink satin. Photo Courtesy of La Petite Fleur
For this Bat Mitzvah from Lifetyme Photo & Video, words like Peace and Love were used as the table names
This idea is from Flower Power Designs for a “Mollywood” themed Bat Mitzvah. Each young guest received an “Oscar” (left) that told them what “movie” table they were sitting at (right)
Dazzling Parties created these table numbers for brothers who had a basketball themed Bar Mitzvah
Did you have a great Table Number idea? Send it to us at info@mitzvahmarket.com.
June 4th, 2013
It is hard to select 13 years worth of photos for your child’s Bar Bat Mitzvah montage.
Images4Ever will help you select photos and then have these memories of family and friends unfold in front of your guests using your dazzling pictures, creative backgrounds, video footage, music of your choice and personalized messages. They create a high quality DVD keepsake for any event.
The montage below was created by Images4ever, in a very short time period. The client was not sure whether or not they wanted a montage and thought about putting all the pictures together at the very last minute. They were extremely happy with the end product and word has it the guests enjoyed it as well! Images4ever prefers to get all the pictures about 6-8 weeks before the event.
Watch Max’s story here
To learn more about Images4Ever, visit their extended profile page in our Vendor Directory.
