February 7th, 2012
This beautiful Bat Mitzvah celebration is from Victoria Dubin Events. From Weddings to Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, Corporate Events to Charitable gala’s, birthday celebrations and more, their events reflect signature style and originality.
As the event planner, Vicki spent lots of time with this Bat Mitzvah family so their celebration would truly highlight the special interest of the guest of honor who is a very passionate gymnast. Precision, accuracy and timing are all elements of her everyday discipline.
Her invitation was printed on a “rubber like” gym floor material and the wording was styled to invite guests at 7:08PM on 9.10.11 and conclude at 12:13PM. Thus a 7-8-9-10-11-12-13 theme for Sydney the gymnast giving the Bat Mitzvah a “Perfect 10 Night.”
No doubt everyone at the party left with a true understanding of the enthusiasm and dedication the Bat Mitzvah girl had.
Check out all the details below:
9-10-11 signage greeted guests
Sydney’s invitation featured clever wording about the date and time!
The centerpieces were custom printed lampshades alternating with Sydney’s initials, SMK, and the date, 9-10-11 with soft florals
Silhouettes of Sydney doing gymnastics were projected onto the fabric white walls as guests enjoyed cocktails at the “uneven bar” and “parallel bar”
The room is set and ready for Sydney’s celebration to begin
The adult tables were bar height with stools so that everyone would be able to admire all that was going on at the dance floor
The floors were covered in white carpet with a custom dance floor of her logo, “The Perfect 9.10.11 Night”
The children’s lounge area was modern and filled with personalized pillows of 9-10-11 and Sydney’s initials, long sofas and mirrored tables
Sydney was escorted into the party on parallel bars by dancers wearing shirts with her “nine, ten, eleven” logo. As guests danced the night away they were surrounded by cirque style girls dancing on platforms in mirrored costumes. As a special treat an aerialist came down onto the crowd on a silk rope
Sydney blew out her Bat Mitzvah candles on a cake made in the shape of an oversized cupcake with a figurine of a gymnast atop
Guests were treated to a variety of goodies to end their perfect 10 evening
We want to thank Victoria Dubin for sharing this Bat Mitzvah celebration with our readers. For more information about Victoria Dubin Events visit their Website.
February 1st, 2012
It’s almost time for this year’s Super Bowl!
We wanted to share a recent find from Little Black Dress Paperie who designed this custom football Bar Mitzvah invitation.
Over 200 lucky guests received this invitation, inviting them to catch the action at Ian’s Sports Zone. Guests were asked to respond via a game ticket and reserve their seat on the team bus!
To learn more about Little Black Dress Paperie, visit their Website.
January 31st, 2012
Jeans, Jewels & Jerseys! Do we have your attention?
That was the fun theme for family and friends at Tyler Gersten’s Bar Mitzvah. His Mom tells us that ever since Tyler was little, he has worn a jersey to school. Instead of asking what he should wear, he would ask, “Who should I wear to school?”
His Havdallah service was held in 2011 and led by Rabbi Nadia Gold. His celebration followed at Fenway Golf Club in Scarsdale, New York.
Pictured above (L-R): Mom Laurie, Bar Mitzvah boy Tyler, Dad Rich and older sister Hallie.
All party photography was done by Ray Karaman and the additional vendor information is at the bottom of the spotlight.
The bottom of the invitation let guests know what to wear: Jeans, Jewels & Jerseys
Tyler is all smiles wearing his favorite article of clothing – a jersey!
Mom Laurie tells us her guests thanked her for being able to dress so comfortably for an event!
If you look closely, the numbers on the Jersey reflected everyone’s ages
The place card table greeted guests upon arrival
The kids area was in a tent with Tyler’s NFL and NBA jerseys hanging from the ceiling
The lounge area featured Tyler’s “G” logo. Not only for Gersten, but also for his favorite drink – Gatorade
Navy linens combined with gold chiavari chairs and gold charger plates gave a masculine and elegant look
Mitzvah Mom Laurie worked hard on creating a special sign-in book for Tyler. Each page had a different theme
Tyler’s friends signing in
Tyler making his entrance. Notice his grandfather to the left in his “77” jersey!
At the end of the night, guests were treated to Tyler’s two favorite treats: Gatorade and rock candy!
The sweatshirts for Tyler’s friends were navy blue with gold ink and were a fun twist on the Gatorade logo
The front of the sweatshirt
The following vendors helped to make Tyler’s celebration special. If you give any of them a call, please be sure to tell them you heard about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.
