May 20th, 2015
New York based Sweet Dreams Studio provided the photography and photo booth entertainment for Arielle’s Bat Mitzvah party at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland.
Working with the theme Arielle’s Aquarium, Innovative Party Planners transformed the National Aquarium, a very public space, into an intimate event. This involved the collaboration of many vendors working together to create a shared vision.
Arielle has a love for sea animals including dolphins and manatees. This set the stage for not only her theme and decor, but also incorporated her Mitzvah Project. Using this celebration, Arielle raised money and awareness for manatees.
Arielle looked beautiful in her aqua gown
The Bat Mitzvah service, set-up in the Underwater Viewing room of the National Aquarium, gave all guests and mammals the perfect view! It was challenging taking pictures in the dimly-lit aquarium room for the ceremony because flash wasn’t allowed, but Sweet Dreams Studio still took great shots!
Bat Mitzvah girl Arielle and her family, passed the Torah from generation to generation–starting with Arielle’s great grandmother and ending with her brother
Guests were welcomed into the party by a poster of Arielle on a dolphin
Photos of sea mammals were used for the place cards
The view from the mezzanine level, with the aquarium ceiling full of jellyfish, provided the perfect backdrop
and inspired the color scheme
Table names, created by Innovative Party Planners, were adorable and educational!
Arielle’s logo was featured on the centerpieces
Each centerpiece included a mammal and fun decor elements
Beautiful Bat Mitzvah girl posed in front of a beautiful photo booth backdrop from Sweet Dreams Studio
Everyone had fun dressing up in the photo booth from Sweet Dreams. Props added to the fun
Award winning magician, Steven Brundage, came in from Schenectady, NY, to entertain
The dolphin candle stick holders, intended to be Arielle’s Shabbat candlesticks, were a gift from her parents and beautifully fit with her theme
Arielle’s Mitzvah Project raised funds for Save the Manatees and was on display at her celebration
A beautiful way to end the party with a color-coordinated candy buffet styled by Innovative Party Planners
We thank Sweet Dreams Studio for sharing this great Bat Mitzvah with our readers.
Photography: Sweet Dreams Studio; Event Planning and Decor: Innovative Party Planners; Venue: National Aquarium in Baltimore; Caterer: Classic Catering People; Entertainment: Cutting Edge Dueling Pianos, NYX Entertainment Nailed-It, Sweet Dreams Photo Booths, Steven Brundage Magic; Lighting: Maryland Productions; Linens: Gala Cloths, Chair Covers and Linens; Flowers: Flowers & Fancies; Transportation: Erye Bus, Tour & Travel; Video Montage: Event Video, Magician: Steven Brundage
May 17th, 2015
The Lesser family of Reston, Virginia, celebrated their son Jack’s Bar Mitzvah at Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation. After the service, guests headed to the Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Virginia.
Baseball was the theme which is Bar Mitzvah boy Jack’s passion.
Pictured L-R: Dad Jeffrey, Bar Mitzvah boy Jack, Sister Sam and Mom Darlene.
The photographer was Jof Panlaqui Photography and the rest of the vendor information is listed at the bottom of the spotlight.
The tone of the party was set with the Save-the-Date card which featured a baseball glove in the grass with the date printed on three balls: 1.10.15. For the invitation, the family worked with Studio Rose Design
A more formal blue and green pocket invitation followed, which honored the reverence of the service
We love Jack’s logo which was placed on the outside of the invitation belly band
The service was held at Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation. It was “all in the family” as Jack’s 88 1/2 year-old grandfather, Monroe Lesser, had come over daily to tutor Jack on his haftorah portion six months leading up to his Bar Mitzvah. Jack posed in front of the Ark
Dad Jeff, Bar Mitzvah boy Jack and Grandfather Monroe Lesser at the bimah
Jack had a baseball themed celebration complete with grass centerpieces and accents to keep it sporty and masculine. The escort card table was filled with wheat grass and royal blue trim
Baseball jerseys tented over Lindor Truffles served as escort cards and treats
Each pinstriped jersey was personalized with their guests’ name and table number
The adult tables, each named for a team Jack played on in Little League, were decorated in royal blue and white linens
There were baseballs (rubber for safety) with Jack’s logo throughout the reception venue
The kids had long communal tables with fiber optic centerpieces
The DJ set-up looked great flanked by baseball jerseys
Some of the special details included a card from Jack thanking each guest for being a part of his special day. The card, placed at each place setting, included those most important to Jack as they are his friends, family, relatives, coaches, teachers, neighbors, teammates and mentors
A large decorated baseball hat box served as a place to put gift envelopes
The lounge furniture was accented with customized pillows
Each table had memorable quotes from baseball legends: “There’s no crying in baseball!” from Tom Hanks in “A League of Their Own” and repeated by Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals
An enlarged picture of Jack in his travel uniform served as his sign-in board. Mom created it on online at LTLPrints.com
Everything Entertainment created a high energy atmosphere and kept people on the dance floor throughout the reception. During the cocktail hour, DJ Mark Burch and MC Cliff led a baseball game with an inflatable ball while the adults were mingling over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. For Jack’s entrance, MC Cliff announced the “Starting Line Up” and Jack had fun with it, wearing cool glasses
Jack was all smiles for the Horah
MC Cliff was great on the dance floor
Jack had fun activities for the guests including a double Pop-A-Shot basketball arcade game, a caricature artist and a photo booth
Guests enjoyed the Caricaturist
The candle lighting ceremony with Mom, Dad and Jack and a huge baseball themed cake created by Marse Hammond
The candy buffet had lots of great choices complete with bags and take-out boxes
Jack’s candy bar featured blue and green candy
Baseball helmets were used as dishes for the ice cream sundaes
Jack’s gift bag to his guests included an aluminum sports cup, a power bank charger and a jumbo Hershey Bar. The sports cup customized with Jack’s logo
Mitzvah Project:
Jack is collecting “experienced” gently used baseball equipment from his little league community then organizing a swap meet, where the families who are on scholarship in the league can select equipment first at no charge, then the remainder of the families can select equipment for a fraction of the cost of new. The proceeds are being donated back to the league for more scholarships, so kids who couldn’t otherwise afford to play baseball will have the opportunity.
