The MASQUERADE BALL themed Bat Mitzvah that UNMASKED memorable MERRIMENT for all..
“One day someone comes into your life totally unexpected and takes you by surprise and changes your life forever.”
That’s how we felt when we first met the Temkins – Steve, Gayle, Alyssa and Lily. Of course, all of our clients are special, but every once in a while, the profound effect that a client has on us is beyond measure. What became quite evident after our initial meeting was that getting to the day of Alyssa’s Bat Mitzvah was nothing short of a miracle.
Reaching the occasion of becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah has been a rite of passage celebrated by Jewish families for centuries. The studying and planning for the religious service and festivities often start a few years prior to children reaching the age of 12 or 13, and is one of life’s many milestones. However, for Alyssa, who has Glycogen Storage Disease (GSD), just getting through each day is more than cause for celebration.
Gayle and I started meeting about seven months prior to Alyssa’s Bat Mitzvah, always at her cozy office located within Alyssa’s school. Because GSD affects the liver’s storage and release of sugar, it was necessary for Gayle to be near Alyssa to monitor blood levels and administer doses of life saving formula every hour or so. With this disease, there’s no margin for error and no ability to let one’s guard down. Even in the midst of discussing invitations and catering, Gayle was in constant contact with Alyssa via walkie talkie, a reassuring life-line from office to classroom. It didn’t take long for me to be in complete awe of Gayle’s unwavering dedication to Alyssa and overwhelming joy in the ability to be in the midst of planning for her Bat Mitzvah.
This would not be any ordinary celebration, oh no, this was going to be epic on so many levels!! In addition to the already extensive guest list, Alyssa wanted to invite everyone that she met to her Bat Mitzvah. Her exuberance and love of life was endearing and heart-warming. The warmth and compassion of the Temkins was so far reaching that we started planning for hundreds of guests to attend a Welcome Shabbat Dinner, Religious Service and Kiddush Luncheon and the Party Reception.
In all, we eventually partnered with over 30 various event-related companies (many are listed below) to design, plan, manage and facilitate the weekend’s festivities. Kosher caterers, florists, printers, décor designers, rental companies, entertainment agencies, photographers, videographers and more – all providing the services necessary to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Alyssa. The success of any event, this one in particular, is directly related to the wonderful vendor relationships that we have nurtured over the years.
This post would be pages long if I listed and described each and every participating vendor, so here is just a taste of some of the extraordinary elements of ALYSSA’S MASQUERADE BALL!!
“OF COURSE, THERE WAS A FLASHMOB”: As a surprise for Alyssa, Gayle wanted to present a ‘Flash Mob’ dance, professionally choreographed to include various family and friends. The vision was to bring together the village of people who have supported Alyssa over the years and to highlight Alyssa’s endearing qualities – kindness, strength and bravery. A special shout out to DFX Entertainment for their incredible choreography and dancers and for squeezing in a rehearsal with all of the participants prior to the reception. Alyssa was overwhelmed with the show of support from her ‘nearest and dearest’.
‘GET THE PICTURE’?: Selecting pictures for this post was a fun but insurmountable task. Get The Picture Productions perfectly captured the sheer love and joy radiating from every person in the room. Take a look at some of the photos of Alyssa smiling, twirling, dancing, laughing, beaming – just pure happiness. I’m definitely a fan of candid shots, they certainly can give you a sense of the party vibe. However, now looking at the photos of Alyssa with her grandfather, Abby, (may his memory be for blessing), posed photos can be beyond priceless.
“WE’LL JUST HAVE A LITTLE NOSH” – To say that there was an abundance of food, would be an understatement! Abel Caterers provided all of the delicious food and staff for the Shabbat Dinner (100 guests) and Kiddush Luncheon (600 guests) while Main Event – Mauzone catered the party reception for 350 in partnership with The Riverview. Even with the storm that knocked out power on Friday night, the seamless flow of the event catering was a pleasure to behold!!
“IT’S PRONOUNCED FLOWER” – Flou(-e)r Specialty Floral Events designed a flower wonderland that was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!! The creativity, style and originality of the floral décor filled the venue with a sensory experience that just made you ‘ooh and aah’ at every turn. The pink and gold furniture, acrylic tables and mask décor provided by CERF NY, and the oversized marquee letters provided by YOUR LOVE IN LIGHTS, created the perfect atmosphere to celebrate Alyssa.
We will be forever thankful for this opportunity and can’t wait to start planning SWEET Lily’s Bat Mitzvah!!!
Event Design, Event Décor, Coordination, Party Crew and Management: Amazing Celebrations & Events
Kiddush Luncheon Catering: Abel Catering
Synagogue Florals: Pentimento Designs
Graphic Design: DenyerDezignz
Photographer: Get the Picture Productions
Videographer: Epic Filmmakers
Furniture Rentals and Themed Decor: CERF
Balloon Décor: Amazing Balloon Décor
Entertainment and Production: SoulSystem Orchestras Production
Reception Venue: The Riverview, Simsbury
Reception Florals: Flou(e)r
Linen Rentals: Peak Event Services
Draping: Design Light
Air Brush Artists: East Coast Brush Works
Reception Catering: Main Event Mauzone
Marquee Letters: Your Love in Lights
Flash Mob: DFX
Photo Booth: Creative Event Services
Favors: Victor Advertising
Link to an article written about GSD and Alyssa:
We get so much enjoyment when we get the opportunity to design the décor for a Bar Mitzvah around our client’s passion or hobby. This was the case with Ben, a talented chef, who aspires to be the next MasterChef Junior champion!
Ben shared his ideas for the centerpieces, so we ran with the concept of filling glass columns with beans, rice and pasta and then topping with an assortment of cooking utensils. His logo, created by Geri Denyer with DenyerDezignz, added the perfect touch to the centerpieces and table signs.
