As as mom, I had looked forward to planning my daughter's Bat Mitzvah since she was born. Being that I didn't have one for myself, yet wanted one, made it all the more important. Yes, I was into the big party, but I really wanted her to learn what it was all about to be a Jewish girl.
We were lucky enough to come across Rabbi Schevelowitz, at Perrineville Jewish Center. Simply amazing, patient and kind with her and all of us. Knowing I didn't have much of a religious Jewish upbringing he was more than helpful in explaining everything to me at the services, and made us feel extremely welcome. My daughter rocked the bima and made us extremely proud. So now the hard work was over and it was time to par-tay!
I've had so many readers ask me who I used for her party. So who did I use? I did a ton of interviewing and found some really amazing talent. The key to every vendor is to find someone you know you'll get along with and feel you can trust to make your day all that you're hoping it will be. If you don't mesh before your party with them, you're really not going to enjoy their presence on one the highest stress days of your life. In my prior life I planned huge corporate events, so I had some experience in this area. Here's who we used to make her party a truly memorable day.
Theme/Hashtag
My daughter loves inspirational quotes, one day she left a sign on her door that said free compliments, take one. From there I thought this could be a really cool theme, different than others and true to her. So we found a ton of quotes for her logo and decor that she loved and I came up with the hashtag #inspirationAli. She chose the colors blush, gold and white for the decor as well.
Logos/Step and Repeat/GeoFilter
Since, I have a marketing background I'm a little more into logos than others. I wanted a logo that didn't look similar to other mitzvah girls I had seen. So, I searched awhile and stumbled upon the wonderful Ali Weitzman from iSparkle Events. She took the theme and ran with it and is one of my favorite people to deal with. She's super efficient and insanely talented. She created the logos, step and repeat for the green screen of the photo booth and and geofilter, which is the snapchat filter. She also setup the snapchat filter for me. Her logos were used on the tv's, drawstring backpacks, color changing tumblers, the centerpieces, tickets for ice cream, the font was used on the photo's for below and anything else I could think of. The first logo was the theme from which I pulled from. She gave me numerous logo's to choose from and is reasonably priced. Phone: 202-302-2001 or Email: info@isparkleevents.com
Music
Our MC was Denver, from (he was with Xtreme Event Group at the time, but can be reached at his business You Name It Tags . I had met him at a mitzvah expo, as he had a booth there for his Airbrush apparel and just really liked his vibe. I came to find out he was an mc as well. Once I saw some video clips of his work I knew he was the perfect fit for me. He killed it, absolutely outstanding on every level. He's warm, charismatic and he's smooth, meaning that he would fix little things and no one else would realize he was doing it, I only know this from watching the video and seeing him in action. He holds down the fort and runs the party to perfection and becomes your best friend while doing so. He's able to get the kids to engage and put down their phones, yes you read that right, all while getting the adults to have a blast too.
Because he's so awesome he books up way in advance. He was booked for our original date. I wanted him for our party so badly I switched the date to work with his availability. Denver can be reached at 732-492-7623. Guarantee you'll love him and his team.
Photographer
I vowed to make sure I had someone the day of that I would enjoy being around, as I know some photogs can be super annoying, of course they had to be super amazing as well. Veronica from VeroLuce fit that bill. She's a mom, so she gets it. She has an endless amount of patience. At the mitzvah pre-shoot I was ready to leave way before she was, I saw what she captured and knew we had great shots, but she'll want even more. She's going to get THE shot and it's going to be amazing. Her eye is like no other. She's able to get kids to feel super relaxed, silly and happy, just like they would alone in front of a mirror at home. She captured amazing shots of my family and she's a pleasure to work with. A true artist and has won numerous awards to show for it. If you want creativity and appreciate photography she's your girl. The photo's provided in this article were shot by VeroLuce (except for the family shot by Kouture Kicks) the pic above and below are from her breathtaking preshoot. VeroLuce Phone: 973 449-6167 Email: vyankowski@yahoo.com
Extra Entertainment/Favors
We used Denver from You Name it Tags for this as well. We had the sports arcade for the cocktail hour, which was a foosball table, two pop a shots and an air hockey table. For the party we had a mirrored photo booth, the kids loved this. We also had an airbrush artist doing air brush apparel as favors - kids chose a t-shirt or a hat to be airbrushed with their name and design during the cocktail hour ( I had given them a list of the kids attending and the assistant walks around and get the orders from the kids, no long lines). This was really fun, the kids received a personalized favor and it was cool to watch the artist in action. I also ordered a large version of my dog's face, as you can see in the pic above from build a head, might be cute of the guest of honor as well, so they can be in a bunch of pics, but doesn't everyone want their pet at their party? You Name It Tags Phone: 732-492-7623.
