May 15th, 2013
By Molly Alexander
Hi! My name is Mölly. I’ve recently started going to Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and I’m so excited to start writing about them.
I love attending Bar/Bat Mitzvah parties because I feel like each celebration has a unique touch, and I love finding out what it is!
I’m excited to bring my perspective to MitzvahMarket.com.
On April 20th, I attended Jason’s Bar Mitzvah. I had a lot of fun at his celebration and enjoyed being there. I definitely found something cool and unique at Jason’s party!
Jason’s theme was hockey. He plays hockey, and his logo was just like the New York Rangers logo. I loved his theme because it was interesting and the logo was new and unique.
Jason’s logo
By far the best thing about Jason’s party was the celebrity guest appearance. Carl Hagelin, a player on the New York Rangers came in and surprised everyone – including Jason – at his Bar Mitzvah! Carl also signed hockey pucks and his trading cards. Jason got a picture with Carl and even got the jersey Carl was wearing when he came to the Bar Mitzvah!
Jason with Carl Hagelin of the NY Rangers
I certainly hope Jason had an amazing time, and I’m sure he did! I had a great time and loved his party. The celebrity guest appearance was cool and it was the first time I saw that at any of the Bar & Bat Mitzvahs I’ve attended!
Read Molly’s last post here.
About Molly Alexander
I’m in 7th grade at Seven Bridges Middle School in Chappaqua and I love to write. Every summer since 2010, I’ve been writing a summer column in my local newspaper. I also do Bat/Bar Mitzvah reports on Instagram. Follow me @mitzvahgirl!
I will mostly likely attend 60-80 Bat/Bar Mitzvah celebrations before I finish eighth grade. I am so excited to be writing for Mitzvah Market!
May 8th, 2013
Jaylor Party Favors has over 20 years of experience creating and printing custom theme favors with memories to last a lifetime.
Their specialty items include hooded sweatshirts, zip-up sweatshirts, sweatpants, T-shirts, blankets, mesh jerseys, tank tops, shorts, flannel PJ’s, sport bags and more. They specialize in silk screening and embroidery on brand names such as American Apparel, Gildan, Jersees, Sofees, Bella, Boxercraft, Champion or any other style you select. They can also add bling to your order.
Special Summer Offer: Now thru the end of August: Reversible lacrosse pinnies & basketball jerseys available in micromesh and eyelet mesh – $13.75 each. They have over 500 of the newest and neon colors available. One screen free with order – minimum 50 pieces.
To learn more, visit their extended profile page in our Vendor Directory.
May 7th, 2013
The Levy family from Jericho, New York celebrated their son Jason’s Bar Mitzvah on October 6, 2012 with a service at Temple Or Elohim in Jericho and an evening party at Temple Judea of Manhasset, New York.
Jason’s celebration was held over Columbus Day weekend and his party had an urban feel that combined his love of music with his love for the LA Lakers.
Simon Elliot Events was the photographer and the rest of the vendors are listed at the bottom of this spotlight.
Pictured (L-R): Older Brother Ben, Dad Adam, Bar Mitzvah boy Jason, Mom Caroline, and younger brother Casey.
Susan Lehrhoff for Ethan Niles created Jason’s black and gold invitation.
The invitation was sealed with a matching round sticker
Jason looks handsome in his suit from Nordstrom.
Jason chillin’ pre-party
Simon Elliot Events created a very unique seating card board. It featured a picture of Jason cut into individual squares with the guest’s name and table number on the square.
When each piece was taken by a guest, the same picture of Jason was revealed underneath
Charles from United Floral created a room with an edgy and urban feel, yet still modern and sophisticated in shades of silver and grey.
Grey couches were set up by the dance floor as part of the kids lounge area
The Manzanita branches along with the silver spray cans added to the urban feel
The silver tablecloths shimmered and looked elegant
Cool lamp shade centerpieces were used on some of the tables
These great blow-up shots of Jason were hung from the ceiling and added to the urban, LA Lakers theme
Jason had a unique sign-in board designed just for him by Simon Elliot Events.
In the middle was a digital screen where guests could write him a special message
EJ The DJ Entertainment provided the music entertainment with CL as the MC.
Jason makes his entrance with the EJ The DJ dancers
Jason posing with the EJ The DJ crew
The Levy boys having fun on stage with CL
CL handing out giveaways to the young guests
The girls were doing their thing
There were lots of fun, interactive entertainment from Simon Elliot Events including Mitzvah Madness during the cocktail hour, Stick-A-Pic photo favors and a custom headphone station during the party.