One of our favorite décor elements was the place card display. We picked up several old cookbooks from the local Goodwill Store and folded the pages to create a fun entrance presentation. The oversized fork votive holders and the chalkboard signs (created by our own Kate Ranaldi), helped to enhance the bar, food stations and gift table.
As a wonderful take-away and a testament to Ben’s flair for cooking, all the guests were given a personalized cookbook, filled with some of his favorite recipes. The selections ranged from Chocolate Almond Torte and Chinese Scallion Pancakes to Churros and Key Lime Pie. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for Chef Ben!!
That’s how we felt when we first met the Temkins – Steve, Gayle, Alyssa and Lily. Of course, all of our clients are special, but every once in a while, the profound effect that a client has on us is beyond measure. What became quite evident after our initial meeting was that getting to the day of Alyssa’s Bat Mitzvah was nothing short of a miracle.
Reaching the occasion of becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah has been a rite of passage celebrated by Jewish families for centuries. The studying and planning for the religious service and festivities often start a few years prior to children reaching the age of 12 or 13, and is one of life’s many milestones. However, for Alyssa, who has Glycogen Storage Disease (GSD), just getting through each day is more than cause for celebration.
Gayle and I started meeting about seven months prior to Alyssa’s Bat Mitzvah, always at her cozy office located within Alyssa’s school. Because GSD affects the liver’s storage and release of sugar, it was necessary for Gayle to be near Alyssa to monitor blood levels and administer doses of life saving formula every hour or so. With this disease, there’s no margin for error and no ability to let one’s guard down. Even in the midst of discussing invitations and catering, Gayle was in constant contact with Alyssa via walkie talkie, a reassuring life-line from office to classroom. It didn’t take long for me to be in complete awe of Gayle’s unwavering dedication to Alyssa and overwhelming joy in the ability to be in the midst of planning for her Bat Mitzvah.
This would not be any ordinary celebration, oh no, this was going to be epic on so many levels!! In addition to the already extensive guest list, Alyssa wanted to invite everyone that she met to her Bat Mitzvah. Her exuberance and love of life was endearing and heart-warming. The warmth and compassion of the Temkins was so far reaching that we started planning for hundreds of guests to attend a Welcome Shabbat Dinner, Religious Service and Kiddush Luncheon and the Party Reception.
In all, we eventually partnered with over 30 various event-related companies (many are listed below) to design, plan, manage and facilitate the weekend’s festivities. Kosher caterers, florists, printers, décor designers, rental companies, entertainment agencies, photographers, videographers and more – all providing the services necessary to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Alyssa. The success of any event, this one in particular, is directly related to the wonderful vendor relationships that we have nurtured over the years.
This post would be pages long if I listed and described each and every participating vendor, so here is just a taste of some of the extraordinary elements of ALYSSA’S MASQUERADE BALL!!
“OF COURSE, THERE WAS A FLASHMOB”: As a surprise for Alyssa, Gayle wanted to present a ‘Flash Mob’ dance, professionally choreographed to include various family and friends. The vision was to bring together the village of people who have supported Alyssa over the years and to highlight Alyssa’s endearing qualities – kindness, strength and bravery. A special shout out to DFX Entertainment for their incredible choreography and dancers and for squeezing in a rehearsal with all of the participants prior to the reception. Alyssa was overwhelmed with the show of support from her ‘nearest and dearest’.
‘GET THE PICTURE’?: Selecting pictures for this post was a fun but insurmountable task. Get The Picture Productions perfectly captured the sheer love and joy radiating from every person in the room. Take a look at some of the photos of Alyssa smiling, twirling, dancing, laughing, beaming – just pure happiness. I’m definitely a fan of candid shots, they certainly can give you a sense of the party vibe. However, now looking at the photos of Alyssa with her grandfather, Abby, (may his memory be for blessing), posed photos can be beyond priceless.
“WE’LL JUST HAVE A LITTLE NOSH” – To say that there was an abundance of food, would be an understatement! Abel Caterers provided all of the delicious food and staff for the Shabbat Dinner (100 guests) and Kiddush Luncheon (600 guests) while Main Event – Mauzone catered the party reception for 350 in partnership with The Riverview. Even with the storm that knocked out power on Friday night, the seamless flow of the event catering was a pleasure to behold!!
“IT’S PRONOUNCED FLOWER” – Flou(-e)r Specialty Floral Events designed a flower wonderland that was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!! The creativity, style and originality of the floral décor filled the venue with a sensory experience that just made you ‘ooh and aah’ at every turn. The pink and gold furniture, acrylic tables and mask décor provided by CERF NY, and the oversized marquee letters provided by YOUR LOVE IN LIGHTS, created the perfect atmosphere to celebrate Alyssa.
We will be forever thankful for this opportunity and can’t wait to start planning SWEET Lily’s Bat Mitzvah!!!
Event Design, Event Décor, Coordination, Party Crew and Management: Amazing Celebrations & Events
Kiddush Luncheon Catering: Abel Catering
Synagogue Florals: Pentimento Designs
Graphic Design: DenyerDezignz
Photographer: Get the Picture Productions
Videographer: Epic Filmmakers
Furniture Rentals and Themed Decor: CERF
Balloon Décor: Amazing Balloon Décor
Entertainment and Production: SoulSystem Orchestras Production
Reception Venue: The Riverview, Simsbury
Reception Florals: Flou(e)r
Linen Rentals: Peak Event Services
Draping: Design Light
Air Brush Artists: East Coast Brush Works
Reception Catering: Main Event Mauzone
Marquee Letters: Your Love in Lights
Flash Mob: DFX
Photo Booth: Creative Event Services
Favors: Victor Advertising
Link to an article written about GSD and Alyssa:
