Archive for December, 2016
December 21st, 2016
We read about a wonderful Bar Mitzvah project in the Cleveland Jewish News that we wanted to share.
Last summer, 13-year-old Sam Heller (pictured left) took a trip to Europe with his family that affected him in a way that he couldn’t have imagined. The Hellers, of Moreland Hills, Ohio, traveled to the sites of the concentration camps at Mauthausen in Austria and Terezin in the Czech Republic. Although he previously had learned a great deal about the Holocaust in Jewish day schools, Sam said this trip really opened his eyes to what Holocaust survivors had to endure.
As a result of that experience, Sam decided that instead of personal gifts for his Bar Mitzvah, he would ask his friends and family to donate to Jewish Family Service Association of Cleveland’s Holocaust Survivor Support Program. He also included a personal note in everyone’s invitation explaining why this was so important to him and invited them to make a donation in any amount.
On the reverse side of Sam’s note was a list of what different items cost, to help people decide how much they wished to donate.
To read more about this amazing Mitzvah Project click here.
December 21st, 2016
Are you emoji-obsessed? We are! It’s no surprise to us these cute little digital icons representing emotions, food, sports and anything else you can think of, have made their way into the Bar Bat Mitzvah scene.
Some of the most popular emojis are the faces: heart eyes, “joy” (laughing with tears), sunglasses, blowing a kiss, winking and smiling face with smiling eyes (red cheeks). We’ve written about Emoji Bar Bat Mitzvah themes and we’ve seen them cleverly integrated into Bar Bar Mitzvah invitations, decor, photo props, desserts and more.
If your child is considering an Emoji theme, here’s a round up of fun ways to keep your guests smiling. 🙂 😎 😀
INVITATIONS
Lemon Leaf designed this adorable invitation suite using popular Emoji faces
Hannah's Paperless Post invitation gave a hint to her
Emoji theme
JUDAICA
Pic-A-Kippa offers clients several emoji options for kippot. Imagine how cute your child's service will look with a room filled with smiling kippot
DECOR
We love this candle holder from an Emoji themed party hosted at
SPACE
FAVORS
Favor-It designed this Emoji logo for a sweatshirt Mitzvah Favor
PHOTO BOOTHS/PHOTO NOVELTY
Foto Novelty's Gif Booth creates instant Emoji Gifs for social sharing
DESSERTS/TREATS
DETAILS
Do you include Emojis at your child’s Bar Bat Mitzvah? We’d love to hear about it. Email us at info@mitzvahmarket.com.
December 18th, 2016
Who better to find the latest and greatest for all things Bar Bat Mitzvahs than our own Mitzvah Moms?
We recently featured the Strauss family spotlight story about Ben Strauss’ Bar Mitzvah. It was a triple sports themed celebration and his Mom Amy came up with a great idea of combining a custom cartoon as a place mat insert. She found two vendors to accomplish her vision!
TB TOONS
Artist Tony Bayer of TBToons hand draws each comic strip or caricature which is a one-of-a-kind original. The comic strips are created from scratch to perfectly fit with the idea you have in mind. Just send him an idea of what you’d like along with photo(s) for reference and specify the size you want. He can draw the whole body (from head to feet) or cropped at a certain point (ex. from the chest up) and either with an over-sized or a proportional head for caricatures.
Here is the comic strip version of Ben Strauss which incorporates him from baby to a Bar Mitzvah on the Bimah along with some of his interests likes sports and Disney World
Harper & Daisy
Harper & Daisy specializes in recycled paper products. All of their products can be customized. Products are processed and shipped within one-three business days and should be received within 3-5 days after shipping. Custom orders may take longer.
Mom Amy found Harper and Daisy on Etsy.com to created custom place mats using the comic strip artwork
Did you have a great Mom Find that you would like to share with our readers? Let us know at info@mitzvahmarket.com.
To see past Mom Finds, click here.
December 18th, 2016
The Grubman family celebrated daughter Lilah’s Bat Mitzvah service on November 5, 2016, at L’Dor V’Dor in Oyster Bay, New York. There was a reception in her honor immediately following at Temple Or Elohim in Jericho, New York.
