By Madeleine Deliee
Eliza Garmise had a couple of aces up her sleeve when she was planning her Bat Mitzvah: experience.
Her older sister, Hannah, was Bat Mitzvahed three years before, and her mother is an event-planning whiz. (Mom, Jessica Garmise, is the owner of Out of the Box Creations, a Long Island-based event décor company that specializes in unique and creative events). This made planning her big day as simple as, well, black and white.
The striking color theme evolved when mom and daughter fell in love with a black and white invitation. Older sister Hannah summed up the overall mood with the line “Celebrate the Night in Black and White.” Once that was set, the Garmise family knew they had a winning concept and ran with it. Eliza’s invitation featured a silver glitter heart and guests were instructed to dress in black and white. To stand out, Eliza chose a beautiful silver sequined ballgown.
“We were looking to have an elegant, modern and (most important) FUN celebration that aroused the senses at every turn,” Jessica says. The bar was high, given her professional background, and she wanted to create an extra-special experience for her daughter’s big day. “My guests would be looking for something new and innovative, so my team spent a lot of time brainstorming ideas and coming up with all of the creative touches, big and small.”
Jessica carried the black and white motif throughout, nailing the impact of the highly graphic visual. The contrasting colors dominated the setting, from the ombre balloon wall that greeted guests when they entered the synagogue, to the big punch of the black and white dance floor; the graffiti wall for the photo booth and the three tiered cake marking the occasion.
Black and white echoed through the smaller elements as well, in the patterned lampshades, floral arrangements and the black and white candy in apothecary jars. There were also many striking pops of vibrant pattern—zig-zag, polka-dots and hearts on everything from the cake to the pillar candles and floral patterned baubles in the table centerpieces.
“We had a lot of fun designing the logos for the favors and swag to really personalize the event for Eliza,” Jessica says. One unique touch was creating a spin on the Gossip Girl TV show logo. “We changed it to ‘Garmise Girl,’” Jessica explains, acknowledging that it was a “cute take” to identify everything as uniquely Eliza’s.
Her first name prompted a party choice as well. “Many people call Eliza by her nickname “EJ,” so we had shirts made that say ‘Yo EJ Pump this Party,’ ” she says, pointing out the kind of detail present everywhere.
The Garmises also focused on their guests’ knowledge of Eliza to distinguish many of the elements that went into creating her special day. “Eliza is a very petite girl with a HUGE personality,” her mother says. “So, on each adult plate we left a little box of black and white candy that said, ‘Good Things Come in Small Packages.’ ”
The hosts made sure that the party-goers were taken care of from start to finish, sending them off with black and white branded water bottles and a food truck in the parking lot with some final goodies for their departure.
Ultimately, Jessica handled the experience with the confidence of a veteran, having planned dozens of parties for others, as well as her older daughter’s event. “Since this was my second Bat Mitzvah, I definitely approached it with a more relaxed attitude and tried to enjoy the process,” she says. “I knew little things would go wrong (because they always do) but I knew if my daughter had an amazing night none of that would matter.” While she admits that it’s sometimes easier said than done to remain cool and organized, she believes strongly that perspective is what matters most. “I always tell my clients that the BEST part of the entire day or weekend by far is going to be sitting there and watching your child up there on the bimah and the immense feeling of love and pride that follows. There really is nothing better than that moment — at least there wasn’t for me. This helps put all the party planning and details in perspective and focus on what really matters.”
Vendor Directory
The following vendors helped to make Eliza’s celebration special. If you contact them please tell them you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com:
Venue: Temple Sinai of Roslyn
Entertainment: EJ The DJ, 800-358-4335
Photography/Videography: Stephen Andrews Photography, 516-780-9100
Party Planner, Décor, Sign-in Board, Special Touches: Jessica Garmise, Out of the Box Creations, 917-518-9389
Invitations: Jodi’s Gifts and Events, Jodi Okun, 516-662-2137
Eliza’s dress: Designing Dreams, 516-248-1988