Some advice from Mom Darlene:
“Select a theme with your child early and enjoy the planning. My son wasn’t into planning all of the little details, but he always had veto power so the day would be one he would be proud to share with his friends. Splurge on a DJ because the experience is what people remember most. Select outstanding experienced vendors who will make your day memorable while making the experience effortless. Have activities for the kids who don’t like to dance or have the DJ plan more games or a conga line that everyone can join. Do as much as possible in advance because the last few weeks fly by. Leave plenty of time for errors (the calligrapher took 3 weeks instead of 3 days, signs had to be reprinted). I had prepared checks and tip envelopes for all of the vendors in advance and hired a day-of coordinator, who enabled me to focus on Jack’s service and not worry about executing our plan. I sent an email to all vendors a week in advance and the day before. Also, getting into the venue the day before allowed extra time for set up.”
The following vendors helped to make Jack’s Bar Mitzvah special. If you give any of them a call, let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.
Venue: Lansdowne Resort, 877-419-8400
Party Planner: Mom, Darlene
Day of Coordinator/Decor: Jamie Anderson, dmsjamie@aol.com
Photographer: Jof Panlaqui, 571-337-0095
Music Entertainment: DJ Mark Burch, Everything Entertainment, 240-351-5434
Place Cards: Lindor Truffles on Amazon.com
Favors: Marco Promotional Products, 877-545-9322
Party entertainment: Your Moment Photo Booth, 240-505-8017
Caricaturist: Ted Sanderson Caricatures
Invitation: Rose D’Arcangelis, Studio Rose Design
Baseball gift box: Mom Darlene
Cake: Marse Hammond, Marhamm@netzero.net
Sign-In board: Larger than Life Prints
Wheatgrass on escort table and centerpieces: by Mom Darlene
Signage: Signs by Tomorrow
Dresses for family members: Nordstrom and Ideel
Suits for family members: Nordstrom
Transportation: Chariots for Hire
May 17th, 2015
Every Bar Bat Mitzvah celebration is unique regardless of budget. We would all agree that we want our guests to leave saying, “Wow!”
Families celebrate in a variety of ways; most have delicious food, some form of entertainment/music and their own special touches.
We recently found three unique ways to enhance your child’s Bar Bat Mitzvah celebration and involve your guests. In some cases “live” at the celebration or a keepsake to last for years and years.
Enjoy these ideas below:
Fine Art for Events
Fine Arts for Events provides unique paint by number artwork designed to entertain your guests and provide you with a work of art. Artist Michael Molly creates a painting from your original idea or existing photograph. He then prepares a numbered outline of the picture along with the paint and materials necessary to execute it. Mr. Molly will come to your event to assist your guests with completing your painting.
Numbered outlined canvas before painting
The finished product
Brick by Brick Lego Creations
Interactive fun for everyone! Every participant will lend a hand at completing a giant LEGO mosaic of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah child. Each section comes with directions to complete, which will then be fitted into a numbered board creating the finished product by the end of the party. It will be a gift that lasts forever. They can also create great LEGO centerpieces.
In addition to LEGO portraits, they can customize centerpieces for any theme and portraits
Jelly Bean Arts
Jelly Bean Arts offers personalized, commissioned one-of-a-kind portraits, mosaics and landscapes to jazz up your Mitzvah! Artist Kristen Cumings is the official artist of the Jelly Belly company and she assembles these amazing paintings with an assortment of Jelly Beans that is sure to WOW your guests.