Videographer
Click HERE to see the video recap from the Bat Mitzvah.
Being that I had worked in ad sales with commercials prior to this life I was really into video. I watched numerous mitzvah videos and I just didn't care for many, that is until I came upon Professional Video's website. Seth does this full time and you can tell he takes the time to edit and align the music to what's happening in the video, in a recap for example the timing matches up beautifully. I haven't received the final product just yet, but the raw footage looks awesome. He captured things I didn't get to see well that day plus all the important moments you want captured. I wanted to be able give this to my daughter for her to watch with her children and make sure it was a beautiful piece that captured the day perfectly. I have no doubt Professional Video will provide that. Phone: 973.218.0800 or email: seth@professionalvideonj.com
Decor/Party Planner
The centerpieces - the bain of every mitzvah moms existence. What can you do that's unique, not babyish and still really fun? Well, Wendy from Way Kool Event Planning brought that vision to life. She handled that for me as well as the candle lighting, cake table, seating card table, sign in board and gift box. She can bring your vision to reality. Along with images from the mitzvah pre-shoot taken by VeroLuce the centerpieces were complete. Our other centerpiece even had inspirational quotes hanging down from the branches, very creative. She dressed the tables to perfection. The room was truly spectacular with two types of centerpieces, one featuring my daughter's image and an inspirational quote, different on each side and the other with gold branches, flowers and bling. I went in with the gold branch idea and then found the custom lampshade centerpiece in her studio and said, let's do some of these as well. I'm so glad we did (wish I didn't think of this the week of, as I gave myself more stress, but don't we just love to do that to ourselves?). I loved breaking it up and having two centerpieces going on. I really loved the personalization of the lampshades as well. They included her logo and pictures from VeroLuce's photo shoot. Wendy's super chill, but don't fret they'll get it done, with perfection. Phone: 732-682-5096 or Email: waykoolevents@aol.com
I had wanted a real statement for the room and I also wanted something that went behind the candle lighting, so the pics would pop. I reached out to Dori at Total Party to take care of this. She created a magnificent balloon wall along with the images VeroLuce took from the pre shoot, the wall was a stunner. It was a true wow. She also provided two huge balloons I had at the place card table, see above a drop. She's a doll to work with . A perfectionist and really thorough and lovely. Phone: 732-723.3555 or Email: info@total-party.com
Place Cards
I knew I wanted something fun and different and I found Sweet Ali's Custom Confections She truly is sweet and super professional. But on top of that she's got an adorable product, that is unique. I picked out chocolate covered oreos for the place cards. She printed out the names of each guest and table number on a label and put it on the cookie. They were adorable and kids loved them. She also made beautiful chocolate picture frames with my daughter's picture inside for the dessert tables. She was so great, we had a last minute cancellation that week that threw off the table numbers and she redid a bunch for me and shipped the new place cards to the hall. A true professional. Phone: 917-714-9936 Email: sweetalibakeshop@gmail.com
Candle Lighting Poems
When the task of writing the poems came about I realized we needed a little help. It Could Be Verse sent over forms to fill out and they sent back catchy poems, that with a little tweaking, were perfect for her candle lighting. They said make sure they sound right, have her read through them. They were super caring and really sweet, making sure we were thrilled with the final results. Phone: 732-679-8093 Email: info@itcouldbeverse.com
Cake
JenniCakes has been our families go to for special occasions for years. She was recently on Cake Wars and can truly make anything you can think of. Her cakes are always delicious - you can never go wrong with a JenniCake! Phone: 732-608-0832 Email: jennicakesnj@yahoo.com