Lilah loves animals and one of her aspirations is to be a veterinarian, so an animal theme was the perfect choice. From the invitations to the favors, everything had a zebra, leopard, and/or giraffe print. Mom Susan created the amazing decor along with many of the party’s special details.
Pictured L-R: Dad Robert, Bat Mitzvah girl Lilah and Mom Susan.
The photographer was PM Photo and Video Productions and the rest of the vendor information is listed at the end of the spotlight.
Bat Mitzvah Invitation and Service
Invitations by Lisa designed the Zebra print invitation and Randi Lehman of That One Special Touch coordinated the kippot to match the invitation design perfectly
Lilah with her family, rabbi and cantor up on the bimah during the service. In memory of her grandfather, Lilah wore his Tallis
Mitzvah Style
This family went wild with the animal theme by dressing the part!
Lilah's animal print gown from It's Simply For You was stunning. Mom wore a crystal Zebra-like print Jovani dress and Dad Robert wore a tie with giraffes
Beauty and Elegance hair designer created a look to go with Lilah's animal print dress
Party Decor
Mom Susan is the former Decorating Editor of Good Housekeeping and did most of the decor herself. Almost everything was DIY including the place cards, animal inflatable decor, sign-in board, centerpieces, napkin rings and signage.
The place cards were topped with cute mini animals
Each centerpiece had a different colored shade that coordinated with the napkins and tea lights
The light up centerpieces created a night club feel
The room included some shots of Lilah during her Bat Mitzvah photo pre-shoot
Lilah's name in lights decorated the bar with animal print stickers on each letter giving it a custom feel
Sets of stacked inflatble animals decorated areas of the room. An idea from Mom Susan
Special Party Details
Animal print socks were available to keep kids' 'paws' safe
The sign-in board was a re-purposed animal stand with an animal print ribbon tail and markers
The pillows in the lounge area matched the animal print theme
Zebra napkin rings dressed up the table
Mitzvah Entrance and Music
Mom Susan also came up with the idea for Lilah’s entrance. The team from Party Harty Entertainment wore wolf masks that coordinated with their T-shirts. Her “wolf pack” brought the animal theme to life!
Lilah made her grand entrance with her Wolf Pack aka the Party Harty Entertainment dancers
She handled the horah with grace
Because of her love of sports (especially basketball), Lilah had four Pop A Shots, Foosball, and Skeeball games for the kids to enjoy
The amazing crew from Party Harty Entertainment helped the family say farewell
Cake and Candle Lighting
The talented pastry chef at Or Elohim used the invite as inspiration for the cake
Young guests came up to help Lilah light candle number 12
Mitzvah Dessert and Exit Treats
Guests went “ape” for the candy table created and displayed by Mom Susan.
Some of the goodies included: zebra popcorn, assorted animal gummies, Little Debbie zebra cakes and Cow Tales
For the candy table sign, Mom Susan used giant candy buttons and cut letters, mounted on animal print papers
Mom Susan also made her own Peeps kebobs for guests to enjoy
The adults left with a bag of Lilah's Menagerie Munch consisting of a store bought assortment of animal crackers and cookies, created by Mom Susan
Some of the items for the bags of Menagerie Munch were from supermarkets all around Long Island
Mitzvah Favors
Plastic Bags For this menagerie themed Bat Mitzvah zebra favor bags were beautifully displayed and held gifts for the Bat Mitzvah girl's friends
The boys received giraffe print sherpa lined zip hoodies and the girls received 3-piece PJ sets which included: slippers, fuzzy fleece pants, and top in either zebra or leopard print
Lilah’s Mitzvah Project
While attending Mitzvah Market Celebrate Showcase Lilah found the perfect fit with HorseAbility. Last August, Lilah had a rewarding experience volunteering at Camp HorseAbility, a week-long riding camp for individuals with special needs. Besides taking care of the horses, she was also a side-walker. Lilah donated her personal savings/Tzedakah to HorseAbility too.
