Archive for December, 2018
December 17th, 2018
By Brynne Magaziner
When it comes to Bar and Bat Mitzvah trends, it’s all about custom, custom, custom. There are so many ways to show off your child’s personality and ensure that your guests are well taken care of. Adding some of the latest trends are sure to have your guests raving about your party for months to come. Here are some special touches that are HOT!
Custom Gaming
Rather than just having a random game or two, customize the games to fit with the overall event look. Customized gaming allows you to brand the entertainment with your child’s colors or logo. “One of our favorite games to brand is our Urban Hoops because you have options for branding ball return and signs as well as the digital scoreboard,” says Gregg Dukofsky of Interactive Entertainment Group. “We can display the names of the participants while they are playing and display a leader board throughout the night.” Guests love to see their names, so check with your game provider to see if that is a possibility.
Unique Montages
Montages have become standard at Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, so find a different way to keep them fresh and exciting. Shari Sollender of Images4ever reports that she is seeing more clients including video clips within their montages. “Kids love to see themselves in action when they were younger,” she says. “And guests love how it adds another dimension to the montage.” Who knew all those videos you shot of your kids growing up would come in so handy? Another way to incorporate video is with a personal message at the end of the montage from parents, the guest of honor or even a celebrity or two. Surprise video clips from celebrities will give your guest of honor a real thrill — whether it’s their favorite sports star, a niche YouTube vlogger, a reality TV host or someone even more famous. Try reaching out to one of your child’s heroes to see if they would send a 5-second video clip wishing them a Mazel Tov on their Bar or Bat Mitzvah and see what happens.
Glam Bar
Having mostly female guests? Try a glam bar and pamper your guests during the party. “A glam bar gives guests of all ages a chance to sparkle with glitter lips, crystals and fun hair products,” says Courtney Gotz of Glam on the Go. If you’re looking for something more unique, try false eyelashes, colorful hair extensions, feathers or flowers in hair, a hair braiding station or mini makeovers. As a plus, your event photos will turn out even better because of how beautiful and unique your guests will look. Having mostly male guests? Try Eye Black face stickers for a sporty look. These stickers are not only worn by the pros on the fi eld to reduce the glare of the sun, but they are also fun party favors that can be completely customized. They’re also a unique dance fl oor giveaway. “If you can dream it, we can do it,” says Peter Beveridge of EyeBlack.com. “Event logos, colors, words, sports team logos, even glitter face stickers. They are safe and peel on and off for easy repositioning.”
Dance Floor Footwear
Supply fun socks or slippers so your guests can kick off their shoes and dance the night away, too. “Personalized socks are great to give out during the party as they have grips on the bottom for dancing or can be used for party favor giveaways,” says Stephanie Feldman of Cutie Patootie Creations. “It’s an item that is practical as they can be used for kids or adults. Ever since guests at the royal wedding reportedly swapped their heels for slippers, we’re hearing more and more clients exploring this fun option.”
Edible Escort Cards
The sweetest way for your guests to find their tables is with personalized escort or place cards that are edible. It’s the perfect way to seat your guests AND have a snack at the same time. “We’ve done soccer ball chocolate lollipops, chocolate bar football game ‘tickets’, Rice Krispie treats with coordinating sprinkles, dipped Oreos that match the client’s invitations and more,” says Alison Weinstock, owner of Sweet Ali Confections.” By tying in your logo or color scheme we can make branded place cards in a variety of treats that are 100% edible, unique and nut free.”
Custom Kicks
To ensure your family stays on the dance floor all night long, wear comfortable shoes. But take it one step further by making your child’s feet stand out with one-of-a-kind art on his or her footwear. “Sneaker art is highly customizable, because we can paint and style anything our clients are looking for,” say Hilary Berger and Debby Rifkin, co-owners and the creative team at Re bootz. “Logo inspired sneaks and bold typography are huge right now. Crystal bling is classic yet we make it fashion forward by incorporating it into the design work.”
