Mitzvah Inspire: Lilly Rose Garden Theme

Innovative Party Planners an event planning and design firm in Owings Mill, Maryland, recently created a Bat Mitzvah for a girl named Lilly Rose.

Owner Heidi Hiller worked with the family to make sure it was a sophisticated and youthful celebration with great decor elements.

Taking direction from magazine spreads that the Bat Mitzvah Mom had saved, Hiller worked with the family by selecting linens and accessories such as such as elegant chargers, colorful chairs, beaded napkin wraps, custom floral Gobos (light projections) and hand crafted centerpieces.

The service and reception took place at the beautiful Four Seasons Baltimore. The photographer was Silber Photography.

Custom Gobo flower lighting were projected on the walls during the service 

The logo was a fun and sophisticated design with Lilly’s favorite colors and namesake in mind

The place card table was accented with pink roses in vases of varying heights and floating votive candles

Guests were greeted by a work of art sign-in board featuring Lilly Rose and her dogs images painted into Claude Monet’s 1899 work, “The Japanese Bridge”

When guests entered the ballroom, they were greeted with a “WOW” from floor to ceiling

Custom crafted tissue paper flowers hung from the ceiling adding color and amazing visual interest

A sophisticated look for the adult tables accented with pink Chivari chairs and beautiful table linens

  A pink and orange color theme was also used for the kids tables with a parasol as part of the centerpiece

The kid’s tables were called “Lilly’s Pad”

The teens place setting included this playful polka dotted butterfly napkin wrap

On the adult tables, the custom menu incorporated the logo in a very artistic way. It was set carefully below the bengaline pink napkin with the beaded napkin ring.

Paper flowers added a pop of color and were displayed on the buffet

The dance floor plasma screens showed off the beautiful logo and the custom floral gobos danced along the walls

We thank Innovative Party Planners for sharing this beautiful Bat Mitzvah with our readers.

Event Planners: Innovative Party Planners, Photographer: Silber Photography, Lighting: Excel Lighting, Caterer and Venue: Four Seasons Baltimore, Grand Ballroom, Flowers: Flowers & Fancies. Rentals: Select Events and Party Rental Ltd., Linen: Table Toppers, Entertainment: Glyde Productions, WTA, Videography: The Big Umbrella

Involve Your Friends As You “Make An Entrance”

We have written about the trend of creative entrance videos and creative entrance decor, now it’s time to talk about the actual entrance!

If you don’t want to have an entrance video produced or just have the MC announce your child’s name and enter on the shoulders of your dancers, we have some alternatives.

How about involving your child’s friends in the actual “entrance?”

We have found unique ways families are “making their entrance” into their Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebrations by including their child’s friends.

Bar Mitzvah boy Josh gathered a dozen of his summer camp friends right before “making his entrance” and asked them to put on football jerseys. They all entered together, carrying Josh as if they were arriving on the football field for a big game. Appropriate NFL music played and the DJ provided a “smokey” effect

Skylar’s Bat Mitzvah took place at the East Meadow Jewish Center and she gave her friends lighted sequin gloves from Windy City Novelty. They lined up and she “made her entrance” through a tunnel of flashing, multicolor fingertips!

From Adams Creative Images, this Bar Mitzvah boy asked some of his female friends to act as his “cheerleaders” by giving them T-shirts and pom poms as he made his entrance

From the Milbauer Family Spotlight, hockey fan Mitchell had his friends holding up hockey sticks. He made his “entrance” by walking thru a tunnel of hockey sticks being held up by his teammates!

Party Perfect borrowed this idea from the Wedding world. Ribbon wands were purchased from Living a Fairytale on Etsy. They were customized to match theme colors, and each one had a little crystal on the top. Guests waved the ribbon wands as the Bat Mitzvah girl “made her entrance”

Did your child involve their friends as they “made their entrance?” We would love to share your idea with our readers. Let us know at info@MitzvahMarket.com.

Get With The Program!

By Ellen Malavsky

To do a program, or not to do a program? That is often the question when it comes to your child’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah service. When I started thinking about doing a program for our son’s Bar Mitzvah service my first thought was, nobody reads them. On second thought, it occurred to me that, everybody reads them. Let’s face it, during a Bar/Bat Mitzvah service we’re a captive audience. We read the program before the service begins, during the service to see what’s next, and toward the end of the service to see what’s last.

