Bat Mitzvah Theme For A Fashionista

The Tarlie family from Short Hills, New Jersey celebrated their daughter Jordyn’s Bat Mitzvah on March 11, 2017. There was a morning service at Temple Beth Shalom in Livingston, New Jersey and a party later that evening at the Wilshire Grand Caterers in West Orange, New Jersey. Jordyn is a young lady who loves style, trends and dressing up so a fashion theme was the perfect fit!

Pictured L-R  Dad Martin, Bat Mitzvah girl Jordyn, Mom Cecile. In front, Brothers William and Cooper.

The photographer for the pre-shoot and service was Ira Casel Photography. Nicole Thomas Photography was the party photographer and the rest of the vendor information is listed at the end of the spotlight.

Bat Mitzvah Service

Jordyn’s Mom Cecile converted to Judaism and told us, “My parents and brother, as well as my cousins, had never attended a Bat Mitzvah and everyone was incredibly impressed with the amount of work that Jordyn had to do to prepare for conducting the service and chanting the Torah in Hebrew. They loved the idea of the whole process and how our congregation embraced her and how she shone as a new Jewish adult. The transition from childhood to adulthood is not really recognized or celebrated in the Korean culture so this was an exciting learning and celebratory event for our family!”

Jordyn surrounded by her very proud parents and extended family

Jordyn's Haftarah portion focused on the special clothing worn in temple and how that also relates to why we "dress up" when we attend synagogue services

Mitzvah Decor

The family came to Event Planner Amy Rubel of Rubel Event Management with a strong sense of what they wanted-a fun fashion themed event. Amy collaborated with Tina LaMorte of Oh So Fabulous on the decor design. They loved working with purple and aquamarine color palate because it was fun and made the design unique. In creating the decor, they used well recognized designer brands, but put Jordyn’s unique stamp on each individual logo. With a focus on accessories, specifically purses, handbags and shoes, guests felt like they were inside the most upscale mall.  

Despite Carolyn of Bella Dia Designs being in Chicago, Amy, Mom Cecile and Tina worked very closely with her on developing the party "J" logo and designer influenced logos

A clever way to tie-in to a theme! Instead of place cards, they used shopping bags from different designers and stores as table names and listed the guests on the bag

Tables were dressed with beautiful spring floral arrangements and named for some of Jordyn's favorite designers

Jordyn Isabelle's name appeared on shoe boxes and shopping bags as if she was a designer!

A chic tabletop design fit perfectly with the fashion theme. Each place setting also had a custom menu

The teen lounge looked sophisticated with white furniture

There were custom pillows made to coordinate with the adult table names

Mitzvah Special Touches

The family worked with Marni Cohen of Scribbles Too on the striking purple and silver sparkle die-cut invitation suite

A beautiful ice sculpture was created to look just like the Chanel No. 13 perfume bottle

Cubbies for storage. We love how her name is spelled out with Tiffany blue shopping bags across the top

Jordyn strikes a pose by her mirrored sign-in with a border for guests to sign

Special Moments

The Tarlie family toasting Jordyn

Dancers escorting Jordyn's grandfather out on the dance floor wearing custom logo'd t-shirts

MC Jordan and the Xplosive Entertainment team had everyone on the dance floor including Jordyn's brothers

Mitzvah Interactive Fun & Favors

Airgraphics Entertainment was on hand to create customized t-shirts based on a menu of options for Jordyn's guests

Advice from Mom Cecile

“Start as early as possible by asking your child what would they like to see as a theme…what are their interests? Decide the type of event you want, a large party or a smaller kid only intimate party. Maybe a day event or a night event…also consider your budget. Once these key factors are decided, then it is finding the right people to help you or unless you are a DIY’er, start looking through Pinterest and Etsy…Don’t be afraid to ask for help! We absolutely LOVED how the whole event turned out from the invitations, theme, decor, menu, favors, party outfits, and the positive celebratory feel. Not to mention the Torah portion coincidentally complimented our party theme. Because of our event planner, Amy Rubel, every detail was addressed and she made our party look effortless. I strongly feel that once you have established the foundation for the event (theme, location, decorator, planner), the rest such as the DJ, invitation and menu, builds on it like a house. The more solid your foundation, the more stable your house.”

Vendor Directory

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

Event Planner: Amy Rubel, Rubel Event Management, LLC, 917-886-8609
Invitations: Marni Cohen, Scribbles, Too, 973-921-1387
AirBrush T-Shirt Favors and Tattoos Entertainment: Amy Lewin, Airgraphics Entertainment, 973-865-4647
Temple: Temple Beth Shalom, 973-992-3600
Logos: Carolyn Caballero Stith, Bella Dia Designs, 708-431-5512
Design Concept and Decor: Tina LaMorte, Oh So Fabulous, Inc., 201-981-7280 
Party Venue: John Bowes, Wilshire Grand Caterers, 973-731-7007
Music Entertainment: Xplosive Entertainment, MC Jordan Marshall, 732-866-1620
Pre-Shoot/Service Photography: Ira Casel Photography, 973-580-4594
Party Photography: Nicole Thomas Photography, 847-729-4466
Photobooth: SCE Event Group, 888-278-0900
Cubbies and Games: The Entertainment Company, 973-907-2710