Branded Dance Floor Giveaways
In addition to the typical items that the DJ hands out, the hottest trend to make your party unique is to add a variety of branded items with your child’s logo or tagline. “I’ve definitely seen a rise in the importance of branded dance floor giveaways,” says Melisa Imberman of The Event Of A Lifetime. “These items seem to motivate the kids to be on the dance floor and demonstrate their best moves in hopes of being given one of the coveted items. We typically do just 2-4 dozen of each, so there is
a demand to have a ‘rare’ item.” The basic t-shirt and baseball cap have become staples, so why not try higher quality tees, tank tops, PJ pants, sweat pants, bucket hats, hoodies, beanies or socks? If you’re looking for non-apparel items, consider customizing Swell or Gatorade-style bottles, personal message fans, blankets, gift cards, headbands and bracelets. Any cell phone accessories are off the charts popular. Kids love earbuds, carry pouches, stickers, PopSockets and selfie sticks.
Exit Treats
After a long night of dancing and partying, end your night with a little treat as a takeaway item for guests. “I advise my clients to color coordinate their exit treats to their theme/color story,” says Amy Rubel, owner of Rubel Event Management. “This can be done easily whether you are doing a candy bar, logo cookies or the always popular water bottles. Over the past year or so, we have been doing a lot of popcorn, which is a great value item and super delicious. This has been a big hit especially with sports-themed events and it’s nut free, so super safe for all guests to enjoy.” So, think outside the box and try some of these latest custom trends to make your party the one that’s talked about.
Venue Bathroom Decor
Add your event signage anywhere and everywhere! Amy Wohl from FabuDesigns.com tells us that families are asking for oversized logos and decals to decorate the bathroom mirrors at their venues; the one space where you don’t want your party guests to spend too much time. “Why not surprise your guests and have ladies enter the bathrooms with a smile,” she says.
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December 10th, 2018
By Madeleine Deliee
When the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) came to Freehold, New Jersey, on February 10th, 2018, the crowd went wild. Matt Schwartz’s high-energy and high-impact Bar Mitzvah celebration took place at iPlay America’s event center, with creative touches from a “wrestling ring” VIP section for the kids, to a stadium-inspired menu served from a built-to-scale concession stand. Talk about some serious WOW!
MattMania was the brainchild of Jessica Schwartz, Matt’s mom and VP of Sales and Marketing for iPlay America. She took her cues from the technological flair of the real WWE and pulled out all the stops when designing a custom-themed stage and backdrop as the focal point of the celebration.
Drawing on the talents of the experienced AV and production staff at iPlay America, Xplosive Entertainment added the WOW factor and brought in a two-tiered 24-foot long LED illuminated stage and set up a 16-foot long rear projection screen flanked on both sides with twin 10-foot LED video walls. Emphasizing the industrial feel of a wrestling event, Xplosive built a 12-foot tall metal goal post to surround the video screen and mount an array of moving head light fixtures, which resembled the famous WWE Titantron.
With the mood set, Debbie’s Designs built the concession-styled food stand and kids’ VIP ring to continue the WWE motif. Her team also provided centerpiece décor and affixed printed vinyl decals to bars and other acrylic accents throughout the room. The on-site fixtures, which include lounge-style furniture, concert-grade lighting, light-up bars and large LED screens, made the atmosphere a true main event.
The kids also enjoyed the theme park at iPlay America during cocktail hour, playing games like Hot Shot basketball and lining up for carnival rides. Meanwhile, the adults enjoyed sushi, pasta and passed hors d’oeuvres. Dinner kept to the WWE theme, with sausage and peppers, a wing stand and a hotdog stand, all serving “concession style.” Sweet treats including fried Oreos, churros and ice cream sandwiches made a tasty transition to the Bar Mitzvah cake, which promised something for everyone with red velvet, dark chocolate and vanilla.
The Schwartz family truly went to the mat to provide a no-holds-barred good time for their guests. A personalized “merch station” offered guests hats decorated with the MattMania logo. Dana Kaufman from by dana created eye-catching, witty touches to accent the event, from amazing invitations, sweatshirts and photo booth props. Mom Jessica added a special touch with delicious “come celebrate s’more” parting gifts of packaged campfire treats after the service and custom popcorn containers to take home after the evening party.
Jessica was thrilled with the way it all came together, but she admits it was a lot of work—even for someone who regularly supervises such big events. She says to “plan, plan, plan.” She suggests locking in vendors, themes, logos, etc. as early as possible. “Anything you can do ahead of time, do it.” Jessica started working on Matt’s celebration as soon as they set the date. “About 18 months prior, we settled on the theme,” she recalls. “By about 15 months out, I secured the venue, DJ, party décor person, photographer and videographer. They were all locked in and it was one less thing to worry about.” She used a checklist to maintain organization and provided each vendor with a binder containing reference pictures of likes and dislikes. “Communicating through pictures is a great way to avoid confusion,” she says.
Even though she had lots of her own ideas, Jessica acknowledges the importance of listening to your vendors because they have done many similar events many times. “Their advice is priceless,” she says, “even if it contradicts some of your plans. You will, inevitably, find that you must let some ideas go.” Plus, she says, “Don’t get too caught up in the little details. Something will happen that you didn’t expect—just go with it.” After all, the day is really about family and celebrating the joyous occasion together. Although it may be easy to lose focus, what’s truly important is the day. “Everyone is there to celebrate your child, and these are all of your friends and family,” Jessica points out. “No matter what you do, in the end it WILL be a success; enjoy the moment.”
Vendor Directory
Venue: iPlay America, iplayamerica.com, 732-577-8200
Music: Xplosive Entertainment; Jordan Marshall & Mike Langsner, 732-866-1620
Photographer/Videogrpher: Matt Kirchhof Photography, 732-966-4340
Favors/Invitations: by dana, Dana Kaufman, 732-625-1471
Décor: Debbie’s Designs, debbies-designs.com, 973-696-7930
Cake: Cakes by Libby, cakesbylibby.com, 848-233-9709
Sign-In Board: Custom Shoe Box, boxurkicks.com
Special Touches: Entrance video Dan, Yellow Five Studios, 908-783-7941
Dresses: Lola’s, 732-972-5222
Suits: Nita Fashions, 852-2721-9990
Hair/Makeup: Andrea Angelotti (makeup); Lisa from Act III Hair in Freehold Mall 732-303-9696
Logo: Rocket9 Creative Marketing Group, rocket-9.com
December 9th, 2018
SPACE Events, in Englewood, New Jersey is a favorite of Bar and Bat Mitzvah families in the NYC/NJ area looking for an all inclusive celebration. With a 26,000 square foot entertainment “SPACE,” they offer a unique one stop shopping approach to Bar and Bat Mitzvah planning with everything from catering, logo design and decor to a video arcade and glow in the dark mini bowling on site.
Founder and Creative Director Elvira Grau tells Mitzvah Market that after hosting 3-4 events a weekend for years in Englewood, she realized there was an opportunity to bring the SPACE experience to more families. “SPACE Events Off Premise allows us to bring everything SPACE is known for — our decor, branding, event planning, DJ, furniture, LED lights, video games, even the dance floor! — to you. At your location.” Since launching Off Premise, the team has produced events at various locations in NYC including Marquee NY, The St. Regis, and the NBPA (National Basketball Players Association). “We can turn any venue into the Bar/Bat Mitzvah location of your dreams.”
See below for photos, by Lucie Belle Photography, of the recent Greenberg Bar Mitzvah, held at the NBPA and produced by SPACE Events Off Premise.
The NBPA event room was transformed into the basketball Bar Mitzvah of Justin Greenberg's dreams by SPACE Events Off Premise
SPACE owns its own decor and furniture, allowing them to bring this amazing table set up to the family's chosen venue in NYC
LED centerpieces by SPACE Events Off Premise
LED tables and custom florals were all handled by the SPACE Events Off Premise team
SPACE's talented entertainment team turned up the party
Justin and his parents with custom pillows by SPACE
The Greenberg Family celebrated son Justin's Bar Mitzvah with everything SPACE has to offer at their location of choice in NYC
For more information about SPACE and SPACE Events Off Premise, visit their extended profile page.
December 3rd, 2018
By Madeleine Deliee
Eliza Garmise had a couple of aces up her sleeve when she was planning her Bat Mitzvah: experience.
Her older sister, Hannah, was Bat Mitzvahed three years before, and her mother is an event-planning whiz. (Mom, Jessica Garmise, is the owner of Out of the Box Creations, a Long Island-based event décor company that specializes in unique and creative events). This made planning her big day as simple as, well, black and white.
The striking color theme evolved when mom and daughter fell in love with a black and white invitation. Older sister Hannah summed up the overall mood with the line “Celebrate the Night in Black and White.” Once that was set, the Garmise family knew they had a winning concept and ran with it. Eliza’s invitation featured a silver glitter heart and guests were instructed to dress in black and white. To stand out, Eliza chose a beautiful silver sequined ballgown.
“We were looking to have an elegant, modern and (most important) FUN celebration that aroused the senses at every turn,” Jessica says. The bar was high, given her professional background, and she wanted to create an extra-special experience for her daughter’s big day. “My guests would be looking for something new and innovative, so my team spent a lot of time brainstorming ideas and coming up with all of the creative touches, big and small.”
Jessica carried the black and white motif throughout, nailing the impact of the highly graphic visual. The contrasting colors dominated the setting, from the ombre balloon wall that greeted guests when they entered the synagogue, to the big punch of the black and white dance floor; the graffiti wall for the photo booth and the three tiered cake marking the occasion.
Black and white echoed through the smaller elements as well, in the patterned lampshades, floral arrangements and the black and white candy in apothecary jars. There were also many striking pops of vibrant pattern—zig-zag, polka-dots and hearts on everything from the cake to the pillar candles and floral patterned baubles in the table centerpieces.
“We had a lot of fun designing the logos for the favors and swag to really personalize the event for Eliza,” Jessica says. One unique touch was creating a spin on the Gossip Girl TV show logo. “We changed it to ‘Garmise Girl,’” Jessica explains, acknowledging that it was a “cute take” to identify everything as uniquely Eliza’s.
Her first name prompted a party choice as well. “Many people call Eliza by her nickname “EJ,” so we had shirts made that say ‘Yo EJ Pump this Party,’ ” she says, pointing out the kind of detail present everywhere.
The Garmises also focused on their guests’ knowledge of Eliza to distinguish many of the elements that went into creating her special day. “Eliza is a very petite girl with a HUGE personality,” her mother says. “So, on each adult plate we left a little box of black and white candy that said, ‘Good Things Come in Small Packages.’ ”
The hosts made sure that the party-goers were taken care of from start to finish, sending them off with black and white branded water bottles and a food truck in the parking lot with some final goodies for their departure.
Ultimately, Jessica handled the experience with the confidence of a veteran, having planned dozens of parties for others, as well as her older daughter’s event. “Since this was my second Bat Mitzvah, I definitely approached it with a more relaxed attitude and tried to enjoy the process,” she says. “I knew little things would go wrong (because they always do) but I knew if my daughter had an amazing night none of that would matter.” While she admits that it’s sometimes easier said than done to remain cool and organized, she believes strongly that perspective is what matters most. “I always tell my clients that the BEST part of the entire day or weekend by far is going to be sitting there and watching your child up there on the bimah and the immense feeling of love and pride that follows. There really is nothing better than that moment — at least there wasn’t for me. This helps put all the party planning and details in perspective and focus on what really matters.”
Vendor Directory
The following vendors helped to make Eliza’s celebration special. If you contact them please tell them you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com:
Venue: Temple Sinai of Roslyn
Entertainment: EJ The DJ, 800-358-4335
Photography/Videography: Stephen Andrews Photography, 516-780-9100
Party Planner, Décor, Sign-in Board, Special Touches: Jessica Garmise, Out of the Box Creations, 917-518-9389
Invitations: Jodi’s Gifts and Events, Jodi Okun, 516-662-2137
Eliza’s dress: Designing Dreams, 516-248-1988