Venue: Fenway Golf Club
Party Planner: Mom Laurie Gersten
Music Entertainment: MC Tommy C, E Three Productions, 212-921-1080
Favors: Samantha Karofsky, 914-419-9166
Party entertainment: Photo booth, airbrushing/arcade games, The Main Event
Magician: Chris DeLeo, 516-314-5319
Invitations: Staci Rahamin, Sincerely Staci, 914-769-6902
Décor/florist: Diane Amante, Xquisite Flowers and Events
Photographer: Ray Karaman, 914-906-7538
Videographer: John Braile, Riversound, 631-476-4840
Sign-in book: Made with love by Mitzvah Mom Laurie
Jerseys: NFL.com
Dresses for family members: Mom’s Service Dress, Goldstein’s, 201-567-0550
Hallie’s Service Dress: All Dressed Up, 914-690-1593
Tyler’s Suit: Nordstroms
Hair: Tina of Hair Express, 914-760-4345
Makeup: Essie Cohen, Xpressivefaces, 914-575-9227
January 28th, 2012
Jessica Flaum celebrated her Bat Mitzvah on May 7, 2011 at The Regency Center in San Francisco.
This family had a Saturday night VIP Hollywood party with lots of great special touches! From a red carpet entrance to celebrity cut-outs, it seemed as though guests were entering a Hollywood bash!
We thank them for sharing their ideas with Mitzvah Market.
All party photography was done by Jennifer Paschal of Bruce Forester Photography and the rest of the vendor information is listed at the bottom of this spotlight.
Pictured above (L-R): Mom Debra, Bat Mitzvah girl Jessica and Dad Morris
Jessica’s invitation was designed and printed by Alisa Flaum, her sister. This VIP invitation looked like you were invited to a Hollywood party!
Jessica’s friends were photographed “walking the red carpet” with cutouts of either Justin Bieber or Jessica as shown above
When the party began, guests entered the main room and were greeted by a VIP lounge full of glitz and glam reminiscent of the best parties in Hollywood
Jessica is sitting on one of two white circular sofas in the VIP lounge
As you can see in the back of this photo, a large Hollywood backdrop was set up behind the band
In the center of the room there was a large lighted bar and dance floor
Guests provided their “autograph” and best wishes for Jessica in a personalized scrapbook designed for the occasion by Wendy Reagor
Jessica “makes her entrance”
To the tune of “ I gotta a feeling,”Jessica ran out onto the stage to sing with the band
The band played on and guests danced to their favorite songs throughout the evening
The band, Mixx Company
Special friends and family participated in the candle lighting ceremony
Each station was named after a Hollywood movie and featured hand painted Hollywood clapboards that listed the menu for the station
Denon & Doyle provided the photo booth where guests could have personalized photos taken with a choice of a Hollywood or San Francisco backgrounds
One of the many special touches! Each sofa surrounded a digitized coffee table playing a photo montage of Jessica’s family and friends
Mom Debra is giving us some Mom-to-Mom advice:
“I hired a party planner, Joannie Liss, which was the best thing I did. I also advise, start early, be decisive (there are lots of great choices so you can’t really go wrong), ask your friends for recommendations, and hire vendors who work with lots of Bar/Bat Mitzvah parties. I also kept a large binder with all the information I received and all contracts and details as they were finalized.”
For her Mitzvah Project, Jessica volunteered one Saturday at the Sonoma Humane Society. In addition, she held a bake sale and donated the proceeds to the Marin Humane Society. She also donated 10% of all money she received as a gift to the same organizations.
The following vendors made Jessica’s party special. If you give any of them a call, please let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.
Venue: The Regency Center, San Francisco 415-447-4908
Party Planner: Joannie Liss, Joannie Liss Events 415-775-2020
Band: Mixx Company, 415-775-2020
Party entertainment: Denon & Doyle, green screen photography, 925-944-5021
Invitation: Designed and printed by Alisa Flaum
Décor/florist: Blue Print Studios, Mircea Manea, 415-922-9004
Sign-In Book: Wendy Reagor, 904-219-6133
Dresses for family members: Jessica, from Betsey Johnson, Mom Debra, Nicole Miller
Suit for Dad: Zegna
Hair/makeup: Christophers of Tiburon for Mom, and d’Pietro Todd of Mill Valley for Jessica
Makeup for Jessica: Ally Klionsky
Photographer: Jennifer Paschal, Bruce Forester Photography, 415-422-0944
Caterer: Elaine Bell Catering, Napa, 707-603-1400
Celeb Cutouts: Party Standups
Linens: Big 4 Rentals, Corte Madera, CA
Lighting: Northern Lights, San Leandro, CA 510-483-9307
January 28th, 2012
We wanted to let you know about a new take on photo favors from Simon Elliot Events!
We’ve all attended Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebrations with green screen photo favors. The frames are cute, but how many can you display before running out of room?
Simon Elliot Events is taking photo favors to a whole new level, literally!