While some synagogues print their own programs with a line mentioning who is becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah that week, many families want something more personal so they create their own. Such a program can be as simple as a listing of the order of the service and the names of those who have aliyot, or as thorough to include a family history, information on the child’s mitzvah project, a summary of the Torah portion and even explaining what everything means for those who aren’t Jewish or don’t go to synagogue often.

Programs can be even more important when the Bar/Bat Mitzvah service is not held in a traditional synagogue and it doubles as a siddur.

For our family, the program was also our siddur because our son’s Bar Mitzvah service was held in a 200-year-old Quaker Meetinghouse. Our cantor provided the body of the siddur, including our son’s Torah portion. It was our job to customize it.

Max Malavsky proudly holding his program on his Bar Mitzvah day

Since our guests were a combination of Jewish and non-Jewish family and friends, we wanted the program to be user-friendly for everyone attending the service.

Budget was definitely a consideration for us so we decided to design the program ourselves. We’re not really do-it-yourself type people, but we figured we’d give it a try. Basketball is our son’s passion and his Bar Mitzvah theme and the color scheme for his Bar Mitzvah was black and orange. To keep the cost down, we decided the cover of the program would be orange paper with a black and white photo and the body of the program would be white copy paper.

Max’s basketball-inspired DIY program

We wrote a heartfelt welcome as the introduction on the first page, which included sentiments about our son’s dedication to his Bar Mitzvah studies and a loving thank you to our family and friends for sharing this special occasion with us. We then listed the honors, including aliyot, dressing/undressing the Torah, blessings, poems, readings and speeches. The honors page was important because we wanted to include people who were significant to our son. Along with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, we honored two of our son’s nannies and his basketball coaches. These people were particularly special because they are not Jewish and we wanted to make sure they knew what an important role they played in our son’s life. We included a page with details of our son’s mitzvah project written in his own words as well as a memorial page. The back page had several quotes from inspiring basketball players and coaches such as Michael Jordan and UNC coach Roy Williams.

I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. ~Michael Jordan

Our program was copied, collated and stapled by a local Staples Copy Center. It wasn’t fancy, but it was definitely made with love. Our son’s reaction when he saw it was “Wow, cool!”

Susan H. wanted the siddur for her daughter Mikayla’s Bat Mitzvah to be bright, colorful and reader-friendly. The covers were beautiful pictorial tributes to Mikayla, including recent photos on the front, and thirteen pictures of her, one from every year of her life. A professional designer created the siddur, complete with graphics of Mikayla’s masquerade theme throughout. The hot pink and black colors really popped off the page. The text was written in a large font for the elderly guests to read. “The flow of Mikayla’s program was easy to follow, said Susan. “We had Jewish and non-Jewish guests in attendance and we wanted everyone to feel comfortable. Transliteration of the Hebrew was on every page and there were several passages in English throughout. It’s a beautiful keepsake from a very special day.”

Vivian Singer of Custom Siddur said the majority of their business is siddurs for Bar/Bat Mitzvahs in a location other than a synagogue. “Israel is a popular destination but we’ve done many for Bar/Bat Mitzvahs on cruise ships, beaches and even ballparks.” Custom Siddur offers soup to nuts in terms of design, layout and printing. Included in their pricing is working directly with the rabbi or cantor to ensure that all of the information is correct. Clients can provide as much or as little as they want for the design of the siddur. “Sometimes we receive beautiful original artwork created by the child and other times we are asked to search for existing images that match the Bar/Bat Mitzvah theme. Either way, the final product is always unique and special.”

Designer Ana Dolan also creates elegant programs and custom siddurs for Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. Each design is suited to the individual child and she typically incorporates the theme colors and logo to the design. “A custom siddur for your child’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah not only provides guidance through the ceremony but is also an everlasting keepsake of that special day for you and your guests. I have met with several clients to discuss their ideas for a custom siddur and they will bring out a huge stack of past books they have kept and treasured over the years.”

Katie Fischer Design creates “all things paper” to capture the essence of what makes the Bar/Bat Mitzvah unique. From the traditional to a full illustrative story about the family, Katie says the program sets the tone of the service. In person or by phone, the initial meeting is important to the design process. “This is a chance for me to learn who you are and what you’re looking for,” she says. The process and timeline varies from family to family depending on the complexity of the design.

