All About Cakes, Dessert & Candy – Yum!

Why is it that we all eat so much at Bar Bat Mitzvah celebrations, but always have room for the delicious dessert, candy and cake?

Whether you’re thinking about a single plated dessert for your party or an elaborate sweet table, there are so many choices for you to consider. You can even bring in outside companies who specialize in one or more delectable delights. We’ve gathered some great choices for you to sample. Dig in below!

Enjoy…

Pinkberry
Contact: Giordana Sobel, 646-430-3056, gsobel@4sunkids.com

Let us help you celebrate! Pinkberry now delivers its one of a kind, crave-able treat to any corporate or social occasion, especially for Bar & Bat Mitzvahs! Surprise and delight your guests with the swirly goodness of our full service catering that includes our delicious frozen yogurt, fresh, high quality toppings and outstanding customer service. Each order is fully customizable by choosing from a variety of our refreshing yogurt flavors, toppings and sizes that will make all of your special occasions that much swirlier!  Ask about our Bar/Bat Mitzvah packages and renting one of our machines for that extra special touch. And we are Kosher!

 Our full service catering set-up with optional backdrop

Cake & Co.
Contact: Krystina Gianaris, 201-530-7555, info@cakeandconj.com

Cake & Co. is your destination for show stopping specialty cakes for any occasion. We create the perfect accompaniment to your theme which will surely wow your guests. Cake & Co. is a custom cake boutique, designed especially for the show-stopping cake that is not only unimaginable, but also great-tasting.

We also make sweet accents for your special day like custom cookies, cake pops and cupcakes. The sky’s the limit at Cake & Co.! We are a custom order bakery which means everything is by appointment and requires a minimum two week order time, so be sure to call ahead and reserve your spot today. We are Kosher as well! R.C.B.C.

Pictured left: Yellow and orange fun flower cake
Upper right: Pink bow with cheetah print
Bottom right: Zebra with green orchids and accents

Parker’s Crazy Cookies
Contact: Dave Parker, 510-847-2634, info@parkerscrazycookies.com

We are a San Francisco Bay Area boutique bakery committed to dazzling your guests and making them giggle with delight. Our hand-tailored designs make unforgettable favors, the ultimate personalized gifts, great surprises, and delicious, low-fat desserts. It is no surprise that Parker’s Crazy Cookies has become the leader in unique Bar/Bat Mitzvah edible favors. We ship nationwide.

 Custom edible Bar or Bat Mitzvah favors are an unforgettable way to commemorate your big day

NY Dippin’ Dots
Contact: Brad Maslan, 973-478-3687, dippindots07644@yahoo.com

We generate Smiles With The Coolest Dessert Around! 

Dippin’ Dots is fresh ice cream that has been chilled to -40 degrees to provide a unique taste experience. And, because Dippin’ Dots is not available at traditional retail outlets, offering it will create a great deal of excitement amongst your guests. All flavors are certified Kosher, with select flavors Pareve and Gluten Free. Set up includes a uniformed server, branded Dippin’ Dots freezer, Dippin’ Dots umbrella, Dippin’ Dots cups and spoons and a large choice of favorite flavors to satisfy everyone. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @NYDippinDots.

Dippin’ Dots can be set up as a standalone dessert offering or part of a dessert table

The Ron Bat Mitzvah Family Spotlight

On Saturday, June 2, 2012 the Ron family of Paramus, New Jersey celebrated their daughter Danielle’s Bat Mitzvah at Temple Israel in Ridgewood, New Jersey followed by a festive brunch immediately following the service. On Sunday there was a celebration fit for a fashionista, with family and friends at Seasons of Washington Township, New Jersey.

All party photography was done by Lior Elkayam of Prestige Photography & Video. The rest of the Mitzvah vendor information is listed at the bottom of the spotlight.

Pictured L-R: Dad Dave, Bat Mitzvah girl Danielle, Mom Sigal and Brother Adam.

Danielle did a great job reading her Torah and Parsha portion at temple.

