March 10th, 2015
Banquets in the Part at Simplay, an upscale interactive venue located in Hauppauge, New York, has everything to create the most unique Bar or Bat Mitzvah celebration all under one roof.
This versatile space has eight multi-sport/activity simulators, a fun lounge area and stylish ballroom. The 15,000 square foot facility is designed to host your event “and only your event.” Event coordinators work with you to plan all aspects of the celebration that will exceed your expectations. The lounge area is just steps away from the interactive simulators and can be enhanced with light up furniture, club lights, DJ and custom designed to your taste and theme for the day.
Special Offer From Banquets in the Park at Simplay: $150 off final balance with mention of Mitzvah Market!
Check out how Banquets in the Park at Simplay can be transformed into a fun club-theme:
Simplay can easily be transformed into a nightclub with LED Lucite furniture
There is a great area that can be used for the dance floor
Light capabilities, tables and linens are in-house
The kids lounge is packed with video games for PS4 and WiiU
Cool seating areas
A wide variety of favorite sports games for kids of all ages!
To learn more about Banquets in the Park at Simplay please visit their extended profile page in our Vendor Directory.
March 10th, 2015
“Mitzvah Mishaps” are those crazy things that happen that make you say, “Oy Vey!” but in the end, it all worked out.
There is a lot of planning that goes into your child’s Bar Bat Mitzvah service and celebration. It is an unforgettable milestone, even if a curve ball was thrown your way.
The families and vendors below all survived their “mishap” and a result, have great stories to tell for years to come. We thank them for sharing them with Mitzvah Market.
The Wabnik Family were all smiles as they experienced a Mitzvah Mishap…their cake slid right off the table and onto the floor at Ultimate 575! Not missing a beat, they used this opportunity to take a photo that they will be talking about for years to come
When the Trichon family celebrated their daughter’s Bat Mitzvah, they chose blue sweatshirt favors for the kids. On Monday morning, Mom Patrice got a frantic call from her daughter at school. It appeared the blue dye came off on all the kids’ skin! Fortunately, the dye washed off easily and the favor company replaced all of their favors!
Rachel was enjoying being lifted in the chair during the horah, when suddenly she went flying up and out into the crowd. Luckily her Uncle Coby caught her, and returned her to the Horah chair safely. Everyone (including Rachel) had a good laugh!
When Bar Mitzvah boy Jake got ready for his candle lighting ceremony, he and his parents realized that his Dad had forgotten the candle lighting poems at home! Like a real trooper, he stood up there and did his best, trying to remember the poems, and adding in a few lines on the fly
Invitations By Ana designs many Bar and Bat Mitzvah menus. Sometimes there are changes to the food selections or the title headings. On one particular menu, the client had originally wanted “Carly’s Bat Mitzvah Salad.” She then decided the heading should just read “Carly’s Salad.” Just as the proof was about to be emailed back to the client, Ana realized she had changed it to “Carly’s Bat Salad.” She tells us, “I’m sure that would have been the first Bat Mitzvah dinner to serve bat!”
This pop-up invitation was a collaboration between 3 companies. When Snowflake Gift Company shipped the direction and RSVP cards to FabuDesigns.com, the package was lost. They did reprint the cards and resend them. Fortunately it only delayed mailing the invitations by 1 week!
Brett Levine’s (pictured left) Bar Mitzvah took place during a blizzard! The forecast was for two feet of snow, but the Levine’s family and friends planned ahead. At the Kiddush, which followed the morning service, the Levines’ friends informed them that they booked rooms at the hotel, where the party would be taking place, for themselves and extra rooms for the Bar Mitzvah boy’s friends. This way the parents didn’t have to drive in the snow. The party turned out fantastic and this family felt extremely lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful family and friends
The original cake for Emma Frankel’s Bat Mitzvah was dropped on the way into the venue so a new one had to be made and baked during the cocktail hour!
Did you experience a Mitzvah Mishap? Let us know at info@mitzvahmarket.com.
March 8th, 2015
After you receive your child’s Bar Bat Mitzvah date and start thinking about the type of celebration your family would like, it’s time to get to work on the details.
To have a theme or not is one of the big questions. Sometimes it’s hard to think of an appropriate theme or how you can turn one of your child’s interests into something clever and fun!
Take a look at these “not so common” themes and how these celebrations made it work. We hope they will inspire you!
This family celebrated with a “Party In Your PJs” theme
Check out the rest of this celebration here
Construction theme? Yes, this family used cranes, Bobcats, ladders, hard hats and safety glasses as part of the decor!