Made completely with actual Jelly Beans
Did you have a creative enhancement at your child’s mitzvah? Let us know at info@MitzvahMarket.com.
May 13th, 2015
Signage is a great way to add another level of creativity to your child’s Bar Bat Mitzvah theme, color scheme and room decor.
From colorful poster to LED fabric walls, here’s a look at innovative approaches that will grab the attention of guests.
Check out the ideas below:
Sarah Merians Photography & Videography took this photo at Ethan’s Bar Mitzvah celebration. As guests arrived, the theme was evident due to an over-sized envelope which included all of Ethan’s hobbies and activities
The Event Of A Lifetime was responsible for the decor and signage for this Bar Mitzvah celebration that partly took place in the family’s garage!
Lighter Than Air Events created this “break through” wall for Mason to enter his Mason Nation Bar Mitzvah celebration
Using this life size poster, Simon Elliot Events helped this Bat Mitzvah girl say ‘thank you’ to her guests
Beth Fink Events was the party planner for this Bat Mitzvah. As soon as guests arrived they were welcomed with a Bat Mitzvah gobo logo created by Total Entertainment
Flower Power Designs created this “mocktails” sign for Matthew’s Bar Mitzvah
From Garelick & Herbs, guests loved sitting at Abby’s Snack Shack
Jimmy Dee Entertainment gives the Bat Mitzvah girl her name in lights on this marquee presenting, “Melissa the Musical”
Balloon Artistry gives Amanda great signage and blow-ups in the lounge area at her Bat Mitzvah celebration
Splatter paint neon signage included all of Rachel’s favorite things from Party Excellence
Crowd Control Entertainment provided the music for a baseball themed Bar Mitzvah with signage directing Matthew’s friends to the VIP section
Hi Tech Photography Events create signage for Justin’s Legends Suite
The Johnson Mitzvah Family Spotlight story featured great signage which directed guests where to go
From the Malavsky Mitzvah Family Spotlight story, guests knew the theme as soon as they saw this signage
Guests were “thanked” at Camp Alyssa’s Bat Mitzvah by 84 West Studios
A Bar Mitzvah designed by New York-based David Stark Design and Production had custom super-size signs, like an “Eat” sign made out of favorite books
Did your child’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah celebration have eye catching signage? Let us know at info@mitzvahmarket.com.
May 13th, 2015
Balloon Artistry, established in 1987, is a full-service party decorating company, specializing in creating custom balloon and centerpiece decorations.
They are famous for transforming parties into magical, unforgettable memories. Their handcrafted masterpieces will get your guests to talk about your special day for years to come. Balloon Artistry’s legendary balloon creations, personalized themes and breathtaking centerpieces capture the exact mood you desire.
If you are looking for creativity, quality, caring and individualized service, Balloon Artistry is the place to call!
Check out this short video for tips & tricks on navigating their new Website here
SOME COOL NEW FEATURES TO CHECK OUT
GALLERY SEARCH: Balloon Artistry’s new Advanced Photo Search allows you to search by Venue, Tags, Colors & more. If you want to see a room decorated in a theme your child has dreamt about, in your daughter’s favorite colors, at the venue you booked, or related to any word or tag that interests you, you can type your request into their search box on their gallery page or click on the magnifying glass icon at the top right of any screen and many visual examples will appear. Try it for yourself here.
See below: Some of the many photos that appear when you search SPORTS. Check out the Gallery here
BLOG SECTION: A new BLOG section which features their latest projects, news and photos.
SERVICES: This section of their website outlines everything they do, along with visual examples.
Take a look here
GALLERY: This section of their site is filled with beautiful visuals of their work. This includes backdrops, balloon décor, centerpieces, lounges, seating card displays, candle lighting displays, sign In books, photo blow ups, gift boxes, logos, candy buffets and MORE!
Take a look here
To learn more about Balloon Artistry, visit their extended profile page in our Vendor Directory.
Follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
May 10th, 2015
NSR Creative creates beautiful photo mosaics made up of other photos that you provide.
From a distance, only the main image is visible, but as you get closer, you can see that the main image is made up of many different pictures, or “tiles.”
The main picture is custom designed to reflect the Bar or Bat Mitzvah child’s personality along with anything else you want to showcase such as hobbies or party theme.
The Jazz Enthusiast
Using a combination of special software and hand-tweaking of the individual tiles, a unique portrait comes to life. The mosaics use hundreds of images, more is better in terms of overall quality, but the size of the final picture will determine the number of photos needed. Typically the final product is 20″ x 24′ using approximately 1700 tiles!