Mitzvah Madness was popular during the cocktail hour
The kids looking for their Stick-A-Pic photo favors
Each young guest designed their headphones and went home with their design in a custom box with Jason’s picture
Jason had a delicious cake baked by Newman and Leventhal Caterers.
Jason starting his candle lighting ceremony
Jason surrounded by his family
Jason’s home friends
Celebrating with his camp friends
And That…Gift Boutique created Jason’s hooded sweatshirt incorporating all of his favorite things.
Jason helped prepare baskets to sit on the Bimah during his service that were donated to the Pediatric Oncology unit at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore where his dad works. The baskets contained art supplies, books, and video games that patients could use to make their stay at the hospital during treatment more fun.
Advice from Mom Caroline:
“This was my second time planning a Bar Mitzvah – and I have one more to go! I tried to listen to what my son wanted – from the invitations to the party favors – so that the party really captured his personality rather than mine. I also thought about the guests, and since the kids are not big dancers, I made sure there were some other options available to keep them entertained.”
The following vendors helped to make Jason’s celebration special. If you give any of them a call, please let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.
Venue: Temple Judea of Manhasset, 516-621-8049
Caterer: Howard Braverman, Newman & Leventhal, 516-621-8049
Décor/florist: Charles, United Floral Events, 516-829-8890
Music Entertainment: MC CL, EJ The DJ, 631-348-7848
Photographer/Videographer: Simon Elliot Events, 516-586-6822
Favors: Jen, And That…Gift Boutique, 516-364-9222
Party entertainment: Simon Elliot Events: Mitzvah Madness, Custom Headphones,
Stick-A-Pic Photo Favors
Invitation: Susan Lehrhoff for Ethan Niles 516-626-3666
Seating Chart/Sign-In board: Simon Elliot Events
Dress for Mom Caroline: Tadashi Shoji
Suits for Men: Nordstrom
Hair/makeup: Amanda Evans, 516-932-8592
May 7th, 2013
We must give credit to Liz and Lex Events for this Mitzvah Find.
They wrote about these personalized “face” stamps from Etsy and we had to learn more!
We contacted the creator Lise Grossmann and found out that in addition to couples, she is also hand carving her stamp with a single face. Imagine all the ways you could use this stamp for your child’s Bar Bat Mitzvah! This personal touch can be used on invitations, envelopes, place cards, favor tags, thank you notes, and much more.
If you would like to stamp your face, just send Lise your picture, she will draw and then carve it. Her stamps are mounted on wood and you can purchase the ink pad for an additional $5.00. The stamp itself is $40.00.
She’s based in Normandy, so you must allow a few weeks.
Learn more here.
May 5th, 2013
Bar Mitzvah Bouncer, Inc. is a full service professional chaperone company specializing in the supervision of children at Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, Sweet 16s, Graduations and Birthday Parties. Parents can relax and enjoy the big day while we supervise the children. Our services include the supervision of the children at the party as well as the Temple services and transportation to and from the party.
Bar Mitzvah Bouncer continues to go above and beyond in service!
In order to keep kids safe and the celebration running smoothly, Bar Mitzvah Bouncer must keep up with the latest trends. When kids “Mosh Pit” or jump in the air and knock chest to chest, our bouncers are right there to engage and divert their energy into something less dangerous.
Last month, Bar Mitzvah Bouncer went beyond the call of duty, truly caring about the safety and welfare of the children. They accompanied a busload of teenagers to the celebration venue, and then later that evening accompanied the kids back to a parking lot for parent pick-up at 12:30am. The parents of two teenage girls were delayed due to a flat tire and were 45 minutes late.
Our bouncers did not hesitate to wait with them until their parents arrived at 2:15 am, keeping the girls safe and their parents worry-free.
BAR MITZVAH BOUNCER WILL ALWAYS GO THE EXTRA MILE AND WILL NOT DISAPPOINT!
To learn more, visit their extended profile page in our Vendor Directory.
May 1st, 2013
By Molly Alexander
Hi! My name is Mölly. I’ve recently started going to Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and I’m so excited to start writing about them.
I love attending Bar/Bat Mitzvah parties because I feel like each celebration has a unique touch, and I love finding out what it is!
I’m excited to bring my perspective to MitzvahMarket.com.