For her Mitzvah Project, Lilah spent the last week of summer helping out at Camp HorseAbility
Mom Advice from Mom Susan
“If you are having an older kids table, know that the prices for the (non-drinking) young adults cost a lot less than 21+age adults. Make sure to negotiate that with the caterer. Have a “Stand-by” couple that you invite to the cocktail hour, so that when someone last minute does not show, they can fill the spot. Since guests are already paid for, it’s worthwhile to not have empty seats at the party. If you are inviting out-of-town guests/family back to the house immediately after your daytime event, call it for an hour after the party ends so that you have time to regroup, settle up costs, and be home in time to change into comfy clothing. If you are thinking about doing it all DIY, it’s important to hire a day before/day-of planner. They will be available to assist in set up, are around to make sure things run smoothly during the party, and most importantly, they must be there to break down and deliver/return all your decorations back to you. There was a party immediately after ours and it was a huge relief to know that they were there to take care of emptying out the room. Request that your caterer offers a personal attendant in their package. It was great to have someone take care of us throughout the day making sure we had a sampling of all the buffet options, helped with unforeseeable issues, and collected and secured gifts/envelopes.”
Vendor Directory
The following vendors helped to make Lilah’s Bat Mitzvah special. If you give any of them a call, let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.
Temple Service: L’Dor V’Dor, Oyster Bay, Long Island
Venue/Caterer: Hasson Caterers at Or Elohim, 516-937-0120
MC Entertainment: Party Harty Entertainment, 516-845-8585
Arcade Games: That’s Entertainment Concepts (division of Party Harty Entertainment), 516-845-8585
Kippot: Randi, That One Special Touch, 516-496-1025
Photography/Videography: PM Photo & Video Productions, 631-495-6181
Invitations: Invitations by Lisa, 516-398-4785
Day of Party Planner: Ellen Fielding, Field of Dream, 516-232-1552
Favors: Mom Susan found in a department store
Hair: Beauty and Elegance, 631-800-1212
Lilah’s gown: It’s Simply For You, 516-921-2863
Dad’s Suit: Nordstom, Hugo Boss, Tie: Ferragamo
December 18th, 2016
SPACE is a unique & one-of-a-kind, fully integrated event service conveniently located in Englewood, New Jersey.
Their all-inclusive party packages are comprised of:
* The beautiful and versatile venue
* In-house custom-creative décor, event production, event design, linens & overlays, and furniture
* Custom menus prepared to each individual event by their in-house chefs
* Riveting & immersive entertainment: Arcade, Bowling, Laser tag, Paintless Paintball, DJ and more!
* Courteous and professional wait and event staff to supervise
A new & exciting addition to SPACE is their beautifully renovated service room!
The custom-creative work is magical- truly a vision.
Take a look at some of the photos from recent Bar & Bat Mitzvah services held in the new service room at SPACE:
Newly renovated area within SPACE
Plenty of room for your child's Bar or Bat Mitzvah ceremony
For more information, visit their extended profile page in our Vendor Directory.
December 14th, 2016
After you receive your child’s Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah date, you are ready to start planning!
One of the first steps is selecting a venue. This is something you’ll want to do well in advance — venues do get booked, especially during popular months.
Consider the type of celebration that is appropriate for your family: Do you prefer afternoon or evening? A sit-down dinner or buffet style service? Will it be a kids-only party? Would you prefer a traditional setting or an alternative space such as a chic nightclub, sports venue or how about a beach location?
When visiting venues, it is important to ask questions! We’ve gathered a list of key questions from some our of venue vendors that they suggest you ask before, during or after you visit each venue.
HERE ARE THE TOP QUESTIONS TO ASK A VENUE
ABOUT THE FACILITY:
How many guests can the venue accommodate?
May we have the venue exclusively for our event?
Is there a separate area for adults and kids or are they together in one room?
How many events occur at one time?
Do you have different packages for daytime and evening events?
Can you accommodate a ceremony?
Is alcohol service available?
May we bring in outside vendors, caterer?