Danielle at the Bimah

Danielle’s invitation was in her theme colors of pale pink, fuchsia black, and lime green with a fuchsia ribbon and a crystal embellishment in the middle created for her by Make an Impression.

The Ron family looked very fashionable for Danielle’s fashion themed Bat Mitzvah. Danielle got her hot pink dress from Party Girl.

 Brother Adam and Dad Dave look great in their suits and matching ties from Macy’s. Mom Sigal wore a chic black dress from David’s Bridal

Camille of Floral Sentiments created great party ambiance with feather centerpieces, colorful balloons and a very chic place card table which set the tone for the party.

Sprinkles of crystals and boas accented the place card table

Trendy pink and black purse place card holders

Lots of shine, sparkle and shimmer on this place card table

A marquee that hung in the ballroom with all of Danielle’s favorite things

 The ballroom was all lit up in pink and green up lighting as guests walked in

These sweeping ostrich feather centerpieces in Danielle’s color palette really make a statement

 The black linens with neon napkins really popped at the kids tables

  Seasons Catering is known for their great cocktail hour. There was plenty of good food.

 Lior of Prestige Photography created a unique sign-in book for Danielle using pictures of her along with her interests.

 MC Gil of Jewish DJ provided the music for this celebration. He kept everyone on the dance floor! 

Time for the horah

Danielle is up in the chair

Bat Mitzvah girl Danielle, Mom Sigal and her Savta (grandmother in Hebrew) all dancing together

Now it’s time for the men

Danielle and her friends sharing the spotlight
 

Danielle and her Dad had their special dance to Marc Anthony’s “My Baby You.”

 Palermo’s Bakery created a glamorous cake to tie in with her theme. It was not only gorgeous to look at but delicious too!

Danielle starts the candle lighting ceremony reading poems that It Could Be Verse helped her write

Danielle and her friends lighting their candle

Prestige Photography had an airbrush station and each of Danielle’s guests received a t-shirt that they customized.

and this was on the back of the t-shirts
 

For her Bat Mitzvah project, Danielle decided to sell books for an organization called, Larger than Life. They are a non-profit organization that strives to help Jewish and Israeli children, who are sick with cancer, cope with their fears, treatment and isolation by providing support and life-saving medications. Each $25.00 donation “buys” a book for a sick child. With the help of family, friends and her Temple community, she was able to raise more than $1400 in donations and provide over 50 sick children with books.

 Danielle was awarded a plaque from Larger Than Life in honor of her Bat Mitzvah project

 
Advice from Mom Sigal:

 Here is a list of the Mitzvah Vendors who helped make Danielle’s Bat Mitzvah special. If you call any of them, please let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.

Venue: Seasons Catering, 201-664-6141
Party Planner: Mom Sigal Ron
Decor/Floral: Camille, Floral Sentiments, 732-851-6687
Music Entertainment: MC, Gil,  JewishDJ/Productions by Gilad, 516-358-0800
Photographer/Videographer: Lior, Prestige Photography & Video, 917-544-4987
Extra Entertainment: Air brushing and photo booth, Prestige Photo & Video, 917-544-4987
Place card holders: Favor Warehouse, 914-514-3244
Invitations: Stacy, Make an Impression, 201-261-2777
Cake: Palermo Bakery, 201-641-1654
Candle Lighting Poem: Claudia or Marcia, It Could Be Verse, 732-679-8093
Bat Mitzvah girl dress: Party Girl, 201-568-8804
Mom’s dress: David’s Bridal, 201-587-9774
Suits for men: Macy’s
Hair/makeup: Tara, 973-934-9617

Mitzvah Inspire: Creative Place Cards

We have found some of the most interesting and fun place card ideas as inspiration. 

There are so many ways to get creative in showing your guests where they are seated.

The place cards to the left are from Event planner Mindy Weiss who incorporated place cards within team sweat bands.

