By Marisa Thalberg, ExecutiveMoms.com
Part of my rationale for going a slightly unconventional route in the professional planning assistance department is that I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist throwing my energies into this as a “Project.” In fact, after winding down working on my iPad at night, rather than transition to sleep, I found myself trolling the web for venue ideas, which I shared with Seth – my corporate event producer-turned-first-time Bat Mitzvah planner to kick things off.
In turn, he and his adorable associate Katie arranged to meet me, along with our Bat Mitzvah girl, at a first venue that we could also tour to get our feet wet. Our destination was the Faculty House at a local University – and while it seemed a bit random as we had not yet discussed this or any other possibilities, Hannah and I were open to their suggestion that we use this as a backdrop to get acquainted on this level. The venue, while very nice, did not strike us as a top choice for us. However, what made the appointment memorable was the time Seth and Katie spent getting to know Hannah – as she quickly charmed them with her graciousness and good sense. We may not have found our site on the first visit, but I walked away excited that we were starting to share a vision for creating something meaningful and unique, and in that sense it was well worth the trip.
The venue search continued…
Off the little list of venue possibilities I had generated, I held high hopes for one in particular, a venue right in our Upper West Side neighborhood of which I had never been aware until not one, but both our kids’ public schools held their auctions there this year – and both were lovely. It’s right on Central Park, with dramatic vaulted ceilings and an almost gothic flair. Because – and here’s the catch – it was an historic church. Nonetheless, Hannah and I, along with my husband David, set out to meet Seth and Katie there.
Here’s what we learned: if you are planning an event for the daytime, visit during the daytime. Had we not, we might not have realized that the dramatic theatrical lighting that was instrumental in creating so much ambiance at the auctions we attended at night was replaced by bright streaming sunshine… Illuminating the (understandably yet previously unnoticed) very Christian stained glass windows. Moreover, we realized the space itself just wasn’t as expansive as we had recalled, to host both our service (more on that to come) as well as a subsequent party.
Unfortunately we will have to continue our search…
Read Part 1 here
ABOUT MARISA THALBERG
Marisa Thalberg is the founder of Executive Moms which for 11 years has provided content and community for fabulous women who are both professionals and mothers. An executive herself, she is also the head of corporate digital marketing worldwide for The Estée Lauder Companies. She has been widely acknowledged for her work on both fronts, including being named a Working Mother of the Year, an Advertising Age Woman to Watch, and a featured mother in UNICEF’s State of World’s Children report. She lives in Manhattan with her husband David and their two daughters Hannah, age 12 and Avery, age 7. She will be celebrating Hannah’s Bat Mitzvah in November 2013 and is blogging about her planning experience for both MitzvahMarket.com and on her blog.
Read about Hannah’s celebration here.