Good Bye Treat
As a surprise I had set up an ice cream, fresh scooped italian ices and shaved ice truck from Goldy's Ice Cream to come by as the guests were leaving. The kids loved it and it was super easy for me- you just pay for what the guests consume. Dan from Goldy's was a pleasure to deal with too. The driver let my daughter and nieces come on the truck and take pics afterwards too. He hung around until the party was over, so we went home with some treats Phone: 732-740-9972
Table Numbers/Social Media Cards/Mocktail Sign
Once you have your hashtag picked and geofilter set you have to let your guests know they exist and Sunflower Photo Solutions did a beautiful job with the social media tent cards. We customized the snap chat filter with my daughters image inside. She also designed the mocktail drink signage and table numbers, using the VeroLuce mitzvah preshoot photos. They went perfectly with the decor. Everything looked awesome and she's really great with a deadline. Phone: 732-740-7230 Email: sunflowerphotosolutions@gmail.com
Spray Tanning
For the perfect spray tan I used Bronze Age Spray Tanning, located in Monroe Twp. Diane is a doll and will make sure you're 100% satisfied. Be sure to go before hand for a trial to get the perfect glow for you! I had previously used Valisha (as most of the area did) and she stopped doing it and recommended Diane. Call or Text: 732-586-7571
Hair
I've been going to Alex from Delivering Beauty for years, she was the only one I wanted to do my daughters hair, as well as my own. She's patient and always makes us feel our best. Just what you want for the big day! I had my hair highlighted and cut by her a few weeks prior to be sure it was looking its best. She also works at Metro Salon Phone: 732-536-0900 Delivery Beauty Phone: 732-861-8727
Makeup Artist
One person I loved from my wedding was my makeup artist, he had a shop in Red Bank before he started traveling with celebs to do their makeup and just opened up in another location. I was so excited he was free to do our makeup. He'll come to you and make you feel absolutely beautiful and is a delight to be around. Worth every penny! Tim Alan Phone: 732-718-1144.
Dresses
Party Girl in Tenafly, yep it's not close, but it's worth the drive. They have a great selection of dresses for this age group. Bonus, they know what will look great on your child's body, super easy shopping, searched all over for the service dress, only to return here and purchase one in minutes. Phone: 201-568-8804
Blinged Converse Girls Sneakers
Both my girls wanted to change into something comfy for the party, so Kouture Kicks was the perfect go to for Blinged out converse sneakers. She'll match the bling coloring to the dress beautifully. Great to deal with and the girls loved them. Email: kouturekicks15@gmail.com
Snack for the Oneg/Kiddush
Sweet Ali Custom Confections, who did the place cards also made customized oreos with my daughter's image on them as well as her logos, they were beautiful and delish!
Invitations
I loved the idea of designing our own invitation and Maria from Oh My Occasions did just that. My daughter found an invite she liked on Pinterest and Maria was able to build off of that and make it something we truly loved. Phone: 908-770-3094
Extra's/Favors
Drawstring Bags for the t-shirts/hats and photo favors had their name on it so they could find their seat and take their items home in, napkins, as well as 16oz. Color Changing mood cups for her friends mocktails, I purchased online at Totally Promotional, super inexpensive to give some extra color to the party, around .50 cents each. Look for a coupon on their facebook page, or sign up for their emails to receive one.
Yarmulkes
I purchased at Kippah.com, I changed the order after placing it and they were truly easy to work with and came out as we ordered. We ordered pink suede and gold trim, they were nice quality.
Here's a tip - bring a change of clothes to go home in and different shoes, your feet might be crying at the end of the party. I was so happy to put on jeans and comfy shoes. Now I'll take a well deserved break before I start planning my younger daughter's.
Have fun planning your party and email me with any questions you might have. Sherig@macaronikid.com