Do we need to rent lounge furniture? Do you have hi-top tables and other accent pieces?
Do we need to hire an outside event designer? A florist?
If our Bar or Bat Mitzvah falls during the Christmas season, why type of seasonal decorations will there be in your facility?
Check out these venues below:
BUDGET/PRICING/PACKAGES:
Does your venue work with any budget?
What does your pricing include?
Do you offer an all-inclusive package with vendors (DJ, catering, decor), included?
What do you require for a deposit to hold our date?
Are all your costs included in the contract? Are there any additional fees?
Check out these venues below:
ENTERTAINMENT
What do you offer to entertain both kids and adults at your facility?
What do you offer that is kid-friendly and can make my event unique and different from something typical?
Do we need to hire an entertainment company?
Can we bring in our own entertainment?
Check out these venues below:
DETAILS
Is there an on-site coordinator available to make sure everything is running smoothly, so that I can enjoy the party?
Can your facility monitor the kids to ensure that they are fully engaged in the party? Do I need to hire security?
Can you create a menu that appeals to adults and kids?
Do you cater to people with allergies?
How much time is allowed for event planners for set-up and break-down?
Do you have any restrictions on decorating?
What is your snow/inclement weather policy? When can we postpone, due to weather, without being penalized?
What will the venue do if the event can not happen due to weather or otherwise?
Regarding cancellation policies, what is refundable and what is not?
Check out these venues below:
Read Top 15 Questions To Ask Your Bar Bat Mitzvah DJ
Read Top 15 Questions To Ask A Photographer
Read: Top Questions To Ask Your Bar or Bat Mitzvah Caterer
Looking for a venue:
Bar Mitzvah & Bat Mitzvah Venues On Long Island
Bar Mitzvah & Bat Mitzvah Venues: New York City, Brooklyn & Queens
Bar Mitzvah & Bat Mitzvah Venues Near Northern, Central New Jersey
Bar Mitzvah & Bat Mitzvah Venues Near Westchester, Rockland and Fairfield, Connecticut
December 14th, 2016
At Sweet Dreams Studio, they provide award-winning Bar & Bat Mitzvah Photography, Video and super fun Photo Booth entertainment.
If you browse their work and read their happy customer testimonials, you can see that everything they do is top of the line. This is because they are driven by sincere desire to capture your best memories and get amazing pictures and video for you. They have a unique and creative eye, talent and custom high-end camera and video equipment to get shots that you will love looking at years from now.
Sweet Dreams Studios offers one of the best photo booths with social media options. They’ve provided their photo booth at more than 200 parties entertaining thousands of people.
Here are seven tips for having fun with their photo booth at your child’s Bar Bat Mitzvah celebration:
1. The Social Media Station from Sweet Dreams Studio lets guests at your child’s Bar Bat Mitzvah party instantly Email or share their photos to Facebook and Twitter. Your guests will love the idea of instantly sharing their fabulous photo booth pictures with their friends and family on social media!
2. Prop! Props! and More Props! They will bring plenty of fun props, but tell their clients that it’s ok to bring your own sentimental personal props from home that match your party theme. Some examples include: personal hobbies or favorite sports like golf or baseball, movies, achievements, and school activities.
3. Have your DJ make an announcement that your photo booth is open. Also, have your DJ announce the last call for your photo booth 15 minutes before you are ready to close it down, so people know to get in for last minute pictures.
4. Locate a photo booth area that is visible and easily accessible to everyone. For example, the corner of ballroom. Half of the fun is seeing other people being photographed and having fun.
5. Strike a pose. Be creative with poses instead of standing straight up. Be expressive, goofy and use body language to exaggerate the pose.
6. Encourage and invite everyone to jump in photo booth. Goof around with friends and family, these are some of the most fun and best pictures of family and friends at your celebration. Make memories, like Grandparents looking goofy dressed up in wigs and hat props!
7. Make sure to get a sign-in guestbook. This album makes an awesome souvenir of everyone’s pictures to take home and remember the fun party.
