More Creativity Than Ever Before !
Posted by ises on August 31, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Cara Weiss, President/Event Coordinator
SAVE THE DATE, LLC Party planning your way
Website: http://www.savethedatemd.com
A music themed Bar Mitzvah seems fairly typical, however, for the 250 invited guests it was anything but. What set this event apart from the rest of the Bar Mitzvah scene was the use of six sub-themes, and meticulous attention to detail. Cara Weiss and staff, of Save The Date in Potomac, spent well over a year working with the Trone family to make sure Rob’s Bar Mitzvah was everything he could imagine and more. With the help over twenty companies and over 120 vendors, the three day event became an unforgettable party that none of the guests will ever forget.
Although there was an over-arching theme, each mini theme had its own style consisting of custom décor and a personalized menu. For cocktail hour, the individual party areas ranged from a hand graffittied ultra-lux hip/hop lounge with a local radio DJ scratching records to a sixteen piece big band in a concert-style saddle-span tent. This event was designed with a wow factor in mind that would impress family and friends (and even the vendors) alike.
Much more planning and creativity than is typically involved was needed in tackling the large-scale event issues. Although the Trone property was ample for the number of guests, to give the music festival-like feel to the event, neighbors’ yards were borrowed and an entire fence was temporarily taken down to increase space and comfort.
The expansive driveway set the stage for the cocktail hour tents, where guests began at the bottom where they were greeted by a Cher impersonator and a red carpet. Guests entered the festivities and were continually entertained as they worked their way up through cocktail time until the main reception began. Hors d’ oeuvres in the tents ranged from tapas and sushi to Kobe beef sliders with fries, and libations came in all forms befitting the themes. Guests enjoyed a variety of entertainment from a New Orleans jam band to a video game tent decked out with 5 large plasma screens and a 24 ft. foot blow up screen rigged with several giant Rock Band interactive setups.
The elaborate hip/hop tent became the main attraction for the younger guests. Designed of faux brick and metal accenting, the hand graffittied tent housed a multitude of entertainment options. Guests watched hip/hop dancers battle it out on the dance floor, while shadow dancers kept the vibe of the room alive. Teens enjoyed bottle service of chilled sparkling cider as they socialized in plush VIP vignettes. Interactive favors were abundant as guests “blinged” pimp cups and iPod speakers, and had airbrush artists decorate their own pair of Converse sneakers.
The main destination for the partygoers was the big band tent, the most opulently decorated of all the cocktail hour tents. “Rob’s Rainbow Room” consisted of a large saddle span tent on the top of the driveway, adorned in yards of black and white damask fabric. The custom designed white deco-style bar was surrounded by guests enjoying music from a 24 piece orchestra playing old time memories. Roger Rabbit style caricaturists and roving lookalikes entertained the crowd throughout the tent. Guests sipped on sidecars, martinis and manhattans, a lineup created to match the flashback feel of the tent.
A little spice was added to the night in the Latin tent as guests danced to Gloria Estefan tribute singer. A candy artist designed colorful hard candy in front of their eyes and a balloon artist built colorful floral balloon designs for guests to add to their favor bag. The rattan furniture, brought in from a national rental company, created the South Beach feel with day beds, couch seating and interactive bars. Bright throw pillows in pink and orange and gauzy white drapes tool guests on a little trip to the Miami scene.
As cocktail hour ended, guests entered the reception tent first through a lighted vortex tunnel turning and highlighting the spectacular experience. Guests then made their way through a thick wall of fog proudly displaying a gobo with the Bar Mitzvah boy’s logo. The 60ft. x 120ft. anchor span tent housed distressed metal bar-height tables with acrylic stools for the children’s area along with unique handmade skateboard chandeliers. Edgy black holographic fabric draped the adult tables each designed with bright, solid color bouquets of varying sizes. The matching black iridescent napkins and faux-crocodile menu cards connected the table accessories wonderfully with the original invitation sent out weeks beforehand. Alongside the floral centerpieces lay a mirrored guitar pick displaying a different classic 70’s rock band album cover, acted as the table numbers. Guests’ table numbers were on an interactive card that instructed guests to press a button to hear what table they were sitting at. Inside the main reception tent, guests were entertained by a national cover band and DJ, while two amateur skateboarders ripped up a caged in half pipe during the entire reception.
Celebrations like this one typically center around the honoree, but a few moments were taken to honor some very special individuals. As his mitzvah project, Rob decided to “twin” his bar mitzvah with 10 children in an orphanage in Israel. A donation was made in the honoree’s name which covered the entire expense for the orphanage children’s community B’not Mitzvah celebration in Israel. The announcement of this incredible project was incorporated into the party in lieu of a candle lighting ceremony. Rob engaged family and friends by having them bring up puzzle pieces, which ultimately pictured the mitzvah children in front of their orphanage in Israel with recognition in both English and Hebrew on the photo.
Photos by MBK Photography
The rest of Rob’s celebration was spent in this rock n’ roll tent dining on a five course meal with sommeliers visiting tables, an ice cream sundae bar and chocolate desserts made to look like each tent within our party. The introduction of the honoree was timed specifically with the fog wall changing photos to the popular rap song “Stronger” by Kanye West. Guests danced the night away atop a custom assembled holographic photo floor which included photos depicting each tent’s logo and pictures of the family’s beloved pets.
The closing of the evening was filled with even more excitement. Despite a sudden heavy downpour of rain, guests finished the night walking under tented walkways back to the big band tent which, had been transformed into a farewell tent. Guests were sent off with photo cookies, memory photos grafittied and “blinged” to match the theme, and personalized coffee to go mugs that they filled up for their drive home. Other favors included themed mini basketballs and logoed sports bags filled with logoed sweatshirts and sweatpants. Guests were picked up by a crew of golf carts that drove them directly to their cars. On their way out guests passed a large LED screen that displayed farewell montage thanking guests for coming. Guests left with great memories, full stomachs and plenty to talk about on the ride home.