This post is very personal because on Friday, March 15th, I celebrated my own Bat Mitzvah!
It was the most amazing, wonderful experience of my life. I’m sad it’s over but happy that it happened. I had a great service and the best party!
My theme was “Keep Calm and Feel the Beat,” and generally a music theme. I like to play around with a DJ program on my computer as a hobby, and so the whole Beats and music theme made sense. My main colors of the celebration were gray and pink, with some white.
My Logo
My theme
My room was entirely pink. It had fun decorated tables for adults, and white couches, tables and chairs for the kids. I loved the party room, and it was my favorite part of my celebration.
My Party Room
What I loved about my party room was the short but cute photo montage of pictures of me. It included pictures from when I was young up to this year.
A side view of the room
Another favorite thing from my party room was the kids lounge area. I actually didn’t know about all the fun blankets and pillows, and I was surprised by the decorations myself! I think pillows are cute additions to the party’s theme, and just fun décor in general. And in the end, I got to keep all the pillows and blankets and they now sit on my bed as decoration!
The kids’ lounge area
One of the pillows in the kids’ lounge area
This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and I wish I could do it all again! I’m happy I could celebrate with my family and friends and I’m so happy to be a Bat Mitzvah!
Me during the candle lighting ceremony
Look for Molly’s Mitzvah Family Spotlight story coming soon. Mazel Tov to the Alexander family from Mitzvah Market!
Read Molly’s fourth post here.
About Molly Alexander
I’m in 7th grade at Seven Bridges Middle School in Chappaqua and I love to write. Every summer since 2010, I’ve been writing a summer column in my local newspaper. I also do Bat/Bar Mitzvah reports on Instagram. Follow me @mitzvahgirl!
I will mostly likely attend 60-80 Bat/Bar Mitzvah celebrations before I finish eighth grade. I am so excited to be writing for Mitzvah Market!
May 1st, 2013
NY Party Works presents “The Instagram Station,” which brings social media right to your event!
Instagram is the latest craze and many Bar Bat Mitzvah aged kids already have an account. Now these young guests can turn into extra photographers at your child’s Bar Bat Mitzvah celebration.
Here’s how it works:
All guests at your party with existing Instagram accounts can participate using the same hash tag (#) which can be specially created for your party.
Plus, out-of-towners or guests who can’t make it can still participate by viewing photos which will appear in your slideshow, making them feel like they are part of the event.
As each photo is taken, the NY Party Works system searches Instagram for photos matching that hashtag. Instaphoto will print these photos, creating a snapshot with your logo and add them to the slideshow playing at your celebration.
Any inappropriate pictures will be flagged and deleted, so it’s a worry-free album.
For more information, visit NY Party Works extended profile page in our Vendor Directory.
May 1st, 2013
Larissa Dale celebrated her Bat Mitzvah at the South Huntington Jewish Center followed by an extended Kiddush luncheon at The Woodlands at the Greens in Melville, New York.
The following day Larissa’s party was held at The Larkfield Manor in Northport, New York.
The Dales put together two distinct celebrations with some really special touches.
Robert Moss of Michaels Photography and a cousin of the Dale family was the photographer and the rest of the vendors are listed at the bottom of this spotlight.
Pictured L-R: Bat Mitzvah girl Larissa, Dad Jim, Mom Carrie and younger sister Hallie.
Larissa’s Bat Mitzvah was a weekend event. Her service was Shabbat morning at the South Huntington Jewish Center and was followed by an extended Kiddush at The Woodlands at the Greens. For their Kiddush, the Dales kept it as close to shomer Shabbat as possible with the only exception of taking digital pictures.
Larissa proudly holding the torah at her formal photo shoot the week before
The foyer at The Woodlands at the Greens was elegant and welcoming
The room looked great and the venue made sure that Larissa had all her own gluten free food waiting for her at her own table
Award-winning Jewish a capella group Six13 serenaded Larissa and her guests
Magician Wayne entertained the young guests
Bat Mitzvah girl Larissa and her sister Hallie after the service
Mom Carrie does needlepoint and handmade a beautiful Tallit bag for Larissa’s special day.
These Tallit bags will take them into adulthood and Carrie is looking forward to hand making one for her younger daughter Hallie
Because they held two parties, the Dales used two different invitations. The Jewish National Fund (JNF) invitations were used for the Saturday service and Kiddish celebration and Debbie Lee of Invitation House created the Sunday party invitations.