Chanel theme escort card display by Extraordinary Productions

From Balloon Artistry, Pez dispensers were attached to place cards showing guests where they were seated

Creative Events Charlotte incorporated flashlights for a camp theme

Why not take the digital route like they did at this Bar Mitzvah from LuxeFinds that we found on Pinterest.com

 For the Haber Bar Mitzvah, party planner Dayna Platnick hand painted each silk leaf and attached them to the trees

From Simon Elliot Events, this is a place card puzzle. As each piece is pulled off, another picture of the Bar Mitzvah boy is revealed underneath

One of a Kind Party Design used high heel shoes to display the table numbers and seating arrangements

Evie Steinberg of Be Our Guest cleverly created place cards with the guests of honor holding a sign for the place seating

From The Balloon People, this Bat Mitzvah girl was an aspiring model so they picked specific photos of supermodels and then did a photo shoot with May Photography in all different outfits and poses to match the photos. Those shots were then photoshopped with the model so it looked like she and the model were posing together

Pat and Glenn Productions hung place cards on purple beads

The Prop Factory created a large board for this golf themed Bar Mitzvah

With the Bar Mitzvah boy known to be a whiz, Rubik cubes held the place cards welcoming guests for a Hanukah themed Bar Mitzvah from Bluming Creativity

 Fabu Designs created these place cards fashioned after a folded menu for Emily’s Eatery Bat Mitzvah

Tantawan Bloom created a dramatic place card wall for a Bat Mitzvah with a flower holding each name

SRO Events created a baseball motiff and the guests picked up their place cards which were inserted into the fence

For a fashion themed Bat Mitzvah, spools of different colors held the place cards from Max Aureli Photography

From Bob Gail Events, the place cards were attached to the masks so all the guests could participate in the Carnivale spirit

For a Bruce Springsteen theme, each guests’ place card was an over-sized guitar pick with the corresponding album cover from The Party Events Girl

Boxes of custom M&M’s were used ironically by M&M The Special Event Company for this Chicago Bat Mitzvah. Notice the boxes feature the Bat Mitzvah girl’s initials “MrM”

Did you have unique place cards for your child’s Bar Bat Mitzvah? Let us know at info@MitzvahMarket.com.

Pull Elements Of Your Bar Bat Mitzvah Together With A Promos USA/ImageMaker

Are you looking to pull all your Bar Bat Mitzvah elements together?

You can work directly with A Promos USA, cut out the middle man, and save money on your fashion-forward screen printing, embroidery and promotional products.

We know you have seen their sweatshirts, t-shirts, pinnies, PJs, shorts, sweatpants and other wearables, but are you aware of all the other items they can customize for your child’s Bar Bat Mitzvah celebration? They can use your logo to pull all the element of your child’s Bar Bat Mitzvah together.

Please look below to see other Bar Bat Mitzvahs families that they have worked with:

To see more ways this logo was used, read Emily’s Eatery Mitzvah Family Spotlight

To see more using their OutRACHeous logo, read the Brenner Mitzvah Family Spotlight

To see more about this Phoebelicious celebration, read the NJ Brenner Mitzvah Family Spotlight

 To learn more about A Promos USA/ImageMaker, visit their extended profile page in our Vendor Directory.

The Reiner Bat Mitzvah Family Spotlight

The Reiner family of Briarcliff Manor, New York celebrated their daughter Jill’s Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, October 13, 2012 at the Congregation Sons of Israel in Briarcliff Manor. A reception followed at the Doubletree Hotel in Tarrytown, New York.

Jill has been an NHL expert for at least 5 years. She has a complete working encyclopedic knowledge of the entire league but adores the Pittsburgh Penguins. When it was time to choose her theme, hockey was the perfect choice, but with a twist — she chose a Winter Classic theme. The NHL Winter Classic is an outdoor annual event held by the National Hockey League and so we bring you…the Bat Mitzvah version…Jill’s Winter Classic.

Featured above L-R: dad Michael, older sister Brooke, Bat Mitzvah girl Jill and mom Melissa.

Alison Bert was the photographer and the rest of the vendors are listed at the bottom of this spotlight. 

Janet at Papyrus created a checkerboard invitation with shimmery blues, whites, and silver to create a winter feel

The R.S.V.P. cards sported Jill’s Winter Classic logo 

Jill (left) and her friends getting off the bus ready to party

A model of the Stanley Cup with Jill’s name greeted guests at the reception

Chocolate hockey pucks from the Chocolate Butterfly were used as place cards

Mom Melissa’s company, MLR Events, created lamp shades with crystals featuring Jill’s favorite hockey teams

Clear crystals accented this cocktail table centerpiece with Jill’s name in script

The ballroom looked great with icy blue linens and white chair covers
 

Jill’s cousins had lots of fun with “snow” which looked beautiful against the linens

Mom Melissa created Jill’s sign-in board; the vases held cream colored roses

ESP Productions and MC Eric kept the party rockin’ and the dancers wore ref shirts

If you can’t have “ice” hockey, air hockey is fun

The kids had a blast playing Foosball

Jill and friends enjoyed their mocktails

Jill with big sister Brooke

The cake, by Homestyle Bakery, was topped with bling and a picture of the Stanley Cup

Bat Mitzvah girl Jill surrounded by her friends

The Reiners worked with Sue of thecoolestgiveaways.com to create Winter Classic giveaways

Jill and friends model the back of their sweatshirts

The kids also received this royal blue drawstring bag to carry their sweatshirts home

Jill’s friends made a presentation and scrapbook for her

An iridescent candy kiss greeted guests at the candy buffet

A sweet ending to a cool party

For Jill’s Mitzvah Project, she volunteered at the Westchester Food Bank in Elmsford, NY where she organized food to be distributed throughout the county to families in need. This great organization serves more than 220 local hunger-relief programs throughout Westchester County including food pantries, soup kitchens, child and adult day-care centers and shelters.

Some advice from Mom Melissa who is a party planner: “Allow people to help you when they offer, because they mean it!”

The following vendors helped to make Jill’s celebration special. If you call them, please let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.

Venue: The DoubleTree Tarrytown, 914-631-5700
Party Planner/Decor: MLR Events, 914-941-2119
Music Entertainment: MC Eric Schiff, ESP Productions, 516-484-8377
Photographer/Videographer: Alison Bert Photography, 914-231-6146
Chocolate Place cards: Shawn, The Chocolate Butterfly, 877- 246 7497
Favors: Sue, thecoolestgiveaways.com, 516-466-5728
Sign-In board: MLR Events
Party entertainment (Photo booth, air hockey, foosball and hoops): ESP Productions
Invitation: Janet, Papyrus
Cake: Homestyle Bakery, 914-737-4659
Dresses: Lord & Taylor
Transportation:Briarcliff Bus Company, 914-941-5139

A Backyard Bat Mitzvah Celebration

Entertainment Tonite, along with Stephen Andrews Photography are bringing us an amazing outdoor tented Bat Mitzvah celebration. This party was held in the backyard of the family’s home. 

Ali, the Bat Mitzvah girl is the youngest of four, with three older brothers it was time to to pull out all the stops for the only daughter of the family.

See how it all turned out below:

The evening party was a breath of fresh air…really fresh air as Ali’s parents tented a portion of their backyard for a warm summer night reception. The color palette of pink, purple and orange was everywhere from the linens, lanterns and centerpieces to the custom accessories.