Stick-a-Pic™ frames are die-cut removable adhesive frames that you can stick on your wall, locker, fridge, or just about any flat surface.
When you’re ready to take them down or move them, they peel right off without ruining paint or leaving a residue. With wall graphics such as Fatheads becoming extremely popular in recent years, give your guests the opportunity to have their own custom wall graphic with Stick-a-Pic™
Create an interesting collage on your bedroom wall without damaging the surface
Your guests will pose for a photo in front of a green screen where they will have a choice of over 100 backgrounds, or you can create a custom vinyl backdrop to match the theme of your affair. They will then choose a Stick-a-Pic™ frame to compliment their photo.
Stick-a-Pic™ vinyl frames come in a variety of categories including antique frames, sports, places, fun frames, and much more. Their design team can also create one or more custom Stick-a-Pic™ frames for your affair to add an extra element of customization.
To learn more, visit the extended profile page for Simon Elliot Events in our Vendor Directory.
January 24th, 2012
Two months before celebrating her Bat Mitzvah, Samantha Abbe and her family took a trip to Israel. They traveled from Scarsdale, New York and completed her Mitzvah Project while on this family trip.
Legacy: The Bar and Bat Mitzvah Program of the Jewish Enrichment Center, which is where Samantha prepared for her Bat Mitzvah, coordinated all of the details for the Abbe family. There were three components of this trip: Mitzvahs, learning and leisure.
Pictured left: The Abbe family
We spoke with Samantha to get more details about her trip and Mitzvah Project which benefitted Legacy:
MM: Please describe your Mitzvah Project:
SA: Legacy set up a trip for my family and I. We went to Israel as a culmination of my years of learning. First we went to a farm where they grew butternut squash and we gathered it from the fields. The next day we went to a soup kitchen and began to cook and serve food to hundreds of hungry poor families. I also gave out bags of canned food to the needy as well.
MM: Why did you decided to take on this particular project?
SA: I learned the Mitzvah of Leket while preparing for my Bat Mitzvah. The torah commands every Jew to leave a portion of their farm to poor people so they can collect and eat food.
MM: Why did you want to do a Mitzvah Project?
SA: I felt it was important, because it’s one thing to learn a Mitzvah but to actually do it is what it’s all about. It was such a great feeling when we handed out the food to poor people. One of the men even told me, ” You are a blessing.”
Samantha Abbe
We thank Samantha and Legacy for sharing this project with our readers.
January 22nd, 2012
Are you having a “game” theme for your child’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebration or looking for fun games to play with the young guests?
PythonPrintableGames.com has many options. This Website allows you to choose, download and print as many copies of your favorite party games.
The B’nai Mitzvah Mad Libs For Girls is only $6.95 to download and is exclusively for girls at a Bar/Bat Mitzvah party.
They fill in the blanks to complete a funny story about what happened at the fantasy Bar/Bat Mitzvah. After everyone has chosen their words, read the story aloud for guaranteed laughs.
This do-together girls’ activity is a fun Bar/Bat Mitzvah game. They also have a Mad Libs for Boys edition and other games as well.
January 21st, 2012
Like many young boys, Matthew loves baseball. His room is a shrine to his favorite team, the Yankees. He is an avid sports memorabilia collector and attends spring training each year with his Dad.
When the new stadium for the Yankees opened, this family knew it would be the perfect venue for Matthew’s Bar Mitzvah party! It was the ideal backdrop for their celebration with many creative touches.
Although it was a cold, snowy January night in 2011, that didn’t stop friends and family from partying with this family.
April Photography took all the photos and the rest of the vendor information is listed below.
Matthew’s friends arrived by bus for his celebration at Yankee Stadium.
Yankee Stadium
This family was able to use many areas of the stadium for their celebration
“Mazel Tov Matthew” was shown on the screens around the stadium which guests could see through the glass windows
Victoria Dubin from Victoria Dubin Events didn’t miss a special touch anywhere! She orchestrated every aspect of the décor including pillows, light up tables, table place cards and logos. They had their cocktail hour in the Delta Sky Suite and the party in the Legends Restaurant. They had the name of every guest scrolling on the Jumbotron during the cocktail hour. Guests loved this touch and took pictures of their names on the screen.
Place cards featuring baseballs in the corner told guests where they would be sitting
When guests arrived, they entered at the Legends Suites entrance where they served hot dogs and cracker jacks, took photos in a subway background and were entertained by a subway drummer
Customized pillows could be found throughout the party space
Kids lounge area
Digital light up tables were very cool!
This light up table matched the custom cartoon that was commissioned by Alpine Creative Group and used for Matthew’s invitations
The party took place in the Legends Restaurant with linens, rentals and tabletop by Victoria Dubin Events
Total Entertainment provided the music entertainment with Vinny as the MC. Their mother/son dance was a “seventh inning stretch” and they did the YMCA dance.