When purchasing invitations from JNF, each invitation explains that a donation was made to expand water resources in Israel. This also served as Larissa’s Mitzvah Project
The hot pink and black zebra invitation set the tone for a fun party to follow
Both venues, The Woodlands at the Greens and The Larkfield Manor put on great celebrations and catered to Larissa’s unique catering needs. Larissa has Celiac disease and both venues made the Dale family feel comfortable and safe and worked hard to ensure Larissa could eat and enjoy her party.
While there was no set theme, there were very unique decor elements. Mitzvah Mom Carrie ordered jewelry holders in a variety of themes, from the Robyn Lynn Collection. Hi-Tech Photography & Party Decor took the individual jewelry holders and turned them into a Larissa themed centerpiece, also creating a base that utilized Larissa’s initials and color scheme.
The place card table had some of the special figurines and Larissa’s sign-in book which was created by Shutterfly.com
Hi-Tech created a base that utilized Larissa’s initials and color scheme to hold up the centerpieces
Each centerpiece was different and unique
Hi-Tech also created the “coming attraction” poster for younger sister Hallie’s upcoming Bat Mitzvah
MC Rich and the Parties Alive Entertainment crew provided non-stop music and dancing. The Dales made it clear that dancing and music is a big part of their lives and he did not disappoint!
Larissa clearly enjoying herself
The kids loved the music and dancers and remained on the dance floor the whole night
Larissa’s special gluten free cake was made by family friend Valerie, whose company is Cakes by Val. Larissa said, “It was the best gluten free cake she has ever had.”
The inspiration for the look of the cake came from a drawing Larissa did. The cake incorporated the logo and writing style that was used on the favors
Mom Carrie and Dad Jim really enjoyed the special dance with their Bat Mitzvah girl Larissa.
Mom Carrie and Larissa
Dad Jim’s turn with his daughter
Hi-Tech Photography & Party Decor created a candle lighting puzzle board. The board started with a baby picture of Larissa and as each person came up to “light” their candle, they placed a piece of a “new” puzzle over the old picture. When the last piece was placed, it was a current picture of Larissa.
When each guest came up to receive a candle, Larissa put the pieces on to make the new picture
Larissa posing in front of her finished puzzle!
Larissa’s sweatpants favors were created by Gotham T-shirt.
All the purple bags, from PaperMart.com, had Larissa’s logo on them
Larissa’s logo featured her initials, LBD, which stood for “Love, Believe, Dream”
Some advice from Mom Carrie:
“Enjoy every minute. Watching my daughter become a Bat Mitzvah is definitely the proudest moment of my life so far. The celebration that followed was just the icing on the cake. Everything will turn out fantastic so just try to relax and enjoy the process. It will be over before you know it!”
The following vendors helped to make Larissa’s celebration special. If you give any of them a call, please let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.
Kiddush Luncheon: The Woodlands at the Greens, 631-271-4929
Kiddush A Capella Group: Mike Boxer, Six13, 845-641-4939
Magician:Magician Wayne for Magic Al, 516-677-0883
Invitation for Service/Kiddush: Jewish National Fund
Invitation for Reception: Debbi Lee, Invitation House LI, 516-681-0664
Reception Venue/Caterer: Mariann, The Larkfield Manor, 631-368-4422
Photographer/Videographer: Robert Moss, Michaels Photography, 631-692-5600
Music Entertainment: MC Rich, Parties Alive Premiere Entertainment, 631-360-8600
Decor: Jenn, Hi Tech Photography & Party Decor, 516-871-0001
Extras: Photo booth, balloons, centerpieces, Coming Attraction Poster, Candle Lighting board: Hi-Tech Photography & Party Decor
Centerpieces: The Robin Lynn Collection
Sign-in Book: Shutterfly.com
Favors: Howie, Gotham T-Shirts, 516-676-0900
Calligraphy: Sheryl, All Type Calligraphy, 516-938-8088
Cake: Cakes by Val,Valerie, 516-509-5785
Favor bags: Paper Mart, 800-745-8800
Yarmulkes: South Huntington Jewish Center Sisterhood Gift Shop
Girls Outfits: 2 Be Seen
Mom Carrie’s dress: Saks Fifth Avenue
April 28th, 2013
The Siegel family from Richboro, Pennsylvania had their daughter Lauren’s Bat Mitzvah on September 29, 2012 at Shir Ami in Bucks County, Pennsylvania followed by an evening reception at the Jericho National Golf Club in New Hope, Pennsylvania.