An alternative to a traditional program or siddur is a story writing service called Prequels. The writers at Prequels will interview your child and write their “life story” to create a booklet that also serves as the Bar/Bat Mitzvah program or siddur. The beginning of the book lists the details of the service, and the body of the book is a retrospective in words and pictures. “The interview covers topics such as the teen’s fondest memories, favorite activities, dreams and goals for the future, as well as quotes from close family and friends,” explains founder Denise Oliveira. “The process is fun and results in an adorable keepsake for every guest.”

Clearly, programs and siddurs come in all shapes and sizes, from traditional to contemporary and everything in between. What’s most important is choosing a design and format that is right for your family. Whether you are a do-it-yourself type or not, the process of creating a program can be time-consuming so get with the program as soon as possible!

Resources:
Custom Siddur, www.customsiddur.com, 440-725-2354
Invitations by Ana, www.invitationsbyana.com, 203-722-5231
Katie Fisher Design, www.katiefischerdesign.com, 917-714-2957
Prequels, www.prequels.net, 347-741-8225

This story is from the 2013 Mitzvah Market Magazine. If you would like to request a free copy, click here.

The Cooper Bar Mitzvah Family Spotlight

Mitzvah Find: Sweet Dreams Gourmet Mini Donuts

Sweet Dreams Gourmet Mini Donuts is the brainchild of donutologist, Todd Jones. Yes you read right, donutologist.  Jones is a donut expert having worked in the donut industry for the past 36 years.

His specialty is setting up and making delicious mini donuts right at your event, right in front of your guests.

These delicious Non Stop – No Limit donuts also come in a custom bag with your child’s name or logo on it!

Sweet Dreams Gourmet Mini Donuts recently won the The Sweet Escape: NJ Confection & Dessert Tasting Expo this year!

Who could resist these?

Set up and ready to go at a Mitzvah celebration

Todd Jones at a recent Bat Mitzvah with “Club Carly” custom bags of fresh donuts

 Call Todd Jones at 347-724-6200 or email him at info@sweetdreamsminidonuts.com.

Mitzvah Inspire: Sophisticated Steakhouse

Event designer Arlene Bluestein of Evantine Design in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, wanted to create the feel of a sophisticated steakhouse at a reception hall of a temple for a recent Bar Mitzvah.

Working with a rich palette of reds, browns, taupe and metals, Arlene transformed the halls of Congregation Beth El in Voorhees, New Jersey, into Jared K’s Steakhouse, a steakhouse that would make Peter Luger proud!

Photographer was Philip Gabriel Photography.

Chalkboard seating boards for the adults

Mini blackboard place cards for the kids

Custom-made mahogany bars were placed in the main “dining room” complete with leather bar stools and the drink menus featured classic American cocktails

Community tables for the kids

Banquette seating for the adults

The red up lighting added to the upscale steakhouse decor

An awesome cake celebrating all the Philadelphia sports teams

One of the many favors included branded tins of mints

We thank Evantine Design for sharing this sophisticated steak house themed Bar Mitzvah with our readers.

The Thalberg Bat Mitzvah Family Spotlight

Hannah Kendall Thalberg celebrated her Bat Mitzvah on November 30, 2013, at Battery Gardens in Battery Park, New York City.

This weekend represented an unprecedented moment in the history of time — as never before, and most likely never again, will the joyous American and Judaic holidays of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah converge.

As our Mom blogger Marisa Thalberg tells us, “From our standpoint, history can now claim a trifecta of perfect celebrations, with the addition of our daughter Hannah’s Bat Mitzvah!”

Catch up on how Marisa planned her daughter’s celebration with our series, “Executive Mom Plans A Bat Mitzvah.“

Read below Marisa’s first person account of her daughter’s Bat Mitzvah.

Mazel Tov to the Thalberg family! We thank them for sharing their celebration with our readers.

Pictured L-R: Dad David, Sister Avery, Bat Mitzvah girl Hannah and Mom Marisa

This unique timing wound up heavily influencing our approach (if not exactly a theme) to the day. When choosing the venue, Hannah fell in love with Battery Gardens in large part due to how light it was; for as she noted, she is a “light” person, and appropriately, her Bat Mitzvah speech – connected to her Hanukkah haftorah – was all about “spreading the light.” Moreover, we thought there was something perfectly symbolic in having such a sweeping river view of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island on this unique weekend.

 Both Hannah and we, felt it was important to infuse the whole day with a sense of meaning and connection to the act of becoming a Bat Mitzvah, and this location helped bring it all together, and inspired our concept of “thankfulness”

Aesthetically, we were drawn to a “vintage chic” look and feel, beginning with the custom invitations and response postcard.

