May 20th, 2010
Our Mitzvah Moms who have already been thru planning a child’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah have the greatest ideas!
This one comes from Mitzvah Mom Bethany who realized she wasn’t prepared at Mitzvah #1 when guests began handing over their gift envelopes to her and her husband.
For the second child’s Mitzvah she realized what she needed to do and always makes this suggestion to friends. Bring a fold-up tote bag!
These bags are from Reusablebags.com
This way, you have a place to put the envelopes. Thanks Bethany! Great idea that I bet we don’t think of as we are walking out the door for our child’s Mitzvah celebration.
If you have a great Mom-to-Mom tip for our readers, please let us know at Sheri@MitzvahMarket.com.
May 17th, 2010
Spot On Pictures is a full service video production company ready to help you create a high impact entrance video or innovative multimedia montage that will be the highlight of your celebration. We have been in the video business for over 20 years and have been developing creative and entertaining montages for well over 10 years. Our head of production, Gemma Tummolo used to cut movie trailers, network commercials and PBS Documentaries – so your montage will be produced and edited by one of the very best in the business.
We got the chance to speak with Wanda Weber, President, Sales & Marketing to learn more about the creative work at Spot On Pictures:
MM: Please describe your business.
WW: Spot On Pictures has an excellent reputation in the industry for creating custom HD entrance videos and custom HD multimedia montages that will be the absolute hit of your party. Whether you want a sentimental documentary style montage that reflects the warmth of your family or a humorous montage with TV or movie clips, we’re the experts!
Click here to see our most popular multimedia montage…
MM: How is your business unique?
WW: Nobody produces montages with the high quality production value like we do. It’s so obvious; you just have to look at our work. Anyone can instantly see that we don’t produce the cookie cutter, run of the mill montages that you see at most parties. We take it to a whole new level because we apply TV broadcast standards to your productions. We make sure your entrance video sets the tone for the celebration and then the montage takes the party up a few notches. We get overwhelming feedback from our clients who tell us their montage was the hit of the evening.
Click here to watch our FANTASTIC Bnai Mitzvah Multimedia Montage…
MM: What can people expect when they hire you for their Mitzvah?
WW: You can expect a superior broadcast quality montage produced by real professionals who will handle your montage from beginning to end. You can expect meticulous research and attention to detail. We’re extremely organized and will help YOU organize with our custom prep kit. We’ll work with you to find out your son or daughter’s favorite TV shows, movies and music so that we can incorporate as much as of your family’s personalities into your custom montage as possible. We pride ourselves with being on time and on budget – EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS and STRESS FREE!
Click here to watch our recent B’nai Mitzvah Entrance Video…
Receive $350 off your entrance video and montage package when you mention Mitzvah Market.
Click here to see a great example of a warm and touching family documentary style Bar Mitzvah montage.
May 12th, 2010
By Leslie Adler, www.thevuvclub.com
The countdown’s on!
Since January 2010, I’ve been bringing you the ups and down of planning for my daughter’s May Bat Mitzvah!
Well, my princess’ Bat Mitzvah is less than three weeks away and I have one wish at this time: I would like to place my entire family in a protective plastic bubble to ensure that nothing goes wrong between now and May 29th.
I would like to not answer the phone and have the school nurse tell me she thinks my son is experiencing appendicitis and I would like to not answer the phone and have my parents tell me they were in a car accident. I would like to just not answer the phone at all….because the former two things happened.
Max had an emergency appendectomy last week and Marge and Bob were hit by a car that ran a red light, causing the air bag to open and injure Marge’s ear. Now she is experiencing difficulty hearing…..which I suppose has a bright side. Maybe she won’t complain how loud the music is at Sydney’s party!
Thankfully, Max and the parents are now doing fine but the point is: These are trials and tribulations that are not in the “Bat Mitzvah planning manual,” if you know what I mean.
Neither was this one:
Sydney found her Bat Mitzvah shoes and ordered them from Zappos. When we failed to get the delivery in a reasonable time we discovered they were shipped to her sleepaway camp. Yes! Because last summer I sent her a pair of shoes that were sent there and Zappos saves your “ship to” addresses. Just our luck, someone was actually at the camp and signed for them. Though they probably would have looked “interesting” with soffe shorts and a tank this July, UPS and Zappos helped to have them sent to our home and I am happy to report Sydney’s beautiful shoes are well rested and have had a vacation in Wayne County. We are sure they will be ready for dancing on May 29th.
At least we are laughing…….
Laughing and scrambling to work on final details and arrangements so that on “our big day” we can enjoy our special occasion to the fullest extent! I can’t wait!
Read the Adler Bat Mitzvah Family Spotlight story here. Mitzvah Market sends their congratulations to the Adler family!
About Leslie Adler
Leslie Adler is a mother, lawyer and creator of www.thevuvclub.com and shares her witty thoughts on the many roles women play in their everyday lives. Leslie also combines her legal skills and friendship experience as presiding judge of Momlogic’s “The Friendship Court.”
We hope you will follow along as this Mitzvah Mom updates us on all the highs and lows leading up to her daughter’s May 2010 Bat Mitzvah. Everything from conflicts with other children’s dates to the dress, catering and other Vendor drama. Leslie will bring humor to this exciting yet stressful time for many families.
Read Part 1 here.
Read Part 2 here.
Read Part 3 here.
Read Part 4 here.
Read Part 5 here.
Read Part 6 here.
Read Part 7 here.
Read Part 8 here.
Read Part 9 here.
May 12th, 2010
Invitations4Less.com is telling Mitzvah Market that Turquoise has been unveiled as color of the year!
According to Pantone LLC, the world-wide authority of color and provider of professional color standards for the design industry, Turquoise is the color of the year for 2010. The calming and tranquil qualities of blue combined with stimulating and fresh characteristics of green produce a color that leaves us with a sense of well-being in these uncertain times.
Invitations4Less.com is seeing a lot of interest in Mitzvah invitations with touches of turquoise this year and manufacturers are doing their best to keep up with demand for invitations with this very “now” color.
May 8th, 2010
This Mitzvah Inspire is courtesy of Party411.com.
Party411.com is both a full service event company and an online party and event planning Website. They offer free party plans, advice, party decorations as well as a great variety of personalized party supplies and favors.
Golf season is here and we thought it would be nice to tee off with this great golf “themed” Bar Mitzvah celebration that Party 411 helped design. They filled the lobby with golf balloons, custom golf tee signs and a lifesize cutout of the Bar Mitzvah boy, which also served as a sign in board. Check out these photos below!
A personalized caricature of the Bar Mitzvah boy serves as the sign-in board
They used this signage over the DJ area
Large Josh golf signs were used in the cocktail area
A custom made golf hole was used on the place card table
How clever! Personalized golf squeeze toys are attached to each place card!
Golf ball banks with balloons attached to the top sat on astroturf and served as centerpieces. Money collected can be donated!
Guests received personalized golf water bottles
For more ideas from Party411.com, visit their extended profile page in our Vendor Directory.
May 5th, 2010
This Mitzvah Inspire is courtesy of Evantine Design based in Philadelphia. They are an event production company that provides full-scale professional event planning and design services for any size celebration including wedding, anniversary, birthday, corporate, non-profit, Bar or Bat Mitzvahs and Sweet 16s.
With summer right around the corner, we loved this Summer Camp themed “kids party” Bat Mitzvah. Although this party took place on a chilly November day, they provided plenty of lighting to warm things up! Take a peek:
The entrance to “Rachel’s Camp” was lined with Birch and Pine trees, rocks, logs, stumps, wild flowers and lanterns
Although it looks like this party took place outside, this is a country club ballroom that is draped in fiber optic curtains to create a magical, star-filled night. The kids were seated at wooden picnic tables, filled with pine trees, lanterns and summer flowers
This was a kids party, but the attending adults were seated at one long wooden table with ladder back chairs. The place settings included twig flatware, mason jars, tin plates, twig-wrapped napkins and grapevine candy baskets
How cool are these real roasted marshmellow placecards!
How creative is this company? Canoes were filled with soda, the Camp Canteen served burgers-n-fries and waiters served fresh veggies
Even the sign-in book had a “campy” feel. It was designed with illustrations, photos and birch paper. A moss-covered box held feather-tipped wooden pencils
This creative cake conveyed the Bat Mitzvah girl’s love of summer camp!
They even had a Hoola Hoop performer who dazzled the guests with an amazing show
Their were loads of activities for the kids including virtual reality rollercoasters, waterskiing and tennis, airbrush and tattoo artists, photo booths and digital photo screens, vintage t-shirt pillows and a wall of arcade games. As if that wasn’t enough, one of the most popular activities was the Etch-a-Sketch artist who created on-the-fly caricatures of the kids on mini take home etch-a-sketch boards
Thank you Evantine Design for an extremely creative Mitzvah Inspire!
May 4th, 2010
Many children are required to do a Mitzvah Project in conjunction with their Bar/Bat Mitzvah, but we are finding that more and more children who do not have this requirement at their Synagogue, are still choosing to create a project.
When we learned about the organization Birthday Wishes, we knew our Mitzvah Market readers would want to know more and that their children might consider this organization for their own Mitzvah Projects.
The mission of Birthday Wishes is simple: To bring birthday parties to homeless children. Birthday Wishes recognizes the importance of a birthday in a child’s life and believes that the gift of a birthday celebration provides normalcy, joy and hope in these children’s otherwise unsettled lives.
There are shelters that benefit from Birthday Wishes all over the country, (see list here) but the Long Island chapter was founded by Jamie Rapfogel and her Mom, Norma Ehrlich about 1 year ago.
Jamie Rapfogel and Norma Ehrlich
“I was looking for something to do with my kids,” Jamie says about her children, Jessica, Nicole and Steven. “They had already started their own organization called, “Let’s Make a Difference,” when they were in Elementary school and were raising money to donate to charities.”
Jamie read about Birthday Wishes, a Massachusetts based non-profit that was founded in 2002 by three mothers who were looking for volunteer work they could do with their children. Jamie felt this was a perfect way to help the community while spending quality time with her kids.
Jamie and her children began bringing birthday parties to a CHI shelter in Hempstead, New York, and because of their success, have added another location in Huntington Station, New York. Twice a month, Jamie and her children deliver presents, balloons, goody bags, themed decorations and a birthday cake.
A Birthday Box contains all of the birthday trimmings and presents ready for the child’s mother or case manager to put on the party
At the Birthday celebrations, they play party games and make crafts giving every child the opportunity to participate. Jamie speaks to the mother or case manager prior to the party about what presents the birthday child wants. “Some of the children have never had a birthday party or celebrated their birthday even once in their lives,” she explains.
A dancing game being played at a birthday party
Jamie said that her own children have developed friendships with some of the children. “The children at the shelter wait by the door for my kids. It changes your vision of homelessness.”
Kid volunteers getting to know the birthday child
Here’s how you can help and incorporate Birthday Wishes into your child’s Mitzvah Project. Visit their Website and click on party schedule and wishlist to see what is needed for a birthday celebration. You can help by volunteering or donating.
Jamie is seeking volunteers and donations to help her continue to expand her reach to more shelters. Right now, she pays for almost everything out of her own pocket, does the shopping and bakes most of the cakes herself.
For more information, visit their Website.
Editor’s Note: Congratulations to Jamie and her family on the B’not Mitzvah of her twin girls this weekend!
May 1st, 2010
Our Mitzvah Inspire features are very popular. Our readers love seeing other families special and unique touches for their families Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations.
This Mitzvah Inspire is courtesy of Tackeff Photography. Their blog featured a Bat Mitzvah at the Rockleigh Country Club, Rockleigh, New Jersey. This one took place in the middle of a winter snow storm.
Their theme was New York City and we loved their special touches. Take a look. Enjoy!
Fun “taxi” placecards to keep with the New York City theme
The Bat Mitzvah girl showing off her New York City party room dressed up in pink!
Personalized bracelets acted as custom napkin rings
Each centerpiece had a different New York City theme – they included fashion, sports, iconic food and important landmarks
Even the chandelier was pink!
Dual white and milk chocolate fountains make for a delicious dessert treat!
We would like to thank Tackeff Photography for sharing these photos with Mitzvah Market. If you have a unique and inspiring theme to share with us, please let us know at info@MitzvahMarket.com.
April 28th, 2010
The Not From a Box invitation design studio is located in St. Petersburg, Florida, but can service clients nationwide. They are an online destination for unique and stylish invitations for all types of occasions.
We were surfing around to bring you more of our “Mitzvah Inspire” stories and found pictures from Zoe’s Bat Mitzvah on the blog of Not From A Box. We are excited to share this MOST creative theme with our readers.
We think you will enjoy whether you are a dog lover or not! All Vendor information is located at the bottom.
Not From A Box created these 6-inch square custom pocket save-the-date announcements that included a magnet, custom logo, and travel information
This colorful invitation was created by Not From A Box and set the stage for her polka-dot theme
A sign saying, “Welcome To Zoe’s Dog Park” hung over the entrance
A large “Sit” sign hangs over the placecard table…too cute!
Adorable dog bone placecards with table numbers on the back
Yummy treats…
“Drop It” for the gift table!
Each table was named after a dog breed and had with a lamp post centerpiece
Round menu cards
You can see the gobo of Zoe’s logo and custom lighting highlighted the colorful room. we loved the polka-dot touches on the chairs!
Here are the vendors who made Zoe’s party possible:
Venue: A La Carte Event Pavilion
Event Planner: Valerie DiVecchio, Events by Divine Creations
Photography: Maddock Photography
Florals and Decor: conceptBAIT
Invitations and Stationery: Not From a Box
Ya gotta forward this to any dog-loving Bar or Bat Mitzvah kid that you know!
April 26th, 2010
By Leslie Adler, www.thevuvclub.com
The Montage…..
What a beautiful word. I believe it’s origin is fwench (that’s not a typo, it’s how us fancy people say “French.”) It is defined as “a single pictorial composition made by juxtaposing or superimposing many pictures or designs.” Sounds lovely doesn’t it?
Not so fast….the pictorial montage, long a staple of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebration, is a HUGE project for many of us. Condensing one’s photographic history, while attempting to honor as many guests as possible by including them in the photos, is a challenging labor of love.
“75 pictures is ALL we have!” exclaims Sydney. “It was enough for your brother,” I reply. Yet, as we get to work, combing through hundreds of photos, it doesn’t seem like 75 is going to cut it. “Maybe we could go to 100 photos,” I mumble to myself as she leaves the room.
I cover the ping pong table downstairs with photos. It looks like a giant game of “concentration.” Remember that game? Where you matched the pairs?
I divide them into categories. I pair them with the “perfect montage songs.” Yes, that is another challenge in itself. I hum as I work.
I walk around the table turning over those photos I think I can eliminate and then I start rattling off questions in my head: Is Grandma A represented enough? Is Uncle B’s photo on the table? Are there more of me and Syd than Eric and Syd? I do this for hours, I have lots of questions.
Then I start agonizing over the people who do mean lots to us but of whom we somehow have no photos. Is there time to take some pictures? Will they understand? Or am I so intent on everything about this party making everyone that attends happy that I am over-thinking things….including the Montage?
I choose to go with that theory.
And just in case I do screw something up, I am comforted in knowing that I have really tried my best to superimpose and juxtapose in a way that best shows the highlights of Sydney’s first 13 years.
Another task to cross off my list! Only 4 weeks to go until the big celebration….will I survive?
About Leslie Adler
Leslie Adler is a mother, lawyer and creator of www.thevuvclub.com and shares her witty thoughts on the many roles women play in their everyday lives. Leslie also combines her legal skills and friendship experience as presiding judge of Momlogic’s “The Friendship Court.”
We hope you will follow along as this Mitzvah Mom updates us on all the highs and lows leading up to her daughter’s May 2010 Bat Mitzvah. Everything from conflicts with other children’s dates to the dress, catering and other Vendor drama. Leslie will bring humor to this exciting yet stressful time for many families.
Read Part 1 here.
Read Part 2 here.
Read Part 3 here.
Read Part 4 here.
Read Part 5 here.
Read Part 6 here.
Read Part 7 here.
Read Part 8 here.
