An Equestrian Themed Bat Mitzvah Celebration During Hurricane Joaquin

As every party planner knows, you must be prepared for all possible scenarios!

This came into play for Melisa Imberman from The Event of a Lifetime, Inc. when she was planning a Bat Mitzvah at the Manursing Island Club in Rye, New York for a girl who is an accomplished equestrian.

It was the weekend of Hurricane Joaquin and the plan was for a daytime celebration after Lily’s Bat Mitzvah service for family and family friends followed by a party that evening for Lily’s young friends (at the same venue). Problems started early in the day as strong winds blew threw the plastic walls that enclosed the area where some of the guests would be enjoying the cocktail hour. The club worked all morning repairing/replacing the plastic walls. As the water got higher, it gobbled up the entire beach area where the cocktail area was originally to take place.

Plan B quickly turned into Plan C. Melisa said, “I asked the MC to rearrange the timeline a little so guests would stay on the dance floor longer, we showed the montage & afterwards I had the MC announce, If you are seated at tables 6-10 your table is now by the bar. Everyone found their new seats, lunch was served and we thought we were home free. But alas the tide kept rising and there was talk of having to evacuate the club. The only way to get to the club was over a draw bridge and there was talk of the bridge closing. If evacuating wasn’t bad enough, this would also mean potentially having to cancel the evening party and quickly contact over 100 kids.”

Party Details

In the end, both celebrations took place. Take a look at the party details which reflected the Bat Mitzvah girl’s sophisticated style using a combination of aqua and gold. This equestrian celebration also featured a great tagline… Ride On.

The invitation suite, in the party colors, included the logo on the information card

The escort cards were containers of trail mix. There was a note included that read, "For wherever your ride takes you."

The gift card box featured Lily's logo and tagline, "Ride On."

There was a pillow with her logo for guests to sign

The floral centerpieces featured lilies in honor of Bat Mitzvah girl Lily

At each guests' place setting there was a logo'd napkin wrap

Socks for dancing were in an equestian wooden box

The lounge area included white couches and ottomans with Tiffany blue accents

The paper lanterns looked great hanging from the ceiling

The Nike Elite sock station was a big hit

Guests enjoyed the iMingle photo station

There was a flash tattoo station for Lily's friends

At the end of the evening, wheelbarrows of candy were rolled out and devoured by the kids

Hot cider and donuts in custom bags and cups were a welcome exit treat

Hurricane Joaquin

Although it was stressful, thanks to flexibility of all the vendors involved and Melisa’s leadership, both events were a success!  Below are views of the water from inside the venue.

The water was getting rough

As high tide approached, the waves began bagging against the plastic wall of the room where the luncheon tables were and then the room began taking on water

The view from inside the venue as the storm was approaching

We thank Melisa Imberman for sharing this amazing Bat Mitzvah with our readers.

Event Planner/Invitation/Favors/Sign-In Pillow/Logo’d Paper Items/Mentalist Oz Pearlman: Melisa Imberman, The Event of a Lifetime, Inc.; Photographer: Ellen Dubin Photography; Venue: Manursing Island Club; Flowers: X-Quisite Flowers and Events