 The invitations were designed by Lucy Halcomb

The day began with our service conducted right at Battery Gardens by our Rabbi, Rabbi Burt Siegel of the Shul of New York, along with our amazing Shul Band led by Adam Feder.

 Our service program had the same look and feel as the invitation

One of our favorite moments was when both Hannah and I joined the band to sing the synagogue’s very upbeat spiritual “Sanctuary” song

Hannah did a beautiful job in all parts of the service

Our younger daughter Avery brought the house down with a perfectly delivered speech on all the reasons she is thankful for and loves her sister Hannah

Immediately following the service was the cocktail hour, which we approached a little differently to incorporate more brunch-like foods in keeping with the late morning timing – with food stations that each had a special meaning.

Hannah’s Cereal Bar (a huge hit with the kids, and many grown-ups)

and the Thalberg Bagel Buffet…

 And most special of all, was our “Nana’s ‘Turn Lemons-Into-Lemonade’ Stand,” to honor Hannah’s beloved Nana who famously lived by that motto. The lemonade stand was something we had planned to do months earlier to my mom’s (Hannah’s Nana) great delight

We were devastated when, as it turned out, she would not be there to see it herself (and do the hora with us as she always planned), as she passed away in August. Among her final words were, “if I do not make it to Hannah’s Bat Mitzvah, my lemonade stand will stand in my place.”… So this took on great importance for all of us and for so many of our friends and family who were feeling the absence of her very big presence

One of our favorite (and most appreciated) touches was how guests were personally welcomed with the place cards created by Ana Dolan.

Modeled after vintage luggage tags and displayed in vintage suitcases (with a subtle reference to Ellis Island’s nearby presence)

 Each card not only gave a table assignment, but also had an individual message from Hannah expressing why she was thankful for them 

Our companion favorite touch: when guests later arrived upstairs for the party, they were greeted by Hannah’s Thankful Tree.

This became our beautiful alternative to a traditional sign-in board

 At each table were blank tags and instructions (as well as custom pens in mason jars) for guests to in turn write a message of appreciation back to Hannah, and hang them on the tree

Tables were set with simple sophistication to maximize the views, featuring cylindrical glass vases of white baby’s breath arrangements, and chalkboard table signs in mason jars.

The room at Battery Gardens

 There was a vintage cage for all the gifts

Our family, and especially Hannah, loved being introduced by the DJ.

MC Jack Bermeo of LJ Productions provided the music entertainment

We even chose props with the DJ that fit our feel

MC Jack got the party going with guests (of every age) on the dance floor, and singing along

A big hora with the traditional lifting on the chair was another favorite moment for Hannah

Hannah’s greatest personal passion is performing in musical theater; while we did not want to make this the whole theme of the Bat Mitzvah, we enjoyed incorporating it by choosing a Broadway song vs. a more standard pop song to accompany each candle in the candle lighting ceremony. Each of these songs had some personal meaning (in many cases coming from a show in which Hannah had performed).

The cake was made of jelly donuts – both in honor of Hanukkah and as a nod to the donut cakes Marisa’s mom used to make for her birthdays when she was a child

 In the spirit of the day, there were a variety of touching and funny speeches made to Hannah from friends, her younger cousin and others.

Hannah gets toasted by the combined team of her Uncle Rob and her honorary Uncle Rob (Dad David’s best friend)

 One last and special speech was from David, Hannah’s dad, who ended by quoting from the Paul Simon song: “I’m gonna watch you shine, gonna watch you grow, gonna paint a sign, so you always know – as long as one and one is two. There could never be a father who loved his daughter, more than I love you.” Father and daughter, followed by mom and sister, then proceeded to dance to it

 
Much like the approach to the cocktail hour, we wanted the luncheon to feel unique and appropriate to the day, which is why we did a modified buffet with different food stations including a mashed potato (Hannah’s favorite food) and potato latke bar – perfect for BOTH Thanksgiving and Hanukkah.

“Happy Thanksgivukkah and Happy ‘Hannah’kah”

 Desserts were all passed, including mini-s’mores, mini-brownies with a shot glass of milk, and caramel apples!

In keeping with the vintage theme, the photo booth had a black and white damask backdrop and vintage props.

 And as a unique Mitzvah favor, we hired a classic cut paper silhouette artist to create individual paper silhouettes of our guests

As a parting touch, as guests departed into the late November evening, they were offered a lidded mason jar with Hannah’s logo, which could be filled with rich hot chocolate, to go.