Matthew makes an entrance with dancers from Total Entertainment in Yankee T-shirts
Guests enjoyed partying with Matthew
Guests gathered to watch Matthew’s entrance video, created by Reelife Media on the big Jumbotron. The theme of the video was Matthew winning an award for being the world’s greatest Yankee fan. At the end of the video Matthew invited everyone downstairs to party!
Most guests came outside to watch the entrance video even though it was cold and had just started to snow!
Friends and family signed-in and left special messages for Matthew on the custom poster designed by Victoria Dubin.
Guests enjoyed a variety of games and activities provided by Total Entertainment.
Young guests were given tube socks with gray and blue stripes. They were embroidered with “Matthew Rocks My Socks”
The cake was created by Lulu Cake Boutique of Scarsdale.
Perfect for their baseball theme!
Total Entertainment provided these custom graffiti lockers where young guests found their favors.
A wall of graffiti lockers added to the decor in the kids area
Total Entertainment created a personalized magnet, so each child could find their own locker. Inside were sweatshirt favors, a baseball cap and the draw string bag below created by Samantha Karofsky
Guests were treated to a large concession stand created by Victoria Dubin with every candy you can image. There were baseball pens, water bottles with Matthew’s logo, tons of candy, popcorn baseballs, chocolate covered peanuts, lollipops with the invitation drawing on it, cracker jacks, big league chew gum, gummy hot dogs and much more! Adults were given slippers with the Yankee Logo when they left.
The stand included logo’d water bottles!
The Gatorade “G” series logo was the inspiration for the above custom labels
The following vendors made Matthew’s party special. If you give any of them a call, please let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.
Venue: Emily Hamel, Director, Non-Baseball Events, Yankee Stadium
Caterer: Jaisun Ihm from Yankee Stadium and Foremost Caterers for kosher guests
Photographer: April Photographers Inc.
Event Planner: Victoria Dubin, Victoria Dubin Event Planning and Design
Music Entertainment: MC Vinny, Total Entertainment
Games/Graffiti Lockers: Total Entertainment
Cake: LuLu Cake Boutique of Scarsdale
Favors: Samantha Karofsky, Samanthak@zagwear.com
Invitations: Barbara Schaffer, Alpine Creative Group
Bus Transportation: J and R Tours
Bus Chaperones: Bar Mitzvah Bouncers Inc.
Lighting and Staging: Jeff Ledford, Bentley Meeker Lighting and Staging
Entrance Video/Montage: Reelife Media
January 17th, 2012
DanceJock Productions is a full time, highly professional, DJ entertainment company who can also design your entire event.
Recently they designed the interior of a football themed Bar Mitzvah at Temple Beth Torah in Melville, New York. Atmosphere Lounge Dezinz, a division of DanceJock Productions created the lounge area. Additionally, the celebration included Sports Frenzy, a football themed game, a yo-yo artist and a Sport trivia expert walking around!
All pictures are from Ira Rosen Photography. Check it all out below:
Numerous lighting heads and plasmas featuring JETS highlight reels surround the space
A 42 x 20 foot box truss was installed to give the room a stadium look
The kids lounge area featured a football chair for the “Bar Mitzvah star”
The lounge area was filled with all white furniture, JETS pillows, light up tables and a football field mural
The hallway decor and centerpieces were done by United Floral
This celebration also included a Logan tailgate party in the parking lot!
The tailgate party also featured five different food trucks and a classic rock jazz trio
Another food truck for the tailgate party
Back inside, the room is ready for guests
DanceJock Productions installed a white dance floor and had it striped like a football field with a LOGAN logo in the center
Bar Mitzvah boy Logan on the football dance floor
MC Scott Neglia and DanceJock Crew
Logan’s logo up close
The caterer at Temple Beth Torah created this football themed cake
We thank DanceJock Productions for sharing this great football themed celebration with Mitzvah Market. For more information on how they can design your party, visit their extended profile page in our Vendor Directory.
January 15th, 2012
Once you get your child’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah date, you think about the venue and DJ. There are many details that come next, but one of the most challenging will hit you only a few weeks before your event…
The seating chart! Keeping peace among family and friends could be challenging.
Enter SocialTables.com. This Website enables the user to make the creation of seating charts as painless as possible – and did we mention it’s FREE!
You can use their Website just to create seating charts or you can build an active community for your guests. They will be encouraged to tell stories about the Bar/Bat Mitzvah child and share pictures before youre event. Your Social Tables event stays open even after your real-life event occurs, allowing guests to follow-up with one another.
You will find an unlimited number of round tables with 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 seats.
Just drag and drop names onto the squares around the tables – it’s simple!
For more information, visit their Website.
