The Gany family of Woodbury, New York, celebrated son Ethan’s Bar Mitzvah on January 17, 2015, at Temple Chaverim in Plainview, New York.
Ethan’s love of basketball sneakers naturally led to a Foot Locker theme for his celebration.
Pictured left: Mom Bonnie, Bar Mitzvah boy Ethan and Dad Glenn
The photographer was Simon Miller from Simon Elliot Events and the rest of the vendors are listed at the bottom of this story.
Along with Mom Bonnie, the referee-striped invitation was designed by Ellen Elmaleh from TripleEproduction and ordered from My Metal Business Cards. They were sent in a black padded envelope
Ethan was all smiles on the bimah at Temple Chaverim
Matching the colors of the celebration, the yarmulkes came from Cool Kippahs
Mom Bonnie’s dress was from PeachesBoutique.com and the boys, (including brothers Nicolas & Tyler), all bought their suits at Kenny’s Boys & Menswear
Inspired by Foot Locker’s Approved campaign, Ethan’s logo appeared on all of the decor elements, favors and signage
The place cards were an identical copy of the Foot Locker gift card and each one had a different dollar amount indicating which table you were seated at
The highlight of the room decor was a handmade coffee table replica of a Nike shoe box, created by Ethan’s Dad Glenn!
All the sneakers in the centerpieces were from Ethan’s own collection and the top portion of the centerpieces rotated!
All the sneakers in the stage belonged to MC Carl. It was a total coincidence that Carl loved sneakers too!
Black table cloths with red napkins and candles added elegance to the sneaker theme
Mom Bonnie added little red, white and black Converse high tops on the tables with votive candles inside
Other tables featured striking white flowers in black vases of varying sizes
Logo’d LED tables added to the decor
Authentic shoe sizers decorated the sides of the referee-striped lighted tables
Another highlight of the decor was the incredible referee-striped dance floor!
Posters of Ethan were hung around the room
The doors to the ballroom were covered with large posters of Ethan with the logo on top
Ethan made his entrance with the ET dancers wearing logo’d t-shirts
Ethan posed with the ET crew including MC Carl
MC Carl kept the party going
Ethan’s friends had a great time
Hasson Caterers provided the red, black and white Nike basketball sneaker cake. Mom Bonnie purchased pillar candles from Michael’s, alternating black and white to keep with the referee stripe theme. She added a touch of red using letter glitter stickers, also from Michael’s
The lounge set-up included sleek white sofas and lighted furniture with red logos and referee-striped accent pillows
Friends enjoyed playing, Ethan’s House of Hoops aka Mitzvah Madness. ‘House of Hoops’ in Foot Locker stores is an exclusive section showcasing Nike basketball shoes
Ethan’s friends had trouble deciding on a design at the Elite Feet kiosk
Guests enjoyed Stick-A-Pic photo favors also from Simon Elliot Events
Sweatshirt favors were creatively distributed in authentic sneaker boxes! The shoe boxes were ordered online. They arrived flat and Mom Bonnie put them together and affixed custom labels on each one
Sweatshirts with a cool urban logo were inside each shoe box
A “Friends and Family” sign promoted “FREE dance floor socks – today only!”
Water bottles wrapped in labels with Ethan’s custom logo
Hasson Caterers provided a Good Humor ice cream truck
For Ethan’s Mitzvah Project, this past fall he participated in the Lustgarten Foundation’s Walk for the Cure for Pancreatic Cancer. He did this in support of his dad’s childhood friend Paul Forman. Featured above: Ethan with Paul and Dad Glenn at Jones Beach after completing the walk
Advice from Mom Bonnie:
“It’s a lot of work. So many little details to juggle, but totally worth it when you see it all come together in the end result! I can’t stress enough how important it is to stay calm no matter what hiccups happen along the way. And they will! Just let the people you hire assist when they offer, and trust that they know what they’re doing. Also, if you’re going to do a lot of it yourself, as I did, it definitely doesn’t hurt to have a helpful husband and some good friends to run ideas by!”
The following vendors helped to make Ethan’s celebration special, if you give any of them a call, let them know you read about their products and services on MitzvahMarket.com.
Venue: Temple Chaverim
Catering/Cake: Scott, Hasson Catering,
Music Entertainment: MC Carl, ET Events
Party Planner/Favors: Mom & Ellen Elmaleh, TripleEproduction
Photographer/Videographer/Party Entertainment: Simon Miller, Simon Elliot Events
Invitation: Design, Mom & Ellen Elmaleh, TripleEproduction
Invitation: My Metal Business Cards
Logo Design/Water Bottle Labels/Hot Chocolate Labels/Shoebox Labels/Seating Cards: Ellen Elmaleh
Shoe Boxes: U-line.com
Shoe box Labels: Onlinelabels.com
Kippot: CoolKippahs.com
Décor/florist: Combination of Hasson Caterers (Tables, Draping & Balloons), ET Events (Dance Floor, Cubbies, Stage), Simon Elliot Events (All the Blow-ups, Mitzvah Madness, Green Screen & Elite Feet)
Suits for men and boys: Kenny’s Boys & Menswear
Mom’s dress: PeachesBoutique.com
Hair/makeup: Unique Salon Syosset