Savoring and reflecting on an incredible day as the sun set.

Some advice from Mom Marisa about planning Hannah’s Bat Mitzvah:

“Busy as I am, I loved and immersed myself in the entire planning process. I strongly felt the most important thing was to make the celebration feel very connected to and reflective of Hannah, us as a family, and the deeper meaning of becoming a Bat Mitzvah. Miraculously, Hannah and I were somehow perfectly aligned on our vision for the day, which was probably more akin to what certain brides envision than most 13 year old girls, but I think that is part of what made the whole sensibility of her day unique to her. I always believe that what people will remember most are the personal touches clearly planned with love – and the feeling of love, fun and joy of all the people in the room — and I think this absolutely proved to be the case for our day.

On a practical level, as an Executive Mom (both a corporate marketing executive in the beauty industry, and the founder of www.executivemoms.com), I knew that I would have a lot of ideas… and no time during the day to hunt those ideas down, so having help in a “producer” role was very worthwhile. I did a lot of my own inspiration-gathering on Pinterest (I have a public Bat Mitzvah board you are welcome to see there, and I also kept a private one). However, much of that activity was happening for me at 1:00 am on my iPad. Therefore in terms of getting that logistical help, I made an unconventional choice and did not work with a traditional Bar/Bat Mitzvah planner; rather, I tapped corporate conference producers with whom I had worked in my professional life who were branching out on their own. We took a mutual risk on each other in that they had never planned a Bar or Bat Mitzvah before, but I think it ultimately worked out incredibly well.

Lastly, I’d like to add a little emotional perspective. I was very self-aware that one of the reasons I wanted Hannah to have a big Bat Mitzvah party was to create and capture this seminal memory with our loved ones, including, if not especially, with my mom. Even though she had cancer, she had such a truly incomparable spirit that had enabled her to triumph over so much, it was inconceivable to all of us (and certainly her) that she would not be there on this day. I found out that her second cancer had metastasized on the very day that I was due to put the deposit down on our venue, one year earlier. I broke down in the back of a cab on my way to giving a speech, agonizing over what it all meant and what I should do. Of course, we did go forward… and yet my worst fear actually came true. My mom passed away 3 months before the Bat Mitzvah of her first adored grandchild. In my devastation, finishing the planning of Hannah’s day actually wound up giving me a sense of focus and purpose that helped me get through the first few weeks without my mom. And while my daughter’s big day was now filled with a much more complex range of emotions, we all embraced the joy – just as I knew my mom would want. Without meaning to be pedantic, I recognize the life lesson in all of this. It is natural for anyone orchestrating an event of such importance to feel the stress of wanting it all to be flawless – I was still that way — but there is, truly, a bigger picture. I hope no one really thinks of their child’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah as something you need to “survive” (and if it is the worst thing you need to survive, consider yourself very, very lucky)! I know during the day itself I was still fighting my own deep inclination to obsess over all the details and worry about whether everyone was having a good time. But if I could do it all over again (without having to PAY for it all over again, of course), I would in a micro-second.

Being able to create this kind of beautiful memory out of a beautiful milestone is its own true gift. And while I am wistful about what wasn’t, I have the perspective to fully value all in that day that was.”

The following vendors helped to make Hannah’s Bat Mitzvah special. If you call any of them, please let them know you read about them on MitzvahMarket.com.

Venue: Battery Gardens, New York City
Party Planner: Katie Oates, Catfish Entertainment
Music Entertainment: MC Jack Bermeo, LJ Productions
Photographer: Lindsay and Greg Witts, Pinsky Studio
Party entertainment: Paper Silhouette artist: Carl Schutt
Signage, Table cards, Decor: Ana Dolan, Invitations By Ana
Logo and Invitation design: Lucy Halcomb
Florist: Plant Shed
Montage production: Permanent Treasures
Vintage prop rentals: Patina Vintage Rentals
Favors: Custom lidded mason jar mugs from www.discountmugs.com
Hannah’s Dress: Terani Couture (via RK Bridal, NYC)
Marisa’s Dress: Oscar de la Renta (via Century 21!); shoes: Manolo Blahnik
Avery’s Dress: Dimples (via Carina Boutique, Whitestone, NY)
David’s suit: Red – Saks Fifth Avenue
Hair: Josie Sanchez, josies.stylist@yahoo.com
Makeup: Laramie Glen for Bobbi Brown and Book Your Look

One Penny At A Time

We read a great story from The Daily Local News, a newspaper in West Chester, Pennsylvania, about 13 year old Emily Kawalek making a difference for the 232,340 women diagnosed with breast cancer each year.