The Romantic Sophisticate
Imagine a mosaic portrait of your Bar or Bat Mitzvah child — NSR Creative specializes in celebrations such as Bar Bat Mitzvahs, birthdays, Sweet 16s and Anniversaries. They pride themselves on their personalized service – from spending time getting to know the subject(s) of the picture, to hand cropping and cleaning each tile until they get the perfect balance of detail and tile visibility. They want clients to be thrilled with their final piece and their experience along the way.
A Feathery Masquerade Ball
To learn more about NSR Creative, visit their Website.
May 6th, 2015
Ann Marie Casey Photography was the photographer for a Syracuse University basketball themed Bar Mitzvah for the Garber family from Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.
Beautiful Blooms created the decor using the famous Syracuse orange and blue color palette.
Bar Mitzvah boy Blake is a die-hard ‘Cuse fan and wanted his party to celebrate all-things-Orange.
Go ‘Cuse!
The kippot worked beautifully with the color palette
The family knew whose special day it was
Bar Mitzvah boy Blake and his parents dressed in their favorite college team colors
The escort table had a lampshade centerpiece with a custom logo
The place cards looked great with a blue border and orange font
The view of the ballroom from above
Blue striped lampshades with Blake’s logo and orange carnations served as the centerpiece
Leaping orange groupings in glass stemmed vases were placed on half of the tables and navy and white lampshades with a ring of orange flowers were placed on the others
There were custom logo’d light-up candles for the cocktail hour
The menu card was a great way to dress up the tables and keep the theme going
The dance floor decal
The March Madness basketball game was a lot of fun
Blake in action
Blake’s sisters wrote him a special message on his sign-in poster
A Syracuse-themed cake with the famous Syracuse mascot, Otto, on top
The logo’d favor bags
We thank Ann Marie Casey for sharing this great Bar Mitzvah theme with our readers.
Photography: Ann Marie Casey; Florals and Decor: Beautiful Blooms; Venue: Cescaphe Ballroom
May 6th, 2015
Who better to find the latest and greatest for all-things Bar Bat Mitzvahs than our own Mitzvah Moms?
The Epstein Family of Yardley, Pennsylvania, celebrated the Bar Mitzvah of son Alec on Saturday, September 20, 2014, at Congregation Kol Emet in Yardley, Pennsylvania. The reception was held at Beat Street in Huntington Valley, Pennsylvania.
This high-energy party celebrating Alec focused on the kids and most importantly, fun. This family decided to set the tone for their celebration with a very creative R.S.V.P. card.
The family worked with Sara Jane Kimmel of S&J Printing on the invitation and the very funny Mad Libs style response card.
Alec loved reading the R.S.V.P. cards, as guests had some really great responses!
To see the rest of this Mitzvah Family Spotlight story, click here.
May 3rd, 2015
Sarah Merians Photography & Videography has grown into so much more than simply snapping a photo. The “&” in their name represents the company that they are today.
They want to be in their clients’ lives for a lifetime, as opposed to just one event. This special relationship they foster with all of their clients, in addition to the wide range of products they create and services they offer, is what sets them apart.
They are photographers, videographers & so much more.
Sarah has seen it all and recently celebrated her own daughter Emily’s Bat Mitzvah. She kept a Mitzvah Mom Journal on her blog that we wanted to share with our readers.
Sarah with her daughter Emily on her Bat Mitzvah day!
Along the way, Sarah’s journal will explain the decisions they made about the type of celebration their family wanted and some very helpful hints!
We know you will enjoy it! Read it here.
To learn more about Sarah Merians Photography & Videography, visit their extended profile page in our Vendor Directory.
May 3rd, 2015
One of the Coolest Themes Ever…Celebrating the Emmys with Emily
By our newest teen blogger Charlotte (pictured left)
This weekend I attended one of my best (camp) friend’s Bat Mitzvah. She had one of the coolest themes ever! Of course it was the Emmys and I loved the way she brought the concept to life.
You can see some of the details below:
There were poster boards of many all time favorite TV shows (ie. Full House, Modern Family) that were displayed on the walls with her picture superimposed as one of the characters.
This poster features Emily with the cast of Friends
She had a great logo designed that made the dance floor really shine
Emily took home the award for best leading actresses in a reality series!
Emily and her Moms…I love this family!
Here’s one of my favorite dance floor giveaways. I’m keeping this one!
Finally, after dancing until my feet hurt, we received one of the BEST party favors EVER. Hello selfie stick complete with Emily’s logo from Jill’s Royaltees (516-480-5108)!
About Charlotte
I’m a 7th grader from Port Washington, New York. I love tennis, dancing, skiing, hanging with my friends, my family and of course FASHION!
My mom even named her company after me! Charlotte’s Closet is a new online spot where tweens and teens can borrow designer dresses for every party for up to 75% off the retail price! Never wear the same dress twice…Think of us
as your celebrity BFF whose closet you can raid…whenever you want.
Check out my friends and I at Emily’s celebration – in dresses we borrowed from Charlotte’s Closet!