To learn more about Sweet Dreams Studio visit their extended profile page in our Vendor Directory.
December 14th, 2016
Steve Seifer has been entertaining at parties with his unique wire sculptures for over 20 years.
At events, guests can select any sport, musical instrument or hobby. All sculptures are created at the event and personalized. Wire Sculptures are also available as place settings. Just match your guests’ favorite sport or hobby and the favors are delivered to you prior to the event. Steve’s Wire Sculptures are a party favor that will be kept and treasured.
You can even customize any sculpture! The Website only holds a small portion of the thousands of handcrafted, wire sculptures Steve has created over the years. While most of the images on the site show some of the most popular styles, Steve can create just about anything you can imagine!
Steve at work at a Bar Mitzvah celebration
Fashion themed sculpture
Football themed sculpture
Ballerina themed sculpture
Weight lifter themed sculpture
To learn more, visit Steve Seifer’s profile page in the Vendor Directory of MitzvahMarket.com.
December 11th, 2016
Events are going to get a lot greener in 2017 as forecasters from the Pantone Color Institute have declared “Greenery” the 2017 Color of the Year.
Pantone is specific about what counts as “Greenery.” The global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries describes it as, “a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of spring when nature’s greens revive, restore and renew.”
The shade will be reflected in fashion, home and event decor.
So, for all you Spring and early Summer Mitzvah Moms, use these “official” color palettes as an inspiration.
Get ready to see this color palette at future Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations like this beautiful forrest look we found on the
Indulgy.com Pinterest board
The additional top colors that will be:
Are you planning to use these new Pantone colors at your child’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah? Let us know at info@mitzvahmarket.com.
December 11th, 2016
The Flaum family of Livingston, New Jersey, celebrated daughter Bella’s Bat Mitzvah on October 7, 2016, with a beautiful outdoor Havdalah service and a party in her honor at Cedar Hill Golf and Country Club in Livingston, New Jersey.
The family wanted the celebration to be a fun night, something their guests would never forget. The theme was Bella Beach and guests were “transported” from New Jersey to South Beach for the evening!
Pictured L-R: Sister Sophia, Mom Rachel, Bat Mitzvah girl Bella and Dad Seth.
The photographer was Andy Foster Photography and the rest of the vendor information is listed at the end of the Spotlight.
Bat Mitzvah Service and Invitation
The evening started with a beautiful outdoor Havdalah service at sunset overlooking the grounds of Cedar Hill Golf and Country Club
The family worked with Debra Stark on the custom invitation
Mitzvah Style
The Flaum family looked chic and ready to party.
The Bat Mitzvah girl was the "Bella" of the ball in her custom purple gown by Elena DoVale of Designing Dreams
The back of the gown was equally stunning
Bella's blinged out Converse from S.W.A.K. Custom Creations
Mom Rachel wore a Herve Leger gown with Stuart Weitzman shoes. She recommended her shoes to several friends because they were so comfortable - she wore them the entire evening!
Mitzvah Decor and Details
Brian Lynch of Lounge It Up created the South Beach nightclub vibe using purple as the accent color. Bella’s logo, by Lit Logo, was created to mimic the iconic Colony Hotel’s neon sign.
Guests found their table numbers on this elegant framed seating chart as they entered the club
The teen lounge was decked out in white draping, neon cocktail tables, custom pillows and of course, palm trees
Bella's beautiful logo projected on the dance floor
Beautiful orchid centerpieces graced the adult tables
The table decor was accentuated with purple uplighting throughout the room
During the party, guests were surprised by an amazing Peter Luger inspired menu, including sliced tomato and onions, porterhouse steaks and a variety of sides served family style
Mitzvah Moments on the Dance Floor
Bella and Dad Seth did a 2-minute dance remix that Bella created which started and ended with "Somewhere Over The Rainbow"
In between, they had many trending dance songs such as "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" by Silento and "Hit the Quan" by iLoveMemphis
Sisters on the dance floor
A family moment picture perfect
Music Music
Guests danced the night away thanks to MC Kevin from Untouchable Events featuring David Sharky. The electric violinist Gigi who the family had perform at daughter Sophia’s Bat Mitzvah a few years ago, also played throughout the evening.