In January 2013, Emily began collecting pennies everywhere she went as part of her project called, Pink Pennies. She was inspired by a statistic she had heard which said that 232,340 women would be diagnosed with breast cancer each year. She decided to collect 232,340 pennies during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month – one for each woman in that statistic – and donate the proceeds to Susan G. Komen Philadelphia.

She took on this project because breast cancer has affected on her own family. Her two great-grandmothers, Evelyn and Helen, both passed away as a result of the disease. She was also inspired by National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which takes place in October.

While her goal was to collect one penny for each woman who would be diagnosed in 2013, in less than a month Kawalek had managed to raise over 236,000 pennies from her school, her friends and family, and her synagogue, Kesher Israel in West Chester. By October, Kawalek’s pennies added up to $2,360. Today, that number has grown to $2,500.

“Seeing all the pennies I have collected and rolled is upsetting because I know each one is representing someone who has or will be diagnosed with breast cancer by the end of the year,” said Emily. “I know that it is going to help find a cure for breast cancer one day,” she said. From Kesher Israel in West Chester, to her school’s office and lunchroom, to Hymies deli in Bala Cynwyd, and more, Emily’s Pink Pennies jars – including the one she carries with her anywhere and everywhere – can be seen all over her community… filling up over and over again.

In October, the Susan B. Komen Foundation Philadelphia chapter awarded Emily their Pink Ribbon of the Month for her contribution to the organization.

Elaine Grobman, CEO, Komen Philadelphia and Emily

That month, Kawalek announced her decision to continue collecting every day of the year, rather than only in October.

We congratulate Emily for her terrific Mitzvah Project!

Mitzvah Inspire: Book Worm Mitzvah

Save the Day Events, a boutique event planning firm, and owner Penny Rabinowitz, transformed the ballroom of Congregation Ahavath Torah in Englewood, New Jersey.

The Bar Mitzvah boy, an avid reader, had a reception that celebrated his love of reading.

His special day was built around a vintage library with details that we just can’t be quiet about!

Books and other library paraphernalia were included in the invitations, decor, place cards and centerpieces.

Photography by Hermin Jaramillo.

The invitation and RSVP card from Paper Works and Events was a card catalog book card and the guest could check off, “Will come and return on time” or “Sorry we’re booked”

The lining of the envelope was an image of books on a shelf

The grey velvet kippot were placed in a library card catalog drawer

The place cards were bookmarks

Adult place cards

The temple ballroom transformed into a vintage library

The amazing bar with book shelves and authentic design elements

Books “written by” the Bar Mitzvah boy lined the shelves behind the bar

The adult table centerpieces were chic and vintage

The kids had a table runner from one of the Bar Mitzvah boy’s favorite books from the Harry Potter series

The sign-in was of the Bar Mitzvah boy reading…of course!

We thank Save the Day Events for sharing this wonderful Bar Mitzvah with our Mitzvah Market readers.

The Frankel Family Spotlight

The Frankel family of Randolph, New Jersey, celebrated daughter Emma’s Bat Mitzvah on September 28, 2013, at Adath Shalom, in Parsippany, New Jersey.

A reception followed at The Mountain Lakes Club in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, with an “Emma-tainment” theme.

Pictured L-R: Brother Brady, Mom Jenifer, Bat Mitzvah girl Emma, Dad Gary and Sister Dara.

Acme Photography and Video was the photographer and the rest of the vendors are listed at the bottom of the spotlight.

Mom Jenifer designed the invitation which was a t-shirt, inspired by the E! Entertainment Network logo, that listed Emma’s Bat Mitzvah information.

The sticker on the shirt directed guests to a website mom Jenifer created to look like an entertainment website. Guests could either type in the address themselves or scan the QR code on the sticker to get to the website.

The front of the t-shirt had Emma’s logo

The back told guests where to “tune in” for Mitzvah information

The “Glee” inspired thank you card incorporated a picture of Emma, can you spot her? They were printed by Shutterfly.com

Mountain Lakes Country Club is a great venue with beautiful grounds. They had the cocktail hour outside in lovely weather.