 The open air tent from Nassau Tent was built in the backyard with an area to dance. There were linens and lanterns in the purple, orange and pink color scheme

There were no formal seating arrangements but lots of places to sit including a white leather lounge area
 

As the sun set, the pool and tent lit up…..which added to the outside chic decor

While there was no particular theme for the party, the Bat Mitzvah and her Mom share a passion for butterflies and wanted to incorporate them into many of the decor and party elements

Each table had beautiful summer centerpieces from Stefan’s Florist with a subtle addition of a butterfly on top

No glass at this outdoor party! Write Next Door customized plastic cups along with cocktail and guests’ napkins with Ali’s butterfly logo in party color palette

You can’t have a backyard party without flip flops! Write Next Door created a table of flip flops in orange, purple and pink which were provided to each guest and displayed by sizes

The food was beautifully displayed and catered by Cirella’s Restaurant 

The custom water bottles were also available and handed out during the hot summer night

 Ali and her friends with MC Carl from Entertainment Tonite

 

Ali’s cousin Tory Geismar and his girlfriend Natalie Duffy sing professionally and performed during the cocktail hour

T-shirts were given out to all the kids on the dance floor, the butterfly for the girls and for the boys it was “sting like a bee”

 Young guests could get tattoos and hair extensions

A sign-in pillow from The Pieced Palette

Ali’s guests were very lucky to have both cupcakes and cake

 The girl’s favors were Alternative Apparel gray drawstring pants

They were given out in hot pink duffle bags

 For the boys, grey Jerzee sweatpants were given out in an orange backpack

The following vendors helped to make this celebration special.

Caterer: Cirella’s of Melville, 631- 385-7380
Favors/Custom Accessories:  Write Next Door, 631-365-6001
Music Entertainment: Carl MC, Entertainment Tonite, 516-826-6900
Extra Entertainment: glitter tattoos and hair extensions, Dominique, De La Mer Salon, 516-221-3662
Cocktail Music: Natalie Duffy and Tory Geismar
Photographer/Videographer: Stephen Andrews Photography, 516-780-9100
Tenting and Chairs: Nassau Tent, 800-564-4505
Decor/Florist: Stefan Florist,  516- 239-2402
Photo Favors: The Main Event, 800-839-0918
Linens: Table Wraps, 516-334-8833
Sign-in Pillow: Jane Sheinfeld, The Pieced Palette,  914-420-1746
Cake: Nora, Noosies Bakery, 516-390-5594
Cupcakes: The Cupcake Contessa, 516-307-1222

Visit Gotham T-Shirt’s New Location

Gotham T-Shirt is a full service screen printer who uses award winning artists to create logos and designs for all Bar/Bat Mitzvah needs.

They recently expanded to a new location with a larger showroom featuring new state-of-the-art screen printing/embroidery equipment bringing their customers even better quality. They welcome our Mitzvah Market readers to stop by for a consultation.

Gotham T-Shirts offers personalized custom screen printing , embroidery, art and theme designs for your Bar and Bat Mitzvah. Their fashion designs look best on hooded and zipper sweatshirts, T-shirts, flannel PJ sweatpants & nylon draw string back packs.

Their new location is almost finished, here’s a sneak peek

Known for their unique original designs, they screen print on fashion brands including Alternative & American Apparel & classics including Gildan, Anvil, Jerzees & Champion. All work is performed in house by their master screen printer.

They print over 130,000 hooded sweatshirts and t-shirts a year!

For more information and to see many samples of their work, visit their extended profile page in our Vendor Directory.

The Weiss Bar Mitzvah Family Spotlight

The Weiss family celebrated their son Zach’s Bar Mitzvah on April 21, 2012 and hosted the party at Silver Spring Civic building at Veterans Plaza in Maryland.

The basketball themed bash was planned by SAVE THE DATE, LLC, an event planning company that Mom Cara runs, and took place inside the “Zach Center,” a play on “Verizon Center.” SAVE THE DATE, LLC made sure the party was a slam dunk hit. Read on to see how they transformed the venue into the Zach Center.

Party photography was by Jason Weil Photography and Sean Cooper Photography, and the rest of the vendors are listed at the bottom of the spotlight.

Pictured above L-R: Dad Joel, Mom Cara, Bar Mitzvah boy Zach, Sister Marci

 Zach’s theme was a twist on the Verizon Center, complete with this clever logo.

