Samantha Spector, founder of Milk & Honey Special Events located in San Francisco, California, planned this wonderful Bat Mitzvah.
The family is known for their great parties, especially for their kids. Samantha and the Milk & Honey team knew that this celebration needed to be amazing and centered around Bat Mitzvah girl Sophie’s favorite things.
Since Sophie is a swimmer, choosing the theme was easy. By using a purple and lime green color scheme, this party really made a splash!
Sophie during her formal pictures on the bimah
Signage directing guests
Adults enjoyed the beautiful gardens of the Piedmont Community Hall
The purple and green centerpieces included a scattering of swim goggles
Swim Meet terms were used for table names
Swim lane dividers attached to stanchions, (in lieu of the typical velvet ropes), were used to mark off where guests should form a line. It reinforced the theme and managed the traffic flow
Michael Phelps even made an appearance via a giant cardboard cut out at their “selfie station,” where guests could take a photo by his side
A Cup Noodles bar was set up; a most popular item of swim meet fare!
The highlight was the signs sticking from the top of the bar featuring Sophie popping out of a giant Cup Noodles with her swim goggles on
A blue/green signature drink (for the adults) was dubbed “The 50 Fly” for the butterfly stroke and was a Long Island Iced Tea with Curacao for it’s amazing color
The bar/concession stand featured a giant bucket of Gatorade bottles and sodas for the kids to grab if they didn’t want to wait to get their drinks. Also available: delicious teriyaki bowls, burgers, hot dogs, baked potatoes, chips and candy
Fun trivia cards were placed at each table with questions about swimming, Bat Mitzvahs and all-about-Sophie
Inside the main event space is a great party room for the teens, with a high, beamed ceiling, shining herringbone hardwood floors, chandeliers and floor-to-ceiling windows
The DJ gave away sunglasses, glow necklaces, bracelets and inflatable microphones
One of the most popular activities of the evening was when the DJ rolled out a huge sheet of plastic bubble wrap for everyone to jump on. It’s the simple things…
In addition to dessert served at the snack bar, a purple and green candy bar kept the younger guests revved up with enough energy to keep the dance floor packed
Large purple balloons were used as a backdrop for the candy buffet as the windows were too beautiful to cover
Another fun party element included Sophie’s t-shirt favor. At swim meets, participants are each given a shirt with the names of all the competitors on the back. Guests loved grabbing their shirts and finding their names which were hung on the back trees. Each person used a fabric highlighter to highlight their name when they claimed their shirt
Delicious cookies with Sophie in swim mode
More custom “Sophie” cookies
We thank Samantha Spector of Milk & Honey Special Events for sharing this creative Bat Mitzvah with our readers.
Event Design & Planning: Milk & Honey Special Events; Photography: Karen Schneider Photography; Catering: Carrie Dove Catering; Venue: Piedmont Community Hall; Balloons: The Balloon Lady, Candy: Candy Warehouse; Candy Bar Labels: Tickled Teal.