Cocktails were set up poolside

A perfect backdrop for the cocktail hour

Emma’s elegant cocktail dress with tulle skirt was from Kids at Heart.

 Mom and Dad came up with much of the decor with Debbie’s Bouquets supplying the beautiful floral centerpieces. The logo incorporated an orange and white chevron design similar to the E! Entertainment Network logo.

The step and repeat was designed by Mom and Dad and created by Stickersbanners.com

The place cards were CDs of dance music with labels that said, “#keepthemusicgoing #emmataimnent2013” 

On some tables tall clear vases were used as centerpieces with Emma’s clever logo prominent

The chevron design popped on the turquoise linens 

The menu card placed beautifully in the turquoise napkins on gold chargers

Custom pillows were copies of the creative t-shirt invitations

 The sign-in board was two shadow boxes that held the t-shirts that were used for the invitations.

Guests enjoyed signing the shadow boxes

Emma had a great “E! True Hollywood Story” inspired entrance video that included celebrity messages made especially for Emma that kids and adults enjoyed.  

 
 Watch Emma’s entrance video here.

MC Charlie and the entire Hi NRG team provided non-stop fun on the dance floor.

 Her dancers wore custom “Emma-tainment” t-shirts

Emma changed into a navy beaded cocktail dress from Best Dressed NY 

Lots of great energy at this party

There was a virtual photo booth from SCE Event Group.  The guests took pictures themselves and uploaded them to Instagram with the hashtag #emmatainment2013. Then the pictures automatically printed to a kiosk at the party. The pictures looked like they were from Instagram with Emma’s logo on them. In addition, there was a surprise in the lower level of the club…bowling!

Guests ready to take a picture

The pictures instantly printed to a kiosk at the party

Fun photo favors with Emma’s logo for all the guests to enjoy

The Mountain Lakes Club has bowling lanes that were used by the kids during the cocktail hour

Each of Emma’s guests received a chocolate Emmy, made by a friend, for the candle lighting ceremony.

The chocolate Emmys were individually wrapped

The whole gang celebrating with Emma

Mom Jenifer explains: “The bakery dropped the cake on the way to the venue and had to bake a new one during the cocktail hour! Unfortunately, it wasn’t what we wanted, but we did have a cake.”

The replacement cake

The Frankel family designed the candy bar themselves except for personalized marshmallows made with Emma’s logo. They were created by FeteSetter on Etsy.com.

A frame handmade with Dots candy

Color coordinated candy bar

Customized marshmallows 

 Emma gave out off the shoulder white sweatshirts for the girls, hooded sweatshirts for the boys.

The turquoise chevron bags looked great with the orange tissue paper inside

The sweatshirts had an Instagram logo and read “#emmatainment2013” and “#bestdayever”

Emma with some of her camp friends posing in their new sweatshirts

 Emma had a bake sale to raise money for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. People donated baked items and she raised over $600. Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is a national non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for pediatric cancer research. They provide the support and resources for individuals and businesses to host local fundraising events, as well as other simple ways for anyone to get involved.

Emma and her friends with their delicious baked goods

The Frankel family has a B’nai Mitzvah to look forward to in 2017! 

Some advice from Mom Jenifer:
“Its cliché but true, try to get as much done ahead of time so that you are not scrambling the week before.  With the exception of the flowers, my husband and I did everything ourselves so we were up to all hours of the night in the days prior to the Bat Mitzvah.”

The following vendors helped to make Emma’s celebration special. If you give any of them a call, please let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.

Venue: Mountain Lakes Club, 973-334-4610
Music Entertainment: MC Charlie and Hi NRG Sound Productions, 718-818-8490
Florist: Debbie’s Bouquets, 973-476-0097
Photographer/Videographer: Acme Video and Photography, 732-972-0202
Invitation/Favor: Mom created, friend printed
Party Entertainment: SCE Event Group, 888-278-0900
Website: Myevent.com
Thank You cards: Shutterfly.com
Personalized marshmallows: FeteSetter
Step and Repeat: Stickersbanners.com
Chocolate Emmys: A friend of the family
Mom’s dress:  Red Carpet Boutique, 973-258-0028
Emma’s service dress: Kids at Heart, 973-992-2440
Emma and Dara’s party dresses: Best Dressed NY, 212-600-4607
Suits for Dad/brother: Lord & Taylor/Sams, 973-422-1000
Hair/makeup: Tara Siegel, 973-214-8045
Transportation: Vogel Bus Company, 908-298-0045