 
Verizon Center? Nope it’s the Zach Center

Zach’s invitations were designed by SAVE THE DATE, LLC and Pioneer Announcements Inc. The invitation was classic and sporty, setting the tone from the beginning

 Zach’s guests found out where they would be seated with a realistic VIP ticket instead of a traditional seating card

The seating card featured a photo of Zach playing basketball

Instead of a traditional sign-in board, Zach had a sign-in basketball backboard!

Guests signed the backboard instead of a traditional sign or book

SAVE THE DATE, LLC and Da Vinci’s Florist worked on the decor, and together they transformed the Verizon Center into Zach’s special place for the night. The room was spacious and the centerpieces were elegant and simple

The basketball court served as the dance floor

Zach posing with his floor logo

The entire room was set up as a VIP area, with five tents around the space with a bar inside each tent — a few of the older guests were assigned to specific sit-down tables but for the most part the guests could roam between tents as they pleased

The tents each had bright white and elegant black furniture and red and blue accent pillows

Napkins with Zach’s initials added a special touch

These referee napkins are from Theme Naps and were used for cocktail hour stations

These coasters were unique and could be kept as a memento after the party

There was a whole station set up with Zach’s sportswear called “Zach’s Hall Of Fame”

Washington Talent provided the music and entertainment and got the crowd pumped. LA was the MC

Zach was completely cool during the horah

The dancers interacted with all the guests and made sure everyone had a great time

Zach “makes an entrance” with a dancer from Washington Talent. Zach’s dancers wore referee shirts to get guests in the mood for sports

This party had some really unique food stations! Dunkin’ Donuts to go were displayed in a unique way

Sushi on a spoon

Instead of McDonald’s this party had ZDonald’s

Elegant single serving appetizers. The salmon and cream cheese were a major hit

 SAVE THE DATE, LLC and Promotions Your Way took care of the party favors for the kids. Zach’s favors were cool sweatshirts with individualized names on the back

Zach’s friends model their favors

Every child got a basketball shaped bag that they could write their name on and keep their favors in

There were also cubbies for the kids’ favors

There was a lot of fun to be had at Zach’s celebration! He had a photo booth, actors, a red carpet dress lady, and much more!

A “basketball player” on stilts with tiny basket balls entertained guests

Guests could pose for “magazine covers”

At the end of the celebration, bus transportation was provided for Zach’s friends. Mom Cara decided the parents should have something to do while they waited for their kids…so she organized “breakfast” for them! Parents saw this sign when they drove to pick up their kids from the bus drop off, and they got to drink hot coffee and eat some breakfast food while they waited 

Mom Cara has both practical and sentimental advice:
“Hire an event planner to keep you organized and have fun planning! Enjoy watching your child see what he or she wants to become.”

Zach held a fundraiser for the Brain Aneurysm Foundation.

The following vendors helped to make Zach’s Bar Mitzvah special. If you give any of them a call, please let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.

Venue: Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza, 240-777-5315
Party Planner: Mom Cara, SAVE THE DATE, LLC, 301-983-6222
Music Entertainment: MC LA, Washington Talent
Photographers: Jason Weil Photography and Sean Cooper Photography
Videographer: Cliff Mattheson Productions, 301-652-5754
Favors: SAVE THE DATE, LLC, 301-983-6222
Party entertainment: Elite Productions, 724-864-6823; Talk of the Town, 301-738-9500; Stage Right Entertainment, 240-401-3071; Sandy O Studios, 215-487-9544; Fotographix, 301-928-2240
Invitation: SAVE THE DATE, LLC, 301-983-6222, Pioneer Announcements Inc., 305-573-7000
Cake: Cakes by Leslie, 301-652-9390; Savvy Treats, 202-422-5173
Décor: Da Vinci, 301-588-8900
Sign-In Board and Logos: Sublime Creations, LLC, 703-347-1795, SAVE THE DATE, LLC, 301-983-6222, Promotions Your Way, 515-250-1766
Special Napkins: Theme Naps, 678-720-0702
Dresses for family members/Suits for family members: Nicole Miller, Nordstrom, Haute Hippie, Nordstrom, and Florida stores
Hair/makeup: Progressions, 301-231-8757; Makeup by Jan
Transportation: International Limo, 202-388-6800
Party security: SAVE THE DATE, LLC, 301-983-6222

On The Circuit…With Molly

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 Saturday, I attended my camp friend, Casey’s, Bat Mitzvah. It was a gorgeous party, very roomy for the guests and she looked amazing the entire night.