Bella made a grand entrance
She was carried in with sparklers to Icona Pop's song "All Night" which got the crowd dancing
The Untouchable Events dancers dressed in white custom Bella Beach t-shirts
Up in the chair, it's Horah time
The electric violinist Gigi played along with the music from the dj and wowed everyone
Everyone loved the confetti dropped onto the dance floor!
Mitzvah Montage
The beginning of the montage with the theme written in sand
Bella did a fashion photo shoot in NYC which was used in her entrance video
Bella front and center watched her montage surrounded by her friends
Mitzvah Candle Lighting and Cake
Bella and her sister Sophia lit the candle together
The delicious cake from Palermo’s Custom Cakes and Bakery
Mitzvah Exit Treat
Following the party guests were treated to a custom lighted logo candy bar and then beach themed foods such as hot pretzels and hot dogs served from a hot dog cart.
They capped off the evening with an elaborate dessert display; a custom light-up candy bar
Favors and Giveaways
Chelsey Blake by Holly Green created all the amazing favors.
Here are the custom favors and giveaways including hats, t-shirts, sunglasses, sweatshirts and drawstring bags
Guests loved wearing the white t-shirt giveaways and sunglasses on the dance floor
Custom hand-ripped sweatshirts for the girls
The boys received hooded dark grey sweatshirts with Bella's logo in white
Mitzvah Camp Sleep-Over
Tyler Hill camp friends slept over with Bella at the Westminister Hotel and got to enjoy brunch the next morning.
Ready to leave the party in style
Here are the girls heading off to brunch dressed in their cozy, hand-ripped sweatshirts and personalized purple/white plaid pj bottoms
From the back
Mom-to-Mom Advice from Mom Rachel
“Wear comfortable shoes! It is very important to hire the right people so on the day of the event you can actually enjoy your party. Never feel like you have to do everything or that you need to do more than anyone else. Decide what is most important to you and start there. Also, not everything always goes exactly as planned so be prepared to go with the flow – its OK! Oh, and don’t forget to breathe.”
Vendor Directory
The following vendors helped to make Bella’s Bat Mitzvah special. If you give any of them a call, let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.
Venue: Cedar Hill Golf and Country Club, 973-992-4700
Hotel for Out of Town Guests/Sunday Brunch: Westminster Hotel, 973-548-0047
Party Planner: Mom Rachel Flaum
Music Entertainment/Violinist/Photobooth: David Sharky, MC Kevin, Untouchable Events, 212-924-6299
Photographer/Videographer: Andy Foster Photography, 973-632-8000
Party/Invitation logo: Lit Logo, 917-232-8837
Favor logos: Holly Green, 516-477-8188
Favor person: Chelsey Blake By Holly Green, 516-477-8188
Invitation: Custom designed by Debra Stark, 917-685-3668
Cake: Palermo’s Custom Cakes and Bakery, 201-641-1654
Décor/florist: Brian Lynch, Lounge it Up, 973-616-7818
Live Event Painter: Katherine Gressel, 917-684-2109
Mom Rachel’s gown: Herve Leger gown, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sister Sophia, Saks Fifth Avenue
Bat Mitzvah Girl Bella: Service and Cocktail Dresses, All Dressed Up, 914-690-1593
Bella’s Custom Gown: Elena Dovale at Designing Dreams, 516-248-1988
Tailoring and Custom Wraps: Lyn Kohls Ltd, 973-467-7800
Suits for Dad: Canali Suit
Hair: Midtown Salon 973-994-1800
Make-Up Artist: Ekaterina Kardonova, 908-347-5829
Bella’s Blinged Up Sneakers: Swak, Stephanie Wolff-Kaplan, 973-207-2401
Transportation for Long Island Camp friends to NJ: DeCamp Bus Line, 973-783-7500
Transportation for camp friends to Westminister Hotel: Limo by Jim Driver, 201-522-0866