Lauren has a passion for fashion and the color purple which were incorporated into her celebration.
Photography was by Impressions Photo and Video and the rest of the vendors are listed at the bottom of the spotlight.
Pictured above (L-R): Bat Mitzvah girl Lauren, Mom Dana, Brother Jeremy and Dad Craig
Let’s Design Invitations and Stationery created this silver metallic sparkle invitation with purple script font.
The Siegel family looks great in their service attire. Bat Mitzvah girl Lauren’s dress is from Bala Girls and Mom Dana’s is from Geries Girls.
Everyone in the family wore a touch of purple
Lauren is ready for her party and looked beautiful in her cream colored ball gown which she designed and had made in the Ukraine from VIP Fashion
Natalie Kremsky of Do Me A Favor created the decor incorporating purple and fashion. Bat Mitzvah girl Lauren designed her own place card to look like a credit card.
The purple place cards were displayed on a shimmery silver cloth
The place cards were personalized with each guests’ name and table number
The ballroom of the Jericho National Golf Club looked great with pops of purple
Some of the centerpieces looked like framed mirrors with an “L” for Lauren
Other centerpieces were chiffon purple dresses on wire mannequins
“Mirror Mirror On The Wall”…this was Lauren’s sign-in board created by Do Me A Favor which included a customized logo Lauren designed!
Lauren’s sign-in mirror featuring her beautiful logo is now hanging in her bedroom
Lauren is making her way into the ballroom on the shoulders of two strong Unique Musique dancers.
Ready to party
Unique Musique with MC Johnny provided great fun and dancing all night long.
The Siegel family enjoying a dance together
Lauren having fun with her friends
Lauren’s guests had fun with the confetti cannon during the party.
Festive and fun
The favors from Show Me The Favor and More were grey hooded sweatshirts with Lauren’s logo.
All wrapped up, sealed with a purple ribbon and ready to hand out!
Bat Mitzvah girl Lauren posing with her friends and their new sweatshirts
Lauren sharing the candles with her family during the candle lighting ceremony.
Lauren’s purple cake was from Cramer’s Bakery
Beautiful and delicious
Lauren’s Mitzvah Project was Project Night Night. This organization provides Night Night Packages, free of charge, to homeless children from birth to pre-teen who need essentials to feel secure, cozy, ready to learn, and significant.
Lauren collected new stuffed animals, blankets and gently used and new books to place in bags and distribute to homeless children in a nearby shelter.
Some advice from Mom Dana:
“Don’t stress over anything! I let my daughter help with most of the details of the day since it was “her” special moment…all her dad and I wanted was for her to be happy and by the smile on her face we knew she was. Enjoy the planning, the appointments, and most important watching as your child leads a service as they enter young adulthood. Everything was wonderful and these moments are captured on both video and photographs….both a must have!”
The following vendors helped to make Lauren’s celebration special. If you give any of them a call, please let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.
Venue: Jericho National Golf Club 215-862-8800
Service: Shir ami Synagogue, 215-968-3400
Party Decorator: Natalie Kremsky, Do Me A Favor
Photographer: Impressions Photo and Video, 732-566-0065
Videography: Luria Visuals, 215-934-7247
Music Entertainment: MC Johnny, Unique Musique, 732-431-4082
Favor/Sign-in Mirror: Natalie, Show Me the Favors and More, 856-905-1101
Invitation: Marla, Let’s Design Invitations, 267-303-4569
Cake: Cramer’s Bakery 215-493-2760
Lauren’s Service Dress: Bala Girls, 610-668-1088
Mom’s Service Dress: Geries Girls, 215-938-1473
Mom’s reception dress: Sposabella Bridal, 215-953-5818
Lauren’s reception dress: VIP Fashions, 215-364-0222
Hair/makeup: Fringe Salon, 215-354-4420
April 24th, 2013
Simon Elliot Events is a New York based event production company that specializes in state of the art digital media. They live outside the box and welcome you to explore their constantly evolving services.
They recently moved to their new full-service production studio located at 38 West Mall in Plainview, New York.
Simon Miller is the owner of Simon Elliot Studios and is giving a tour to the Mitzvah Market readers. Enjoy!
Watch the video here
To learn more about Simon Elliot Events, visit their extended profile page in our Vendor Directory.