For her service, she wore a beautiful, silver strapless ball gown dress. At one point during the party she changed into an adorable silver ensemble, consisting of a bedazzled bustier with a tight silver skirt. Throughout the whole night she looked gorgeous.

Something unique and different I found at Casey’s was a photo booth from Superstar Photobooths, customized for her party with her logo on it. I found this clever because it was more convenient than your average photo station. The photo booth printed two copies of the photos you take, and they were easy to take home. I took about five or six turns in the photo booth with my camp friends and I came home without a huge stack of photos. The photo strips are sweet to hang up, frame, and put in scrapbooks and journals.

Another unique and fun thing I found at Casey’s was her lovely performance. She and her sisters are amazing dancers, so at one point during the party, they performed for the guests, doing a pop mix in their adorable outfits. It was a great performance and it was something I had never seen done before.

I also loved her sweatshirt favor because it’s cropped with thumb holes!  It’s also super warm, cute and comfortable!

Clockwise from top left: Her logo was the C & G, the left hand sleeve read, “It’s All Good,” with the date of her party, the sweatshirt was cropped at the bottom, the sleeves had thumb-holes

All in all, I had an amazing time celebrating with Casey and I know she did too! Mazel Tov to Casey and her family!

Read Molly’s first 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!

Rockmitzvah For Special Needs Children

Families looking for an unparalleled musical experience for their Bar/Bat Mitzvah will find it in Rockmitzvah—a band who makes the child the star of the performance.

Rockmitzvah’s entertainment model has broad appeal, yet it serves many interesting niche audiences. For example, Rockmitzvah has been serving the special-needs community of the tri-state area since 2007. The group caters to families whose children are looking for a different experience. In some cases the child may have behavioral issues, autism spectrum disorder, and other challenges.

Lynne Whitman says she chose Rockmitzvah for her son Ethan’s Bar Mitzvah because she says, “Our son loves music. When we asked him how he’d like to celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah with his family and friends he said that he wanted to rock out. So we wanted to make that happen. After a few discussions with Rockmitzvah, we knew that our son would have the opportunity make music with and for everyone in the room. And despite our initial concerns, we were assured that Rockmitzvah would work with our son and not in a cookie cutter format. This was critical to us given his love and gift for music and special needs.”

Lynne says her son’s experience was amazing. “He loved every minute of it. He’d do it again in a heartbeat.” When asked how Rockmitzvah made her son’s day special, she said “They listened to us. They listened to our son. During the rehearsal they became a band. They focused on making it work for our son and our family.”

Rockmitzvah is a band whose roster is comprised of real rock musicians. The group works with each family in advance of their party to make the child the star while also incorporating guests into the day’s performances. The band will customize the music to match the needs and tastes of those in attendance. The musicians can easily offer today’s pop music, rock music, R&B, Broadway show tunes, popular Jewish music, and classics appealing to older generations.

Guests have fun with Rockmitzvah too!

“Families immediately understand that we are all about the child and the child’s comfort level on stage,” says Marc Jacoby, founding member of Rockmitzvah. “We are life-long musicians, performers, and music educators. But first and foremost, we are dads. We understand that every child has unique needs and every child deserves to be respected and listened to.”

A happy Bar Mitzvah boy posing with the Rockmitzvah band

Rockmitzvah is a great option for kids and families seeking an alternative to the typical DJ or loud over-the-top musical experience.

For more information on Rockmitzvah, visit their extended profile page in our Vendor Directory.