Check out the rest of this celebration here
This theme was a “Swim Meet” and even Michael Phelps made an appearance via a giant cardboard cut out at their “selfie station,” where guests could take a photo by his side
Check out the rest of this celebration here
For this Medieval themed Bat Mitzvah, even Grandpa dressed the part!
Check out the rest of this celebration here
A custom backdrop at the dessert table showcased a Sherlock Holmes style silhouette of the Bar Mitzvah boy who loves mysteries
Check out the rest of this celebration here
This Bat Mitzvah celebration was a “live” fairy tale. Talk about an entrance, the Bat Mitzvah girl “swung” in on a hanging chair!
Check out the rest of this celebration here
One might wonder how The Fault In Our Stars could possibly be a theme for a Bat Mitzvah celebration, but for super fan Chloe Werner there was no other option
Check out the rest of this celebration here
For this Dr. Seuss themed Bat Mitzvah, centerpieces were displayed with the famous hat from “Cat in the Hat”
Check out the rest of this celebration here
Great signage was just one part of this colorful and cheerful Bat Mitzvah celebration with a Lemonade Stand theme
Check out the rest of this celebration here
This celebration was a modern version of Alice in Wonderland. For “Abby in Wonderland,” characters from the book came to life
Check out the rest of this celebration here
It was a Super Hero themed Bat Mitzvah celebration with custom Kippot for “Lisa”
Check out the rest of this celebration here
Neon was the theme for Jasper’s Bar Mitzvah party
Check out the rest of this celebration here
Did your child celebrate with an “out of the box” Bar or Bat Mitzvah theme? Please let us know at info@mitzvahmarket.com.
March 5th, 2015
Jillian Bernstein from Newtown, Pennsylvania will become a Bat Mitzvah on October 3, 2015.
For her Mitzvah Project she is raising funds and participating in the 2015 Walk for Hope on April 12, 2015. This walk will raise funds for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
It is her hope that friends and family will come out and support her team named, “Jillian’s Journey.”
We caught up with Jillian to learn more:
MM: Can you give us details of your Mitzvah Project?
JB: I will be raising money for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) research at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and walking on April 12, 2015 to raise awareness.
MM: Why did you decide to take on this particular project?
JB: I was recently diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. My doctor is at CHOP where I found out about this organization made up of parent volunteers for specific research in pediatric Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. I have chosen to share my diagnosis with friends and family to raise awareness about this disease. I will be walking in team “Jillian’s Journey” in the Walk for Hope to help find a cure and better medical treatments. I was diagnosed this year at age 12. I was not growing and lost weight which at first we thought was due to my participation in my favorite hobby…DANCE. After trying to increase calories in my diet and continued weight loss, my parents took me to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where I was diagnosed.
MM: Does your project have a start and end date, if so what are they?:
JB: Now through April 12,2015 but raising funds for IBD research will be ongoing for me.
MM: In your own words, what does it mean to you to do a Mitzvah Project for your Bat Mitzvah?
JB: I believe we all need to do nice things for others to become welcomed as a Jewish adult.
MM: If it involves a donation, what are you doing to spreading the word?
JB: So far, we have called and emailed friends and family and posted information on Facebook. There is a donation page on the Walk For Hope Website, click here. I will be making posters and will also “Can for Crohn’s” at our local supermarket to raise money and awareness. I also created an Instagram page Jillian.Journey. I was excited to see a news story about Philadelphia Phillies player Jake Diekman who also suffers from IBD. When I posted a message on my page he was the first to like the message!
The flyer that Jillian and her Dad created with information on how to donate or get involved in the Walk for Hope
MM:For how long can people donate to this charity?
JB: This charity accepts donations all year but the actual walk is April 12, 2015.
MM: Anything else we need to know about your Mitzvah Project?
JB:I have not only given money to help fund research, but I have given samples for medical research in hopes to find a cure or better treatments.
We thank Jillian and her family for sharing this wonderful Mitzvah project with our readers. Click here to find out more information on the Walk for Hope or to donate to Jillian’s Bat Mitzvah Project.
March 4th, 2015
The Lowenstein family of Hollywood, Florida, celebrated the B’nai Mitzvah of Jordyn and Joshua with a Havdallah service followed by reception at Temple Solel in Hollywood, Florida.
Both Jordyn and Joshua love the “The Food Network” and consider themselves “foodies,” so when it came time to choose a theme, they cooked up a great one!
Pictured L-R: Bar Mitzvah boy Joshua, Bat Mitzvah girl Jordyn, Mom Hollie and Dad Seth.
Allison Frank was the photographer and the rest of the vendor information is listed at the end of the spotlight.
The family worked with Ellen Futterman of Proper Notice on the sophisticated invitation which highlights each child separately and together. A pink font for Jordyn and blue font for Joshua on the invitation, RSVP and stamp
Sister and brother strike a pose during their formal temple pictures
The family looked great up on the bimah.
The black suede kippot from Kippot World had silver trim and were personalized with their “J&J” initials
Letters J & J in the party’s color palette were a nice touch on the kippot table
Amy Wohl of FabuDesigns.com created the logos used throughout the party. The logo on the left was the main logo of the event and the logo on the right was embroidered on a chef’s jacket used during some pre-party pictures and for the sign-in boards
One of A Kind Decor “whipped up” amazing decor. It was a club style party with no assigned table seating. There were tables and high tops available for guests who wanted to sit. Several Food Network show logos were showcased around the room with centerpieces on the high and low top tables. When guests entered on the red carpet, they saw pictures pictures of Jordyn and Joshua on flat screen televisions with the amazing logo illuminated with red up-lighting
The culinary duo in front of their illuminated sign in the kids’ lounge area.
Large television screens with pictures of Jordyn and Joshua sat on top of an illuminated platform on alternating tables
This centerpiece featured Jordyn
Mini lit up lamps like this one were dispersed throughout the party room
Some centerpieces were decorated in glitter and placed on high and low top tables
Essential cooking tools were used as added decor along with custom napkins ordered by Mom Hollie
The kids’ lounge included black leather couches with customized pillows designed by Mom Hollie and purchased on Zazzle.com. Illuminated Lucite cubes served as coffee tables adding pizazz to the set-up
This large poster of Jordyn and Joshua holding “The Food Network” magazine was placed over the DJ booth in
front of the dance floor
The sign-in chef coats were positioned in front of a poster of Joshua and Jordyn. This shot was taken during the pre-Mitzvah shoot in a kitchen showroom
“The Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” station was the slider station, serving mini hamburger sliders along with a hot dog cart, delicious fries, lots of toppings for the burgers and a soft pretzel machine. This picture with Jordyn and Joshua superimposed next to star Chef Guy Fieri hung above.
The Asian food station included a truck facade with an awning extending out over the servers with a menu board and signage: “J & J Wok ’til you drop.”
Mom and Dad posed by the food truck chalkboard menu
At the pasta station, there was a huge spaghetti and meatball prop with a fork on a spinning base
The sushi station food prop with a sushi roll and chop sticks
It was a night of great music and high energy on the dance floor thanks to MC Joseph and Pure Energy Entertainment
A great group picture with MC Joseph on the dance floor
Max Booth customized the photo booth with different Food Network magazine covers strategically inserting Jordyn and Joshua pictures. Fantastic Photo Favors supplied the air brush station along with basketball, air hockey and football toss for the kids during the cocktail hour
Fantastic Photo Favors airbrushed trucker hats and squishy pillows and provided cocktail hour games
Joshua’s finished squishy pillow looks awesome
The candle lighting ceremony featured mini TVs and within each one was a picture of one of the Food Network shows. There was also a light placed inside each one so with the push of a button, they lit up!
At the end of the evening, each guest received a delicious cupcake from Sweeter Days Bake Shop. “Thank you for helping us celebrate our special day!
We hope you had a great time and enjoy this sweet treat 🙂 Love…J&J”
Silver, red and black shimmer sprinkles were placed around the edges to go with the edible logo on each cupcake.
Beautifully wrapped and displayed
The out-of-town bags included a great picture and note from the culinary duo thanking their guests for coming, as well as informing them of Sunday brunch for hotel guests and immediate family
Mitzvah Project:
Both Jordyn and Joshua chose to volunteer their time caring for needy and abandoned animals at the Humane Society of Broward County, Mitzvah Mutts program. There they met with other kids and spent time with all of the animals by giving them lots of love and attention.They also made treats for the animals and whatever else was needed at the shelter. While being part of this “Mitzvah Mutts” program, they also raised funds for the humane society as generous friends and family members decided they wanted to contribute. They will also be participating in an event called, “Walk for the Animals” in February.
Jordyn playing with one of the shelter’s cats
Some advice from Mom Hollie:
“People would say to me, ‘Enjoy every minute of this because it goes by so fast,’ well they were right! When you plan a party of this magnitude for almost 2 years for your kids, and its over in just 6 hours, it’s so important to cherish every minute. I know it’s easier said than done, but you must stop, take a deep breath, look around you, and take it all in and remember what this special day is all about. My husband and I were doing this only one time since we have twins, so we needed to feel we gave 100 percent. I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure it was as close to perfection as it could be. In the end, I loved the way everything came together, however, what I realized, is that when your friends and family are in the same room, surrounding you with love and support, seeing your kids smiling from ear to ear and happy all night long, that is what is really important! A couple last bits of advice would be to try to eat and drink the delicious items you chose for your special menu, trust that the team you hired will do their job properly (because at some point it’s out of your control) and while seeing your kids and guests enjoying themselves, dance the night away…because it’s your special day too!”
The following vendors helped to make celebration special. If you give any of them a call, please let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.
Venue: Temple Solel; 954-989-0205
Catering: Artisan Foods, 954-983-5338
Photographer: Alison Frank Photography, 954-536-4456
Videographer: Senderey Video Productions 954-748-8999
Invitations: Ellen Futterman, Proper Notice, 516-621-9523
Logo: Amy Wohl, FabuDesigns, 312-513-1698
Decor: One Of A Kind Event Design, 954-838-0040
Kippot: Kippot World, 305-932-5472
Music Entertainment: MC Joseph, Pure Energy Entertainment, 954-782-9118
Cupcake favors: Sweeter Days Bake Shop, 954-396-3979
Customized Photo Booth: MaxBooth, 561-37-BOOTH
Party Entertainment/Cocktail hour games: Funtastic Photo Favors: 561-306-3700
Sign-In Chef coats: Shirts R Us, 954-533-4695
Custom pillows: Mom Hollie created on Zazzle.com
Custom cocktail napkins: For Your Party
Video Montage: Amy Kratish, 954-520-4591
Hotel gift bags: Totally Tote Bags, 866-795-4657
Jordyn’s service dress: Ted Baker, Bloomingdales
Reception dresses for Mom and Jordyn: Sondro Boutique, 954-739-5037
Suits for Dad and Joshua: Nordstrom and Men’s Wearhouse
Makeup: Nancy Rand, Touch Cosmetics, 786-301-1105
Hair: By Yasmin, 305-788-3520
March 1st, 2015
Big Huge Labs is a Website that helps you do cool stuff with your digital photos.
Their site is filled with great ideas and tons of templates and designs that allow you to upload your own photos to make fun Bar Bat Mitzvah related items. Some of their choices include: large posters, badges, collages, “coming attraction” posters, magazine covers, movie posters and much more!
You can choose from a wide variety of tools and effects that you can apply to your photos easily and instantly. Here are a few ideas:
Be the front page of your own movie poster. This tool places your photo at the front page of a magazine-format themed background. You get to edit the details such as background color, title and tagline. Great for “coming attraction” posters for younger siblings
Create a 9, 4, or 1-panel false-color version of one of your photos in the style of Andy Warhol’s famous paintings and turn yourself and your friends into pop art instantly. Great for added decor!
Another cool tool is the jigsaw option that allows you to create jigsaw puzzles out of your images. Simply upload your image and it will automatically be turned into a puzzle. Could be incorporated into your candle lighting ceremony
Create a Billboard – if you have something to say, say it BIG. Pick from a variety of scenes like NYC above
With their Badge Maker, you can create your own ID card, press pass, name tag or any other kind of identification
To see more ideas, visit Big Huge Labs and create a free account!
March 1st, 2015
Abby Rose Photo had the pleasure of shooting a “History of Hoops” themed Bar Mitzvah. This was the third Mitzvah for this family and Abby Rose was thrilled to be involved with all three.
This celebration took place at MGM Grand Detroit, a great location for a basketball enthusiast.
The event planner was Dee Dee Hoffman.
Check it out below:
Tables of varying sizes were used for this celebration designed and planned by Dee Dee Hoffman
The bar area featured various basketball team logos
Popular basketball terms on a large display with basketballs on both sides
The lounge area featured oversized posters with quotes from basketball greats
A gobo on the dance floor
Startrax kept the crowd dancing and having fun
Thanks to Abby Rose Photo for sharing this creative Bar Mitzvah celebration with our readers.
The following vendors were used: Venue: MGM Grand Detroit, Music Entertainment: Startrax Events, Event Design & Planning: Dee Dee Hoffman
